Orbs of actually making sense (3.5 spell fixes, WIP, PEACH)

[TuggyNE]

The orbs of X — flagrant violations of good spell design, and yet, I can't find any fixes for them here! This must and shall bedissolved.

Orb of Acid
Conjuration (Creation) [Acid]
Level: Sor/Wiz 6
Components: V, S, SF
Casting Time: 1 standard action
Range: Close (25 ft. + 5 ft./2 levels)
Effect: One orb of mundane acid
Duration: Instantaneous and 1 round/6 CL; see text
Saving Throw: None
Spell Resistance: No

"I am seldom vitriolic, even to those I strongly disagree with. You, I'll make an exception for."

Condensing a viscous glob of potent acid, you hurl it at your foe, completely immersing them for one round per six caster levels (max 3 rounds) on a successful ranged touch attack; their equipment is partially protected by the spell's patterns, and takes only half damage. Unless neutralized in some way, it continues to eat away at their flesh (dealing the usual damage for exposure to mundane acid) for a further 2 rounds as it trickles down. Dispel magic or similar can stop the immersion, but not the subsequent exposure. A swarm is considered a single creature for targeting the orb, though it takes damage as though it were an area effect.

If this orb is fired into an antimagic field, the orb splatters to considerably lesser effect; initial damage is only that of exposure, though every creature within 5 ft takes 1 point of acid splash damage, and it continues to deal exposure damage to the primary target over subsequent rounds as normal, with no immersion at all.

This acid's poisonous fumes may cause nausea or sickness, as noted in Environmental rules.

Orb of Acid, Lesser
Level: Sor/Wiz 3
Duration: Instantaneous and 1 round/3 CL; see text

As orb of acid, except the spell does not cause immersion, so initial damage is only that of exposure. However, initial contact is magically maintained for an extra round per three caster levels (max 6 rounds).

Orb of Magma
Conjuration (Teleportation) [Fire]
Level: Sor/Wiz 8
Effect: One orb of mundane magma
Duration: Instantaneous and 1 round/10 CL; see text

As orb of acid, except as noted here. Instead of creating a glob of acid, you call a molten lump of lava from elsewhere in the multiverse, completely covering your foe in lava for one round per ten caster levels (max 3 rounds) on a successful ranged touch attack. The effects of immersion and exposure are as for ordinary magma instead of acid; most equipment takes one quarter damage from immersion instead of one half (half base, halved again because of fire's lessened effect on objects).

If this orb is fired into an antimagic field, the lump's impact does 3d6 bludgeoning damage in addition to normal exposure, and every creature within 5 ft takes 2 points of fire splash damage.

Huge or larger creatures are not completely covered, though they still take damage as if they were; failure on their Str checks to move freely in the lava renders them entangled instead of reducing their Dex score to 0.

Orb of Magma, Lesser
Level: Sor/Wiz 4
Duration: Instantaneous and 1 round/5 CL; see text

As orb of magma, but the lump is not large enough to immerse the target, so initial damage is only 2d6 bludgeoning and the usual damage of exposure. However, initial contact is magically maintained for an extra one round per five caster levels (max 4 rounds).

Orb of Fire
Level: Sor/Wiz 5
Effect: One orb of mundane fire
Duration: Instantaneous and 1 round/6 CL; see text
Saving Throw: Will partial
Spell Resistance: No, Yes; see text

As orb of magma, except as noted here. Instead of magma, you call a scorching ball of fire from the heart of the Plane of Fire. This immersion in intense flames lasts for one round per six caster levels (max 3 rounds) on a successful ranged touch attack, dealing the usual damage for immersion in the Plane of Fire — 3d10 per round, doubled against water creatures — and causing the target and their equipment (if flammable) to catch on fire.

If this orb is fired into an antimagic field, splash damage is only 1 point of fire damage to all creatures within 5 ft, and it causes ignition as normal.

When immersed, the target must make a Will save or be dazed for the duration of immersion as the flames dance around them. Spell resistance applies to this effect (and only to this effect).

Orb of Fire, Lesser
Level: Sor/Wiz 3
Duration: Instantaneous and 1 round/3 CL; see text
Saving Throw: None

As orb of fire, but the spell does not cause immersion, so initial damage is only the usual damage of exposure. However, initial contact is magically maintained for an extra one round per three caster levels (max 6 rounds).

Orb of Cold
Conjuration (Teleportation) [Cold]
Level: Sor/Wiz 7
Effect: One orb of mundane frigid liquid
Duration: Instantaneous and 1 round/6 CL; see text

As orb of acid, except that instead of creating a glob of acid, you condense droplets of some unimaginably cold fluid from elsewhere on the planes. This fluid is so cold that it does twice as much damage (and inflicts twice the Dexterity penalty) per round of exposure or immersion as freezing water does. Most equipment takes one eighth damage from immersion instead of one half (half base, quartered because of cold's greatly lessened effect on objects).

If this orb is fired into an antimagic field, splash damage is 1 point of cold damage to all creatures within 5 ft.

Orb of Cold, Lesser
Level: Sor/Wiz 4
Duration: Instantaneous and 1 round/3 CL

As orb of cold, but the orb is not large enough to immerse the target, so initial damage is only that of exposure. However, initial contact is magically maintained for an extra one round per three caster levels (max 6 rounds).

Orb of Force
Evocation [Force]
Level: Sor/Wiz 5
Components: V, S, SF
Casting Time: 1 standard action
Range: Close (25 ft. + 5 ft. / 2 levels)
Effect: One orb of magical force
Duration: Instantaneous
Saving Throw: None
Spell Resistance: Yes

You gather magical energy into a perfect sphere and hurl it at your foe, dealing 1d4 force damage per level (maximum 15d4) with a successful ranged touch attack. In addition, the orb may make a bull rush attempt (it has an effective Str score of your Int or Cha score, whichever is higher, +0 for being Medium, and a +2 bonus for charging, which it always gets). The orb always moves with the opponent to push that target back the full distance allowed (out to the maximum of its range), and it has no speed limit.

Orb of Electricity
This spell is removed.

Orb of Electricity, Lesser
This spell is removed.

Orb of Sound
This spell is removed.

Orb of Sound, Lesser
This spell is removed.

Environmental Effects
This is a restatement and slight amendment of standard rules. Additional rules for exposure to extremely cold liquids (such as below-freezing saltwater, or even colder) are also included. Irrelevant sections have been elided with ellipses (…).

Acid Effects
Corrosive acid deals 1d6 points of damage per round of exposure except in the case of total immersion (such as into a vat of acid), which deals 10d6 points of damage per round.[…]

The fumes from most acids are inhaled poisons. Those who come close enough to a large body of acid to dunk a creature in it must make a DC 13 Fortitude save or take 1 point of Constitution damage. All such characters must make a second save 1 minute later or take another 1d4 points of Constitution damage. Some acids may instead induce nausea under the same circumstances, with a DC of 15 to reduce to sickening, and a DC of 21 to negate entirely.

Creatures immune to acid’s caustic properties might still drown in it if they are totally immersed.

Cold Dangers
[…]
Extreme cold (below -20° F) deals 1d6 points of lethal damage per minute (no save). In addition, a character must make a Fortitude save (DC 15, +1 per previous check) or take 1d4 points of nonlethal damage. Those wearing metal armor or coming into contact with very cold metal are affected as if by a chill metal spell.

Freezing Water
Water at or below its normal freezing point deals 1d3 points of cold damage and a stacking temporary Dexterity penalty of 1 point per round of exposure. Total immersion instead deals 5d6 points of cold damage and a stacking temporary Dexterity penalty of 1d4 per round. This penalty lasts for 1 hour or until the character is entirely dried off; during this time, the character is treated as though in conditions of extreme cold, and all Fort saves to avoid environmental cold conditions take a -4 penalty.

[…]

Heat Dangers
[…]
Catching On Fire
Characters exposed to burning oil, bonfires, and noninstantaneous magic fires might find their clothes, hair, or equipment on fire. Spells with an instantaneous duration don’t normally set a character on fire, since the heat and flame from these come and go in a flash.

Characters at risk of catching fire are allowed a DC 15 Reflex save to avoid this fate. If a character’s clothes or hair catch fire, he takes 1d6 points of damage immediately. In each subsequent round, the burning character must make another Reflex saving throw. Failure means he takes another 1d6 points of damage that round. Success means that the fire has gone out. (That is, once he succeeds on his saving throw, he’s no longer on fire.)

A character on fire may automatically extinguish the flames by jumping into enough water to douse himself. If no body of water is at hand, rolling on the ground or smothering the fire with cloaks or the like permits the character another save with a +4 bonus.

Those unlucky enough to have their clothes or equipment catch fire must make DC 15 Reflex saves for each item. Flammable items that fail take the same amount of damage as the character.

Lava Effects
Lava or magma deals 2d6 points of damage per round of exposure, except in the case of total immersion (such as when a character falls into the crater of an active volcano), which deals 20d6 points of damage per round.

Damage from magma continues for 1d3 rounds after exposure ceases, but this additional damage is only half of that dealt during actual contact (that is, 1d6 or 10d6 points per round).

An immunity or resistance to fire serves as an immunity or resistance to lava or magma. However, a creature immune to fire might still drown if completely immersed in lava. Additionally, any creature exposed to magma must make a Str check (DC 21) or be entangled until exposure ceases; immersion requires a Str check of DC 25 to avoid being effectively paralyzed as the encasing lava prevents movement (treat Dexterity score as 0). These Str checks may be re-attempted on subsequent rounds as a full-round action.

Suggestions for flavor text would still be much appreciated.

Spoiler: Changelog

Show

A bit of a boon to those wishing to avoid busting all their enemies' equipment; specific handling for [swarm] subtype.
Reformatted spells to emphasize commonality, broke out new summary of penalties imposed by various immersions and exposures.
OK, Fire and Magma are now two different lines, and Cold is a bit more sensible in its penalty.
Lesser orbs scale. Status effects. A few other tweaks.
Scaling durations! Also new levels, for now.
Mentioned ranged touch attacks specifically and changed subschool of Fire/Cold.