Touch of Terror: Help me with a new spell!

[Pielorinho]

First, my draft of the spell:

Dash of Despair, Touch of Terror, and a Smidgen of Scariness
Necromancy [Mind Affecting]
Level: Sor/Wiz 2
Components: V, S
Casting Time: 1 standard action
Range: Touch
Targets: Creature or creatures touched; see below
Duration: Instantaneous/see below
Saving Throw: Will partial; see text
Spell Resistance: Yes
A touch from your hand, which crackles with black energy, brings a subject's worst fears to the surface. A successful touch attack deals 1 point of Wisdom damage. The touched creature also becomes shaken for one round/caster level unless he makes a successful Will save. If the creature is already shaken, it becomes frightened; if it is already frightened, it becomes panicked; if it is already panicked, it cowers. You can use this melee touch attack up to one time per level.

Okay, the exposition:
I want this spell to be the signature spell for a creepy necromancer/rogue PC that I'm creating. As such, it needs to capabilities: it needs to do some sort of damage so that it can do sneak attacks, and it needs to scare the target.

The spells to which this should be compared, I think, are Chill Touch (which it's most heavily based on); Cause Fear; Ghoul Touch; and Scare.

Compared to Chill Touch:
Advantages include the auto-ability damage, to an ability that affects saves, and the fear effect. Disadvantages include no innate hitpoint damage, the inability to affect undead, and the higher level.

Compared to Cause Fear:
Advantages include the ability to use on multiple opponents, the increased duration, the sneak-attack possibility, the ability damage, and the lack of a HD cap. Disadvantages include the higher level, the slower onset time (i.e., to reach the frightened stage, the subject must be hit twice and fail two will saves), and the attack roll requirement.

Compared to Ghoul Touch:
Advantages include the ability to use on multiple opponents, the sneakattackability, and the ability damage. Disadvantages include an inferior primary effect (paralyzation is much better than fear effects) and probably an inferior secondary effect (wisdom damage to one person isn't as good as sickening a bunch of people, although that sickening might be annoying to allies in practice).

Compared to Scare:
Advantages include the ability damage, the sneakattackability, and the lack of level cap. Disadvantages include the inability to affect multiple foes simultaneously, the slower onset time, and the requirement for a touch attack.

All told, I think this spell as written is a slightly weak second-level spell, but would be way too strong for a first level spell. If it allowed only one attack, it'd be a weak first-level spell.

Potential changes to it:
-Change Wis damage to Cha damage.
-Change Wis damage to 1d6 or so HP damage.
-Allow only one attack.
-Make it mind-affecting (further limiting potential targets--this is probably a good change to make).
-Make the opponent be frightened right away, but give it no additive effect.

What do y'all think? Is it good as written, or does it need alteration?

Daniel

 

[Tuzenbach]

First off, is there a reason why a Mod with over four thousand posts at Enworld should seek assisstance crafting a spell? lol

Next, would the Wisdom drain be permanent or temporary? If the former, that's WAY too powerful for a second level spell. It should only last for a matter of hours equal to the caster's level.

A random thought just occurred to me. Instead of Wisdom, what if the spell targets the most prominent ability score the victim has? So Wisdom for Clerics, Charisma for Sorcerers, etc. It'd be a little different, though. And it would truly be terrible to be "touched" with!

 

[Pielorinho]

Hey, we mods need help, too!

The wisdom drain would be temporary ability damage, the kind you heal one point of after eight hours of sleep; it's just like the Str damage from Chill Touch, only there's no save. If it's a penalty that lasts for a duration (like Ray of Enfeeblement), then it doesn't allow for sneak-attacks, which screws up one of the spell's major requirements.

Targeting the subject's highest ability score is an option, but I'm not sure it fits the flavortext of imbuing the victim with nightmares and fears.

Thanks for the feedback!
Daniel

 

[Piratecat]

The one attack per lvl thing makes me wonder what happens when used by someone with iterative attacks. If a high lvl fighter/necromancer uses this spell to attack someone three times in the same round, will it use up three "uses"? If so, the progressive fear is too powerful. If not, if it's only once per round (as I believe it is) then I think it's pretty good.

 

[Tuzenbach]

Targeting the subject's highest ability score is an option, but I'm not sure it fits the flavortext of imbuing the victim with nightmares and fears.

Well, the thing is this. If I'm a Fighter and I all of a sudden have the ability score I rely upon most (Strength) go from 17 to 16, I'm going to be reluctant in the following round. If it then drops to a 15, I'm gunna run! Does my Fighter know how that these affects aren't permanent? No. That's why he's frightened. Taking away the best thing a character has and threatening to take away more of it is a frightening thing, indeed.

 

[Pielorinho]

The one attack per lvl thing makes me wonder what happens when used by someone with iterative attacks. If a high lvl fighter/necromancer uses this spell to attack someone three times in the same round, will it use up three "uses"? If so, the progressive fear is too powerful. If not, if it's only once per round (as I believe it is) then I think it's pretty good.

I'd planned on making it just like Chill Touch, in that you could use it with iterative attacks (except in the round you cast it, in which like normal you can make only one touch attack). AFAICT, the earliest a fighter/necromancer could get 3 attacks with this would be at thirteenth level (level 10 fighter for BAB +10, level 3 necromancer BAB +3), and even then would only be able to get 3 attacks on the round after casting it, and would need the opponent to fail three saves in order to move the opponent to panicked; given the other options for a thirteenth-level fighter, I'm not sure this is too worrisome.

But it wouldn't matter much for my character: the arcane trickster character type isn't exactly a multiple-attack specialist, and so changing each touch attack to a standard action (except the free touch attack included in casting the spell) wouldn't be a problem.

Daniel

 

[Cheiromancer]

I like the idea that it target the stat that is normally the highest. Players fear ability drain almost as much as they fear energy drain; it would be nice if the "touch of terror" actually inspired fear.

I would suggest a time limit in which all the touches have to be made (maybe 2 rounds/level?). You might also specifiy what happens if the character casts another spell during that interval; I would suggest that doing so ends the spell. Kinda like what happens if you cast a spell while "holding the charge" of another spell.

 

[Pielorinho]

Cheiromancer, I think this spell falls entirely under the "holding the charge" rules, as does Chill Touch. That is, as long as the character doesn't touch anything else or cast any spells, she can hold that charge till the cows come home.

I'm still unsure about the whole "targeting the highest score" thing: although that's gonna scare the victim, it's gonna scare the victim rationally. I want the flavor to be that it scares the victim by plaguing him with necromanticky fears, and I don't see that being represented by, say, damage to Str or Dex or even Int (especially if which score it targets is determined by which score is highest).

One other issue which may be unclear:

Say a fifth-level caster targets an opponent with the spell, in round one. The opponent fails his save and is shaken. Four rounds later, the caster hits the same target with the spell, and the caster fails another save. The target is now frightened. Even though the duration of the "shaken" effect was about to wear off, the target will remain frightened for the next five rounds. If, four rounds later, the target is struck again and fails his save again, he'll be panicked for another five rounds.

It's possible to drag the spell's duration out for a long time, if you're willing to do nothing else for the spell's duration. This is mostly a bookkeeping issue: keeping track of how many hits are currently in effect would be a bookkeeping nightmare.

Which gives me an idea for another spell: Touch of Bookkeeping?

Daniel

 

[Cheiromancer]

You can make a distinction, I think, between a spell that scares the characters, and a spell that scares the players. The best results obtain IMHO when a spell does both.

If holding the charge applies, I can see it lasting all day. If you could do other things, you'd have to give a duration in which the touches must be applied.

The long-duration aspect (a touch every few rounds) would be awesome for use on prisoners, wouldn't it? Well, awful from the prisoner's perspective. Especially if it targets Wisdom; that makes the will saves go down.

Very nice. Do you think it should have the [evil] descriptor?

 

[DanMcS]

First, my draft of the spell:
Okay, the exposition:
I want this spell to be the signature spell for a creepy necromancer/rogue PC that I'm creating. As such, it needs to capabilities: it needs to do some sort of damage so that it can do sneak attacks, and it needs to scare the target.

To quote Firefly, because that show was great: Pain is scary.

In D&D, Con drain is scary. You might go with that. That's just a tossup, though.

My actual point here is that I don't think you can sneak attack with a spell that just does ability score damage. If you want this to be sneakattackable, it needs to do some hp damage too, I think. Although I guess it's a touch spell, so you could always just punch someone while unarmed to deliver the charge, dealing 1d3 + str + your sneak attack dice (subdual, though).