What level is this spell?

[The Proconsul]

Will of the Soul

Transmutation
Components: V,S
Casting Time: 1 action
Range: Medium
Target: one creature
Duration: Instantanious
Saving Throw: None
Spell Resistance: Yes

This spell increases you force of will by such an amount that you can smite your enemies just by willing it. Roll 2d20. This is the amount of damage inflicted by the spell.

XP Cost: Amount of damage dealt

 

[Technik4]

Gut instinct is 3rd, may be 4th though.

Things to take into account:

-Metamagic feats like Empower and Maximize

-lack of saving throw

Thoughts on improving it:

Give it a duration, for that duration your will has enough force to effect things as the spell. Makes it more transmutation-y, imo.

Technik

 

[The Proconsul]

Give it a duration, for that duration your will has enough force to effect things as the spell. Makes it more transmutation-y, imo.

Technik

Hmm, then it would'be 1 round/level, and the XP would have to be paid for each use of the ability, I would say.

 

[MadScientist]

I agree with Technik4, this looks like a 3rd or 4th level spell. (I'm leaning towards 3rd because of the XP cost but I'm sure how much of a balancing factor that is.) Instead of a variable XP cost why don't you just make it 20 XP. That way you won't have the problem of whether or not a mage can cast the spell if they only have 25 XP to spend but roll more damage than that.

Also is there a reason you want the damage to be 2d20? Thats kind of out of line with most spell damage. Why not 5d6 or 4d8?

 

[Technik4]

I agree, as written.

The exp mechanic is a strange one though (although I see the rationale).

My take:

Will of the Soul
Spell Level: Sor/Wiz 3, Clr 4
Transmutation
Components: V,S
Casting Time: 1 action
Range: Medium
Target: one creature
Duration: 1 round/3 levels
Saving Throw: None
Spell Resistance: Yes

This spell increases you force of will by such an amount that you can smite your enemies' spirit just by willing it. The spell deals 2d20 points of damage. This spell does not affect undead or creatures without souls.

Exp Cost: You must have 40 experience points in order to cast this spell. The highest roll of this spell is the exp cost (for instance if you rolled 2d20 for 5 rounds and got: 18,7,29,24,35 then you would pay 35 experience points total).

Technik

 

[The Proconsul]

Well, the idea was to make a spell with variable XP cost.

As to the problem with the mage with only 25 XP to spare: I would rule that he can go below his normal maximum (once, afterward he looses the ability to cast the spell, as normal), since the maximum XP cost is 40, a very small amount more than unlikely to make a difference (and the possibility of a mage having that few XPs to spare seems unlikely too, at least in my experience). But technik's solution is, of course, in line with the rules, which is both wiser and better .

As to the damage dice, you are probably right (makes it easier to scale). My original thinking was of making the standard deviation relatively large, so one never quite knew how many XP ware about to be spent.

 

[MadScientist]

Um I'm just thinking a little bit about what we can compare this spell too in order to balance it. It occured to me that the damage potential and no save aspects of Will of the Soul would be similar to an empowered magic missile cast by a 6th level caster. (Ave damage 21, range-medium, 3rd level slot, etc.) It is the closest core spell that I can think of.

I think at 3rd level the XP cost probably compensates for needing the feat to make MM comparable and it is okay, if the duration in only instantanious. Making the duration concentration would overpower the spell at third level IMO and I would at least want to bump it up to fourth level for Sor/Wiz and even then I'm not sure it is balanced.

At forth level the spell compares very favorably to an empowered summon swarm by a 7th level caster (Ave dam 6, 4th level slot, short range, duration concentration +2) Of course summon swarm can force casters to make concentration checks.... but the ability to do 2d20 points of damage/round with no save round after round seems very powerful to me.

One problem is it is tough to determine how much a small XP cost is worth as a counterbalance to a spell. I have to say that 2-40 XP seems very modest at the class levels we are talking about.

 

[MadScientist]

Well, the idea was to make a spell with variable XP cost.

Well if that's the point of the spell then by all means give it a highly variable XP cost and damage!