Trolling the Enemy (Spell) (PEACH)

[DracoDei]

Spoiler: Questions and comments for readers

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I've had this idea bouncing around in my head for a long while, but as usual, in order to post it I had to push through certain psychological challenges I live with. As a result, the quality may have slightly suffered due to lack of proof-reading. Please point out any errors you see!

I'm pretty sure the spell levels are right on this, since it usually requires a disguise to prevent it from being figured out with a knowledge check.

I originally had the focus as being required, but I decided it nerfed the spell too much. I liked it for flavor reasons, although on second thought I'm not so sure it is all THAT flavorful. Since I'm uncertain, I'm much more willing to alter the fluff in this case than I normally am. For now, I have made it tweak the save DC. Do you think I should keep only the bonus, only the penalty, or drop the focus entirely?

Is specifying the various saving throws in such detail a good idea, or should I just collapse it to a list of things that count as "interacting" with the illusion? I'm probably going to keep the opposed heal checks in any case.

Troll's Deception
Illusion (Glamer)
Level: Brd 1, Sor/Wiz 1
Components: V, S, F (optional, see below)
Casting Time: 1 Standard Action
Range: Touch
Target: 1 Creature
Duration: 10 min./level (D)
Saving Throw: Will Negates (for both target and those interacting with the illusion. Harmless for target.)
Spell Resistance: Yes (target and/or focus only. Harmless)

You alter the creature's perceived damage reduction, fast healing, and/or regeneration qualities. This spell includes all sensory elements, including but not limited to sight, scent (for instance, the presence or absence of the smell of blood), touch, sound (such as dripping blood, or the sound of bones breaking).

An individual receives a will save to pierce this illusion the first time they strike the target with a melee weapon that has a different damage reduction effect in reality from the perception this illusion creates.

If this spell alters the targets apparent regeneration or fast healing then each round that it appears to recover damage via fast healing or regeneration then anyone able to sense those the locations of the strikes (usually by sight), may attempt a opposed heal check with the caster. The first time they win such an opposed check against a given casting of this spell they may attempt a will save to pierce the illusion. At long ranges this may also require a spot check at the GMs discretion.

A full round spent examining and probing the locations of the (apparent or actual) injuries, such as to treat the wounds to prevent infection or to study the regenerative process (real or illusory), automatically pierces the illusion.

Despite the common name of this spell, it is a rare troll indeed who can cast this spell.

Focus (Optional): Any body part, even one as small as a single inch-long piece of hair, from a creature whose racial or class-based damage reduction and regeneration the particular casting of this spell will imitate. Alternatively such a creature may be touched as part of the casting. Said focus receives no saving throw, but if it is unwilling spell-resistance and a touch attack may apply. If a focus is included the save DC of this spell increases by 1. If it is omitted the save DC decreases by 1.

[DracoDei]

Bumping due to 61 views and no replies.

Editing in a comment that was PMed to me a long while back by Fizban:

Clicked the 3.5 homebrew filter and noticed this with no comments, but IIRC thread necro is 3 weeks so I throw you a PM. Personally I'd simplify it quite a bit since the idea seems pretty simple, you fake either having or not having fast healing or regeneration. Since it's a low level illusion it shouldn't be able to tell what weapons or damage is incoming unless you're actively concentrating. And fake healing is a pretty powerfull bluff by the way so I'm not entirely convinced it should be level 1. It also might be an idea to specify how "strong" your fake healing can be- this matters because those rolling damage know how much they deal and can estimate values based on when targets become bloodied/unbloodied or stop regenerating after reaching full hit points. Being able to feign 30 points is a lot more intimidating than 5, but this also runs counter to what I just said about illusions not detecting damage, so eh.

In any case for a lower level spell I'd never make the heal check required to get a save, that's actually worse than grease, but it is a nice alternate method of negation. Keeping material components simple, either it's optional with a listed cost (or equivalent nuisance) and a bonus, or required, but penalizing the spell if you don't have the component isn't really "optional."

Cool spell, quite trolly indeed. This is the kind of thing I'd expect to see a horrible DM ideas thread or something.