New spell - Blend the Insides

[kreynolds]

This is a new spell I made. How does the balance look to everyone?

Blend the Insides
Transmutation
Level: Sor/Wiz 2
Components: V, S, M
Casting Time: 1 action
Range: Touch
Target: Self or creature touched
Duration: 1 round/level
Saving Throw: Will (harmless)
Spell Resistance: Yes (harmless)

This unusual spell transforms a subject’s internal organs into so much mush, granting them immunity to critical hits and subdual damage for the spell’s duration. The subject’s physiology still functions normally.

The material components for this spell are two small clumps of clay shaped into a heart and brain, which are crushed in the palm during the casting. They clay may be reused but must be reshaped.

Note: Parts of the first paragraph of the description (i.e. so much mush) is just flavor text.

 

[EOL]

Certainly it should not be a 3rd level spell, the question is whether it would be more balanced as a first... Compare it to mage armor which lasts and hour per level and probably prevents a reasonable number of sneak attacks because the rogues ends up missing.... I think I would keep it at 2nd but possibly increase the duration to maybe 10 minutes per level. At that point I could see choosing it over say Endurance....

 

[kreynolds]

What do you think about leaving it at 3rd and increasing the duration to 1 hour/level?

 

[pontus]

What are the consequences if you enter an antimagic field or are hit by a targeted dispel? Can't be pretty...

 

[EOL]

What do you think about leaving it at 3rd and increasing the duration to 1 hour/level?

Huh? Do you mean moving it to 3rd? I don't know it's just has such a limited effect, that a sorcerer would never take it and a wizard would only take it under very limited circumstances. If you added sneak attacks to the list of things it prevented then maybe, but otherwise with 3rd already such a tight level to begin with (Haste, Fireball, Dispel, etc.) I don't think anyone would every memorize it.

 

[kreynolds]

Good point EOL. I hadn't thought about sneak attack. I'll leave it at 2nd then, though I think I'll bump up the duration also.

 

[drowdude]

Good point EOL. I hadn't thought about sneak attack. I'll leave it at 2nd then, though I think I'll bump up the duration also.

Ok, ya see... if something makes you immune to crits, it also makes you immune to Sneak Attack. That's just the way things work. Just as being immune to crits grants you immunity to Vorpal effects, etc...

Also, this spell is ALOT more potent than you are giving it credit for.

Where is one of a high level fighters main strengths? It's in the crits... if you take those crits away things change quite a bit IMO, and this spell does just that.

 

[EOL]

Where is one of a high level fighters main strengths? It's in the crits... if you take those crits away things change quite a bit IMO, and this spell does just that.

In my experience hitting the mages is the biggest problem (because of defensive spells, intervening opponents, etc.) once a fighter is actually in a position to land damaging blows any fighter who needs the added punch of a critical to take out a mage is doing something wrong.

 

[drowdude]

In my experience hitting the mages is the biggest problem (because of defensive spells, intervening opponents, etc.) once a fighter is actually in a position to land damaging blows any fighter who needs the added punch of a critical to take out a mage is doing something wrong.

Thats all well and fine, but your point is lost in the fact that the spell is "Target: Self or creature touched".

 

[EOL]

Thats all well and fine, but your point is lost in the fact that the spell is "Target: Self or creature touched".

Perhaps, but your point seems to be that you would make it a third level spell and that it's as powerful defensively as something like displacement, which it is clearly not.