Feats

[Cheiromancer]

Here's a version of my Wretched Spell feat together with a more powerful (and more expensive) version of your Circumventory Spell. I could give it a different name if you don't want the initial version to be superseded. The flavor text gives guidance for how the feats work. E.g. if you are on a plane where (for some reason) globes of invulnerability don't work, then Avoidant Spell wouldn't work either.

The main idea is that there is a natural "arms race" where magical defenses are developed to protect against magical attacks; when these become universal, the attacks are upgraded to bypass broad categories of defenses.

[edit] New, improved version below. These versions are in spoiler blocks as a reference to see the degree of improvement.

[sblock]Avoidant Spell [Metamagic][Epic]
Your spells are imbued with the magic of a globe of invulnerability.
Prerequisites: Spell Penetration, Knowledge (arcana) 8 ranks, Spellcraft 8 ranks
Benefit: A spell modified with Avoidant Spell ignores all spells (including spell-like abilities) of level 1 or lower. Ignored spells cannot reduce or prevent damage from, detect or directly interact with the modified spell. For example, an avoidant magic missile would ignore a shield spell, and could not target a creature summoned by monster summoning I. An avoidant spell has no special effect on supernatural or extraordinary abilities or defenses, nor does it ignore instantaneous effects such as a wall of stone. Indirect effects (such as saving throw bonuses granted by spells) are not negated by an avoidant spell. An avoidant spell takes up a slot 1 level higher.
Special: Avoidant Spell can be applied multiple times to the same spell; each additional application of Avoidant Spell causes the modified spell to ignore an additional level of spells and take up a spell slot another level higher. For example, an avoidant (x6) magic missile could strike a target behind a wall of force or inside an antimagic field, and would occupy a 7th level spell slot.

[edit] I'm presuming that while inside a globe of invulnerability a brooch of shielding would work against, say, a heightened (x4) magic missile, but that a shield spell would not. A globe of invulnerability shuts down low level spells, but not magic items. I should probably confirm this in the rules forum. I should also decide what level epic spells are treated at. I rather like the Spell Level = 6 + SP/6 formula.

Circumventory Spell [Metamagic][Epic]
Your spells are imbued with the magic of an antimagic field.
Prerequisites: Spell Penetration, Knowledge (arcana) 27 ranks, Spellcraft 27 ranks
Benefit: You can modulate a spell to bypass magical protections, suspending them for the purposes of determining whether the target is affected. A spell cast as a circumventory spell ignores magical protections by spell or device which would normally defeat it or reduce its efficacy. Supernatural immunities or resistances to a spell are also ignored, but extraordinary qualities cannot be circumvented. A circumventory fireball ignores magical resistance or immunity to fire; a circumventory finger of death ignores a death ward or a scarab of protection etc. If a target would not exist in an antimagic field (e.g. a summoned or incorporeal creature) it will be completely unaffected by a circumventory spell. A circumventory spell uses up a slot ten levels higher than the spell's actual level.
Special: Circumventory Spell does not enable a spell to penetrate a prismatic sphere, wall of force or an antimagic field. In fact, a protection which would function in an antimagic field will function against a circumventory spell; this includes barriers created as instantaneous effects, such as a wall of stone.

[edit] A circumventory spell is superior to an avoidant (x9) spell in that it overcomes magic items as well as most spells. However an avoidant spell can penetrate at least three different barriers that a circumventory spell can't penetrate. I'm wondering if circumventory spell is a trifle too expensive. Maybe 8 levels would be better than 10.

[sblock=the original version of Circumventory Spell]Circumventory Spell [Metamagic][Epic]
Prerequisites: Spell Penetration, Knowledge (arcana) 27 ranks, Spellcraft 27 ranks
Benefit: You can modulate a spell to bypass magical protections, suspending them for the purposes of determining whether the target is affected. A spell cast as a circumventory spell ignores magical protections by spell or device (but not natural immunities) which would normally defeat it or reduce its efficacy. A circumventory fireball ignores magical resistance or immunity to fire; a circumventory finger of death ignores a death ward or a scarab of protection etc. A circumventory spell uses up a slot four levels higher than the spell's actual level.

I thought the counter-measure in the arms race should be a bit later in coming.[/sblock]

I harmonized the flavor of the prerequisites, but did not make one the prerequisite for the other; the function of a globe of invulnerability is not subsumed by that of an antimagic field even though both are abjurations which restrict the functioning of magic. Accordingly their feat-analogues should also be similar, but independent.[/sblock]

I might post other feats from the big thread here, so they can be all in one place.

I was also thinking of developing something for non-spellcasters to use so that they are not totally outclassed by spellcasters.

e.g. Special abilities added to the epic fighter class (in addition to their feats) that allow them to use Spell Stowaway, or which grant immunity to certain spells. A fighter that can dive after a teleporting wizard, or who can walk through a forcecage, and act freely during that wizard's time stop - the wizard might still wipe the floor with the guy, but it won't be a sure thing. Ditto for epic rogues and barbarians. What do you think? Is this a terrible idea?

 

[Sepulchrave II]

Nice.

I'd call out Metamagic Freedom explicitly in the "special" entry for Avoidant Spell, just for the sake of clarity - a quick scan might otherwise indicate that you'd need to take the feat multiple times.

Re: Circumventory Spell.
This would translate to a +20 factor to penetrate all resistances and immunities in the Jacobean schema; given that typeless damage is +8 with [blast] - essentially overcoming all elemental immunities - this is probably OK.

Can this Circumventory Spell penetrate a prismatic sphere and other area effects, or only protections upon a particular target? I'm not clear.

 

[Cheiromancer]

I'd call out Metamagic Freedom explicitly in the "special" entry for Avoidant Spell, just for the sake of clarity - a quick scan might otherwise indicate that you'd need to take the feat multiple times.

Actually I was intending it to work much like Heighten Spell is. I'll expand the wording in the "special" entry to say that if a wizard wants to magic missile someone in a globe of invulnerability they can, just by applying avoidant 3 times.

Can this Circumventory Spell penetrate a prismatic sphere and other area effects, or only protections upon a particular target? I'm not clear.

Good question. I'm visualizing it as the spell's energy being sheathed by an antimagic field that doesn't neutralize the spell being cast, but which shuts down all the things an antimagic field usually shuts down. Sheathed in the sense that anything which interacts with the spell, or which might interfere with the spell, has to deal with an antimagic field first.

Which means that it can't penetrate a prismatic sphere, since an antimagic field couldn't do it. It can't penetrate a force field either, for the same reason. Maybe I should include more of the rules text from antimagic field.

Parallel considerations apply to Avoidant Spell, only using globe of invulnerability as the base. Although now that I think about it, it is unclear what happens if you have more than 4 levels of Avoidant. Can an avoidant spell bypass an antimagic field or a wall of force? In which case an avoidant (x6) defensive spell couldn't be shut down by a circumventory spell. Which means the arms race continues.

Not that the interactions of antimagic field are 100% clear either. It can't penetrate a wall of force, but what about a resilient sphere?

Still needs some tinkering for clarity, and these other rules issues probably should be addressed, but I'm glad you like the basic idea.

 

[Cheiromancer]

Alright, there is a thread in rules here, which should clarify some things about Avoidant Spell and Circumventory Spell. In the mean time, I'd like to look again at King Solomon's Seal. We don't have a factor for calling unique entities anymore (it used to be +10). In fact, we actually lower the SP for spells that name a single individual! So that bit should be dropped.

The [call] seed has an interesting feature whereby you can try to trick the fiend into waiving its saving throw. This works best when the fiend's Wisdom bonus is much less than its saving throw bonus. If you have a 30 Intelligence and GSF in Conjuration you'll want the gap to be at least 15. Otherwise you are better off Heightening the Spell and trying to compel it to respond to your [call]. I think that anyone with King Solomon's Seal wouldn't resort to such trickery- it should provide a penalty to saves rather than (say) a boost to the CR that can be summoned.

[Call] now has a built-in period of 200 minutes of ordinary service. You'd need the [compel] seed to make the fiend do something it really doesn't want to do- like go into an iron flask. Or perhaps not - this seems like something that the minimus containment form of binding would excel at.

I just realized that binding is actually an epic seed. Simply change the casting time to one standard action from one minute (+4), waive the material components (500 gp + 500 gp/HD would be +4 or +5 for most fiends) and Heighten it to 10th level (+4) and you have a 10th level spell. I think I'll add it to one of our current threads.

Anyway, I'd say that King Solomon's Seal should provide a bonus to use of the [call] and [binding] seeds when dealing with fiendish nobility. It should provide a hefty penalty to the fiend's saving throws in the former case and a substantial boost to caster level in the second. Interestingly, these bonuses will generally not coincide; [call] doesn't allow spell resistance and so caster level is irrelevant; [binding], on the other hand, doesn't allow a saving throw (at least if your caster level is high enough) and so the saving throw penalty is irrelevant.

The requirement of Epic Spell Focus in the prerequisites is a real stinker. +1 to save DCs is pretty awful for a seed specialist who doesn't rely much on non-epic spells. Or one whose primary use of conjurations will be for effects that don't require saving throws. An epic spellcaster will be putting a lot of feats into Epic Spellcasting just to keep up with Matt. If Jake is going to spend two of these feats in pursuit of the secret of King Solomon's Seal, the results had better be pretty juicy; the equivalent of two specialized feats.

Actually, I'm wondering if that is too much. One feat specialized in fiendish nobility is probably enough; we don't need one that is double-powered. It might be better, I think, to tone it down, but drop some of the prerequisites.

And with regard to the skill-points; I can see that this is an "academic" feat that ordinary sorcerers (for whom Knowledge (the planes) is a cross-class skill) wouldn't be suited for. But I think if they pay the extra skill points they should be able to get it at a reasonable level; given that their intelligence will be much lower, it is a genuine cost to them. And I also think that if a cleric were to find these seeds associated they should be able to take advantage of the feat; requiring greater planar binding as an arcane spell seems to be asking a lot. In fact, a religious element would not be at all inappropriate, given the namesake of the feat. Given the namesake, you wonder how it came about that he was casting all these [evil] spells. How about this:

King Solomon's Seal [Epic]
You can coerce fiendish nobility into service.
Prerequisites: Epic Spellcasting, Knowledge (arcana) 33 ranks, Knowledge (religion) 18 ranks, Knowledge (the planes) 18 ranks.
Benefits: You receive a +10 bonus to your caster level when you cast a spell incorporating the [call] or [binding] seeds against members of the fiendish nobility (such as demon princes or dukes of hell). Fiendish nobles receive a -10 penalty to any saving throw these spells may allow.
Special: A spell which benefits from King Solomon's Seal ceases to be a spell of the evil type.
Note: A fiendish noble usually has at least 20 hit dice, and is typically either an advanced member of a particular species (at least 50% more hit dice than a typical pit fiend, balor, etc.) or of a unique type.

[sblock=Original version of King Solomon's Seal]King Solomon's Seal [Epic]
You can coerce fiendish nobility into service.
Prerequisites: Epic Spellcasting, Epic Spell Focus (Conjuration), Knowledge (arcana) 33 ranks, Knowledge (the planes) 33 ranks, Spellcraft 33 ranks, able to cast greater planar binding as an arcane spell.
Benefits: When you develop a spell incorporating the [call] and [compel] seeds which is aimed specifically at calling and exacting service from fiendish nobility (such as demon princes or dukes of hell), you do not have to pay the usual cost associated with calling unique entities. Furthermore, the target creature makes any saving throw or spell resistance check against a spell developed this way with a -10 penalty.[/sblock]

 

[Cheiromancer]

Re: Avoidant Spell.

Following the discussion (linked to above) I'm wondering if using the mechanics of globe of invulnerability is problematic as a basis for a feat. Part of the problem is that a GoI doesn't work on spells that have already been cast. If your spell is being imbued with a GoI-type energy as it is cast it wouldn't be able to avoid anything, and the feat would be useless. This leads to a second problem: the way that GoI interacts with magic items. Magic items do not give supernatural or spell-like abilities; their powers are thus spell-like (or, in the case of spell trigger or spell completion items, actual spells). The reason that GoI doesn't interfere with them is because GoI doesn't suppress effects which precede it. But if we change the nature of the GoI-type energy that imbues an avoidant spell (so that it can actually do something), then the possibility is raised that avoidant spell avoids protection due to magic items as well. But then *this* becomes complicated in that the spell-level of a magic item is not always clear, particularly for descriptive items.

My initial version also said that an avoidant spell could not be detected or interacted with by a lesser spell. I'm not sure what that meant, exactly, unless it meant that each spell ignored the other. Could a summoned monster walk through an avoidant wall of fire? Could it see a character concealed by an avoidant invisibility? What happens if someone uses see invisibility against an avoidant (x2) invisibility? Does see invisibility not work (because avoidant treats it as non-existent with respect to the invisibility) or does the person not count as invisible (because the spells ignore each other)? What would happen if someone used an avoidant (x2) see invisibility against a character who is invisible? It is starting to look like the feat would be a PITA to adjudicate.

The question of whether a wall of force or a prismatic sphere can be suppressed is also unclear. Antimagic field can't suppress them, so why should an avoidant spell? Antimagic field doesn't interfere with another antimagic field, so it is not at all clear that a GoI type of effect could interfere with it, either. Definitely a PITA. Maybe dispel magic would be a more rigorous basis for the spell. How about this:

Avoidant Spell [Metamagic][Epic]
Your spells bypass weaker magical defenses.
Prerequisites: Spell Penetration, Knowledge (arcana) 8 ranks, Spellcraft 8 ranks
Benefit: A spell modified with Avoidant Spell ignores most protective spells (including spell-like abilities) of level 1 or lower. Ignored spells or abilities cannot reduce or prevent the effects of the modified spell. For example, an avoidant magic missile would ignore a shield spell. An avoidant spell can only avoid spells and abilities that can be ended by dispel magic, and thus cannot ignore supernatural or extraordinary defenses, or instantaneous effects such as a wall of stone. Indirect effects (such as saving throw bonuses granted by spells) are not negated by an avoidant spell. However, an avoidant spell can bypass protections provided by items; the spell level of such items is determined by the DM, who should be guided by similar spells, item prerequisites and item caster level. An avoidant spell takes up a slot 1 level higher than normal.
Special: Avoidant Spell can be applied multiple times to the same spell; each additional application of Avoidant Spell causes the modified spell to ignore an additional level of spells and take up a spell slot another level higher. For example, an avoidant (x4) enervation could affect a target protected by death ward and would occupy an 8th level spell slot.

Circumventory Spell is almost redundant if Avoidant Spell affects items. The only place it is superior is with regard to supernatural immunities. I think such immunities are best handled on a case by case basis, as with Animus Invictus. So I'd say to drop it.

 

[Cheiromancer]

I thought I saw a neat exploit with Tenacious Magic, but this thread shot it down. Suppose the highlighted words in Tenacious Magic were replaced with "prematurely end." It would allow for the basic unbreakable curse. The only thing you could do is persuade the original caster to lift the curse.

If a feat devoted to a particular spell is worth about 30 points, then a basic 5th level spell (worth 30 points) would be 60 points in kernelese if this feat were built in to it; an awesome entry level spell, I think.

Tenacious Magic [Epic]
Choose one of your spells or spell-like abilities. That magic cannot be dispelled, only suppressed.
Prerequisites: Spellcraft 15 ranks.
Benefit: Choose one spell you know or spell-like ability you possesses. Whenever the chosen form of magic would otherwise end due to a dispel effect, the magic is instead only suppressed for 1d4 rounds. The magic still ends when its duration expires, but the suppressed rounds do not count against its duration. You can dismiss your own spell or spell-like ability (if dismissible) or dispel your own tenacious magic normally.
Special: You can gain this feat multiple times. Each time you take this feat, it applies to a different spell or spell-like ability.​

Of course, this would be a significant change to the Tenacious Magic feat. Maybe make a variant (with the new wording) that applies only to [afflict] spells or something. Or have tenacious effects be a sub-seed of [afflict].

I suppose you could have someone cast a spell that takes ownership of the tenacious spell. (That would involve the [delude] seed wouldn't it? Isn't there a spell that lets you subvert the control of another caster's summoned monsters? This would be like that.) Perhaps there could be a story-enhancing way of preventing this from happening: include an epic factor (whose net effect is to mitigate) that prevents the spell from being deluded (call it "True ownership" or something). However the factor allows the curse to be broken in specified circumstances (like greater bestow curse). This could make a great plot-hook. (This paragraph has too many parentheses!)

Or you could let any epic curse can just be gotten rid of with a sufficiently boosted [dispel]. But what is the fun in that?

Anyway, I thought I'd float this idea. DMs can do this kind of thing by hand-waving, but I thought it would be nice to have a robust mechanic in place to enable it.

[edit] Interesting discussion on that thread. Folks are reading the text very closely. Apparently remove curse would work on a tenacious bestow curse, but greater dispel magic wouldn't, despite the phrase "Additionally, greater dispel magic has a chance to dispel any effect that remove curse can remove, even if dispel magic can’t dispel that effect." The key word is "dispel". Tenacious Magic won't stop something from ending or canceling or removing or reversing the spell, but it will block something from "dispelling" it.

Personally I would have used a variety of terms just to break the monotony, not for any fine rules distinction. What would we do without the rules forum! :\

 

[Cheiromancer]

From the big thread:

EARTHSCORCHER [EPIC]
Armies flee and cities are abandoned at the rumour of your passing.
Prerequisites: Epic Spellcasting, Spell Focus (Evocation), Spellcraft 30 ranks.
Benefit: When you use this feat to develop an epic spell with the energy seed as its base seed to evoke a [fire] effect, the base range, area and duration (if non-instantaneous) are all multiplied by 10. Any subsequent increases in any of these parameters are calculated from their new base values.

Nine widenings would be +27; 9 extends would be another +9, but wouldn't apply to anything in the [blast] seed; we'd have to write up the [field] seed first. +36 is pushing it for a feat that enhances two seeds, even ones that are as closely related as [blast] and [field]; really just sub-seeds of [energy]. I'd really like to drop the fire restriction; why can't someone blast an army with cold or acid?

There would really need to be a Reduced Volume factor made available with this feat, otherwise he'd be useless at close quarters. Based on the factor in [transmute], if the character doesn't make use of the increased area, he should be able to get back 10 points in free factors to spend on his [blast] spells. Hmmm. That is an interesting idea. How about this:

Magnipotent [Epic]
Your evocations span horizons, and scorch whole battlefields.
Prerequisites: Epic Spellcasting, Spell Focus (Evocation), Spellcraft 30 ranks, access to [blast] or [field].
Benefit: When you use develop an epic spell to evoke an [acid], [cold], [electricity] or [fire] effect, gain 30 SP in free factors. These factors must be spent to enlarge, extend or widen the base parameters of the base seed. Furthermore, these free factors actually increase the base range, duration and area of the seed. Any subsequent increases in any of these parameters are calculated from their new base values.

edit: was Oulomenen, but that is a trifle obscure. The power to make big, though; that seems to describe the feat perfectly. Dies Irae might work; especially in conjunction with Herald of the Escaton.

[sblock=For our less classically educated lurkers]
μῆνιν ἄειδε θεὰ Πηληϊάδεω Ἀχιλῆος
οὐλομένην, ἣ μυρί' Ἀχαιοῖς ἄλγε' ἔθηκεν,

Rage—sing, goddess, the rage of Achilles, the son of Peleus,
the destructive rage that brought countless griefs upon the Achaeans... [/sblock]


I think reference to [blast] and [field] might be redundant; I don't think there are any other elemental evocations in our system. I'll put them back if you think that would be better.

 

[Sepulchrave II]

Oulomenen [Epic]

I like this (although the mythological reference is obscure in the extreme). It's streamlined. I'd be tempted restrict it to 'genuine' elemental effects, though, including sonic effects.

 

[Cheiromancer]

You are much better at thinking up cool names than I am. The alternative was "Untrammeled Blast", which isn't very evocative.

And the spoiler is sheer bravado- I had to go look up the beginning of the Illiad to find the word. Although the fact that I knew that Achilles is uniquely ascribed this word (among mortals at least) counts in my favor, I suppose.

If sonic (at +4 SP) can be included, I don't see why the other factors couldn't be. I think it would be more elegant if it were restricted to Acid, Cold, Electricity or Fire effects. A restriction would also ease my mind a little about allowing such a hefty mitigation to apply to two seeds.

[edit] I thought of some good names!

 

[Sepulchrave II]

I think it would be more elegant if it were restricted to Acid, Cold, Electricity or Fire effects.

Lol. This was my first thought, but I had to stop and consider whether acid was really more 'elemental' than sonic. But yeah, the basic 4 sounds good.