Homebrewed Spell: True Critical

[Hrothgar Rannúlfr]

Presented for your review... This spell is like an alternative form of the True Strike Spell.
Original Version:[SBLOCK]True Critical
Divination
Level: Sor/Wiz 2
Components: V, M/F
Casting Time: 1 standard action
Range: Personal
Target: You
Duration: 1 min./level (D)

You gain temporary, intuitive insight into the immediate future during your next attack that results in a critical threat. Your next single critical confirmation roll (if it is made before the end of the spell's duration) gains a +20 insight bonus. Additionally, your critical confirmation roll is not affected by the miss chance that applies to attackers trying to strike a concealed target.

Material Component
Three drops of blood.

Focus
A small wooden replica of an archery target.


First Revised Version

Revised Version Based on Input:True Critical
Divination
Level: Sor/Wiz 2
Components: V, M/F
Casting Time: 1 standard action
Range: Personal
Target: You
Duration: 1 min./level (D)

You gain temporary, intuitive insight into the immediate future during your next attack that results in a critical threat. Your next single critical confirmation roll (if it is made before the end of the spell's duration) gains a +20 insight bonus. Additionally, your critical confirmation roll is not affected by the miss chance that applies to attackers trying to strike a concealed target.

Material Component
Three drops of blood.

Focus
A small wooden replica of an archery target.[/SBLOCK]

Second Revised Version Based on Input as of 11/23/07:

True Critical
Divination
Level: Sor/Wiz 2
Components: V, M/F
Casting Time: 1 standard action
Range: Personal
Target: You
Duration: 1 min./level

You gain gain temporary, intuitive insight into the immediate future during your next attack that results in a critical threat. Your next single critical confirmation roll (if it is made before the end of the spell's duration) gains a +20 insight bonus.

Material Component
Three drops of blood.

Focus
A small wooden replica of an archery target.​

Thoughts/Questions/Comments?

1. Is the level of the spell appropriate? Is this weak enough to be a 1st level spell?

2. Are the effects of the spell appropriate to the spell level?

3. Is there any chance of this being able to be added to a weapon and the effect made permanent?

 

[Notmousse]

Magic's not my forte, but I'd call it as: y;y;n... Make that last one a Hell No.

1) Because it's effect lasts for a decent amount of time and you're just begging someone to use this on a huge scythe wielded by an enlarged Tenser's caster.

2) Meh... sounds good to me.

3) Are you kidding me? Same reason True Strike doesn't get that nod!

 

[Kisanji Arael]

*chuckle* Yeah, this spell looks *chuckle* fine to me, same as above. Heheh, it's a spell that provides the material component for its next use.

 

[brehobit]

I'd say it's a weak 2nd level spell. Drop the duration to 1 round/level I'd go with a 1st level spell.

Do you really have a miss chance on a confirmation? I didn't know that. Anyone have a rules cite?

Mark

 

[llamatron2000]

I'll agree. This spell looks weak. It's 1st level spell material.

But....I like the idea of a True Strike series of spells. True Strike itself is one of the most popular spells used in my gaming circle.

 

[Nifft]

Do you really have a miss chance on a confirmation? I didn't know that. Anyone have a rules cite?

First I've heard.

IIRC, miss chance only applies to the attack roll -- you do not roll miss chance twice.

Prolly just a copy-paste error from true strike.

Anyway, looks weak to me. I'd make it a Swift action to cast, and allow it to be cast any time you threaten a critical hit. Thus, for a 2nd level slot, you get a +20 to confirm one crit -- so long as you didn't Quicken anything else this round.

Cheers, -- N

 

[Hrothgar Rannúlfr]

Thanks, everyone.

I'll revise the original post to make the duration 1 round per level.

As to the miss chance on the confirmation roll... I don't know for sure, but I'd assume that you have to do whatever you'd have to do to hit to confirm the critical, so it seems logical to me.

Maybe I need to ask on the rules forum?

 

[Hrothgar Rannúlfr]

First I've heard.

IIRC, miss chance only applies to the attack roll -- you do not roll miss chance twice.

Prolly just a copy-paste error from true strike.

Thanks, Nifft. Saved me a post on the Rules forum, but it did seem logical to me that you'd need to roll whatever you needed to hit (including the miss chance) to confirm the critical.

 

[IceFractal]

Seems rather weak for a second level spell - could be fine for a first level, but even then it's rather more situational than True Strike.

True Strike applies to any attack. It only lasts for one round, but it's not hard to make an attack during that round. Note that it also applies to the critical confirmation, if that one hit happens to be a critical threat.


So just to match that, the chances of getting a critical threat during this spell's duration should be as likely as making any attack during True Strike's duration. For that purpose, a minute per level should work fine.

However, since it requires you to hit the enemy in the first place, you can't effectively use it against extremely hard to hit foes, and of course, it doesn't work on anything immune to critical hits.


So I'd go with the following:
Level 1
Swift action to cast (can be cast in response to a critical threat), gives +20 to confirm.

 

[Quartz]

Colour me slightly unhappy about the possibilities for abuse. I'm wondering about how it would combine with anything that automatically threatens a critical. Or how it would combine with high-level spells. Putting the spell at L2 will prevent dipping to get it. Think of a Paladin who dips into Sorceror to get True Strike and how much worse it would be if said Paladin got this True Critical as well all for a 1-level dip. Further, unlike True Strike, this can be cast as a buffing spell pre-combat. Remember too that True Strike doesn't really come into its own until 9th level when it can be Quickened.