New Reserve Feat: Shadow Strike

[Falling Icicle]

Shadow Strike
You can channel quasi-real energy and matter from the plane of shadow to strike your foes.
Prerequisite: Ability to cast 4th-level arcane spells.
Benefit: As long as you have an illusion (shadow) spell of 4th level or higher available to cast, you can mimic the primary effects of the following reserve feats: Acidic Splatter, Fiery Burst, Invisible Needle, Storm Bolt and Winter's Blast (but only one at a time). The effectiveness of the mimicked feats is based upon the highest level illusion (shadow) spell you have available to cast rather than the type of spell normally associated with those feats. However, these effects are only 10% "real" per level of the highest level illusion (shadow) spell you have available to cast. Those struck get a Will save in addition to any save or attack roll required for the feat being mimicked. If the target succeeds on the Will save, it takes only a fraction of the normal damage (equal to the % "real" the effect is).

As a secondary benefit, you gain a +1 competence bonus to your caster level when casting illusion (shadow) spells. You do not gain the competence bonus to caster level granted by the mimicked feats unless you actually have them.

 

[Jack Simth]

Feat is a no-brainer for anyone interested in the offensive Reserve feats. Okay, it starts off a bit weaker than the counterparts it duplicates, but it gets progressively strong - to the point where, when you get Shades, the distinction is pretty trivial.

 

[Kmart Kommando]

Isn't the 4th level shadow based illusion spell only 30% real as a base?

 

[Falling Icicle]

Hmm, what if I made it 5% "real" per spell level?

 

[Nifft]

Too strong. Make it a fixed 20% real and it's okay.

The flexibility is still fantastic. Every Beguiler would nab this (assuming they also nabbed a Shadow spell).

Cheers, -- N

 

[Zurai]

Make it so that you have to have both an illusion (shadow) and a fire/cold/force/acid/electric (as desired) spell available, and use the level of the lower of the pair to determine the effect.

 

[Zurai]

Actually, I just had a much better idea. Reword the feat as so:

Shadow Strike
You can channel quasi-real energy and matter from the plane of shadow to strike your foes.
Prerequisite: Ability to cast 4th-level arcane spells.
Benefit: As long as you have an illusion (shadow) spell of 4th level or higher available to cast, you can mimic any of the following reserve feats even if you do not have the feat or an appropriate spell available to cast: Fiery Burst, Storm Bolt, Winter's Blast, Invisible Needle, or Acidic Splatter. Treat the illusion (shadow) spell used to power this feat as 1 level lower than it is for all purposes. In addition to the normal save allowed by the mimicked feat, if any, Shadow Strike allows a Will save for reduced damage; if a creature passes the Will save, it only takes a percent of the damage equal to 10% * spell level mimicked by this feat.

Example: Mialee has Shades prepared and the Shadow Strike reserve feat. Faced with a troll, she chooses to use Shadow Strike to mimic the effects of Fiery Burst; since Shades is her highest-level illusion (shadow) spell prepared, Shadow Strike allows her to treat it as an 8th level fire spell. Her Shadow Strike deals 8d6 fire damage in a 10' radius, with a DC 18 Will save to take 80% damage and a DC 18 Reflex save to take half damage. If the troll passes both saves, the damage is reduced twice, as appropriate (to 40%).

As a secondary benefit, you gain a +1 competence bonus to your caster level when casting illusion (shadow) spells. You do not gain the competence bonus to caster level granted by the mimicked feats unless you actually have them.

This way it works exactly the same as Shadow Conjuration and Shadow Evocation, which can only mimic spells 1 level lower than themselves and are (their level-1) * 10% real.

 

[Nifft]

I don't like that the reserved spell level does double work -- once for the original effect, and then once more for the percent reality. Only one or the other should be affected -- and since it's more work to re-write all the reserve feats to not scale, the percent reality should be fixed.

Cheers, -- N

 

[Zurai]

But then you have either a feat that's too powerful at low levels or completely worthless at high levels.

 

[Nifft]

But then you have either a feat that's too powerful at low levels or completely worthless at high levels.

Are you responding to me?

If so, explain how please.

Cheers, -- N