My first new spell!

[IndyPendant]

Final Rest

Source: This one’s entirely my own.
Brief: Final Rest. Subject cannot be affected by spells that affect the dead.
Necromancy
Level: Clr 4, Drd 4
Components: V,S,M
Casting Time: 24 hours
Range: Touch
Target/Effect: Dead creature touched
Duration: Instant
Saving Throw: None
Spell Resistance: None

You permanently and completely sever the subject’s soul from its corporeal remains. This ritual requires several steps, and the caster must possess the remains of the dead creature as per Resurrection. The entire ritual must be conducted in an area that the caster himself has Consecrated (or Desecrated, as appropriate). The body or its remains must first be prepared for 8 hours using oils and incense totaling at least 50gp per hit die of the subject. This loosens the soul’s ‘memory’ of its body. The remains are then Blessed (a special casting of the Bless spell specifically prepared for this purpose that can be targeted on the remains) to allow the caster’s deity to influence the connection between the subject’s soul and remains. If necessary, the caster may recast Consecrate at this point to renew the spell. Next, the caster must spend another 8 hours carefully and ritualistically touch a gem, also totaling at least 50gp per hit die of the subject, to every part of the available remains. The gem is then Blessed (another special casting) and the are re-Consecrated if necessary. The caster must spend the final 8 hours in deep, devout prayer to his deity. At the end of the 24 total hours, the caster must touch his divine focus to the gem, at which point the gem crumbles into dust, completing the ritual. If the caster fails to destroy the gem, interrupts the ritual for any purpose other than recasting Consecrate/Desecrate, or moves more than ten feet away from the remains at any time during the ritual, the ritual fails and the caster loses any materials she has already used. Once the ritual is completed, the subject’s soul is forever disconnected from its body (and the gem, if there was any doubt). Raise Dead, Resurrection, Reincarnate, Speak With Dead, Animate Dead, and all similar spells—even True Resurrection—cannot be cast on the subject. Only a Wish or Miracle spell can undue this ritual—and the subject must then still be raised/reincarnated/animated/etc.

This spell is designed as a counter to the high-level mechanics problem of the fact that the BBEG's allies can easily rez him to plague the party again. The time and cost required keep it from being used on everything slightly dangerous the party encounters. I also wanted to describe the ritual to give it more rp flavour, rather than just leave it at Casting Times and Material Components.

What do you think? In particular, is my description clear? Is the ritual needlessly complex? I'm also not sure about the Consecrate and Bless requirements in particular; is that too much, etc?

Thanks in advance.

 

[Dakkareth]

The SRD:

Soul Bind
Necromancy
Level: Clr 9, Sor/Wiz 9
Components: V, S, F
Casting Time: 1 standard action
Range: Close (25 ft. + 5 ft./2 levels)
Target: Corpse
Duration: Permanent
Saving Throw: Will negates
Spell Resistance: No
You draw the soul from a newly dead body and imprison it in a black sapphire gem. The subject must have been dead no more than 1 round per caster level. The soul, once trapped in the gem, cannot be returned through clone, raise dead, reincarnation, resurrection, true resurrection, or even a miracle or a wish. Only by destroying the gem or dispelling the spell on the gem can one free the soul (which is then still dead).
Focus: A black sapphire of at least 1,000 gp value for every Hit Die possessed by the creature whose soul is to be bound. If the gem is not valuable enough, it shatters when the binding is attempted. (While creatures have no concept of level or Hit Dice as such, the value of the gem needed to trap an individual can be researched. Remember that this value can change over time as creatures gain more Hit Dice.)

Now look at the points, where your spell is much better:

• It's ten times cheaper
• It's five levels lower meaning you can cast it 10 levels earlier
• It's far harder and costlier to undo (mechanics wise)

The long casting time is the only disadvantage your spell has compared to Soul Bind.

Balanced? I think not.

On making this spell balanced. I'm no authority on such things, but making it 5th level (same as raise dead) and making it be prevent only reincarnation and raise dead seems appropriate to me. This way you hinder the enemy from returning the next day, but magic far more powerful than anything you can archieve will still work.

 

[Scion]

I think that if you rose the level by a couple, made true res and true reincarnation still work but take an extra hour per level of caster of this spell along with some extra money spent, along with giving it a duration other than instaneous (like 1 month per level). That way it will eventually wear off, can be overcome through higher level magic, plus involves a long ritual on both sides.

I am unsure why/how it stops reincarnation though. It seems from the flavor that it breaks the tie to the body, not the ties to the mortal realm. Am I misunderstanding? Seems like you could cut out the reincarnation part in order to give people a low level solution, but not one most people would take

 

[Telperion]

Let me see...* yawns*....here we go...

There's a True Ritual which does what you want just fine. It just leaves out the fuss about not being able to resurrect people, and isn't actually quite so good against high-level necromancy. Anyway...* yawn * ...here are some other points about Honor in Death True Ritual and your spell:

One can resist Honor in Death, so should an evil NPC want to become, say, a wraith he can be. Should he succeed at a Will-save.

There's an XP-cost, and it requires three casters (who all know the True Ritual) to cast it.

It also takes 24 hours, so no grumbles there.

And one thing about resurrecting people: you don't need any protection against it, because by the core rules you can't resurrect anyone who doesn't want to come back. This one, though, is very useful since after you cast this true ritual you no longer have to worry about dying and coming back as an undead. Also, it protects against some necromancy.