"I see your weakness. I crush your will." (High lvl divination spells!)

[Ciaran]

On a related note: is it just me, or is foresight underpowered for its level?

- Eric

 

[Clay_More]

Tentacular Guidance: The spell is a bit better than most level two spells, but not enough to warrant a three, I think. True strike gives a +20 to attack, and a similar spell by Monte give a +20 to attack, but only if you would otherwise miss (and then the spell is discharged), and is level two, though it requires a feat to use. That's about the limit of the yardstick for automatically succeeding at a check with a spell, as far as I know, however. An almost-automatic success at a skill check is a bit better than a single attack roll, so I'd guess the level is about right.

I just have one comment. All knowledge checks are one time events, many of which take place during some point in an advanture where the players have plenty of time. So, in contrast to True Strike, it doesn't have any negative affects of taking time to cast. Most knowledge check, unless they are related to identifying and evaluating opponents, are done in good comfort, with all the time in the world at hand. So, with this spell, anytime a player would have to roll a Knowledge check to identify old runes, identify some arcane object he found or anything else, he would be able of having an almost 100% success rate. Well, just My Opinion

 

[AEtherfyre]

Ehh... I wouldn't have much experience with this, but something that really bothers me about Agony Recalled is that, well, it's a Divination spell. It's not really the spell school I'd expect to see a damage dealer in, and it seems to me that it starts to hedge on other school's territory - specifically Evocation, Conjuration, and to a lesser extent Necromancy. Personally, I'd raise it a level for that alone.

YMMV.

 

[Piratecat]

On a related note: is it just me, or is foresight underpowered for its level?

Horribly.

AEtherfyre, I really disagree. I think that if you rationalize a divination spell that does damage through psychic shock (or whatever), that's absolutely as valid as any other spell that does damage. In addition, it inches the diviner farther towards a viable PC class. That's a good thing, in my opinion.

 

[Ciaran]

Aetherfyre has a point: each school has its specializations, and no spell in a school that's weak in a specific field should be as good as the best spells in a school that's strong in that field. (I.e. no 3rd level non-Evocation direct damage spell should be as good as fireball or lightning bolt.) Not that that necessarily applies here. And of course there's phantasmal killer, which is a better death spell than anything Necromancy can offer at that level...

As others have noted, Agony Recalled has no damage type and thus can't be resisted with any of the standard elemental protections, making it a bit stronger than it might otherwise be for its level. You might want to consider bumping it up to 5th and having it daze or stun the target for a round if the Will save is failed, which would make a lot of sense when you consider the nature of the spell.

- Eric

 

[Shirt Guy John]

I would say knock the Agony Recalled up a level. It is pretty powerful, and is a nice evasion-slaying damage spell.

Just as a bit of IMO shtuff, I like the spells, but I've always thought of all mind-based things as more in the realm of Psionics, and I personally would perfer to keep the psychic attack powers and the more telepathic abilities stronger for psions. But that is just a personal preference.

 

[electric-ant]

If you don't like or don't feel you can justify the idea of divination spells doing damage, you could do create something like this (which actually fits Agar's theme quite well) that still makes diviners effective in combat but doesn't edge on other schools of magic:

Glimpse of Madness
Divination
Level: Sor/Wiz 8
Components: V, S
Casting Time: 1 action
Range: Close (25 ft. + 5 ft./2 levels)
Target: One creature
Duration: 1 round
Saving Throw: Will partial
Spell Resistance: Yes

The target of this spell is given a horrible insight into the nature of the universe, and briefly views a terrible realm beyond mortal comprehension. The vision is overlaid over the target's normal vision, so the target cannot be treated as blind, but the target is considered to be cowering for the duration of the spell. In addition, when the spell ends, the target is mentally and physically shaken, dealing 1d6+1 Wisdom damage and 1d6+1 Constitution damage. Furthermore, the target is shaken for ten rounds. A successful Will save reduces the spell's effects for the duration from cowering to shaken, and the damage is only 1d2 Wisdom and 1d2 Constitution. The target is not shaken after the spell ends.

You could scale it down for lower-level diviners, of course.

 

[Piratecat]

Cool!

 

[Malin Genie]

I think exploit weakness is very powerful - but I don't know that bumping it to 6th level is the right way to balance it.

If you turn the perspective around, and look at it as a spell that gives a creature -2 on all attack rolls, AC (because those trying to hit it with weapons will take the attack bonus), and -2 to either SR or saves each time it is targetted by a spell (caster's choice) with no SR and no save, would you allow it?

It just strikes me as a spell which, as written, gives very little reason to ever not cast it on the BBEG at the beginning of a battle.

BTW - I love probability scry. In the unlikely even I ever get to play or DM at a high enough level, consider it yoinked

 

[Alomir]

Probability Scry

I think probability scry is one of the cooler sounding spells I've read... However - does anyone besides me think that the DCs need to be tweaked a fair amount?