Spellfire... Too powerful?

[rushlight]

Thanks for everyone's input! It helped a great deal. I finally decided to assign spellfire a saving throw. Bascially, when he readies to absorb a charge he must make a Fort save (since spellfire is based strongly in Con) of DC 10+twice the number of spellfire levels he's about to absorb. Success means the levels are absorbed, failure will cause him to take damage (1d6 per level attempted...). This will limit his "invulnerability" to magic during combat, as well as his ability to deal with 9th level spells the same as 1st level spells.

Second, any use of the spellfire will require a Fort save of DC 10+the number of spellfire levels used. This will limit his ability to do mass amounts of damage during combat. The way I figure he'll be able to have an average chance (this is a 9th level party) to do around 5 to 6d6 points of damage without serious danger. That's about average for a 9th level party, so it's not unbalancing. Sure, he COULD do 18d6 (full dump!) but he'd have to roll a 20 on the save or take the damage himself... He could also dole the damage out in much smaller quantities with relative ease.

Also, you'll notice that he won't be able to just "recharge" every night for basically nothing. If he's using an item to recharge, he's going to have to take time or it gets risky. Also, the other magic users aren't going to save large amounts of low level spells just to beef him up.

Anyway, I talked with my player, and he agreed that these conditions were acceptable. I think it makes spellfire much more playable, with the character "learning" to handle this amazing ability as he matures. As opposed to him springing from the womb fully prepaired to absorb two Power Word Kills and then toss back 18d6 of damage. I really like the growth curve, and the realization of his full power.

 

[Shard O'Glase]

Not a bad idea. I always felt the feat gave too much for a feat, but the prestige class was weak for 10 levels of ability.

 

[Azlan]

Yes! The "Spellfire" feat, given in the Magic of Faerun supplement, is wa-aaay too powerful, especially for a 1st level character (which, consequently, is the only level you can acquire the feat at).

Any feat that gives a 1st level character the innate power of a Rod of Absortion (a 50,000 gps magic item!), along with the ability to fling out 10d6 energy bolts, is way out-of-whack.

Cripes! Do they playtest these supplements, which they've been tossing out, pell-mell, since the first three core rulebooks? As a DM, I get enough headache and heartache from min-max'ers with just the core 3E D&D rules, without having to put up with the crap found in supplements like Magic of Faerun, Sword & Fist, and the Psionicist's Handbook.

 

[Shard O'Glase]

Yes! The "Spellfire" feat, given in the Magic of Faerun supplement, is wa-aaay too powerful, especially for a 1st level character (which, consequently, is the only level you can acquire the feat at).

Any feat that gives a 1st level character the innate power of a Rod of Absortion (a 50,000 gps magic item!), along with the ability to fling out 10d6 energy bolts, is way out-of-whack.

Cripes! Do they playtest these supplements, which they've been putting out, pell-mell, since the first three core rulebooks?)

I think its playtested, and they almost freely admit it's too good, hence the warning. They put it in for continuity with previous editions where spellfire existed.

 

[ConcreteBuddha]

I was SO close to allowing this as a feat (Readied action to soak? When does that ever happen?)...

...then I realized that the party could recharge the spellfire wielder.

Nope, not gonna happen.

As for roleplaying balance, the character would be a bane to the party as organizations attempt to hunt the character down.

As for power balance, the character would outshine the other PCs. It is also not even close in power to, say, dodge, iron will or power attack.

 

[kreynolds]

As for roleplaying balance, the character would be a bane to the party as organizations attempt to hunt the character down.

As for power balance, the character would outshine the other PCs. It is also not even close in power to, say, dodge, iron will or power attack.

So, you're saying that running a game with a spellfire wielder is ultimately impossible? What a strange conclusion to come to. It's all about setting up the game for the players, which you do every time you run a game anyway.

 

[Crothian]

I'd be interesting to play a party where everyone had this feat. None of the others would know (mysterious bring them together because they are the only people with this power, but until they reveal it to the others no one will realize this). Then you can have them all being hunted. Have everyone have this ability keeps it balanced.

 

[ConcreteBuddha]

Nope. I do not think it's "ultimately impossible" as in "completely unplayable".

I think it's unplayable as a feat if the other players do not have an equivalent power increase. I would enjoy a campaign where all the PCs wield spellfire. The dominant theme, obviously, would be related to spellfire.

Any feat that I have to restrict to only one member of the group "just because" is not a good feat, IMHO. If one PC got this, all of them would want it...and every PC from then on would be a spellfire wielder. The feat is just that good.

 

[kreynolds]

I'd be interesting to play a party where everyone had this feat. None of the others would know (mysterious bring them together because they are the only people with this power, but until they reveal it to the others no one will realize this). Then you can have them all being hunted. Have everyone have this ability keeps it balanced.

Actually, that's what I had in mind for my next game. I can have all sorts of fun with that.

 

[ConcreteBuddha]

I'd be interesting to play a party where everyone had this feat.

You just posted right before me. Bleh!