What level would you make this spell?

[Errant]

I've come up with this spell to fill a story point for a my campaign (so the PCs can recover the gem & free the trapped soul of course) but I'm not sure what level it would be. Or if it would be unworkable somehow. Any advice/thoughts would be welcome.

Anyway, here's the spell:

Soul Snare
Conjuration (Summoning)
Level: Sor/Wiz ?
Components: V, S, M, (F)
Casting Time: 1 action or see text
Range: Touch
Target: One creature
Duration: Permanent (see text)
Saving Throw: No
Spell Resistance: Yes (see text)

When you cast Soul Snare and touch an opponent with a suitable gem (see below), the target’s life force is imprisoned within the gem and it’s body placed in a state of suspended animation. The subject’s life force remains imprisoned within the gem indefinitely, unless it is again touched against the creature’s body, or Dispel Magic is successfully cast on the gem itself.
SR applies unless the target creature’s name is known, however if the creature's name is known as spoken during the casting of the spell, SR is ignored.
Material Component: Before the actual casting of Trap the Soul, you must procure a gem of at least 1000 gp value for every Hit Die possessed by the creature to be trapped (for example, it requires a gem of 10,000 gp value to trap a 10 HD creature). If the gem is not valuable enough, it shatters when the Soul Snare is attempted. (While characters have no concept of level as such, the value of the gem needed to trap an individual can be researched. Remember that this value can change over time as characters advance.) [/I]

 

[trentonjoe]

I'd say 6. It is not as good as finger of death but maybe more useful. Can you communicate with the sould once it is in the gem?

What happens to the body w/o the soul?

 

[Cloudgatherer]

Closer to 8th or 9th level.

Honestly, this is a modified imprisonment spell, which is a 9th level spell. However, it has the trade off of being able to bypass SR if you know the creature's name (which I don't agree with). It has benefits over imprisonment as you can carry around the soul with you, moving it to keep it safe, as opposed to imprisonment where the subject is locked in place underground.

 

[kaboom]

9th level.
You can kill ANYTHING with this spell.

 

[Crothian]

Personally, I think it's too strong for a nineth. Getting through SR is not that hard, and finding someone's name isn't either. That no save is a killer.

 

[Nightfall]

Mmm good point croth...what do you think maybe it should be a true ritual spell perhaps Croth? Just a suggestion.

 

[Crothian]

Mmm good point croth...what do you think maybe it should be a true ritual spell perhaps Croth? Just a suggestion.

It's really hard to say. I'd have to reread that to see how restricitve it is. This also might be handled better when the ELH comes out.

 

[bmcdaniel]

More powerful than Soul Bind

This spell is more powerful than Soul Bind, a 9th level spell that is very close to this spell, except that you have to kill the target first.

Also I note that in the description you apparently left in a reference to Trap the Soul where you copied it over for the material component.

BM

 

[Al]

Isn't this nearly the same as Trap the Soul, in which case it should be 8th level? Or do you merely have to touch the victim with the gem, rather than persuading him to accept it?

In the former case, it's obviously 8th level, and clearly superfluous (TTS does it already)
In the latter case, it's probably at least 9th level, and possibly a True Ritual (compare with Absolute Binding, or whatever it's called).

It's not strictly inevitable- the main defense I can think of is Hide Life: if the soul isn't in the body in the first place, then it can't be trapped.

 

[trentonjoe]

Correct my if I am wrong but this spell is worse than trap the soul for two reasons.

1) It can be dispelled. I don't think you can dispel trap the soul right?

2) YOu can command the imprisoned creature when you release it in Trap the soul. No such notation in this spell.


With that being said, no save is really powerful. That might want to be changed. The DC is going to be in the 20s anyway.

I think that this spell is to similar to TTS as well. If it is just for plot purposes do whatever you want.