New Invocation - Eldritch Crusher

[gamecat]

The last time Nxwtypx faced the Phyrexians, he had to hack and slash his way through a legion of steamborgs, only to be snatched and assimilated, made a puppet in the hands of Yawgmoth, and forced to horribly watch from inside his own skull as his own hands did terrible things in the Machine God's name.

It wasn't going to be so hard this time. The Rafflesia MkII mobile armor stood at the rear of a column of LX-IV steamborgs. It was Rafflesia's razor-tipped tentacles that grabbed him last time, and it'd be Nxwtypx's angry vengence this time.

He sent a few thoughts to the heavens above, and Omega Capricorni burned with crimson energy as power of the same color wreathed him, and he catapulted forward, hurling ruined steamborgs at various trajectories as he burned a swath towards Rafflesia...

Pardon the vanity above. Let's get to the crunch. It's M. Bison's (from Street Fighter II) psycho crusher move as an eldritch shape invocation.

Eldritch Crusher
Dark; 7th; Eldritch Shape

This blast shape invocation allows you to invoke your eldritch blast as an eldritch crusher. This causes you to move in a straight line with a fly speed of 70 feet. If you do not end your movement directly above ground, you fall at the end of it, taking normal falling damage.

All creatures whose space you enter can either choose to attempt to block you or make an attempt to get out of your way. Those who opt to get out of the way recieve a reflex saving throw for half of your eldritch blast damage. Those chosing to block must attempt a trip check (size + strength modifier), opposed by your (size + strength modifier + charisma modifier). Should you succeed at this check, the would-be blocking creature recieves full eldritch blast damage plus an additional 2d6, and is knocked prone. If you fail, the creature will recieve half of the eldritch blast damage and you are prone in the square adjacent to the creature you moved.

Powerful? Weak? I need a life?

 

[Machiavelli]

Powerful, but then again, Dark Invocations are supposed to be. Too powerful? Hm, I think maybe it is, but only for one reason that comes to my mind: plowing through crowds.

I understand that shoving mooks aside is the whole POINT of this invocation, and that ability should definitely be preserved, but what if there is a crowd of non-mooks in your way? Lets say it's a THICK crowd of non-mooks, and they all want to stop you in your tracks. If you win on the opposed check against 1 creature that tries to stop you, then the next adjacent creature tries the same, that second creature should get a +1 bonus to try to stop you. Let the bonus build up in this way to, say, +2 or +3 for the third or fourth creature. If you move 10 feet before another creature attempts to block you, you "regain momentum" and that creature does not get a bonus on its opposed check.

Then give the option (upon casting) of making the Eldritch Crusher up to 15 feet wide, instead of 5 feet. That would be AWESOME against true mooks, and would get blocked pathetically (as it should!) against a crowd of creatures closer to your level.

Then beg your DM to put 20 kobold warriors as the first wave of EVERY encounter

 

[gamecat]

I was originally considering making it 15 feet wide, but only those directly in front could stop the eldritch crusher - the foes caught in the ancilliary areas could only reflex for half damage.

I vetoed that out.

 

[Machiavelli]

For good reason, too. That would have been sick.

I still like the very idea of a 15-foot-wide wall of rushing destruction, which necessarily would need a counter-balance to prevent it from being too insane. Hence, the bonus to blocking in groups.

Perhaps you'd like to keep the effects of the Crusher simple, but your gut instinct was right: this thing would, by all means, be MUCH cooler if it were 15 feet wide.

 

[Jason Kain]

I like it. Here's my version, with a lot taken from overrunning, and a few benefits given for applying a good essence:

Eldritch Crusher
Dark; 7th; Eldritch Shape

This blast shape invocation allows you to invoke your eldritch blast as an eldritch crusher. This causes you to move in a straight line with a fly speed equal to your base land speed or fly speed, whichever is greater. This movement discharges your eldritch blast based on your movement, dealing full blast damage to anything occupying a square you move through and half damage to anything occupying an adjacent square.

If this movement enters another creature's space, the creature may attempt to avoid or block you. If the creature opts to avoid, it may make a Reflex saving throw to take half damage from the eldritch blast. If the opponent blocks, it forfeits it's saving throw and must make a strength check opposed by a modified spell level check(1d20+invocation level+Cha modifier). The blocking creature gets a +4 bonus of the check for every size category larger than you he is, and a -4 penalty for every size category smaller than you he is. The blocker also gets a +4 bonus on the check if it has more than two legs or is otherwise more stable than normal. If you win, the blocker is knocked prone and takes full blast damage+1d6. If you fail, the blocker takes only half eldritch blast damage, and ends your movement. Creatures in adjacent squares may make a reflex save for half damage, or one quarter normal eldritch blast damage. Opponents that succeed on their relfex saves or succeed in blocking you must still make saves associated with any essence effects applied to the blast.

 

[gamecat]

Hm. I think limiting it to base speed kinda hamstrings it - eldritch doom, a dark eldritch shape invocation, pings every hostile target in 20 feet...

 

[Jason Kain]

Hm. I think limiting it to base speed kinda hamstrings it - eldritch doom, a dark eldritch shape invocation, pings every hostile target in 20 feet...

True, but in the same vein I think it should be variable to the character, not just a set number. Maybe to a maximum of twice speed?