New spells - help me set levels

[The Spectrum Rider]

What level would you asign to the following spells? And what do you think of them?

RAINBOW AURA
Illusion (Pattern) [Mind-affecting]
Level: 2?
Components: V, S
Casting Time: 1 standard action
Range: Personal
Area of Effect: 30 ft. radius
Duration: 1 minute/level
Saving Throw: No (see text)
Spell Reisitance: No

You glow with an aura of shifting, sparkling colors. Any creature within 30 ft. who looks at your aura must make a Will save against the spell's save DC or be dazed for 1 round. When an affected creature recovers from the daze, if it is still exposed to the rainbow aura, it must make another Will save or be dazed for another round. This continues until the creature makes its save or is no longer exposed (due to distance, blindness, etc.).

The rainbow aura is treated as a gaze attack (despite the fact that it radiates from the caster's entire form, and not just from the eyes). However, unlike more standard gaze attacks, it is completely passive; it cannot be actively directed against a particular opponent. Characters can avert their eyes or shut their eyes to reduce the chance of being affected. (See DMG, pg. 77.) Dazed characters cannot attempt to avert or shut their eyes.

Any creature that makes its save against the rainbow aura cannot be further affected by that particular aura, although they are subject to subsequent casting of the spell.

When using this spell, you suffer a -30 circumstance penalty to any Hide checks.

Blind, sightless, or mindless creatures are not affected by the rainbow aura.
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IMPROVED RAINBOW AURA
Level: 4?

As rainbow aura, except as noted above and: creatures exposed to the aura must make a saving throw every round they are exposed or be dazed for one round, regardless of whether they have already made their saving thorw against this casting of the spell. (In other words, creatures that make their saves can be re-affected the next round.)
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RAINBOW MISSILE
Evocation
Level: 2?
Components: V, S
Casting Time: 1 standard action
Range: Medium (100 ft. + 10 ft./level)
Target: 1 creature
Duration: Instantaneous
Saving Throw: Will negates
Spell Resistance: yes

A ball of shifting, sparkiling colors darts forth from your fingertip and strikes any one target within range who does not have total cover or total concealment. The target must make a Will save vs. the spell's save DC or be dazed for 1d4 rounds.

This is a mind-affecting pattern effect. Blind, unseeing, and mindless creatures are not affected
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RAINBOW WEAPON
Transmutation
Level: 4?
Components: V, S
Casting Time: 1 standard action
Target: 1 melee weapon
Duration: 2 rounds/level
Saving Throw: Will negates (harmless, object; see text)
Spell Resistance: Yes (harmless, object)

This spell causes a single melee weapon to glow with rainbow colors. Whenever the weapon does damage to an opponent, it creates a flash of sparkling light; the opponent must make a Will save vs. the spell's save DC or be dazed for 1 round.

This is a mind-affecting pattern effect. Blind, unseeing, or mindless creatures are not affected.
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Thanks in advance for your help. You can see what's been on my mind....

The Spectrum Rider

 

[Kerrick]

Interesting spells, first off. The fact that these spells are mind-affecting makes them of limited use right off the bat - they can't affect undead most aberrations, or constructs (they're great for illusionists, though - it's nice to see some offensive illusion spells).

The first two I'd say are pretty close; rainbow missile should be 1st, IMO - it offers a save, and all it does is daze the target for 1d4 rounds. rainbow weapon is way too high - I'd make it 2nd, unless you up the duration; BTW, do multiple hits stack?.

 

[MarauderX]

I would shift Rainbow Aura down to 1st level, as it's only a dazing those within 30' and has a Will save, basically making it like 0-level Flare only it can affect many more enemies at one time. I liken it to sleep with the ability to only Daze foes instead of incapacitating them.

I would also shift Improved Rainbow Aura down to 3rd as it still only dazes opponents.

Rainbow missle would be good at 1st level or for 2nd add range and number of missles per level.

Rainbow weapon seems right for the level as it can really hinder a creatures attacks against you. Being dazed for round after round could really be annoying, and with the longer duration it could go on long enough for any battle. Imagine being a barbarian fighting someone with that weapon - it would be equal to a monk's stunning fist simply because of the attacks causing repeated dazing.

And now back to the flower mage who concocted these spells... she probably doesn't want to fight anyway, and took Improved Trip because she got the meanings confused...dude...

 

[Velmont]

Rainbow Aura:

Possibility to daze at each rounds during 1 minute/level, I would tell to be 3rd, but with all the way to protect himself (close eyes, mind-affecting, sucessfull save), I would tell it could be 2nd level if you lower if you put it at 1 round/level, 3rd if not.

Generally, 1 minute per level is long enough for any combat you do, and carryig that spell to the next combat means not to close to your friends or it will be bad...

Imp. Rainbow Aura

That would be 4 for 1 round/level, 5 for 1/minyte per level. It is pretty nasty, and can be easily compare to fire shield with some range, so that is pretty good spell.

Rainbow Missile

As MarauderX said.

Rainbow missile.

I would say 4th minimum, maybe 5th.

Don't understimate daze, it is pretty strong, as the taget can't do anything while daze. Even not being helpless, it is a piece of cake to kill someone who don't do anything.

Just imagine a monk with a rainbowed monk weapon. With his flurry of blow, 5 save must be done at high level, I think at least one will be failed each round, and you got your death guy for the cost of one spell.

 

[The Spectrum Rider]

Thank you one and all. I'm not very clear on setting levels for spells.

It seems to me that Improved Rainbow Aura (everyone within 30 ft. must make a Will save every round or be dazed for one round) is a good deal stronger that Rainbow Weapon (you only have to make the Will save if you're actually damaged by a weapon). Of course, it's not a perfect comparison because (a) a caster with Improved Rainbow Aura may be hindering his allies as well, and (b) with a Rainbow Weapon, you may get hit more than once a round, so you may have to make more than one save.

How do you think these really compare?

Also, could these spells all be the the Illusion school? The only things they create are patterns of light and colors. Sometimes a spell seems like it would easily fit into more than one school, and I'm never sure what to do with it then. (Although, as someone said, Illusion could use some additional offensive spells.)
Thanks.

The Spectrum Rider

 

[Jeph]

Personally, I'd definitely place them all as Illusions.

 

[Velmont]

School:

I think illusion would fit well for all. After all, it can be easily compare to color spray, which is illusion.

Aura vs. Weapon

You must consider sopme things:
Aura affects many person every rounds, allies like enemies, but the spell is personnal, and that's mean the caster must go near the combat to be effective, while a weapon, even affecting only one person (or many in the hand of a figther or a monk), it allow to leave the front line to the front liner and the wizard can still cast spells at 100 feet of the action with other spells.

 

[MarauderX]

It seems to me that Improved Rainbow Aura (everyone within 30 ft. must make a Will save every round or be dazed for one round) is a good deal stronger that Rainbow Weapon (you only have to make the Will save if you're actually damaged by a weapon). Of course, it's not a perfect comparison because (a) a caster with Improved Rainbow Aura may be hindering his allies as well, and (b) with a Rainbow Weapon, you may get hit more than once a round, so you may have to make more than one save.

I think what you said above is my primary argument for why Rainbow Weapon should remain at the level you set it. I can see a ranger with multiple attacks swatting the same critter a bunch of times with the weapon, and it would have to make the save for each. Given the higher the level the higher the DC, it would have a DC around 16-20, depending on the caster. Put that on the fighters flail and watch him daze each one of his surrounding opponents in 1 round and see how much that turns the tide of battle.

edit: I vote for illusion too.

 

[Kerrick]

Oopsie.. I thought dazed was when you were at a -2 to all actions. So, disregard my advice from before. Personally, though, I'd change the effects of the rainbow aura to something like fascinated or confused - dazed doesn't seem quite right for that (yeah, I know, you're standing there, but fascinated seems a little closer to the mark - see prismatic wall for an example).

Rainbow missile - make it 1st, unless you get multiple missiles at higher levels, like magic missile.

Rainbow weapon seems right for the level as it can really hinder a creatures attacks against you. Being dazed for round after round could really be annoying, and with the longer duration it could go on long enough for any battle. Imagine being a barbarian fighting someone with that weapon - it would be equal to a monk's stunning fist simply because of the attacks causing repeated dazing.

Yeah, that's what I was thinking when I saw that too - that's why I asked if the effects stacked, or if multiple hits worked only once. That is, if you're hit three times, are you stunned for three rounds, or only one? If the former, this would be a very powerful (almost TOO powerful) spell, and I'd make it 4th-5th; otherwise, drop it to 3rd.

You know, if you want to make a true rainbow weapon, you could just create the entire weapon from rainbow light - it doesn't deal any damage, but a hit dazes the target for 1 round. That would balance it out a bit, dropping it to 3rd-4th level (again, taking into consideration whether or not the effects stack).

And yes, make them all Illusion (Pattern) spells.