New Flavor Spell

[maggot]

My wizard lives in a swamp, and I want a spell to keep his library dry.

So I was thinking of this

Zijzij's Proof against Dampness
Abjuration
Level: Sor/Wiz 1
Components: V, S
Casting Time: 1 standard action
Range: Close (25 ft. + 5 ft./2 levels)
Area: 20-ft.-radius emanation centered on a point in space
Duration: 1 hour/level (D)
Saving Throw: None
Spell Resistance: No
This spell causes the air in the area to be as dry as a desert.
This spell has no effect on water, only moisture in the area. The spell has no effect under water or against creatures of elemental water.
The material component is a pinch of salt.
This spell may be made permanent with the permanency spell for a cost of 1000xp.

Comments?

 

[Fieari]

Due to the imposed limitations... that it can't be used against water, that it can't be used against elementals... I'd personally lower this to a cantrip. It provides a very small benefit. I mean, no effects on a person's health, no effects on combat ability, no effects on puzzle solving, I can't think of any roleplaying problem it would solve...

Cantrip. This feels like being on the level of prestidigitation to me. Prestidigitation can't do this, but then, prestidigitation has more uses elsewhere.

 

[Aaron2]

Zijzij's Proof against Dampness

Comments?

I'd increase the duration to 1 day/ level.


Aaron

 

[Torm]

Just because he's a wizard doesn't mean magic has to solve everything - he DOES have a high intelligence (I would hope) after all. Maybe a mundane solution that wouldn't require casting at least 9 times a week even at 20th level? Think about how people in REAL swampy places keep stuff dry. And for the other uses this might have, he could carry a towel.

Now on the other hand, if you wanted to make a spell that sort of gave items a permanent "save point", so to speak... For example, Wizard casts spell on book. Book gets wet, print is all screwed up - Wizard invokes the spell's effect, and book is as it was when the original casting was done. Spell, of course, would not work on magic items other than spellbooks, and those only because spells are only memorized from the book and then cast from the wizard's personal magic - unlike other magic items that carry the charge of the magic, themselves.

Not trying to belittle what you've got there - it's an interesting problem and one I hadn't thought about before. But a spell that has to be cast over and over seems like a pain - not to mention what would happen to the poor wizard's collection if he went out to adventure! If you're determined to make it a waterproofing spell, maybe do just that?: Instead of an area effect, it effects one item of up to a certain size and coats it with a clear, waxy protective layer that is proof versus non-magical water damage?

 

[maggot]

Just because he's a wizard doesn't mean magic has to solve everything - he DOES have a high intelligence (I would hope) after all.

It's a pretty poor wizard that doesn't use magic to solve his problems. My main concern was dampness in his library slowly ruining his books. I intended to use permanency with it.

And yes, this isn't a power-gamer spell. My wizard will end up paying gp to research the spell and XP to make it permanent because that is what I think a wizard would do, not because it makes me a l33t d00d.

 

[knight_isa]

There's a 2nd level spell protection from water in Mongoose's Seas of Blood that permanently waterproofs an object up to 2 cubic feet. That would protect your books without a high XP cost, and imho isn't a "power-gamer spell."

If you want to use your area spell, though, I also think it's weak for a 1st level spell, since as worded it wont even protect against rain. I'd do one of the following:

• Make it a cantrip (as suggested by Fieari).
• Increase the duration to 1 day/level (as suggested by Aaron2)
• Increase the effects to repulse all water (rain, mist, etc), up to 5 (or so) gallons per round.

Also, the cost to make it permanent should be 500 XP (since it's a 1st level spell).