New Spell: Saethorn's Sightly Storm

[UltimaGabe]

One of my characters at the moment is a Lawful Good Cleric of Wee Jas, that just began taking levels of Loremaster. He's extremely lawful, and always makes a point to always be clean and neat. I was looking through Unearthed Arcana the other day, and they have listed different "tests" to enter into prestige classes- and the "test" to become a Loremaster includes creating a unique spell or magic item, and presenting it to the Loremasters. This got me thinking, and I thought I'd see about developing a spell to fit my character- one that would have almost no combat use, but would be purely roleplay-oriented. I've got a good idea of what it would do, I just don't know what level to make it.

Saethorn's Sightly Storm
Transmutation (Lawful)
Level: Clr 1, Sor/Wiz 1
Components: V, S
Casting Time: 1 Standard Action
Range: 10 ft. per caster level
Area: 10 ft./caster level emanation, centered on caster
Duration: Instantaneous
Saving Throw: None
Spell Resistance: Yes (harmless, object)

This spell creates a storm of blue, lawful energy emanating from the caster upon the moment of casting. This burst of energy causes all small objects in the area to immediately move to its proper place, becoming neat and orderly in an instant. (The caster determines every object's "proper place" prior to casting.) This spell cannot be used to harm creatures or objects, and objects weighing more than one pound/caster level are not affected. Creatures (even constructs) are not affected, nor are magical objects, attented objects, or objects in another creature's possesion. Anything held in place with more than 5 lbs of force are not affected.

This spell would commonly be used to tidy a dirty room, or set a large banquet table in an instant. I wasn't sure what level to put it at- it has no combat capability, but I thought the area and effect was too great for a 0-level spell. Any thoughts?

 

[UltimaGabe]

....anyone?

 

[kreynolds]

Cool spell. First of all though, I suggest changing the school to transmutation. I don't think evocation is really appropriate for the effect. Anyway...

Let's compare it to Prestidigitation, which can 1) slowly lift 1 pound of material, and can 2) clean items in a 1-foot cube. You can accomplish either of these in one round, but the spell lasts for 1 hour.

So, in comparison, while your spell gets the job done much faster, it doesn't really do anything more than Prestidigitation. However, your spell does indeed affect heavier items than Prestidigitation.

I think 1st-level is fine, but I would definately suggest that you complete remove the following text from the description...

"This burst of energy causes all small objects in the area to immediately move to its proper place, becoming neat and orderly in an instant."

...and replace it with...

"This burst of energy causes all small objects in the area to be instantly rearranged in a neat and orderly fashion, based upon their type (glasses and silverware would go to one place, quills and inks would be grouped together beside stacks of paper, etc)."

The only reason I suggest this is because I could see a "difficult" gamer arguing that this portion of the text, "...causes all small objects in the area to immediately move to its proper place...", means that if you were faced with a puzzle that involved moving pieces around on a board, for example, then the "proper place" for the pieces would be the solution, thus the spell would provide the solution, and I think that goes far beyond the intent.

 

[UltimaGabe]

Ah, thanks for the suggestion. I was kinda wording it on-the-fly, so I expected some errors here and there. However, I hoped that the sentence, "the caster determines the 'proper place' prior to casting" would clear that up, but I can still see how it could be screwed up.

Anyway, as for the school of magic- I wasn't really sure what to make it, since I wasn't sure how to classify the effect. It doesn't necessarily conjure anything up, so it wouldn't immediately be conjuration. Nothing to do with life or death, so not Necromancy. Not Enchantment, or Illusion, or Abjuration, so that left me with Divination, Evocation, and Transmutation.

I didn't pick Divination, because nothing's really found out that wasn't known to begin with (a caster couldn't, for example, find out where the forks are supposed to be stored by casting the spell if he didn't know where they were supposed to be stored in the first place). I wasn't sure if it would be Transmutation, since nothing really being changed- just moved. So I went with Evocation because something is being quickly forced into a different space- and it felt slightly reminiscent of the Sending spell, which is also Evocation. Plus, I liked the image of a big storm of blue energy, which fit the Evocation school.

The only thing, in my opinion, that would really make this too powerful for a 0-level spell is the area. No other 0-level spells I know of affect such a large area, even though some of them have much more powerful and useful effects than this spell (such as Ghost Sound or Acid Splash). And yet, at the same time, I don't want to make the area smaller, because it wouldn't really fit the idea I had.

 

[kreynolds]

However, I hoped that the sentence, "the caster determines the 'proper place' prior to casting" would clear that up, but I can still see how it could be screwed up.

Oh, my bad. I totally missed that. The description's just fine.

Anyway, as for the school of magic- I wasn't really sure what to make it, since I wasn't sure how to classify the effect. It doesn't necessarily conjure anything up, so it wouldn't immediately be conjuration. Nothing to do with life or death, so not Necromancy. Not Enchantment, or Illusion, or Abjuration, so that left me with Divination, Evocation, and Transmutation.

I didn't pick Divination, because nothing's really found out that wasn't known to begin with (a caster couldn't, for example, find out where the forks are supposed to be stored by casting the spell if he didn't know where they were supposed to be stored in the first place). I wasn't sure if it would be Transmutation, since nothing really being changed- just moved.

Well, a transmutation spell doesn't actually have to change anything. Take the telekinesis spell, for example. All it does is move things.

So I went with Evocation because something is being quickly forced into a different space- and it felt slightly reminiscent of the Sending spell, which is also Evocation. Plus, I liked the image of a big storm of blue energy, which fit the Evocation school.

But the sending spell doesn't move anything. Anyway, you can still have the storm of blue energy, even if its a transmutation spell. Heck, flashy bits are part and parcel of magic.

The only thing, in my opinion, that would really make this too powerful for a 0-level spell is the area. No other 0-level spells I know of affect such a large area, even though some of them have much more powerful and useful effects than this spell (such as Ghost Sound or Acid Splash). And yet, at the same time, I don't want to make the area smaller, because it wouldn't really fit the idea I had.

Not just the area, but I personally think the weight of objects it can move being 4 lbs heavier is a big part of it.

 

[UltimaGabe]

Ah, alright. Transmutation it is, then, and I'll make it a 1st-level spell.

(Even if it seems a bit too powerful for a 1st-level spell, I guarantee it won't be game breaking. I'd be surprised if I even actually use it in-game.)

 

[Ferret]

Aren't storms a bit chaotic?

 

[UltimaGabe]

Aren't storms a bit chaotic?

Not when they're created by a spell with the [Lawful] descriptor.