New Spell: Create Weave-lens

[grayequus]

Yes, I wrote this one. It ties into my vision of sorcerer's as learning to 'weave' configurations of the Weave, casting their spells as innate, spell-like abilities learned via meditation on the Weave's pattern when new slots are gained <IMC, all sorcerers can see magical energies at will and can cast spells without recourse to material components, unless such are integral to a spell's effect <eg, the gem for Magic Jar, etc>

Anyway, here goes:


Create Weave-Lens
Type: Universal

Level: Sorc/Wiz 5, Magic 7

Components: V,S, XP, Special

Casting Time: Full action
Range: Close <25 feet+5 feet/level>

Effect: Creates a coalesence of the Weave that focuses the caster's spells, converting them to its fixed effect.
Target:

Duration: Concentration
Saving Throw: None <Resulting effects have saves as normal>

Spell Resistance: No <Resulting effects have saves as normal>

Summary: You create a 'lens' of 'knotted strands of the Weave, paying with your life essence to use it to transform your memorized spells through it to the effect you 'wove' into it. While it endures you suffer subdual damge, temporary Con damage and you lose XP each time it converts a spell.
Description:

With great effort, the caster binds strands of the Weave together, appearing as a roughly-spherical mass of intricately-entwined strands of semi-visible magical force, shimmering with blue-white radiance.

The binding requires a Spellcraft check at a DC equal to 9 plus 3 per level of the desired spell. Metamagic effects may be woven in, taking effect when spells are poured into the lens each round. Each level of the spell or spells the Lens can prodce costs 200 xp/level, including those added by metamagic feats, with the exception of Eschew Components, Still Spell and Silent spell, all of which are automatically part of the lens. The concentration required to maintain the lens permits its caster only a partial action each round while it exists and precludes spellcasting of other spells, with the exception of 'feeding' memorized spells into te lens by act of will to be emitted as its effect.

For each minute the sphere is maintained,t he caster suffers one point of temporary Con damage and one point of subdual damage. Spells 'fed' to the globe are treated as if cast, their 'slots' empty until rest and new preparation the next day. An effect evoked must be powered by an equal number of spell levels fed into it from te caster's memory <or from spellfire levels if the caster has that capacity>, and in all ways act as though the given spell or spells were normally cast. The effects that can be 'woven into' the Lens may be any the caster desires, however if the spell is one he could not normally cast, the required XP is doubled as are the HP loss and Con damage per round of holding the lens. All Dc to initially 'weave' the unknown effect is incresed by 2/effects level. If the caster loses conciousness due to subdual damage or Con loss, the Lens ruptures and is gone. If the Spellcraft check fails, the effect wen the Lens is used to convert spells is a wild and uncontrolled random discharge.

 

[twjensen]

Um, say what?

So I pay lots of penalties, lose XP and create what, exactly?

A shimmering ball?

What does the shimmering ball do?

What happens to a spell that goes into it?

Why would I do this?

 

[grayequus]

The shimmering ball allows you to cast a spell you've painstakingly woven it to simlate. It needn't even be one on your spell-list. those penalties seeming more worthwhile,now?

 

[Dark Dragon]

The shimmering ball allows you to cast a spell you've painstakingly woven it to simlate. It needn't even be one on your spell-list. those penalties seeming more worthwhile,now?

Does it mean that a mage could cast a spell that would exceed his level, i.e. casting a Meteor Swarm although he has just reached level 11? Or a Ressurection?
The loss of XP, CON seems to be very hard. As a mage-player, my mage wouldn't use it, if he is not in extreme danger (saying, most PCs in the group are dead, the enemy is moving to the mage and teleportation is not possible...).
What happens if the Lens has been struck by an enemy spell? Can the Lens be dispelled, disintegrated or its effects negated by an Antimagic Field (I'd say yes)? When the spell check fails, the spell goes wild..hmm, not sure, are there effects of a wild spell listed somewhere?
You say that the caster suffers 1 pt of CON and subdual damage for each minute the Lens exists. Does it happen when the Lens was just created or one minute later?

The spell seems to be an option for sorcerers (because they don't need to memorize spells in advance). For wizards, the drawbacks are too high, IMHO.

 

[grayequus]

Answers to the query above

>Does it mean that a mage could cast a spell that would exceed his level, i.e. casting a Meteor Swarm although he has just reached level 11? Or a Ressurection?

Answer: Yes, it does, though the difficulty is high, as noted above and the drain is immense. The Weave, as the source of magic on Toril has the potential for all magic IMO.

Its all a question of how you configure the 'strands' you've grabbed and how long you can hold the configuration..

Keep in mind that casting that 'too high' spell will cost him -twice- its level in spell-slots, and the XP cost and drain per round is also doubled.

>The loss of XP, CON seems to be very hard. As a mage-player, my mage wouldn't use it, if he is not in extreme danger (saying, most PCs in the group are dead, the enemy is moving to the mage and teleportation is not possible...).

The XP is the price one pays to do something that you can't normally. It had precedents, such as Wish.

The Con loss is temporary as noted in the description. I've left it open to the DM to decide wether it takes hours to recover <for spells of levels the user could normally cast > to days or weeks <for spells one couldn't cast at this level.> This is to simulate the effort of holding this unstable construct together and using as a 'transformer' to turn your spells to its result or results. It has advantages <if you don't have the feat for the 'effect' you want, the Lens can substitute>, but it is rather a last resort, its true.

>What happens if the Lens has been struck by an enemy spell? Can the Lens be dispelled, disintegrated or its effects negated by an Antimagic Field (I'd say yes)? When the spell check fails, the spell goes wild..hmm, not sure, are there effects of a wild spell listed somewhere?
Ok. The Lens is unstable, its true, but is also a pretty resistant lil bugger. <Its fueled by the caster's XP and Con, after all.> Essentially, I allow the use of 2e's 'Dispel Enchantment' <in converted form> in my campaign. Its a dispel Magic variant thats cast at higher level. That acts as normal against a Lens.
A standard 'Dispel magic works only if the opposing caster makes a Spellcraft check at twice the difficulty to create the Lens, plus the level of its creator.

Alternatively, the Lens can be 'unwoven' by a mage who knows the spell and is willing to try casting it as a counterspell. He needs to roll at the same DC as that used to create it, plus 1 per 5 levels of its creator. He also suffers the Con and subdual damage each round he's trying to tear the lens apart via counterspelling. <He's plugged himself into it via hhis spell and its feeding off him too until he suceeds or gives up the attempt.>

Disinteration is treated as a 'Dispell Enchantment' effect since its of equivalent level. Since the Lens isn't a standard Force-construct <its made out of the Weave's strands>, the caster's level is treated as 1 level lower per three levels of the Len's creator.

>You say that the caster suffers 1 pt of CON and subdual damage for each minute the Lens exists. Does it happen when the Lens was just created or one minute later?

As soon as it exists, the Lens starts draining the caster. He's limited to partial actions and 'feeding' the Lens with spells memorized or spell-slots as soon as it comes into existance. If you're feeling generous, you might allow Will Saves to perform Move-equivalent actions.

>The spell seems to be an option for sorcerers (because they don't need to memorize spells in advance). For wizards, the drawbacks are too high, IMHO.

No, its open to both wizards and sorcerers. It can be powered with memorized spells as easily as sorcerer spell-slots.

IMC, it doesn't come up because I don't use memorization.

Wizards use spell-slots, sorcerers cast via 'innate spell' like abilities <Ie, while they may or may not need some preparation ritual eg V or S component, they don't need M components. I do allow sorcerers to learn Metamagic feats, representing greater understanding of the Weave and their spell-like ability to tap it for effects they've learned. Learned spells stay the same, but they can select from any list <as per my comments on the Weave allowing any spell due to its raw potential. they gain in options what they lack in repertoire.>

I also allow feats to become a Channeler, one who regins spell-slots once used at an accelerated rate. I know it ups the utility of arcane casters, but I dislike Vancian memorization schemes. Meditation time is required.

Hope this helps!

EDIT: Antimagic Fields will supress a lens -Unless- the caster of the lens is willing to 'Feed' it. Maitenance and use of a Lens in an antimagic field turns the damage to 'real' <ie, lethal> damage and makes the lost Con point for the rounds the Lens is in the A.M Field permanantly lost <Subject to Restoration, though>

 

[grayequus]

Something I left out of the explanation

Sorcerers do not take any more time to add Metamagic to spells tian wizards, IMC. Thats due to no longer needing to penalize one class for spontaneous-cast to buff the other. They both cast that way now, after all