More new spells: Raise as Fell / Fell Resurrection

[StalkingBlue]

And these are the two 'resurrection'-type spells I'm making planning on making available to Legates (evil clerics) in Midnight, instead of Raise Dead, Rez and True Rez.

Both cause the subject to rise as Fell, a Midnight-specific corporeal undead with the base creature's personality, stats and abilities plus undead template.

Again I'd be grateful for any comments.



Raise as Fell
Necromancy [Evil]
Level: Lgt5
Components: V, S, DF, M, XP
Casting Time: 10 minutes
Range: Touch
Target: Dead INT5+ creature touched
Duration: Instantaneous
Saving Throw: Will negates, see text
SR: No


This spell causes a dead creature with INT5 or higher to rise as Fell. The head and torso must be in one piece for the spell to work. The spell works only if the creature has been dead for no longer than one day per caster level and had undergone no transformation after death (such as rising as Fell or undead spawn).

The spell binds the departed soul to the dead body by foul necromantic energies, causing the creature to rise as Fell, with all hp damage and ability damage and other conditions cured and no level or HD loss. The raising caster has a +4 bonus on all Rebuke rolls against the Fell creature.


Material component: A sprinkle of unholy water and diamonds worth at least a total of 1000gp.

XP cost: For Raising a willing creature, none. If the soul resists but fails its Will save, the caster may drag the unwilling soul into the Fell body by burning some of his own life force: 1000XP.



Fell Resurrection
Necromancy [Evil]
Level: Lgt8
Components: V, S, DF, M, XP
Casting Time: 1 hour
Range: Touch
Target: Dead sentient creature touched
Duration: Instantaneous
Saving Throw: None or Will negates, see text
SR: No or Yes, see text

This spell works like Raise Fell, except for the following:

The subject may not have been dead for longer than 1 month per caster level. The condition of the remains is not an issue, any fragment of the body suffices.

Material Component: A sprinkle of unholy water and diamonds worth at least a total of 5000gp.

XP cost:: (if soul unwilling to return fails Will save): 5000XP.

 

[JimAde]

Icky

I'm not familiar with the Midnight setting, but the ability to raise someone against their will is nasty. Makes retrieving your friends' bodies all the more crucial.

Would it be more balanced to have the subject lose a level/HD? Since the character doesn't seem to lose much, and gains spiffy abilities, I could see munchkin evil players getting killed on purpose so they can be raised as Fell.

Plus, aren't the GP and XP costs lower than regular Raise/Res? I don't remember for sure so I might be mistaken. If they are lower: why? From the (evil) caster's point of view this is a much more powerful spell. It not only raises an ally but places him under at least some control.

EDIT: I posted this before I saw your Breath/Cup of Life spells. These seem well balanced against those, though I would still recommend Raise Fell cause the loss of a level.

 

[StalkingBlue]

Thanks for feedback, JimAde!

Icky

Yes.

I'm not familiar with the Midnight setting, but the ability to raise someone against their will is nasty. Makes retrieving your friends' bodies all the more crucial.

Cutting off their heads is sufficient, except against Fell Rez, which is very high level and XP-intensive so a danger only to high-level and important characters.

Would it be more balanced to have the subject lose a level/HD? Since the character doesn't seem to lose much, and gains spiffy abilities, I could see munchkin evil players getting killed on purpose so they can be raised as Fell.

Hm yes, in theory. In practice, two points.

One, there is a drawback to rising/being raised as Fell that I haven't mentioned yet: you need at least one large meal of freshly killed sentient creature (INT5+) per 30 days or your mind deteriorates and your body starts to rot. Even ickier.

Two, everyone killed in the Midnight setting could rise as Fell if they die and fail their Will save to not rise (irrespective of whether anyone's actually Fell-Raising them!) - in which case in rules terms, the character indeed gains spiffy abilities without losing much.

I want to preserve this rules mechanic (no level or HD loss) for the Fell Raise spell - if I didn't, the spell would be weaker than what tends to happen automatically when people die.

The Midnight book 'counters' the munchkin problem by prescribing that any PC who rises as Fell immediately falls under the control of the DM. Quick-fix. (One I'm not counting on needing IMC btw because my players aren't _that_ munchkin, but there it is.)

Plus, aren't the GP and XP costs lower than regular Raise/Res? I don't remember for sure so I might be mistaken. If they are lower: why? From the (evil) caster's point of view this is a much more powerful spell. It not only raises an ally but places him under at least some control.

No XP cost for Raise Dead or Rez as per PHB. Diamond cost in 3.5 is 5000gp for Raise Dead, 10000gp for Rez and 25,000gp for True Rez.
I'm lowering the cost to 1000gp/5000gp because average Midnight wealth levels are only roughly one fourth of DMG recommended wealth.

EDIT: I posted this before I saw your Breath/Cup of Life spells. These seem well balanced against those, though I would still recommend Raise Fell cause the loss of a level.

Thanks! I can see why you are arguing in favour of a level loss, but see above.

 

[JimAde]

Cool. Just my ignorance of the setting then. They look great.

 

[StalkingBlue]

What I'm not sure about is whether Will is the right save to use here.
On the one hand it's the most plausible one because it's the consciousness/mind/soul that fights coming back, not the body (which would be a Fort save). On the other hand this means that spellcasters have an easier time resisting than warrior-types and I'm not entirely happy with this result.