Three spells for War of the Burning Sky

[RangerWickett]

I'm making these spells for War of the Burning Sky, and I want to know whether they're balanced.

Like Lightning is inspired by lightning leap in Complete Mage, though with less damage and more mobility. Storm Shield is inspired by repelling shield in Complete Arcane, only it's higher level and thus gets to do some damage. Telekinetic thrust is just an adaptation of the psionic power of the same name, only I upped the level by 1, and slightly increased the weight limit.

Opinions?


New Spell – Like Lightning
Evocation/Transmutation [Electricity]
Level: Sor/Wiz 5
Components: V, S
Casting Time: 1 full-round action
Range: Personal
Target: You
Duration: Instantaneous
Saving Throw: See text
Spell Resistance: See text.

You transform your body into lightning and fly a distance up to twice your land speed (perfect maneuverability). You do not provoke attacks of opportunity for this movement, and can travel through spaces occupied by creatures. Whenever you pass through a creature’s space, that creature must succeed a Reflex saving throw or take 1d6 points of electricity damage per two caster levels (maximum 10d6). Passing through a creature’s space more than once does not deal extra damage. Creatures with spell resistance have a chance to resist being affected by your lightning entirely. Once you have moved up to twice your base speed, you return to normal.

If you have the Spring Attack feat, at one point during your movement you may briefly turn solid again so you can make a single melee attack. If you do this, your movement is limited to your land speed instead of twice your land speed.


New Spell – Storm Shield
Abjuration/Evocation [Air, Electricity, Force]
Level: Drd 5, Sor/Wiz 4
Components: V, S
Casting Time: 1 standard action
Range: Personal
Target: You
Duration: 1 min./level (D)
Saving Throw: See text
Spell Resistance: See text.

You are protected by the fury of a thunderstorm. This spell functions like shield, granting a +4 shield bonus to AC and protecting against magic missiles. Additionally, whenever you are struck in melee combat, thunder, lightning, and wind blasts your attacker. If that creature fails a Reflex save, it takes d6 points of electricity damage and is knocked back 5 ft. Spell resistance applies to this effect.


New Spell – Telekinetic Thrust
Transmutation
Level: Sor/Wiz 4
Components: V, S
Casting Time: 1 standard action
Range: Medium (100 ft. + 10 ft./level)
Target: One or more objects or creatures with a total weight of 50 lbs./level or less.
Duration: Instantaneous
Saving Throw: Will negates (object)
Spell Resistance: Yes (object)

You can affect one or more objects or creatures by concentrating your mind upon them, sending them in a deadly hail at your foes – or simply by hurling your foe! You can hurl one object or creature per level (maximum fifteen separate targets), as long as all are within range and each is no more than 10 feet away from any other one. Each object or creature can be hurled a maximum distance of 10 feet per level.

You must succeed on ranged attack rolls (one per creature or object thrown) to hit a target of the hurled items with the items, applying your Intelligence modifier (or Charisma modifier if a sorcerer) to the attack roll instead of your Dexterity modifier. Hurled weapons deal their standard damage (your Strength bonus does not apply; arrows or bolts deal damage as daggers of their size when used in this manner). Other objects deal damage ranging from 1 point per 25 pounds of weight (for less dangerous objects such as an empty barrel) to 1d6 points per 25 pounds of weight (for hard, dense objects such as a boulder).

Creatures are allowed Will saves (and spell resistance) to negate the effect, as are those whose held possessions are targeted by this power. If you use this power to hurl a creature against a solid surface, it takes damage as if it had fallen 10 feet (1d6 points). If you hurl one creature into another, both take the damage.

 

[Sigurd]

I like them.


Like Lightning -

I'd add the option of travel without hurting _anyone_ on the way. Considering the lower damage anyway this might make the spell more useful as a sort of non-teleport teleport. This option would stop the spell from hurting enemies or friends.

you say twice your 'land speed' - does that include land speed with the run action? or withdrawing from battle?

Run would often be 120 ft+ so 240' in one round. Perfect maneuverability would have my players snaking through crowds doing damage to each. Even if you used the 3x rule for not running in a straight line thats 180' to zap targets with.

Would it stack with "Expeditious Retreat"?

Becoming lightning would presumably remove all your encumbrance.

 

[Shazman]

I think storm shield is far too weak for a 4th level spell. As written, it seems more like a 2nd level spell, maybe 3rd. If you increased the damage to a d6 every two caster levels to a maximum of 5d6 with a reflex save for half, it might be worth a 4th level slot.

 

[RangerWickett]

I think storm shield is far too weak for a 4th level spell. As written, it seems more like a 2nd level spell, maybe 3rd. If you increased the damage to a d6 every two caster levels to a maximum of 5d6 with a reflex save for half, it might be worth a 4th level slot.

Repelling shield is a 3rd level spell, that does pretty much the same thing as this, minus the damage. Fire shield only does d6+1/level, and it's a 4th level spell. True, it grants some energy protection, but it only lasts 1 round/level. I think compared to those it would be too strong to up the damage.


As for like lightning's speed, it's whatever your movement rate would be in the Speed entry of your character. So a human barbarian/sorcerer would be 40 ft., a halfling wizard would be 20 ft. I figure most folks casting this spell won't be wearing armor or be encumbered.

 

[Eloi]

I would also like to say that Storm Shield feels too weak to be a Druid 5, W/S 4 spell. Adding a few weather-related adverse conditions (blinded and deafened for 1d6 rounds), or improving the duration to 10 min/level, or lowering the level to Druid 3, W/S 3 spell, any of these might shape it up that little nudge.

This spell, Storm Shield, does not seem to be as useful as Ice Storm (Druid 4 spell), but about on a par with Sleet Storm (Druid 3 spell), which is why I make this recommendation. To be fair, I also think Repelling Shield could have been a smidgeon stronger.

 

[Primitive Screwhead]

I like all three spells.. as well as the spoiler

My thoughts:
Like Lightning.. good spell and useful for getting around non-combat problems. I would suggest a change as follows:
Casting time: Swift Actoin
Duration: see text

You and yoru equipment transform into a being of pure electicity and may take the remainder of your actoins for the round. At the end of your actions this round, you return to your normal form.
While in the form of pure energy you do not draw AoO for movement and may move through occupied squares. If you do so, the creature must succeed a Reflex saving throw or take 1d6 points of electricity damage per two caster levels (maximum 10d6) {SR applies}.
While in the form of pure energy you lose all weapons and natural attacks, but gain a Slam attack appropriate for your size that is treated as a shocking burst weapon.


This way you don't have to call out how the spell reacts to any weird feat or rule... spring attack, charge, etc... all work as normal. You could be mean{er} and declare the Slam is a monk weapon

Storm Shield... I like it as is, but would add protection against normal missiles as the wind knocks them off course.. probably a 50% miss chance would work.


Sounds like this is going to be an interesting battlemap!

 

[RangerWickett]

I like all three spells.. as well as the spoiler

My thoughts:

That was the original solution, but swift action raised the spectre of someone casting this, running into a few people and hurting them, and then casting another spell. I couldn't justify a quickened half-lightning bolt as a 5th level spell.

 

[el-remmen]

Like Lightning reminds me of

Living Lightning
Transmutation [Air, Electricity]
Level: Thunder 6, Wizard 5
Components: V, S, DF
Casting Time: 1 standard action
Range: Close (25 ft. + 5 ft./2 levels)
Target: You
Duration: Instantaneous
Saving Throw: Reflex half
Spell Resistance: Yes; see text

With a word to your god, you transform yourself and all in your possession into a bolt of living lightning. You may immediately travel a distance not exceeding the spell's range, moving in any direction and changing direction as often as you like, as long as you do not cross your own path. Any creature occupying a square you pass through takes 2d10 points of electricity damage +1 point per caster level (maximum +20). A successful Reflex save halves the damage.

At the end of this movement, you transform back into your normal form. However, if a creature you pass through makes a successful spell resistance roll, not only do they take no damage, but the spell immediately ends and you transform back to normal form adjacent to the creature.

I did not know there was a spell like it in Complete Mage (a book I don't have).

And while not quite storm shield, but you might find it helpful:

Wind Armor
Abjuration [Air]
Level: Pennatamil Verisa 4, Shu 4, Wizard 4
Components: V, S, M / DF
Casting Time: 1 standard action
Range: Personal
Area: You
Duration: 10 min./level (D)
Saving Throw: None
Spell Resistance: No

This spell surrounds you with a protective vortex of whirling winds. This wind armor provides you with an unlimited supply of clean air, even underwater, and blocks out all liquids and gases. This provides total protection against hazardous or debilitating smells, vapors and fluids. The wind armor also repels physical attacks. Arrows, bolts and Tiny or Small creatures are all harmlessly turned aside; against all other attacks, you gain a +4 deflection bonus to AC. Your own attacks are unaffected.

Though the winds are relatively quiet, their incessant sound in your ears gives you a -4 circumstance penalty to all Listen checks.

Arcane Material Component: A seabird’s feather.

 

[Gregor]

I too feel Storm Shield is a tad weak for its level. I can understand not wanting to boost the damage done by the lightning, but what about adding a seperate effect to build upon the flavour of the spell - 'being protected by the fury of a thunderstorm'. How about when an attacker strikes someone with Storm Shield on, they take d6 lightning damage and must make a Ref save or be knocked prone by a violent thrust of storm winds from the shield?

Just an idea.