My working definition of "occasional and situational" would be that it wouldn't happen all rounds, or even the majority of rounds.
Yet when I look at this, at the best I could say is that it will happen multiple times per round, but perhaps not every enemy action per round. Though for some enemies, especially beasts, undead, and the like, I don't really see even that.
Please, with five attackers going after targets in the aura that they need to either enter to melee (it's quite large) or use magic, tell me how many times per round you expect the stun to trigger.
Because a number I get and the definition of "occasionally and situational" do not match in the slightest.
This sort of seems you are saying the spell can do this, but because a different spell with different situational needs wasn't used in that way, we shouldn't actually evaluate the spell as if it has that ability.
I ask that you forward this post to your DM. Since you "scoff" (your word) at what we say, there shouldn't be any concern your DM will see merit in what we are saying. But at least be honest with your DM and let them know there are concerns and let your DM see those concerns unfiltered by your scoffing.
Yeah, I am the DM, and this is more likely a spell for my co-DM's wizard PC in a game I run.
Enemy wizards will only get pinged when they try to target a specific target. A fireball won't cause them to have to save, for instance (and if the caster uses the reaction it also protects any enemies within the maze). The cylinder is also pretty small. There absolutely will be PCs outside of it. By the time 4th level spells are in play, a 10ft radius circle on the map that isn't safe to enter shouldn't break anyone's encounters.
Someone noted variable availability of archers as an issue, but I reject that entirely. Give your goblins shortbows. You've already got fly by this level, enemies should already not be limited to spell or melee, with no mundane range.
Now, we have, again, taken the feedback here into account, and started over from the narrative elements and found that blindness is actually a better fit than stun, and that we can get a scarier effect using blindness and a "the target makes a new save at the end of it's turn" instead of a "until end of next turn" effect duration.
You place a silver torc on the ground at your feet as you complete the incantation. The torc floats inches above the ground, and spins clockwise until the aperture is pointed north. As the torc splits into 4 parts, it grows into ethereal circles surrounding you, and each circle's opening faces a different compass point, creating a deceptively simple circular maze in the air.
For the duration of the spell, you and your allies are protected by an ethereal maze of arcane energy. The maze is a 10-foot-radius, 20-foot-tall cylinder, centered on a space you choose within range, and creates the following effects while the spell is active. You designate any number of creatures, types of creatures, or an identifier or pass-phrase a creature can speak, which determines who is protected by the maze.
You and such designated creatures gain a +1 bonus to AC, and 3d6+3 temporary hit points if they are within the maze when the spell is cast, or the first time they enter the maze during the spell's duration.
Any time a creature not designated by you begins their turn inside the maze, or targets a creature inside the maze with a magical ability, the attacker must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw or be trapped by the maze. Trapped creatures are blinded, seeing only the corridors of the maze. They can still hear, but sounds are distorted as if coming from around a corner. At the end of its turns, the target can make another Wisdom saving throw. On a success, the effects end on the target.
While the spell is active, you can use the following actions.
- You can use your reaction, when any creature within the maze takes acid, cold, fire, thunder, lightning, or force damage, to grant all creatures within the maze resistance to that damage type until the end of the current turn. Then, all designated creatures within the maze gain 2d6+3 temporary hit points.
- You can use your action to target all creatures within 60ft of you that are blinded by the maze. Each target must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw. If they fail, they become incapacitated. They continue to make wisdom saving throws at the end of their turns, ending all conditions from this spell on a success.
At higher levels. When you cast this spell at 5th level or higher, the temporary hit point values increase by 1d6+1, and the radius and height of the maze increase by 5 ft, for each spell level above 4th.
That's probably the last alpha draft. Next is playtesting. We found when discussing it that blindness where you see only the maze is thematically scarier, but allows movement and actions, and even incapacitated allows movement and bonus actions (which spellcasters may have plenty of), but still should scare enemies who fail their saves, and it still feels almost just as much like their mind is being trapped in the maze.
