PDA

View Full Version : D&D 5e/Next Innistrad Spellbook (WIP)



NothingButCake
2016-03-21, 10:17 PM
Hello, I am planning on running the excellent fan-made adventure, Army of the Damned (https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B1pdYIcfHauwdEVBYUhrdGdZaW8/view). I wanted to expand on class options just to make the backgrounds, classes, and spells really fit the world of Innistrad. This thread is about that last category: Spells.

I took some of the iconic cards of the Innistrad block and made them into spells, sometimes keeping wholly in the spirit of the original card and sometimes with a little twist. For example, I made Death Wind, originally a relatively lackluster kill spell, into an avenging weapon between demons and angels, trying to evoke the image of Lucifer blowing a wind that burns Gabriel's wings away in Constantine (the film version). Some spells are based one existing ones, with a horror twist, while others are the attempts of a totally new 5e homebrewer. I think this becomes obvious when some of the spells possibly get too complicated and finicky.

I invite critique and suggestions.

Altar's Reap
1st Level Necromancy
Casting Time: 1 action
Range: Self
Components: V, S, M (magic bladed weapon)
Duration: Concentration, up to 10 minutes.

By offering a bloody life to your idol, you access greater power than previously possible. As part of the action used to cast this spell, you must make a melee attack with a magic bladed weapon against one living creature. At least two of the following conditions must be true of that creature for the spell to work: it must be Small or bigger, its hit point maximum must be at least 2, and/or it must have an Intelligence of at least 5. If that attack reduces that creature to 0 hit points, you gain a spell slot of one level higher than the spell slot used to cast this spell. You don’t learn or prepare any new spells; you may only cast a spell you already have prepared this way.

Spells cast with this spell slot have the following features:

If the spell has a casting time of 1 minute or less, it is reduced accordingly: 1 minute > 1 action > 1 bonus action. If the casting time is longer than 1 minute, it is halved.
If the spell has a duration of at least 1 minute, double the duration, to a maximum of 24 hours.
If the spell has a range of at least 5 feet, double the range.
When you roll damage for the spell, you may reroll any 1s. You must use the new rolls.
Any targets have disadvantage on their first saving throws made against the spell.
For spells like augury and divination, any cumulative failure chance is ignored.

You only need to maintain concentration until you begin to cast a spell using the gained spell slot. You can’t cast this spell in some areas such as those consecrated with holy power by a hallow spell, and you can’t use the gained spell slot to cast altar’s reap.

At Higher Levels. If you cast this spell using a spell slot of 2nd level or higher, you increase the level of the spell slot you gain to the slot level used plus one, e.g., if you spend a 5th level spell slot to cast this spell, you get an enhanced 6th level spell slot. For each higher spell slot you use to cast this spell, you must sacrifice a creature with a higher minimum Challenge Rating: CR 1/8 for 2nd level, CR 1/4 for 3rd level, CR 1/2 for 4th level, CR 1 for 5th level, CR 2 for 6th level, and so on.

On cleric and warlock spell lists.

Barter in Blood
5th Level Necromancy
Casting Time: 1 action
Range: 30 feet
Components: V, S
Duration: Instantaneous

You touch a willing creature, including yourself, and cause grievous, bloody wounds to appear all over its body, dealing 10d8 necrotic damage to it. You then inflict the same wounds on the target, dealing the same amount of damage, up to the actual amount of hit points lost by the first creature. Both creatures’ hit point maximums are reduced by this amount.

At Higher Levels. If you cast this spell using a spell slot of 8th level or higher, you may automatically deal enough damage to reduce the first creature to 0 hit points and the same amount of damage to the target.

On cleric, paladin, sorcerer, and warlock spell lists.

Bone Splinters
3rd Level Necromancy
Casting Time: 1 action
Range: 60 feet
Components: V, S, M (bone anointed in oils)
Duration: Instantaneous

As you snap a bone in half, one corpse or pile of bones in range explodes outward, showering all in bone shards. Each creature within 30 feet of the corpse must make a Dexterity saving throw. A target takes 5d12 piercing damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one. The corpse or bones are destroyed in this process.

At Higher Levels. If you cast this spell using a spell slot of 4th level of higher, all damage increases by 1d12 and the range of the explosion increases by 5 feet for each slot level above 3rd.

On sorcerer, warlock, and wizard spell lists.

Bramblecrush
3rd Level Conjuration
Casting Time: 1 action
Range: 15 feet
Components: S, M (blackberries and a vine)
Duration: Instantaneous or concentration, up to 1 minute

Thorny vines sprout from the ground in a 5-foot square around an object that isn’t being worn or carried. If it’s nonmagical and completely within this spell’s area, it takes 8d4 crushing damage. If the object isn’t destroyed immediately, you may concentrate on this spell to deal 8d4 crushing damage again at the start of each of your turns. If the object is affected by any spells, instead this spell reduces the effective level of each magical effect or spell on the object by one each time it would deal damage to the object. The spell’s effects are affected accordingly. If an affected spell effect’s effective level is reduced to lower than the spell’s lowest level, it is suppressed for the rest of this spell’s duration. If the effective level is reduced to 0, the spell ends. This effect doesn’t affect spells of 4th level or higher.

Structures and Larger Objects. If this spell is cast on a structure or an object larger than the spell area, the vines instead begin to grow along the structure within the affected area. As long as you concentrate on this spell, at the start of your turn, you may increase the affected area by 5 square feet (to a 5 foot by 10 foot area, and so on) or have this spell deal 8d4 damage. This spell can only end spells on an object or structure if it completely envelops spell area. This spell only ever targets one object or structure, regardless of how many objects or structures may be in the area.

At Higher Levels. If you cast this spell using a spell slot of 4th level or higher, this spell’s area increases by 5 feet for each slot level above 3rd. Also, this spell can affect higher level spells, up to the slot level.

On druid spell lists.

Cackling Counterpart
3rd Level Illusion
Casting Time: 1 action
Range: 60 feet
Components: S, M (damaged reflective surface)
Duration: Concentration, up to 1 minute

With a peal of laughter, an illusory duplicate of a target humanoid appears next to you. It resembles that creature in physical appearance, but it differs in a few important ways. It cannot speak except to laugh with the target’s voice, its body is unusual to the touch (perhaps it is too cold or too hot, smooth like glass, or gives like dough), and it has a mischievous disposition when left alone. It may interact with objects simplistically, such as opening a door or grabbing a small object, but moving anything heavier than 5 pounds or complex interactions like lockpicking is outside its ability. It has 25 HP and resistance to nonmagical damage, but otherwise, the illusion uses all the statistics of the creature it duplicates. The duplicate has no will outside of yours.

Those who interact with the duplicate may make an Intelligence (investigation) check to determine that it is not exactly the original target, gaining advantage if they are familiar with the real target, but they may not necessarily know if the illusion is the target twisted or cursed or an entirely separate being. If a creature fails this roll, it can’t make this check again for an hour or until the duplicate provokes another Intelligence (investigation) check as described below. It moves and acts on your initiative and can take no reactions. It can appear to attack or cast spells in the same way as the target, but these attacks and spells only cause creatures to roll a Wisdom saving throw. If it fails the saving throw, an affected creature becomes frightened and convinced the attack or spell truly harmed it. It makes an Intelligence (investigation) check to end this effect each time it ends a turn without line of sight to the duplicate.

[/i]At Higher Levels.[/i] If you cast this spell using a spell slot of 4th level or higher, the illusory duplicate persists an hour after the initial minute duration for each slot level over 3rd level, without your concentration. If you cast this spell using a spell slot of 5th level or higher, the duplicate can speak by repeating words or phrases it hears, it is more restrained when not supervised, and it deals 1d6 psychic damage whenever it frightens a creature. If you cast this spell using a spell slot of 7th or higher, the illusion can freely speak and successfully fake the personality of the copied humanoid and gives disadvantage on those who make Intelligence (investigation) checks to recognize it is an illusion,. It also deals 2d6 psychic damage whenever it frightens a creature. If you cast this spell using a spell slot of 9th or higher, the duplicate’s hit points is instead equal to the copied humanoid’s hit points and it deals 3d6 psychic damage whenever it frightens a creature. These benefits may fade as the duration of the spell runs out, the duplicate becoming less coherent over time.

On sorcerer, warlock, and wizard spell lists.

Claustrophobia
3rd Level Illusion
Casting Time: 1 action
Range: 60 feet
Components: V, S
Duration: Concentration, up to 10 minutes

Choose a humanoid that you can see within range. It must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw or be frightened for the duration. As long as it’s frightened, it is also paralyzed and believes it is trapped within a tight container like a coffin. It rationalizes away any interactions, like voices speaking to it or physical contact, though a creature can use the Help action to give it advantage on its next saving throw against this spell by convincing it of the illusion. At the end of each of its turns, the target can make an Illusion or Wisdom saving throw (its choice). On a success, the spell ends on the target.

At Higher Levels. If you cast this spell using a spell slot of 4th level or higher, it is also deafened to all other creatures. If you cast this spell using a spell slot of 5th level or higher, that creature remains frightened after this spell ends until the end of its next turn.

On sorcerer, warlock, and wizard spell lists.

Bestow Curse
3rd Level Necromancy
Casting Time: 1 action
Range: Touch
Components: V, S
Duration: Concentration, up to 1 minute.

You touch a creature, and that creature must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw or become cursed for the duration of the spell. When you cast this spell, choose the nature of the curse from the following options:


Bloodletting. While the target is cursed, your attacks and spells deal an extra 1d8 necrotic damage to the target.
Bloody Tome. While cursed, the target is illiterate and all text appears to run bloody from the pages they are written on. Bestow curse is an illusion spell when cast using this option.
Death’s Hold. While cursed, each creature within 30 feet of the target must make a Constitution saving throw at the start of each of the target’s turns. If it fails, the creature takes 1 necrotic damage and this damage can’t be healed while within 30 feet of the target.
Echoes. While cursed, the target’s voice rebounds on itself. Whenever it speaks, it becomes deafened until the end of its next turn. The first time the target casts a spell with a duration of instantaneous and a verbal component each round, the same spell is cast targeting the cursed creature. Any continuous effects of the spell end when this curse ends. Bestow curse is an illusion spell when cast using this option.
Exhaustion. While cursed, the target has disadvantage on attack rolls against you.
Misfortune. Choose one ability score. While cursed, the target has disadvantage on ability checks and saving throws made with that ability score.
Oblivion. While cursed, the target must make a Wisdom saving throw at the start of each of its turns. If it fails, it wastes its action that turn doing nothing. Bestow curse is an enchantment spell when cast using this option.
Stalked Prey. While cursed, attacks that deal damage to the target cause the attacker to regain 1d4 hit points.


A remove curse ends this effect. At the DM’s option, you may choose an alternative curse effect, but it should be no more powerful than those described above. The DM has final say on such a curse’s effect.

At Higher Levels. If you cast this spell using a spell slot of 4th level or higher, the duration is concentration, up to 10 minutes. If you use a spell slot of 5th level or higher, the duration is 8 hours. If you use a spell slot of 7th level or higher, the duration is 24 hours. If you use a 9th level spell slot, the spell lasts until it is dispelled. Using a spell slot of 5th level or higher grants a duration that doesn’t require concentration.

Dead Weight
2nd Level Conjuration
Casting Time: 1 action
Range: 60 feet
Components: V, S, M (two gold rings)
Duration: Concentration, up to 1 minute

A one-foot sphere of black energy appears at target creature’s space and chains lash out. The target must roll a Dexterity check or its leg becomes bound to the ball. The chain extends up to five feet and the ball weighs 500 pounds. The ball and chain are immune to nonmagical damage and together have 20 HP and 20 AC. A disintegrate spell destroys the ball and chain

At Higher Levels. If you cast this spell using a spell slot of 3rd level or higher, the duration is concentration, up to 10 minutes. If you use a spell slot of 4th level or higher, the duration is 8 hours. If you use a spell slot of 5th level or higher, the duration is 24 hours. Using a spell slot of 4th level or higher grants a duration that doesn’t require concentration. The ball’s weight increases by 200 pounds and the ball and chain’s hit points increase by 5 for each slot level above 2nd.

On the warlock and wizard spell lists.

Death Wind
6th Level Necromancy
Casting Time: 1 action
Range: Self (60-foot line)
Components: V, S, M (components)
Duration: Concentration, up to 1 minute

A line of scouring wind 60 feet long and 10 feet wide blasts from you in a direction you choose for the spell’s duration. Each creature that starts its turn in the line must succeed on a Strength saving throw or be pushed 15 feet away from you in a direction following the line, plus an additional 5 feet for each multiple of 5 below your spell DC it rolled. Celestials and fiends have disadvantage on this roll. Any creature in the line must spend 2 feet of movement for every 1 foot it moves when moving closer to you. Any creature that moves within this line, willingly or not, takes 3d8 necrotic damage for each 5 feet it moves, and its hit point maximum is reduced by the same amount.

If a celestial or fiend is pushed at least 30 feet by this spell over its duration, it loses flying speed (if any) and all resistances or immunities until its hit point maximum is restored. This reduction lasts until it is removed by a spell like greater restoration. If the creature is native to a different plane of existence than the one you’re on, it also disappears to its home plane. This wind otherwise has little effect on objects, gases, etc.; it is felt only by creatures.

As a bonus action on each of your turns before the spell ends, you can change the direction in which the line blasts from you.

On cleric and warlock spell lists.

Lingering Souls
5th Level Necromancy
Casting Time: 1 minute
Range: Touch
Components: V, S, M (bell and treasured item of the deceased)
Duration: Concentration, up to 1 minute

Touching a corpse that died in the past day, you call forth the corpse’s soul. Traumatized by the return, the soul takes the form of a ghost (MM 147) or a banshee (MM 23) within five feet of you. It is hostile to all living creatures, but the spirit is charmed by you for the duration of this spell. It is willing to listen to you favorably while charmed, but it otherwise has its own will and may or may not turn hostile when the spell ends. Roll initiative for the spirit, which has its own turns.

If you touch the corpse of an existing ghost or similar spirit, you must roll a contested Charisma ability check against the spirit’s Charisma. If you succeed, you summon the spirit to within five feet of you and it becomes charmed until the spell ends. If the spirit succeeds, it deals 1d6 psychic damage to you for each level of challenge rating it has. Either way, the spirit becomes aware of your attempt to summon it.

At Higher Levels. If you cast this spell using a spell slot of 6th level or higher, this spell can affect a corpse that died in the past week. If you cast this spell using a spell slot of 7th level or higher, this spell can affect a corpse that died in the past month.

On cleric spell lists.

Paraselene
1st Level Evocation
Casting Time: 1 action
Range: Self (40-foot radius)
Components: V, S
Duration: Concentration, up to 10 minutes.

Silvery moonlight shines down in a 20-foot radius, 40-foot high cylinder centered on you. Until the spell ends, the area is dimly lit (even if it was more brightly lit before). In this area, illusions are suppressed, as though within an antimagic field, and all weapons are treated as silvered.

On cleric, druid, paladin, and ranger spell lists.

Prey Upon
1st Level Transmutation
Casting Time: 1 action
Range: 60 feet (minimum 25 feet)
Components: V
Duration: Instantaneous

Howling, you leap and bound over the distance to within 5 feet of a creature in range and immediately make a melee attack, dealing an additional 1d8 damage of the appropriate type. You gain advantage on this attack roll.

Line of sight and line of effect are unnecessary if you know where the target is and could theoretically move to it if you could long jump up to this spell’s range. For this movement, you can leap up to 20 feet higher than you normally can and you are not obstructed by nonmagical foliage or plantlife and nonmagical glass or similarly breakable material. If you have use of the wild shape class feature or otherwise have an ability to shapeshift into a beast form as an action, e.g., you are a werewolf, you shapeshift into a beast as part of the leap and before attacking.

At Higher Levels. If you cast this spell using a spell slot of 2nd level or higher, range extends by 5 feet and you deal an additional 1d8 damage for each slot level above 1st.

On druid and ranger spell lists.

Spider Spawning
2nd Level Conjuration
Casting Time: 1 action
Range: 30 feet
Components: V, S, M (components)
Duration: Instantaneous

Spiders begin to pour from up to two corpses in range. A swarm of spiders (MM 338) appears in the same space as each target corpse. Roll initiative for the summoned creatures as a group, which has its own turns. Each swarm attacks the closest creatures other than you and your companions, prioritizing the most hurt enemies, dispersing harmlessly after 1 minute with no enemies within 20 feet.

At Higher Levels. If you cast this spell using a spell slot of 3rd level or higher, you may target an additional two corpses for each slot level above 2nd. If you cast this spell using a spell slot of 5th level or higher, whenever a summoned swarm of spiders attacks and reduces a creature to 0 hit points, another swarm of spiders is spawned from that creature’s corpse.

On druid and warlock spell lists.

Wrack with Madness
2nd Level Enchantment
Casting Time: 1 action
Range: 60 feet
Components: M (strip of patterned wallpaper)
Duration: Concentration, up to 1 minute

Yellow thoughts of doubt and rage begin to buzz in the mind of a humanoid of your choice within range. The target must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw or become frightened for the duration. It treats itself as the source of its fear. The target may take an action to make a melee attack against itself to end this effect. This attack against itself has advantage and is a critical hit if it hits.

On sorcerer, warlock, and wizard spell lists.

Ninja_Prawn
2016-03-22, 09:28 AM
Quick review time!

Altar's Reap
My instincts say that this is too complicated and probably too powerful. Certainly too complicated for me to rebalance.

Barter in Blood
There needs to be a way to undo this: "both creatures’ hit point maximums are reduced by this amount." Probably Remove Curse. I think the damage is fine. It's about double what Magic Missile V does and half what Power Word: Kill can do (I can't think of any other auto-hit damage spells right now), but the cost (having to deal the same damage to a willing creature) is steep enough to offset that.

Bone Splinters
The material should specify that the spell consumes it. Also, I don't think the cost of 'a pile of bones' justifies making this spell more powerful than Fireball, which is already at the top of the game's power curve.

Bramblecrush
Kind of weird, but probably ok.

Cackling Counterpart
Maybe this should be a conjuration? It's clearly in the same vein as Mage Hand and Unseen Servant. In fact, you can get basically the same effect from a Minor Illusion over a Mage Hand, so this might be overpriced at 3rd level...

On an aesthetic note, this spell should be named after someone. Something like Bigby's Cackling Counterpart would sound much more impressive.

Claustrophobia
There's no such thing as an Illusion Save. And, given the relative abundance of things that are immune to 'frightened', this kind of looks like a weaker, more expensive version of Hold Person...

Bestow Curse (expanded)
Looks fine.

Dead Weight
Very cool, like it!

Death Wind
Possibly overpriced at 6th level. I'd consider dropping it to 5th.

Lingering Souls
Looks good. You should specify the interaction with Raise Dead &co though. I assume a corpse can't be raised until its ghost is banished back to the outer planes. Or maybe the Raise Dead spell actually returns the spirit to the corpse?

Paraselene
All illusions? Even, like, a Programmed Illusion or Mirage Arcane? That's pretty strong. I might bump this up to 2nd level.

Prey Upon
A bit fiddly, but I see no major problems.

Spider Spawning
I'm AFB so I can't be sure of the power level, but my instincts say it's probably ok.

Wrack with Madness
Seems fine, at a glance. Why are the thoughts yellow and, more importantly, how can the victim tell?

PotatoGolem
2016-03-23, 08:55 AM
I agree with Prawn on most things, except:

1) Bone splinters seems fine. It does a little more than fireball, but setup is a pain- lugging a corpse around to set up your aoe is a huge hassle.

2) Cackling counterpart ' s name is fine. I assume this feedback was just unfamiliarity with MtG.

3) Paraselene is so situational that 1st level seems reasonable to me. You have to realize there's an illusion before you cast it, so it's not that powerful

Interesting ideas on how to convert sacrificing creature costs to D&D, btw. Very flavorful

NothingButCake
2016-03-24, 08:39 PM
Sorry for the delayed response! Thank you for the feedback, all.


Altar's Reap
My instincts say that this is too complicated and probably too powerful. Certainly too complicated for me to rebalance.Yeah, I'm obviously trying to make something that evokes the idea of sacrificing a creature to divine the future or empower a spell, but I'm not sure how to do this elegantly. The boons to the spell slot are essentially most of the sorcerer's metamagic.


Barter in Blood
There needs to be a way to undo this: "both creatures’ hit point maximums are reduced by this amount." Probably Remove Curse.I thought greater restoration just does it. Do I need another method? I thought requiring a powerful healing spell was a natural fit.


Bone Splinters
The material should specify that the spell consumes it. Also, I don't think the cost of 'a pile of bones' justifies making this spell more powerful than Fireball, which is already at the top of the game's power curve.

1) Bone splinters seems fine. It does a little more than fireball, but setup is a pain- lugging a corpse around to set up your aoe is a huge hassle.
Yeah, I thought the corpse restriction allowed more damage. Corpses may pile up in big battles, but then you're losing the benefit of a big AOE spell to open a battle.


Claustrophobia
There's no such thing as an Illusion Save. And, given the relative abundance of things that are immune to 'frightened', this kind of looks like a weaker, more expensive version of Hold Person...Ah, yes, that's a typo. I may consider strengthening it, but there may be less reason in-universe.


Dead Weight
Very cool, like it![quote]Thanks!

[quote=Ninja_Prawn]Death Wind
Possibly overpriced at 6th level. I'd consider dropping it to 5th.kay


Lingering Souls
Looks good. You should specify the interaction with Raise Dead &co though. I assume a corpse can't be raised until its ghost is banished back to the outer planes. Or maybe the Raise Dead spell actually returns the spirit to the corpse?Hmm, I'll have to consider that in-universe. But that also seems like an extant issue in general even without this spell, 'cause ghosts and banshees exist with Raise Dead already.


Paraselene
All illusions? Even, like, a Programmed Illusion or Mirage Arcane? That's pretty strong. I might bump this up to 2nd level.

3) Paraselene is so situational that 1st level seems reasonable to me. You have to realize there's an illusion before you cast it, so it's not that powerful
I think I am going to weaken it, probably by just requiring checks like dispel magic. I was thinking it shouldn't just automatically work like a level 1 antimagic field+truesight.


Prey Upon
A bit fiddly, but I see no major problems.Can I make it less fiddly? I wanted to just make it "jump to target creature and attack it like a beast", but then I was thinking through like all the what-ifs and I wanted to preempt it. Maybe just make it a DM call?


Wrack with Madness
Seems fine, at a glance. Why are the thoughts yellow and, more importantly, how can the victim tell?Really flavor text and also madness and also also, it's a reference to The Yellow Wallpaper with the material component. It's a short story about a woman who goes crazy confined to her room.


Interesting ideas on how to convert sacrificing creature costs to D&D, btw. Very flavorful
Thanks!