[3.X] Tumultuous Thump (P.E.A.C.H.)

[ShriekingDrake]

Tumultuous Thump
Evocation (Earth)
Level: Cleric 6, Druid 6
Components: S
Casting Time: 1 swift action
Range:
Area: Up to an 80-ft radius spread centered on you.
Duration: Instantaneous
Saving Throw: see text
Spell Resistance: no

With the stomp of your foot, you cause the ground to lurch with sudden vehemence.

When your foot touches the ground, you evoke a sudden and violent convulsion of the ground that affects creatures in contact with the ground within the area of effect. Creatures within the area of effect that fail a Reflex save are shaken for 1-3 rounds and knocked prone. Creatures within the area of effect that fail a Fortitude save take 6d6+1/2 caster levels and are dazed for 1-3 rounds. Creatures within the area of effect that fail a Will save are stunned for 1-3 rounds and those casting spells or making skill checks must make a Concentration check (DC 18 + spell level) to do so for 1-3 rounds. This upheaval does not damage structures. Any creature that knows this event is about to occur automatically makes its saves.

[Jota]

So are you choosing the save type, is everyone saving against all three, or do successive failures lead to the next saving throw (or something else entirely)? Sequence could become important if it's all three or successive, and one would normally assume in order of what is listed, but you never know with some people.

Anyhow, you're not very clear on that whole thing. I'd assume the middle option as written, which is really just not balanced at all, even on the CoDzilla level. Multi-target, multi-round, double save dazing/stunning that is party-friendly (shout 'booyakah' [or whatever] and your party knows what's up)? No thanks.

[ajkkjjk52]

Anyhow, you're not very clear on that whole thing. I'd assume the middle option as written, which is really just not balanced at all, even on the CoDzilla level. Multi-target, multi-round, double save dazing/stunning that is party-friendly (shout 'booyakah' [or whatever] and your party knows what's up)? No thanks.

I'd assume the first; that you make all three saves. And yeah, I agree that this is super OP.

Remove the shaken, stunned, and distracted (losing the will save in the process), and remove the party exemption (only you are immune).
Change the fortitude save to half-damage and negate the daze.

You still have a huge area nuke that can knock prone and daze.

[ShriekingDrake]

Clearly, I had my head up the wrong tail pipe here. For the record, I had intended that you'd have to make saves against all three. The idea was to have an area of effect spell that caused tumult on all three saves. How about if we toned it down a bit to something like . . .

When your foot touches the ground, you evoke a sudden and violent convulsion of the ground that affects creatures in contact with the ground within the area of effect. Creatures within the area of affect make a Reflex, Fortitude, and Will save. Creatures that fail the Reflex save are knocked prone, creatures that fail the Fortitude save are dazed for 1 round, and creatures fail the Will save are stunned for 1 round. This upheaval does not damage structures. Any creature that knows this event is about to occur automatically makes its saves.

Or is this just a bad idea. I was looking for something to complement Great Thunderclap. But maybe this is just not meant to be.

[ajkkjjk52]

Without the damage and with single round durations, that's a much more reasonable spell. 2nd level, maybe?

A few concerns:
If a target fails the will save, then the fortitude save hardly matters. You might want to make it a sequential thing, a la Color Spray (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/colorspray.htm).

Also, I'm still a bit uneasy about the
Any creature that knows this event is about to occur automatically makes its saves But what does that really mean? Does an opposing spellcaster who makes a spellcraft check know what's coming? Do your allies automatically know what's coming? I don't know of any other spell that works this way (it's not like my ally gets an extra chance to dive out of the way of my lightning bolt if he's seen me cast it before.

I think I'd go with something like:

Tumultuous Thump
Evocation (Earth)
Level: Cleric 3, Druid 3
Components: S
Casting Time: 1 swift action
Range:
Area: Up to an 40-ft radius spread centered on you.
Duration: Instantaneous
Saving Throw: see text
Spell Resistance: no

With the stomp of your foot, you cause the ground to lurch with sudden vehemence.

When your foot touches the ground, you evoke a sudden and violent convulsion of the ground that affects creatures in contact with the ground within the area of effect.

Creatures within the area of affect make a Reflex, Fortitude, and Will save. Creatures that fail the Reflex save are knocked prone and take 1d4 damage + 1d4/2 caster levels (max 5d4 at level 8). Creatures that fail the fortitude save are dazed for 1d4 rounds, and creatures that fail the will save are stunned for 1 round and shaken for 1d4 rounds after that. This upheaval does not damage structures.