Spiffy new spell: Janeko's Quicksilver Bubble

[Anabstercorian]

Janeko's Quicksilver Shell
Transmutation
Level: Sor/Wiz 7
Components: V, S, M, F
Casting Time: 1 action
Range: 5 ft.
Area: 5 ft. radius emanation, centered on you
Duration: 1 minute/level (D)
Saving Throw: None
Spell Resistance: No

You create a free-floating hollow shell of mercury that hovers around you, granting you a variety of useful abilities. In its rest state, this shell appears as a hollow five foot radius sphere with large portions missing, but larger casters might result in a shell that’s shaped more oddly. The shell has hardness 5 and can sustain 5 hit points of damage per caster level before being dispersed. You can mentally direct the shell as a free action once per round to do any of the following:
* You can direct the shell to return to its ‘rest state’ which gives you cover against attacks from all directions.
* The shell can give you total cover against a single foe, but you don’t have cover against any other foe.
* You can turn the shell in to a path of mercury beneath your feet to allow you to walk on open air as per the Air Walk spell, except that you are not adversely affected by winds any more than you would be on solid ground. This mode grants no cover.
* You can seal the shell completely, granting you total cover against all attacks. In this state the shell has no hardness and takes twice as much damage from all attacks, as well as giving you a -10 penalty to listen checks to hear outside the bubble and making sight impossible. The shell cannot be penetrated by gasses or liquids of any kind while in this state, but takes damage from unusually high or low pressure normally.
If you dismiss the spell before the duration is up, a proportional quantity of the material components are recovered in the focus and can be reused. This does not apply if the shell is dispersed.
Material Components: 50 gp worth of quicksilver with 100 gp worth of powdered lodestone mixed in to it.
Focus: A hollow glass sphere containing the material components.

 

[Anabstercorian]

Any comments?

 

[The Forsaken One]

Looks like a great utility spell, nothing too fancy just a very decent spell.

Looks nice! Exept you might extend the duration to 10 mni/level.

It's a 7th level spell afterall and not even that great, alot of functions like the cover have drawbacks for you as well.

Maybe 6th level would be moer appropriate, really with the 1 min/level duration.

 

[Blacksad]

as above, plus I would change the school to conjuration

 

[Anabstercorian]

Thanks

I'm hesitant to turn it to a Conjuration spell. Basically the way it works is by transmuting the material component, that's why it requires so much of it.

 

[Blacksad]

Re: Thanks

I'm hesitant to turn it to a Conjuration spell. Basically the way it works is by transmuting the material component, that's why it requires so much of it.

unless I'm mistaken quicksilver is mercury?

with a 5ft. radius bubble, even half an inch thick, you probably have more than 60 pounds of material, mercury is very very heavy, that's why I considered it conjuration

 

[Anabstercorian]

This is true. Yet, somehow, a Polymorph Other spell can transmute a twenty pound halfling in to a two hundred pound half orc without becoming a conjuration spell to gain the extra mass?
That may be a little excessively sarcastic, but that's basically my point. I'm more inclined to the mental image of the fluid bubbling out of the container and blossoming out of itself like some sort of metal flower.

 

[Blacksad]

This is true. Yet, somehow, a Polymorph Other spell can transmute a twenty pound halfling in to a two hundred pound half orc without becoming a conjuration spell to gain the extra mass?
That may be a little excessively sarcastic, but that's basically my point. I'm more inclined to the mental image of the fluid bubbling out of the container and blossoming out of itself like some sort of metal flower.

Your call.

I think that it's a bad precedent (what if a caster do it with fire/magma?), if the various school of magic are balanced in the first place

Other Transmutation Spell seems to fall in 2 category
the alter shape (move earth)
the change nature (polymorph)

while big thing like your spell are more in the evocation/conjuration field (firewall)

 

[Anabstercorian]

True. I'll have to think about it. Thanks, Blacksad.

 

[Saepiroth]

You'll need to rewrite it a couple times to clarify it's effects and uses, though. As written, it's clear like mud.