There are things worse than death [spell]

[Jack Simth]

Flavor Text Source
The Curse Without a Name
Conjouration(Teleportation) [Evil]
Level: Sor/Wiz 9
Components: V, S, F
Casting time: One standard action
Range: Close (25 ft. + 5 ft./2 levels)
Target: one creature
Duration: Permanent
Saving Throw: Will partial (see text)
SR: Yes
Somewhere, there's a man. He doesn't want to be where he is. There's no place he'd rather be less. This man is suffering. But inevitably, he starts to get used to it. He becomes calm enough to distance himself from his misery, just a little. And without meaning to, he thinks of a place he'd rather be less. A place which can hurt him in ways he's not currently being hurt. Whether it's a few feet away or in another horrible universe, he's glad he's where he is, and not there. This is just a fleeting though. But then he's there. And he'll stay there until he thinks of a place he'd rather be less.
On a failed will save, this spell condemns the target to eternal misery. It does this with several effects. First, the target is rendered completely unable to take actions of any sort, except to think (but this does not permit casting spells, manifesting powers, or taking any other action of any kind). Second, the target is rendered completely conscious for the duration of the spell. Third, the target is rendered unkillable for the duration of the spell (damage accrues, and injury is still afflicted - the target feels everything, but can't die while the spell lasts). Fourth, the target is instantly whisked away to the place the target least wants to be. Finally, whenever the target thinks of a place he'd rather be less (no matter how fleetingly), he is instantly transported there, regardless of local conditions. In practical terms, the target is never seen again. The spell cannot be dispelled, but Disjunction will take it down with an opposed caster level check. Not even a Wish or Miracle can retrieve the subject while the spell is in effect, but a Wish or a "powerful request" miracle will specify where the subject will be in one round.

On a successful save, the target is merely moved to a random plane, but otherwise not inconvenienced.

Focus: some form of woven material (which must be worn by the subject), and a scarf.

 

[Clay_More]

I like the flavor and feel of the spell, I think you did a decent adaptation of the quote you found (and a good foundation for a spell).

Only thing that really bugs me is that you still get ported to another plane if you fail your Saving Throw, I would make it Will negates instead. As it is now, its basically a fail-safe way to remove an opponent from a battle, no matter what. Most other kill / permanently incapacitate spells are Save negates (Wail of the Banshee, Symbol of Death). I know this spell doesn't kill its target, its actually a bit better since you can't easily resurrect the target with Raise Dead or a similar spell.

 

[Jack Simth]

I like the flavor and feel of the spell, I think you did a decent adaptation of the quote you found (and a good foundation for a spell).

Only thing that really bugs me is that you still get ported to another plane if you fail your Saving Throw, I would make it Will negates instead. As it is now, its basically a fail-safe way to remove an opponent from a battle, no matter what. Most other kill / permanently incapacitate spells are Save negates (Wail of the Banshee, Symbol of Death). I know this spell doesn't kill its target, its actually a bit better since you can't easily resurrect the target with Raise Dead or a similar spell.

As for the removing the target from combat even on a successful save...

1) Gate already does that (it's no-save, no SR, after all).
2) It's a single-target 9th level spell (Wail of the Banshee, Symbol of Death, Weird, and other high-level Save or Die spells generally get quite a few creatures).
3) There's already quite a few spells that still temporarily disable an opponent on a successful save - Illusory Pit, for instance, Cause Fear, and Fear will all do so (due to the stacking nature of fear effects, if you hit someone with Fear followed up by a Quickened Fear, unless they're outright immune, they're Frightened regardless of the save) - and existing ones are lower-level.

 

[Asha'man]

I love the spell, but it's too hard to break. Wish or Miracle should break it, Disjunction shouldn't require a caster level check. (But all three would be required to be used in the presence of the cursed unfortunate, which might be a significant problem in itself, given the kind of places he'd find himself in.)