Author Topic: Let's rectify them spells!  (Read 2528 times)

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Endarire

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Let's rectify them spells!
« on: March 18, 2010, 02:10:55 AM »
Admit it.  Some spells, especially in core, are poorly worded.  Maybe the designer had a clear idea of what he meant when he wrote it, but the rest of us don't.

Some spells are absurdly good or stupidly bad.

Balance may not be paramount, but it sure helps.

Let's work together to right wrongs that should've been in the 3.5 books.

Simulacrum[spoiler]Simulacrum
School: illusion (shadow); Level: sorcerer/wizard 7
Casting Time: 12 hours
Components: V, S, M (ice sculpture of the target plus powdered rubies worth 500 gp per HD of the simulacrum)
Range: 0 ft.
Effect: One duplicate creature
Duration: Instantaneous
Saving Throw: none; Spell Resistance: no

Simulacrum creates an illusory duplicate of any creature with which you are familiar.  Familiarity is defined as killing/downing/defeating this creature in combat, or making a Knowledge check high enough to identify the creature, usually 10 + the creature's hit dice.

This creature, once formed, has half the hit dice of the original (minimum 1 hit die).  This affects BAB, saves, skills, feats, spells known, ability score bonuses from hit dice, class features, base languages known, and other HD-dependent abilities.  The caster determines the simulacrum's feats, skills, class features, spells known, ability score bonuses from hit dice, and other selectable abilities.  Unless an ability states otherwise (like a Ranger's fighting style), the simulacrum must meet all prerequisites for all its abilities.

The simulacrum retains all abilities (supernatural, spell-like, or extraordinary) not derived from its original amount of hit dice, at their original caster levels.  The DC may change because of the duplicate has fewer hit dice or a lower ability score.  For example, a planetar is normally able to cast divine spells as a level 17 Cleric (level 16 in Pathfinder).  A simulacrum planetar would still be able to do this, despite having only half its hit dice.  If the caster who made the simulacrum planetar had a caster level too low to produce a simulacrum of its original hit dice (14 in 3.5, 17 in Pathfinder), the caster would need to remove 3 ability points (4 in Pathfinder) from the duplicate.

A simulacrum has the same size, types, and subtypes as the original creature.  It understands and speaks the racial languages of the base creature.  If the simulacrum has Speak Language ranks (Linguistics in Pathfinder) that it would lose because of lost HD, the caster determines which languages the duplicate knows from Speak Language.

You can't create a simulacrum of a creature whose HD or levels exceed twice your caster level.

You must make a Disguise check when you cast the spell to determine how good the likeness is with a bonus equal to your caster level.  A creature familiar with the original might detect the ruse with a successful Spot check (Perception in Pathfinder) opposed by the caster's Disguise check or a DC 15 + your caster level Sense Motive check.

The simulacrum spell alone doesn't grant you any special means to communicate with it; for example, there is normally no telepathic link between the simulacrum and you.  The simulacrum and you must have a common language or means to communicate.

While your simulacrum is loyal and will follow your orders to the best of its ability (even suicidal orders), it can be deceived or mind controlled just as others of its kind.  You can command it to follow another's orders or act autonomously and it shall to the best of its ability.  For example, a simulacrum of a human could be Bluffed or affected by dominate person just as the original human could.  If ordered to act autonomously, it would act brilliantly or stupidly, depending on its INT, WIS, and Knowledge.  If ordered to kill itself, it would by the most efficient means it understands and is able to execute.

A simulacrum can never increase in hit dice but can otherwise increase or decrease in power as normal for a creature of its types and subtypes:  It can be healed as normal but dies at 0HP.  (See below.)  It can be enhanced or hampered by spells, permanent effects, and temporary effects.  It can add spells to its spellbook.  It can use magic items, and so on.

Regardless of its types or subtypes, if reduced to 0 hit points or otherwise killed/destroyed, a simulacrum reverts to snow and melts instantly into nothingness. Raise dead and resurrection won't revive a simulacrum but a miracle, wish, or true resurrection can.

Remember, the GM has the final say on what type of simulacrum you can make.  GMs, remember simulacrum is meant to be a high level spell.

End Simulacrum[/spoiler]
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Speaking of which:
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Does it bug anyone else that we've reached the point where characters who can obliterate a greater deity in one round are considered "decent?"

Aharon

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Re: Let's rectify them spells!
« Reply #1 on: March 18, 2010, 01:28:22 PM »
« Last Edit: March 18, 2010, 01:36:25 PM by Aharon »
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PlzBreakMyCampaign

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Re: Let's rectify them spells!
« Reply #2 on: March 18, 2010, 05:39:06 PM »
Its a bit hard to read. Perhaps you should strikeout the original and then make the edited part red
[Spoiler]
Quote
An interesting read, nice to see a civil discussion
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And healed. Don't forget that.
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The_Mad_Linguist

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Re: Let's rectify them spells!
« Reply #3 on: March 18, 2010, 06:24:09 PM »
Guidance of the Avatar:
[spoiler]Divination
Cleric 2
Components: V
Casting time: 1 standard action
Range: Touch
Duration: One minute
Saving throw: will negates(harmless)
SR: No

The touched creature may, in the next minute, take 20 on a single skill check without having to take 20 times as long as usual.  [/spoiler]

That's the RAI for how it should work.  Also, far more balanced.
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JaronK

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Re: Let's rectify them spells!
« Reply #4 on: March 18, 2010, 06:49:01 PM »
Eh, that guidance thing means you auto fail too.  Probably don't want that.

I think for doing this you need a specific guideline.  For example, "no spell should create a permanent bonus without a permanent cost" or "no spell should create open ended and undefined effects."

My quick fix would be for genesis: make a list of specific planar traits that you're allowed to create.  Don't put flowing time on the list.

JaronK

Hijax

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Re: Let's rectify them spells!
« Reply #5 on: March 18, 2010, 07:12:15 PM »
Rich burlew has done a nice redo of the polymorph/alter self/shapechange spells and related abilities.
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PhaedrusXY

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Re: Let's rectify them spells!
« Reply #6 on: March 18, 2010, 07:33:27 PM »
Rich burlew has done a nice redo of the polymorph/alter self/shapechange spells and related abilities.
Ok... his revisions have some similarities to the ones I am using in my homebrew game (the Fall of Pun-Pun). However, I do have a few complaints with his, and definitely prefer my own (which can be found in the spoiler at the end of this post).

1) Why does the target creature lose nearly all of its own supernatural abilities? I could understand losing some extraordinary ones that it doesn't have the proper body parts to use anymore. But supernatural ones? Come on.

2) Animorph is granting a crap-ton of really amazing abilities from the new form. So it is still almost as abusive as the original version of Polymorph in that regard. It is a veritable golf-bag of abilities gained from just this one spell

3) Animorph and the higher level versions still grant potentially HUGE bonuses to physical attributes. Even though they are not total stat replacement like in the original spells (which is completely FUBAR), they still are not capped in what they can grant. So you can get a +26 racial bonus to strength from turning into a firbolg or sun giant. Note that this will be even more powerful than the original spell when cast on a target that already has a massive strength, like the party's barbarian. So this version is even more powerful than the original in this regard, though the mage casting it won't like it as much for self-buffing as he used to.



So no... overall, I do not like his revision very much at all. He has solved some problems, but not nearly enough, and has made the spells even more powerful in some ways. He did nerf the holy hell out of Alter Self, though. I'd say now it isn't worth casting it over Disguise Self. The only benefits are that you can cast it on other creatures, and it isn't an illusion, but those aren't much in the way of benefits.

I do like his Diplomacy rules, and use those in my own game. But I don't think he did a great job with these polymorph revisions.
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