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[Humor] New spells: Filibuster and True Filibuster

StreamOfTheSky

Adventurer
I made these partly for fun, but I also actually want to add them to my game. The other players seem to love them in theory, too.

[sblock]Filibuster
Transmutation
Level: Sor/Wiz 0, Bard 0, Pal 1, Blkgrd 1, Assn 1
Components: V, S, M
Casting Time: 1 Immediate action
Range: 80 ft
Area: All enemies in a 80 ft radius burst centered on you
Duration: 1 minute (see text)
Saving Throw: None (harmless)
SR: No

You interrupt whatever is going on in order to speak, usually to give some kind of monologue or villainous rant. This spell allows one minute of speech, all of this time occuring in less time than an eyeblink relative to normal time. To onlookers and victims, a disertation is crammed into their minds in the space of an instant.

You cannot use the time alloted by this spell to use any spells or abilities, or even bardic music, and you cannot take any action to affect your surroundings or move from your current position. Only regular, mundane speech is affected. Any information that doesn't deal with the past or already established plans is wiped from the memories of those listening, so this spell also cannot be used for extra time to speak with allies, nor to try a diplomacy or other interaction skill check.

Filibuster never requires a concentration check to use. You may use Filibuster immediately after an attack has reduced you to -1 or fewer HP, but if you do, you die as soon as the spell's duration is over. If you are an Undead or Construct, you may use Filibuster immediately after an attack has reduced you to 0 or fewer HP, and are not destroyed until the spell's duration ends.

Material component: a bit of legal document, torn apart at the start of the spell effect.



Filibuster, True
Transmutation
Level: Sor/Wiz 9, Bard 6 (?)
Components: V, S, M
Casting Time: 1 Standard Action
Range: 80 ft
Area: All enemies in a 80 ft radius burst centered on you
Duration: Instantaneous and 2 hours/level (see text)
Saving Throw: See text
SR: No

This widely feared spell utterly distorts the time-space continuum, causing victims to hear you speaking for many endless hours in just a few seconds of real time. When the spell is cast, all affected creatures must make a will save. Alternatively, they can make a diplomacy check at a -10 penalty instead of a saving throw. If the caster wishes to, he may make a diplomacy or perform (oratory) check. If he does so, any target opting to use diplomacy must win an opposed check with the caster, instead of replacing a will save at a -10 penalty. Merely saving on your own is not enough, however. A minimum of 3/5 of those affected must succeed on their save/check in order to stop the filibuster. In the case of groups not in multiples of 5, the fraction of successes must be greater than 3/5 the total rolling.

If the motion to filibuster is not killed, all targets experience a mind-numbing flow of hours transpire as they are forced to listen to the caster's words. This speech can not be used to affect the victims in any way other than the spell describes, such as social skill checks or bardic music with perform oratory, just as the Filibuster spell. Otherwise, the words spoken can be coherent and can be substantive, if the player wishes to write out any portion of the speech. The speech lasts a time of 2 hours / caster level relative to those affected, and is instantaneous to the normal frame of reference, which the caster remains in. For the targets, this expenditure of time is real, causing the durations of any effects active to run out if their durations were less, as well as leaving all targets exhausted from lack of rest, if they normally require it. Perishable food carried may become wasted, as well as any other effects appropriate to the passage of such time.

Material component: a bit of legal document, torn apart at the start of the spell effect.[/sblock]

So, are these balanced? I think intent is pretty clear for each. First is a simple spell to give mechanical "justification" to halting the blood-crazy heroes from all-out attacking long enough for a villain's monologue. Latter is a fun parody and (I hope) a powerful high-level de-buff.

One of the players thinks Filibuster should be a longer duration, I'm considering minute/level. I don't want it to be too "powerful" for a cantrip. For True Filibuster, I'm not sure if it'd be too powerful to make it Bard 6. What do you guys think?
 

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Angrydad

First Post
I think the filibuster cantrip's duration of 1 minute is just fine. It's the villain's farewell/parting words and shouldn't really take more than that. The Greater Filibuster is just hilarious and may be powerful, but I think it seems balanced. I'm going to have to use these on my players sometime soon, just to tweak them a bit.
 

El Mahdi

Muad'Dib of the Anauroch
Nice!:cool:



Now how about trying your hand at some others, like Quorum spell, Obfuscation spell, I Do Not Recall spell, and the all important Spin and True Spin spells.;)
 

Corbert

Explorer
You could also develop the Cloture Rules spell - a device known as cloture allows the Senate to end a debate with a two-thirds majority vote.

Since Filibuster is an Immediate action, so too would Cloture ;)

On March 8, 1917, in a specially called session of the 65th Congress, the Senate agreed to a rule that essentially preserved its tradition of unlimited debate. The rule required a two-thirds majority to end debate and permitted each member to speak for an additional hour after that before voting on final passage.
 

StreamOfTheSky

Adventurer
Thread necromancy, Personal! Never got an opinion on True Filibuster, if it could be Bard 6 or not. I think it'd be fine, and the skill check element would make it a great Bard spell.

I think the filibuster cantrip's duration of 1 minute is just fine. It's the villain's farewell/parting words and shouldn't really take more than that. The Greater Filibuster is just hilarious and may be powerful, but I think it seems balanced. I'm going to have to use these on my players sometime soon, just to tweak them a bit.

Did you ever end up using either?
 

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