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    Default Mastering the Elements [3.5, Invocations]

    I remember a time when men drew on purer sources, and communed with the ancient spirits around them. It was not power that they sought, but harmony, to become one with the world. They spoke with the wind, walked among the flames, moved in time with the earth and flowed with the drifting of the tides.
    These men were better for it, stronger of heart and soul than those who greedily grasped at powers from the hells. Do you doubt me? Then let me show you...


    These invocations are intended for use with the warlock class, to add a few more options in terms of mechanics and flavor. Fey, fiends, and other outsiders are all well and good, but I felt like the elementals were underrepresented. So, here are some totally not inspired by Avatar invocations.


    Master of Earth and Stone
    Dark; 8th
    When you use this invocation, you gain mastery over earth and stone. For the duration of the invocation, you may use the following spells as spell-like abilities: excavate, fabricate, (creating stone, clay, and earthen items only) move earth, soften earth and stone, spike stones, stone shape, transmute mud to rock, transmute rock to mud, and wall of stone, except that they have an instantaneous duration if they do not already. In addition, while this invocation is active, you benefit from the earthen grace spell. This invocation lasts 24 hours.

    One with Earth
    Lesser; 3rd
    When you use this invocation, you attune yourself to the earth. You gain a burrow speed equal to half your land speed, and can burrow through stone, dirt, and almost any sort of earthen material except metal. You may choose whether or not you leave a tunnel that others can pass through. In addition, you gain 15ft tremorsense. The duration of this invocation is 24 hours.

    Riverflow Blast
    Least; 1st; Eldritch Essence
    This eldritch essence invocation allows you to change your eldritch blast into a riverflow blast. A riverflow blast deals bludgeoning damage, and is affected by damage reduction, but ignores spell resistance. In addition, with every use of riverflow blast you may create up to 30 gallons of nonmagical fresh water.

    Sandstorm Blast
    Lesser; 4th; Eldritch Essence
    This eldritch essence invocation allows you to change your eldritch blast into a sandstorm blast. A sandstorm blast deals piercing damage and is affected by damage reduction. Any living creature struck by sandstorm blast must make a fortitude save or take 1 constitution damage.

    Searing Blast
    Least; 2nd; Eldritch Essence
    This eldritch essence invocation allows you to change your eldritch blast into a searing blast. In addition to normal damage from eldritch blast, any target struck by a searing blast takes fire damage equal to your Charisma modifier, and must make a Fortitude save or be dazzled for 1 minute. If you desire, you may make all of your eldritch blast damage fire damage when you apply this eldritch essence.

    Shield of the Depths
    Greater; 6th
    When you use this invocation, you create a thin field of water around yourself. This effect grants you a number of temporary hit points equal to your caster level. In addition, you regain a number of lost temporary hit points equal to 1/4th of your caster level every round (though you can never have a number of temporary hit points greater than your caster level). The duration of this invocation is 24 hours.

    Sing the Winds
    Dark; 8th
    You call to the winds, and they answer. You may use control weather as the spell, except the weather you call need not be appropriate to the current season. Like the spell it mimics, Sing the Winds has a 10 minute casting time. The duration of this invocation is 24 hours.

    Storm Blast
    Dark; 8th; Eldritch Essence
    This eldritch essence invocation allows you to change your eldritch blast into a storm blast. A storm blast deals electric damage. Any creature struck by a storm blast must make a reflex save, or be paralyzed for one round. On the next round, any creature struck by a storm blast is dealt sonic damage equal to half the damage rolled for the storm blast, and must make a fortitude save or be deafened for 1 minute.

    Storm Mantle
    Least; 1st
    Once per round when you would normally be hit with a ranged weapon, you may deflect it so that you take no damage from it. You must be aware of the attack and not flat-footed. You may not deflect massive ranged weapons (such as attacks from siege weapons) or ranged attacks generated by spell effects. In addition, your flight speed increases by 10 feet, and your maneuverability improves by one step, to a maximum of perfect. You do not gain a flight speed if you do not have one. The duration of this invocation is 24 hours.

    Ward Torch
    Least; 2nd
    This invocation creates a floating flame that stays within 120 feet of you, staying at a position relative to you that you designate (you may change this position as a free action). The ward torch cannot pass through solid objects, and if the position you designate to it would force it into a solid object, it is immediately extinguished. The heat of the ward torch is no more than a candle and it cannot deal damage, but it sheds light as a torch. As a swift action, you may expend the ward torch to produce the effects of a pyrotechnics spell (with the ward torch being the required fire source). You are immune to the blinding effect if you use the fireworks version of pyrotechnics. You may have a number of ward torches active at one time equal to the number of invocation grades you know. A ward torch lasts 24 hours, or until expended.

    Wind Force
    Lesser; 4th
    Using this invocation creates a blast of air with a speed between 1mph and 75mph. This wind affects one of the following areas: a 60 foot line, a 30 foot cone, or a 15ft burst centered on you. You decide on the area when you use the invocation, and it emanates from you for one round. Wind Force has all the effects of a wind with the chosen speed within that area. The normal Fortitude saves to negate the effects of the wind are replaced by the save DC of the invocation. In addition, spell resistance applies against the wind's effects.

    Work the Waters
    Lesser; 4th
    This invocation grants you three spell-like abilities, which you may use at will. All of these abilities have a range of 400 feet, + 40 feet per caster level, and target 1 cubic foot of inanimate, unattended water per caster level. This invocation has a duration of 24 hours.
    Move Water: As a move action, you can move water up to 50 feet in any direction. So long as this invocation is still active, and the water is in range, it remains where you have moved it.
    Maneuver Water: As a standard action, you can control water to make a bull rush, disarm, grapple (including pin), or trip attempt against any target adjacent to at least one cubic foot of water. Resolve these attempts as normal, except that they don’t provoke attacks of opportunity, you use your caster level in place of your base attack bonus (for disarm and grapple), you use your Charisma modifier in place of your Strength or Dexterity modifier, and a failed attempt doesn’t allow a reactive attempt by the target (such as for disarm or trip). No save is allowed against these attempts, but spell resistance applies normally.
    Manipulate Water: As a move action, you can change the general shape of water, though fine detail isn't possible. So long as this invocation is still active and the water is in range, it remains in the last shape you gave it.


    Edit: Now version 1.1, with some edits made.
    Last edited by AmberVael; 2021-01-14 at 03:50 PM.

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    Default Re: Mastering the Elements [3.5, Invocations]

    Sandstorm Blast is too powerful for a Lesser: it's at least a Greater invocation. It just outclasses everything at its current level and some of the Greater ones.

    Shield of the Depths i'm not sure about. I'd say it was lesser if you just restored it as a Standard action [like other, similar Invocations]. I'm never sure about fast healing as a feature: it's often barely worth it.

    Sing the Winds seems a little excessive for even a Dark power. If it were a normal Control Weather it would probably be fine. Not that there's all that much you can do with it, in combat at least.

    Water Blast uninspiring name. Hydraulic blast? I'd allow it to knock the victim back somehow, but that's just me. Admittedly, it would probably be Lesser then. It should be able to put out fires and probably be used to counter Fire spells below a certain level, given that it's a hose...

    All the rest look fine. I like Ward Torch especially.
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    Default Re: Mastering the Elements [3.5, Invocations]

    Quote Originally Posted by Mulletmanalive View Post
    Sandstorm Blast is too powerful for a Lesser: it's at least a Greater invocation. It just outclasses everything at its current level and some of the Greater ones.
    I was erring on the side of powerful with Sandstorm blast, as I am largely of the opinion that most of the other eldritch essences- particularly the lesser ones- are awful. Baneful? Hellrime? Brimstone? Ugh.
    I could see dropping it to 1 constitution damage though, which would make it rather more comparable with the Wounding weapon ability (though Sandstorm blast would have a save).

    Shield of the Depths i'm not sure about. I'd say it was lesser if you just restored it as a Standard action [like other, similar Invocations]. I'm never sure about fast healing as a feature: it's often barely worth it.
    Draconic Toughness, the similar invocation in question, is in fact a Greater Invocation, and got a pretty good rating in the Dragonfire Adept guide. Admittedly, I found that a little puzzling, hence my addition.

    Sing the Winds seems a little excessive for even a Dark power. If it were a normal Control Weather it would probably be fine. Not that there's all that much you can do with it, in combat at least.
    I might have gone a little overboard with it, but I do think it is a good idea to give it a range (it's not as good to be able to make a tornado if you practically wind up inside it), and limiting its effects by season makes it a lot less useful (in autumn, for example... well, it kind loses most of its potential).

    Raising its casting time back up to 10 minutes might not be a bad call though, as well as giving it a more clear range than anything you can see (to prevent tossing a tornado on someone with a scrying spell or some such, for example).



    On Water Blast, yeah, probably needs a niftier name. I'm not sold on Hydraulic blast though... I didn't think to put in a clause about putting out fires, because... well, it creates water. Kinda seemed intuitive to me, but then, this is D&D and intuition is not to be relied on.


    All the rest look fine. I like Ward Torch especially.
    Heh, thanks. I wanted to make a fire invocation that wasn't just 'it deals damage,' like so many fire effects are, and for some reason I kept thinking of Dancing Lights... and then Ward Torch! I'm pretty pleased with how it turned out as well, but I think my favorite is either Wind Force or Work the Waters.
    Last edited by AmberVael; 2012-02-09 at 12:54 PM.

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    Default Re: Mastering the Elements [3.5, Invocations]

    Master of Earth and Stone: At-will Wall of Stone is going to build castles. Like, lots of them. Is that OK with you?

    One with Earth: 30' tremorsense and a burrowing speed is a bit much for a lesser invocation. Tremorsense is a bit worse than the blindsense you can get already, but a burrow speed is very good. Not sure if it's worth a greater one, though. =/

    Storm Blast: Just a fluff thing - why does Storm Blast paralyze someone? Do storms do that?

    Work the water: does the water still flow to fill whatever container (or not) it is placed in, or does the cubic foot of water remain a cube even if you just place it on the kitchen table?


    Good stuff, overall.
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    Default Re: Mastering the Elements [3.5, Invocations]

    Quote Originally Posted by Ernir View Post
    Master of Earth and Stone: At-will Wall of Stone is going to build castles. Like, lots of them. Is that OK with you?
    Part of my interest in making Master of Earth and Stone and Sing the Winds is that Warlocks really don't get a lot of stuff with big effects. Your wizard and sorcerer can reshape the world, but the best the warlock can do is zap someone a bit harder? Even if they're not meant to be (or should be) on the same power level, it's a bit of a downer.

    So, yeah, that's a lot of castles, but if you have a warlock that level, and you want to be able to do stuff like that? I think you should be able to.

    One with Earth: 30' tremorsense and a burrowing speed is a bit much for a lesser invocation. Tremorsense is a bit worse than the blindsense you can get already, but a burrow speed is very good. Not sure if it's worth a greater one, though. =/
    I did have some reservations about that myself. Largely my reasoning for putting them in the same invocation was "well, you know, it's nice to be able to see where you are going." Think knocking the range of tremorsense down a few notches would help? Maybe to 15 or 10 feet?

    Storm Blast: Just a fluff thing - why does Storm Blast paralyze someone? Do storms do that?
    It's the best way I could think of to represent muscle spasms and loss of motor control due to electricity. It's like a taser!

    Work the water: does the water still flow to fill whatever container (or not) it is placed in, or does the cubic foot of water remain a cube even if you just place it on the kitchen table?
    The latter, which I tried to emphasize with the last clauses of Move Water and Manipulate Water. Does it need to be clearer, you think?
    Last edited by AmberVael; 2012-02-09 at 01:26 PM.

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    Default Re: Mastering the Elements [3.5, Invocations]

    Quote Originally Posted by Vael View Post
    I was erring on the side of powerful with Sandstorm blast, as I am largely of the opinion that most of the other eldritch essences- particularly the lesser ones- are awful. Baneful? Hellrime? Brimstone? Ugh.
    Unfortunately, I [and anyone working with an IP behind them] don't recognise that as a valid argument. If something is meant to use with existing material rather than replace it, it can't be significantly more powerful unless you also overhaul what you're considering underpowered.

    Creating a no-brainer choice is bad design and will often be construed as lack of understanding on the part of the designers by those reading it [whether it was unintentional or not].
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    Default Re: Mastering the Elements [3.5, Invocations]

    Quote Originally Posted by Mulletmanalive View Post
    Unfortunately, I [and anyone working with an IP behind them] don't recognise that as a valid argument. If something is meant to use with existing material rather than replace it, it can't be significantly more powerful unless you also overhaul what you're considering underpowered.

    Creating a no-brainer choice is bad design and will often be construed as lack of understanding on the part of the designers by those reading it [whether it was unintentional or not].
    While I can understand where you are coming from, I think you both misunderstand the point I was trying to make, and overestimate the power of the essence in question.

    Yes, making a no brainer choice is bad design (at least, most times- there's a reason Tome of Battle was made, after all), but saying that sandstorm blast is more powerful than most eldritch essences is not necessarily indicative of this.
    For one, there is still at least one comparable essence. Beshadowed blast, for example, can temporarily blind an opponent, which is pretty much a death sentence in low level combat. Now, you could probably still say 1d4 con damage is better than this, which is why I have lowered it down to 1, in admittance of this.

    Even assuming Beshadowed Blast did not exist, however, there are other things to compare it against. Aren't all invocations supposed to be equal? Is a small amount of constitution damage really going to be the better option over 24 hour flight, charm monster, or at will invisibility? Such invocations can make or break encounters on their own, with proper use.

    So yes, it may be better than most of the essences, but I don't think it makes it significantly more powerful than the other options that can be chosen for that level. Unfortunately, 3.5 does have its measure of imbalance, even among supposedly equal options (see toughness as compared to power attack- but I don't think anyone would argue that toughness should be the measure of a feat).

    Despite my disagreement in the large though, I do appreciate your input, and think it is probably a wise idea to scale the essence back a bit, hence my edit.

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    Default Re: Mastering the Elements [3.5, Invocations]

    You need more greater elemental invocations.
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    Default Re: Mastering the Elements [3.5, Invocations]

    Quote Originally Posted by Storm Mantle
    Least; 1st
    This invocation lets you deflect ranged attack against you each round, though it may not deflect massive ranged weapons (such as attacks from seige weapons) or ranged attacks generated by spell effects. In addition, your flight speed increases by 10 feet, and your maneuverability improves by one step, to a maximum of perfect. You do not gain a flight speed if you do not have one. The duration of this invocation is 24 hours.
    First of all, I think you forgot a word in there, do you mean for it to deflect a single ranged attack each round, or all ranged attacks, something else?

    I presume you mean a single ranged attack/round. I still think that is a bit good for a Least invocation, there is another Least that gives entropic warding (20% miss chance). I'd think either bump it up to lesser, or make it cost an immediate action or something in response to an attack you're aware of.

    Sing the Winds: I presume the weather created by Sing the Winds has to be appropriate for the climate.

    Maybe make it so you only can have a single Sing the Winds active at a time and a second makes the weather revert to normal in the next 10 minutes. That would prevent making tornados hit a bunch of cities in an opposing kingdom all at once (not sure how much that'd help).

    Great work overall like the rest of your invocations. Enjoyable to read and very fitting of the elemental theme.

    EDIT: Didn't realize this was necro'd. Sorry.
    Last edited by rweird; 2013-07-08 at 09:31 PM.

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    Default Re: Mastering the Elements [3.5, Invocations]

    subscribing. this looks interesting

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