[Spell Theme] Spell Flexibility

[DarkLight140]

These probably all need some work and/or balancing. Further, the theme only weakly links them together, (though I think it's enough). Comments to the end of improving them are welcome, and all other comments are somewhere between welcome and tolerated. ;)

Couyan's Adaptable Incantations- Theme: Spell Flexibility

Couyan was a wizard (of no small skill, obviously, or how would he have made a 9th-level spell?) who was constantly annoyed by his own limitations. He felt it was terrible that he should have to cast- or even prepare- two (or more) spells to do related things, or prepare spells he might never use. He constantly sought to dodge these restrictions, and to this end, created many spells which made his repertoire more flexible. (He also apparently gave them all really, really bad, three-word names.)

Couyan's Combat Contrivance
Evocation [Force]
Level: Sorcerer/Wizard 2
Components: V,S,F
Casting Time: 1 action
Range: Personal
Target: Caster
Duration: 1 Minute/level or until discharged (D)
Saving Throw: None
Spell Resistance: Yes

As shield, except that once per round as a free action, you may direct the shield to fire one magic missile (as described in the spell) at a target of your choice within range. Once the shield has fired a number of missiles equal to your level (maximum 10 missiles), the shield disappears.
The focus for this spell is a tiny crystal spiked shield.


Couyan's Adaptable Enhancer
Transmutation
Level: Sorcerer/Wizard 3
Components: V,S,F
Casting Time: 1 action
Range: Touch
Target: Creature touched
Duration: 10 minutes/level
Saving Throw: Will negates (harmless)
Spell Resistance: Yes

The subject is granted an enhancement bonus of +4 to any ability score, chosen by the caster at the time of casting. As a standard action, the recipient of the spell may change which ability score is granted the bonus. The subject may do this as often as he likes for the duration of the spell.
The focus for this spell is a pair of small carved people of the caster's race, one smiling, wearing a robe and holding a book and staff, the other grimacing, wearing armor and holding a sword and shield.


Couyan's Recurring Wizardry
Transmutation
Level: Wizard 7
Components: V,S
Casting Time: 1 action
Range: Self
Target: Caster
Duration: 10 minutes/level
Saving Throw: None
Spell Resistance: No

Any spell in your memory of up to 5th level is removed from your memory as if cast. For the duration of this spell, you may spontaneously convert spells of that level or higher into the removed spell, just as a cleric can convert spells into cure spells. Any material components must be provided each time you cast the spell, and any XP cost must still be paid for each casting.


Couyan's Enhancer-Disabler
Transmutation
Level: Sorcerer/Wizard 9
Components: V,S
Casting Time: 1 action
Range: Personal or Medium (100 feet + 10 feet/level)
Target: Caster or one creature
Duration: 10 minutes/level or Instantaneous
Saving Throw: None or Fortitude partial
Spell Resistance: Yes

You gain a +6 resistance bonus to saving throws. You gain a +5 deflection bonus to AC, a +5 natural armor bonus to AC, energy resistance 5/3 levels to all energy types (max 50), and a +6 enhancement bonus to two ability scores.
Alternately, choose a target within range. The target takes 1d6 points of ability damage, +1 per 2 caster levels, to all ability scores. On a successful save, they take only 1d6 ability damage to all scores.

[Starbuck_II]

These probably all need some work and/or balancing. Further, the theme only weakly links them together, (though I think it's enough). Comments to the end of improving them are welcome, and all other comments are somewhere between welcome and tolerated. ;)

Couyan's Adaptable Incantations- Theme: Spell Flexibility

Couyan was a wizard (of no small skill, obviously, or how would he have made a 9th-level spell?) who was constantly annoyed by his own limitations. He felt it was terrible that he should have to cast- or even prepare- two (or more) spells to do related things, or prepare spells he might never use. He constantly sought to dodge these restrictions, and to this end, created many spells which made his repertoire more flexible. (He also apparently gave them all really, really bad, three-word names.)

Couyan's Combat Contrivance
Evocation [Force]
Level: Sorcerer/Wizard 2
Components: V,S,F
Casting Time: 1 action
Range: Personal
Target: Caster
Duration: 1 Minute/level or until discharged (D)
Saving Throw: None
Spell Resistance: Yes

As shield, except that once per round as a free action, you may direct the shield to fire one magic missile (as described in the spell) at a target of your choice within range. Once the shield has fired a number of missiles equal to your level (maximum 10 missiles), the shield disappears.
The focus for this spell is a tiny crystal spiked shield.

Cool idea, looks good to me. Though you could also make each use of magic missile lower duration by a round.(unless that seems like too much counting)

Couyan's Adaptable Enhancer
Transmutation
Level: Sorcerer/Wizard 3
Components: V,S,F
Casting Time: 1 action
Range: Touch
Target: Creature touched
Duration: 1 hour/level
Saving Throw: Will negates (harmless)
Spell Resistance: Yes

The subject is granted an enhancement bonus of +4 to any ability score, chosen by the caster at the time of casting. As a standard action, the recipient of the spell may change which ability score is granted the bonus. The subject may do this as often as he likes for the duration of the spell.
The focus for this spell is a pair of small carved people of the caster's race, one smiling, wearing a robe and holding a book and staff, the other grimacing, wearing armor and holding a sword and shield.

Powerful spell, balanced by use of a standard action to change it I guess. Hmm, Need to think, but i think good.

Couyan's Recurring Wizardry
Transmutation
Level: Wizard 7
Components: V,S
Casting Time: 1 action
Range: Self
Target: Caster
Duration: 10 minutes/level
Saving Throw: None
Spell Resistance: No

Any spell in your memory of up to 5th level is removed from your memory. For the duration of this spell, you may spontaneously convert spells of that level or higher into the removed spell, just as a cleric can convert spells into cure spells.

I am lost... so you forget the spell all together? And for duration can spontaneously cast it like a cleric by giving up another spell of that or higher.
Maybe you mean it is used up as if cast? I just need clearing up, sorry.

Couyan's Enhancer-Disabler
Transmutation
Level: Sorcerer/Wizard 9
Components: V,S
Casting Time: 1 action
Range: Personal or Medium (100 feet + 10 feet/level)
Target: Caster or one creature
Duration: 10 minutes/level or Instantaneous
Saving Throw: None or Fortitude partial
Spell Resistance: Yes

You gain a +6 resistance bonus to saving throws. You gain a +5 deflection bonus to AC, a +5 natural armor bonus to AC, energy resistance 5/3 levels to all energy types (max 50), and a +6 enhancement bonus to two ability scores.
Alternately, choose a target within range. The target takes 1d6 points of ability damage, +1 per 2 caster levels, to all ability scores. On a successful save, they take only 1d6 ability damage to all scores.

Wowe, I have to say wow!
I'm not knowledgeable on 9th level spells so I can't tell if balanced.
But I like it that I can say.

[The Giant]

The last one reminds me of the old "Batch Spell" from the classic Bard's Tale games. It basically cast every buff spell on your party as a single spell, so you wouldn't have to type in all the spell commands over and over. Nice idea.

[DarkLight140]

I am lost... so you forget the spell all together? And for duration can spontaneously cast it like a cleric by giving up another spell of that or higher.
Maybe you mean it is used up as if cast? I just need clearing up, sorry.

I tried to clear that up- yeah, it's as though you cast it. Then you cast it using other spells, as much as you want. Hopefully it makes more sense now.

Wowe, I have to say wow!
I'm not knowledgeable on 9th level spells so I can't tell if balanced.
But I like it that I can say.

I'm actually not sure if it's balanced either. While certainly you can create any of its effects at a significantly lower spell level, I don't know how they total up when combined. Very few high-level spells actually add directly to your AC, ability scores, and so on. It might actually be too weak- almost any caster will already have magic items that grant resistance, deflection, and natural armor bonuses, and probably enhancement bonuses to the most needed ability scores. So, the caster probably won't get as much as he could out of it. Hopefully the second half of the spell balances that out- it's a 9th-level, all-ability-score ray of enfeeblement that's not a ray. Fear it. :P

The last one reminds me of the old "Batch Spell" from the classic Bard's Tale games. It basically cast every buff spell on your party as a single spell, so you wouldn't have to type in all the spell commands over and over. Nice idea.

That was sort of the idea, yeah, at least for the first half of it. While it does conflict heavily with items, as pointed out above, I figured it would be nice to have a "Buff self! Quickly!" spell on hand.

[Gorbash Kazdar]

Couyan's Combat Contrivance
Evocation [Force]
Level: Sorcerer/Wizard 2
Components: V,S,F
Casting Time: 1 action
Range: Personal
Target: Caster
Duration: 1 Minute/level or until discharged (D)
Saving Throw: None
Spell Resistance: Yes

As shield, except that once per round as a free action, you may direct the shield to fire one magic missile (as described in the spell) at a target of your choice within range. Once the shield has fired a number of missiles equal to your level (maximum 10 missiles), the shield disappears.
The focus for this spell is a tiny crystal spiked shield.

I like the idea of this spell, but I personally think its a little weak, especially since it just mixes two 1st level spells. At high levels, most Sorcerers/Wizards have 1st level spells to burn, and magic missile is quite superior at higher levels. At lower levels, magic missile is still better, and I personally would rather expend a first level spell for shield than use up a second level slot for this one.

I think a more interesting version would be to make it more like nimbus of light, a cleric spell from Complete Divine. That spell is like light, except you can expend it as a ray attack (move action to gather the energy, then a standard action to attack) that deals 1d8+1/per round since the spell was cast (caps at caster level). I would just use a standard action to attack with this spell; maybe 1d4/minute since the spell was cast? (Cap at caster level)

Couyan's Adaptable Enhancer
...
Duration: 1 hour/level

I really like this spell, but the duration is far too long. I'd drop it to 1 minute/level, as with the 2nd level [animal's ability] spells, or even shorter. Without the ability to move it around, this would make it weak for a 3rd level spell, but that makes it a very worthwhile spell; with the longer duration, the spell is way too powerful; there's never a reason not to cast it.

Couyan's Recurring Wizardry
...
Any spell in your memory of up to 5th level is removed from your memory as if cast. For the duration of this spell, you may spontaneously convert spells of that level or higher into the removed spell...

I really like the concept of this spell,especially since its a Wizard-only spell, and the mechanics are very cool. The one thing I'm a little iffy on is that you expend two spells in order to this; personally, I would simply allow the Wizard to choose a spell he doesn't have memorized, without expending any additional spells. On the other hand, 5th level may be a bit too high; perhaps lower the cap to 4th?

Couyan's Enhancer-Disabler

Very cool. I'm not great at balancing high level spells, but it looks good, and I like the idea of spells that can switch from buff to attack.

That's one of the few things I miss from 2nd Edition - the reversible spells (like cure/inflict and flesh to stone/stone to flesh); sometimes, the opposing version is not nearly as powerful as the other, and it seems a shame to have to learn them seperately.

[Ikkitosen]

Cool ideas - they remind me of those MtG double colour cards, which were basically 2 spells on one card, with a slightly higher casting cost.

I agree that the duration of Couyan's Adaptable Enhancer is far too high - maybe 10 mins/level? This way you'd have time to swith the ability score affected a few times without losing any significant fraction of the duration (as I think you intended), but your mage wouldn't wake up every morning and immediately cast it.

I assume the ability damage for Couyan's Enhancer-Disabler is rolled once and applied to all stats. You may want to clear this up though.

Good spells all round though. I'd take them :)

Ikki.

[DarkLight140]

I like the idea of this spell, but I personally think its a little weak, especially since it just mixes two 1st level spells. At high levels, most Sorcerers/Wizards have 1st level spells to burn, and magic missile is quite superior at higher levels. At lower levels, magic missile is still better, and I personally would rather expend a first level spell for shield than use up a second level slot for this one.

I think a more interesting version would be to make it more like nimbus of light, a cleric spell from Complete Divine. That spell is like light, except you can expend it as a ray attack (move action to gather the energy, then a standard action to attack) that deals 1d8+1/per round since the spell was cast (caps at caster level). I would just use a standard action to attack with this spell; maybe 1d4/minute since the spell was cast? (Cap at caster level)

This spell actually felt a bit weak to me, as well, but I wasn't sure how strong would be too strong. My original concept was that it could be discharged by using a normal magic missile spell from it as a free action, but I thought this might be too powerful. Given that one of the reasons for creating the spell in the first place was that you could essentially cast an attack spell and a defensive spell at once, making it take a standard action to activate seemed like making it worthless over two 1st-level spells, so I went with the version written and figured there was room for improvement. I'll think about your ideas.

I really like this spell, but the duration is far too long. I'd drop it to 1 minute/level, as with the 2nd level [animal's ability] spells, or even shorter. Without the ability to move it around, this would make it weak for a 3rd level spell, but that makes it a very worthwhile spell; with the longer duration, the spell is way too powerful; there's never a reason not to cast it.

Did they really, really nerf the ability-booster spells in 3.5? All I have is 3.0, and this spell was meant to be identical to the 2nd level boosters except for the switching. If they really do have a 1 minute/level duration, then I'd be willing to lower it, but probably to 10 minutes/level as Ikkitosen sugguested. At 1 minute/level it seems like something you would cast at the start of a fight, and then having the switching ability isn't nearly as useful as intended.

I really like the concept of this spell,especially since its a Wizard-only spell, and the mechanics are very cool. The one thing I'm a little iffy on is that you expend two spells in order to this; personally, I would simply allow the Wizard to choose a spell he doesn't have memorized, without expending any additional spells. On the other hand, 5th level may be a bit too high; perhaps lower the cap to 4th?

Allowing the Wizard to choose a spell he doesn't have memorized would, in my opinion, make the spell way too powerful. Expending two spells is just the price for repeatedly casting it, at least as I figured it. Now, maybe saying you don't need to expend the spell wouldn't unbalance it, but I'm not sure. As for 5th level being too high of a cap, I'd say it's about right- the major balancing factor in this is that you have to eat your other spells to cast the new one. While this is essentially what a sorcerer does whenever he casts anything, it's not in line with the wizard mindset. Really, I'm not concerned at all about this spell being overpowered; I almost set the cap at 6th level. If anyone can come up with a solid reason or example of why 5th level is too high, I'd be willing to reconsider, though.

Very cool. I'm not great at balancing high level spells, but it looks good, and I like the idea of spells that can switch from buff to attack.

That's one of the few things I miss from 2nd Edition - the reversible spells (like cure/inflict and flesh to stone/stone to flesh); sometimes, the opposing version is not nearly as powerful as the other, and it seems a shame to have to learn them seperately.

Like I said, I have no idea if it's balanced or not, but I like it.
I never played 2nd edition, but I did pick up a copy of the Wizard's Spell Compendium: Volume II and looked through the spells, many of which are really cool. I did like the concept of reversible spells, but never actually used them in a game. Too bad. They looked cool. Multi-effect spells, though, are easily created. ;)

I assume the ability damage for Couyan's Enhancer-Disabler is rolled once and applied to all stats. You may want to clear this up though.

Actually, I hadn't thought about it. Since I don't think it changes balance either way, I'll go with whatever takes less rolling (After the feats I made in my Randomizing Metamagic thread, I have to cut the rolls somewhere! ;)), so yeah, they're all dealt the same damage.

Good spells all round though. I'd take them

Yeah, after looking at my entry for the contest, the "I Want That Spell" award is the only one I seem to have a prayer of getting, and even that probably isn't likely. But thanks for the words of encouragement anyway!