What are the limits of Sculpt Spell (T&B)?

[gfunk]

Sculpt Spell

(PRE: Any other Metamagic Feat)
You can change the shape of an Area effect spell, altering the actual area covered. The new shape must be chosen from this list: Cylinder (10 foot radius, 30 feet high), Cone (40 foot long), four 10 foot cubes, or a ball (20 foot radius spread). Uses a slot one level higher than normal.

What counts as an "area of effect" spell? Anything that doesn't have a touch or personal range?

Could you sculpt an Anti-Magic field to make it much bigger?
Does it work on emanations too?

Thoughts?

 

[Elder-Basilisk]

I would imagine that any spell with a listing for "area" rather than "targets" is an area effect spell for the purposes of sculpt spell.

I would imagine that antimagic field would be one spell the feat would be very effective for (Although like Burning Hands, the 10' range would be a problem for all except the cone versions). As I see it the primary use would not be to make the Anti-Magic Field a larger area of effect (although it could easily do that) but rather to remove the requirement for it to move with the caster. A cylinder of anti-magic which you are outside of is potentially much more useful than a ball of anti-magic that moves with you (especially since if you're using this feat you're probably a wizard).

 

[mkletch]

I would imagine that any spell with a listing for "area" rather than "targets" is an area effect spell for the purposes of sculpt spell.

Yup.

-Fletch!

 

[gfunk]

As I see it the primary use would not be to make the Anti-Magic Field a larger area of effect (although it could easily do that) but rather to remove the requirement for it to move with the caster. A cylinder of anti-magic which you are outside of is potentially much more useful than a ball of anti-magic that moves with you (especially since if you're using this feat you're probably a wizard).

Wow, do you really think it could do this? If so, that is an ultrapowerful effect to be able to cast anti-magic fields at range. Do you think this is unbalancing for a 7th level spell slot?

 

[Number47]

Wow, that would be really useful for dragons that are normally too big to fit in an AMF. Unfortunately, I don't think AMF is a legal spell for that. It is a targeted spell, whose effect emanates from the target.

 

[Stalker0]

Antimagic field has no target, it only lists an area effect which makes it applicable. In my mind, that is a great use for the feat.

As a side note, does antimagic field affect the person who casted it, thereby them losing all magic? Now that I'm thinking about it, I'm not really sure

 

[Ferret]

Sculpt burning hands to a cone.

 

[Pax]

Uses for Sculpt Spell, eh? Here're some spells it's good for:

Grease (40-foot cone, gets EVERYthing inside that area ... start rolling them saving throws, lol!).

Glitterdust (a 40-foot cone, or 20-foot burst, is better than it's inherent, small AoE by a long way).

Burial Blessing (DotF, Clr1, "Area: corpse touched" -- get an entire small GRAVEYARD with one 20-foot burst ...).

Castigate (DotF, Clr4; "Area: 10-foot emanation").

Knife Spray (DotF, Clr 2; "Area: Cone"; "Range: 25 feet + 5 feet / 2 levels"; a 20-foot burst version could prove useful in the right circumstances).

Slime Wave (DotF, an abusive Clr7, Drd7 spell; "Area: 15-foot-radius spread" ... CONE the sucker ...).

Cacohpnic Shield (MoF, Brd 6, Sor/Wiz 6; "Area: 10-foot radius emanation, centered on you" ... a 20-foot would be better, though it's defensive uses would be limited if one used a different AoE than burst ...).

Earthfast (MoF, Drd 2; "Area: one stone structure or rock formation, up to 25 cubic feet / level"; with a cone or burst, you might manage to get TWO, or even three, smallish structures (a pair of adjacent, low, 20-foot-diameter towers, maybe)).

Energy Transformation Field (MoF; Sor/Wiz 6; "Area: 40-foot radius spread"; strange as it may sound, you may want to sculpt it to a SMALLER area ... say, a 20-foot burst, to match the area of the Fireball you link to the Field ... heh! Also works for linking cones, to a cone-area Field, and so on).

Explosive Cascade (MoF, Sor/Wiz 4; "Area: one 5-foot square pr level, ll of which must be connected in one continuous path (s)"; as a cone or burst, this could be quite nasty ...).

Gedlee's Electric Loop (MoF, Sor/Wiz 2; "Area: 5-foot radius burst"; a cone or 20-foot burst is potentially very useful, esp due to the possible secondary effects of the spell).

Shatterfloor (MoF, Sor/Wiz 3; "Area: 15-foot radius spread"; a cone area, or slightly larger burst, could prove more tactically useful; since it destroys the top 6" of the floor surface within it's area ... cast sufficiently back, an entire 20 to 30 fot length of bridge could be obliterated, if it's deck were 6" or thinner. Shatterfloor is a personal favorite use for Sculpt Spell, in fact ...).

Wind Tunnel (MoF, Drd 5; "Area: One target/level"; very useful to cone or burst this sucker, if you're placing the area on a group of very small allies, and can fit more in the resultant area, than you coudl affect by the normal area ...).

 

[Pax]

What counts as an "area of effect" spell? Anything that doesn't have a touch or personal range?

Any spell with the entry "Area" in it's statistics block, or (atleast one example I know of) "Target or Area" -- the Grease Spell has that one.

It it specifies only "Target" or only "Effect" ... it's not an area spell, no matter if it involves a spread, emanation, cone, burst, or whatnot.

 

[KarinsDad]

One problem with Sculpt Spell is that it does not define where the "four 10 foot cubes" may be located.

Anywhere is a lot more powerful than any of the other shapes since it gives you four locations instead of one.

In our game, we ruled that the four cubes must touch.

Just a heads up.