Sub-Epic Offerings

[Bootlebat]

Here's a spell I made a long time ago:

Monochrome Spray

School evocation; Level sorcerer/wizard 7;

CASTING

Casting Time 1 standard action
Components V, S

EFFECT

Range 60 ft.
Area cone-shaped burst
Duration instantaneous
Saving Throw see text; Spell Resistance yes

DESCRIPTION

This spell causes three multicolored rays to spray from your hand, similar to prismatic spray, but with only the colors white, gray, and black. Each beam has a different power. Creatures in the area of the spell with 8 HD or less are automatically staggered for 2d4 rounds. Every creature in the area is randomly struck by one or more beams, which have additional effects.

1d4 Color of Beam Effect
1 White 50 points of cold damage (reflex half)
2 Gray 2d8 charisma drain (will negates)
3 Black 1d4+1 negative levels. A fortitude save can be made 24 hours later to remove
4 struck by two rays. Roll twice, ignoring any 4s.

 

[Beefermatic]

Here's a spell I made a long time ago:

Monochrome Spray

School evocation; Level sorcerer/wizard 7;

CASTING

Casting Time 1 standard action
Components V, S

EFFECT

Range 60 ft.
Area cone-shaped burst
Duration instantaneous
Saving Throw see text; Spell Resistance yes

DESCRIPTION

This spell causes three multicolored rays to spray from your hand, similar to prismatic spray, but with only the colors white, gray, and black. Each beam has a different power. Creatures in the area of the spell with 8 HD or less are automatically staggered for 2d4 rounds. Every creature in the area is randomly struck by one or more beams, which have additional effects.

1d4 Color of Beam Effect
1 White 50 points of cold damage (reflex half)
2 Gray 2d8 charisma drain (will negates)
3 Black 1d4+1 negative levels. A fortitude save can be made 24 hours later to remove
4 struck by two rays. Roll twice, ignoring any 4s.

Nice! I like it

 

[Obly99]

Here's a spell I made a long time ago:

Monochrome Spray

School evocation; Level sorcerer/wizard 7;

CASTING

Casting Time 1 standard action
Components V, S

EFFECT

Range 60 ft.
Area cone-shaped burst
Duration instantaneous
Saving Throw see text; Spell Resistance yes

DESCRIPTION

This spell causes three multicolored rays to spray from your hand, similar to prismatic spray, but with only the colors white, gray, and black. Each beam has a different power. Creatures in the area of the spell with 8 HD or less are automatically staggered for 2d4 rounds. Every creature in the area is randomly struck by one or more beams, which have additional effects.

1d4 Color of Beam Effect
1 White 50 points of cold damage (reflex half)
2 Gray 2d8 charisma drain (will negates)
3 Black 1d4+1 negative levels. A fortitude save can be made 24 hours later to remove
4 struck by two rays. Roll twice, ignoring any 4s.

I like It but IMO 2d8 drain to one characteristic is too strong for a 7th level spell, even with Will negate. I will say 2d6 damage or 1d6 drain.

 

[Beefermatic]

I like It but IMO 2d8 drain to one characteristic is too strong for a 7th level spell, even with Will negate. I will say 2d6 damage or 1d6 drain.

I agree that 2d8 is too strong for Cha drain, that's pretty much a death sentence

 

[Bootlebat]

Well, prismatic spray has green (poison), which outright kills you if you fail the save.

 

[Beefermatic]

Well, prismatic spray has green (poison), which outright kills you if you fail the save.

Fair enough

 

[Obly99]

Well, prismatic spray has green (poison), which outright kills you if you fail the save.

That spell was copy paste from the 3.5 (like nightmare), in PF1 the poison work differently (the initial save is for totally negate the poison and negate any secondary roll), we no longer have initial or secondary effect.
Jason wrote that he would look into it and make a FAQ/rewrite for the spell but since 2011 he hasn't done anything and with the release of PF2 the hope is dissolved (paizo.com - Community / Paizo Blog)

 

[Beefermatic]

That spell was copy paste from the 3.5 (like nightmare), in PF1 the poison work differently (the initial save is for totally negate the poison and negate any secondary roll), we no longer have initial or secondary effect.
Jason wrote that he would look into it and make a FAQ/rewrite for the spell but since 2011 he hasn't done anything and with the release of PF2 the hope is dissolved (paizo.com - Community / Paizo Blog)

I think the idea PF got rid of all the save vs death abilities is fucxing nonsense. It gets rid of that element of disaster. If they're going to go that far, than vorpal weapons shouldn't work either, they should just deal an extra 50 damage or something on a critical hit and chop the enemy's head off if they die by it.

 

[Obly99]

I think the idea PF got rid of all the save vs death abilities is fucxing nonsense. It gets rid of that element of disaster. If they're going to go that far, than vorpal weapons shouldn't work either, they should just deal an extra 50 damage or something on a critical hit and chop the enemy's head off if they die by it.

I homebrew in my campain that Vorpal work like the spell Decapitate – d20PFSRD (DC 18 or 15 + enhancement bonus of the weapon, whichever is higher) while, for compensate, work on every critical, not only natural 20. Honestly, I completely agree with the PF1 mentality to remove the save or die abilities. They are not fun, both by the players and by the DM. On the part of the players, seeing your PG dying only because you have failed 1 ST it's not nice while if you are the DM to see your boss on which you have worked a lot, to be canceled only because he has failed 1 ST, does not give satisfaction. I remember the scene in which it happened: Phantasmal Killer enter on the boss in turn 1 and kill him. Neither we players nor the master have feel the slightest satisfaction and it's still remembered in my group as one of the most embarrassing boss fight.

 

[Beefermatic]

I homebrew in my campain that Vorpal work like the spell Decapitate – d20PFSRD (DC 18 or 15 + enhancement bonus of the weapon, whichever is higher) while, for compensate, work on every critical, not only natural 20. Honestly, I completely agree with the PF1 mentality to remove the save or die abilities. They are not fun, both by the players and by the DM. On the part of the players, seeing your PG dying only because you have failed 1 ST it's not nice while if you are the DM to see your boss on which you have worked a lot, to be canceled only because he has failed 1 ST, does not give satisfaction. I remember the scene in which it happened: Phantasmal Killer enter on the boss in turn 1 and kill him. Neither we players nor the master have feel the slightest satisfaction and it's still remembered in my group as one of the most embarrassing boss fight.

Oh I 100% disagree, I had a similar thing happen, the main bbeg from one of my old campaigns.

Zog, this evil king who was actually a polymorphed black greatwyrm, was monologuing during the big final confrontation, they traversed his swamp, fought through a ton of weird bone golem things and black drakes and these nazghul inspired black dragon monsters (they were like real black dragons but no magic, no breath weapon and lower ac, but had a poison spit) finally they storm his castle, this huge spire in the middle of a poison swamp, the only way in was swimming through an underwater entrance filled with the serpents that dealt an untyped damage green fire attack when they bit you called fireserpents, finally they get in, heal, defeat Zog's general, Elliot, this half red dragon half zard Marshal/ Sorcerer, and his 10 elite guards, and finally they confront Zog himself.

Zog starts going on about how both he and they love power, and he could use warriors like them, why throw your lives away? Things like that, the main player in my campaign, character's name was Driscoll, had this artifact vorpal greatsword. He asks as Zog is monologuing, "can I rush up and attack him while he's going on this speech?" I said sure, and gave him a surprise round, he nat 20s a crit with the vorpal greatsword and straight kills the main bad guy in a single stroke, we both exploded into a chorus of hooting and hollering, the whole table was stunned and, it was epic as fucx!

Frankly, I don't remember the ins and outs of a lot of my big ending scenes from over the years but I certainly remember that one, it was awesome. I like that uncertainty, as such I still use 3.5 versions of most death spells in pathfinder, sometimes it's better to run or to fight smartly than try to take on a bodak hoarde and the party shouldn't feel so empowered to just walk through some shut that can and should outright kill them. Moreover at those levels, someone is going to have some form of revival magic, so who cares? Unless it's a full party wipe, you as the dm should have npcs in the back burner or pcs with the capability to bring your party back to life should the worst happen.