MerricB said:
Given that most of those items are you making rules up...
Yes, the point being that if there are some solid design principles at work underlying the spells - and you can divine
some from the SRD spells (which, of course, seem to have exceptions), then why not simply adhere to them when designing new spells? For Gawd sake, there are design rules for everything in D&D v.3.x to ensure "balance". You'd think some sensible design rules could be created for that class of spells which causes direct energy damage. It just s**ts me to tears when I see page after page of badly designed spells with poorly or ambiguously drafted text. We're in the process of "rebalancing" the spell lists, huh? Why'd friggin' druids get so many new beefcake spells in
Complete Divine and its predecessor,
Masters of the Wild. Like druids need more spells? And now "Conjurers are the new Evokers; the flavour you like in a brand new container". And there's no friggin' decent evocations in any of the previous splatbooks, monstrous ecology books, not even in the friggin' books supporting the Campaign Setting of Magic Beggaring Common Sense (that's Faerun, in case anyone's wondering).
Yep, I can design my own. Yes, I can tinker with existing spells to rebalance them. I can do this in my own campaign. But when you're playing the wizard doing the research, it's a little harder to convince the DM that you've designed balanced spells when (a) you work to design rules which you've made up from inference and deduction from SRD spells; and (b) there are in fact no comparable spells in the SRD.
I provide some examples:
Sonic shockwave
Source: Personal research
Evocation (Force, Sonic)
Level: Sor/Wiz 6
Components: V, S
Casting Time: 1 standard action
Range: Close (25 ft. + 5 ft./2 levels)
Area: Cone-shaped burst
Duration: Instantaneous
Saving Throw: Fortitude partial or Reflex half (object); see text
Spell Resistance: Yes; see text
A powerful concussive noise arcs away from you, causing 1d3 points of sonic damage and 1 point of force damage per caster level to everything in the area (maximum 15d3 sonic and 15 force damage). Creatures in the area are also dazed for 1 round and deafened for 1d4 rounds. Any exposed brittle or crystalline object or crystalline creature suffers double sonic damage unless it makes its save. A successful save halves the sonic damage and negates the dazing and deafening, but has no effect on the force damage. Spell resistance is only effective against the sonic damage and the deafening; a spell-resistant creature which successfully resists the sonic damage and deafening will still suffer the force damage and can still be dazed if it fails its Fortitude save.
Chain lightning
Saving Throw: Reflex half and Fortitude negates; see text
A creature struck by a bolt of
chain lightning can make a Reflex save for half damage. A creature who suffers any damage must also make a Fortitude save or be stunned for 1 round.
Cone of Cold
Range: Close (25 ft. + 5 ft./2 levels)
Duration: Instantaneous and up to 1d6 rounds; see text
Saving Throw: Fortitude partial; see text
Cone of cold creates an area of extreme cold, originating at your hand and extending outward in a cone. It drains heat, dealing 1d6 points of cold damage per caster level (maximum 15d6). In addition, creatures who suffer damage are also frozen stiff, suffering the same effects as a
slow spell, for 1d6 rounds (this is a
slow effect for the purposes of stacking such effects and countering with
haste). A successful Fortitude save halves the cold damage and reduces the duration of the
slow effect to 1 round. A stiff creature can also get rid of the
slow effect by being subject to any large heat source (including a
lightning bolt) or effect which causes at least 1d6 points of fire damage.
Arcane Material Component: A very small crystal or glass cone.
Remathilis said:
So where's the consistancy? [sic]
Exactly!
Cheers, Al'Kelhar
