Is the Necrotic line of spells broken?

[Asmor]

So I've just discovered the Necrotic line of spells from Libris Mortis, and they happen to fit awesome with a character I'm making for a game on Sunday.

However, I've spent a good portion of the last hour debating with another player in the same game about whether they're overpowered or not. Personally, I think they're powerful but balanced by all that you need to give up (requires essentially casting two spells to do anything, including a low-level touch spell, and requires one feat, plus likely heighten and quicken spell to make the most of it). He disagrees. Specifically, he thinks Necrotic Tumor is extremely overpowered. See, I don't think it is... I could use those same two spell slots for a couple high-level spells (keeping in mind I'd heighten the necrotic cyst, possibly quickening it too), or alternatively I could Dominate Person, strap them down securely, and then spend a few days casting Programmed Amnesia until it stuck.

So what's your opinion?

 

[adwyn]

All I can say is the two times my NPC's used them my players nearly revolted, even with the need to infect the target first.

 

[JustKim]

They're unpleasant, certainly. The investments make them less appealing than other spells, but necrotic tumor is very abusable. Whether or not you can amass limitless quantities of enslaved creatures through other methods does not really sell me on the spell being balanced. If it were me, I would allow them only so long as encounters didn't turn into a Pokemon match with tumors. At that point, yes, the spell is broken.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

I'm only using them with an NPC currently (the adventurers have found tumors in dead bodies, but don't understand the significance), but I could see that, with lots of time, it could be stupidly overpowered. And since time in D&D just requires a handwave, it really relies on the DM not being a putz about the spells.

 

[adwyn]

Now that I think about it, at one point I considered applying created cysts against a caster's number of undead controlled as most Necrotic casters are also going to be dabbling in post mortem animations.

Once the number was exceeded the earliest cysts would quickly whither away. I ended up dropping this idea as it seemed to imply more of a connection between the caster and the cyst than the spell descritions state.