3.5 Epic Invoking: My Take

[malonkey1]

Epic Invocations(D&D 3.5E)

Alright, I've seen a few different interpretations of how to give Warlocks and Dragon Adepts epic spellcasting equivalents, and I haven't really liked any of them. So I decided to come up with my own, with the following in mind:

*Warlocks can use their invocations repeatedly.
*Invocations are Spell-like abilities, not spells.
*Invocations, because of their repeatable nature, are often less powerful or subtler than their spell counterparts.

So be sure to tell me what you think, and where it needs improvement.
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New Feats:
Epic Invocation[Special]

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Prerequisites: At least 3 Dark-level or equivalent invocations, Spellcraft 24
This feat allows the user to research and cast Epic-Level Invocations. These Invocations are always equivalent to level 10 spells for the purpose of saves, dispel checks, CL checks, and Spell Resistance. Such Invocations are created and researched like Epic Spells a& Powers (See SRD), but must have the Seed of Invocation included in their making. Epic Invocations have an unlimited amount of uses per day, but only a certain number of such Invocations may be readied per day, equal to (ranks in appropriate Knowledge Skill to their invocations)/10. Taking this feat also gives the Epic Spell Seed of Invocation for free.

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New Seeds:

Seed of Invocation

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Universal
DC: Special
Components: None
Casting Time: N/A
Range: N/A
Target: N/A
Duration: N/A
Save: N/A
SR: N/A

An Epic spell created with this seed is considered an invocation. the DC to learn this seed is 20. A spell created with this seed has its casting and learning DC increased by 15, or 30 for those without the Epic Invocation feat. An Epic Invocation automatically gains an alignment descriptor appropriate to the caster's alignment. For example, a Chaotic-Neutral Warlock casting an Epic Invocation would automatically give his invocation the [Chaos] descriptor. A character that does not have Dark-Level Invocations may only know one Epic Invocation, which can be readied like any other Epic Invocation, but has a casting DC twice that of a non-invocation Epic Spell. The DC of an overtly damage-causing Epic Invocation is always doubled, and Invocations without overt damage capabilities have their DCs reduced to 3/4. These multipliers are applied after all other modifiers and multipliers. Under normal circumstances, this spell requires 24 ranks in Knowledge[Arcana or Religion]. Non-Invoking classes who have an Epic Spell with this seed prepare must give up two regular spell slots in order to have it readied.
Special Modifiers:
*Static Alignment Descriptor: Sets the invocation to have a set Alignment descriptor instead of the caster's. +10 for one axis, +15 for both.
*Essence Invocation: Allows The Invocation to modify a user's class feature(s). +(2*the Class Level the at which feature was gained or improved to its current state.)

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Seed: Culture Control (From the D&D Wiki Homebrew Seeds)

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Enchantment
Spellcraft DC: 50
Duration: Permanent
Saving Throw: Will, see description
Spell Resistance: Yes, see description

This allows you to shape the culture of any ethnic group or nation within a 500-mile radius. This changes the attitude of all NPCs within one step closer to you. The Alignment of the nation is changed one step on the Law/Chaos Axis. You can create a legal structure, sow the seeds of a Revolution, or send a nation of Savages to War against an Evil Empire. You may also re-write the cultral aspect of someone's brain, altering their muscial preference or other such peripherals. Useless for battle, but if you want to rule a nation, this spell allows you to supplant the Ruler quickly and efficiently, and gives you a chance to create the perfect society.
Material Component: Rod of Rulership
Focus: way to communicate with all members of populace

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Seed: Damage (From the D&D Wiki Homebrew Seeds)

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Evocation [Acid, Cold, Electricity, Fire, Force, Negative Energy, Positive Energy, Sonic, or None]
Spellcraft DC: 21
Components: V, S, M, F (See Text)
Casting time: 1 minute
Range: 300 ft.
Target: one living creature
Duration: Instantaneous
Saving Throw: Fortitude half
Spell Resistance: Yes

This seed creates an energy effect of the caster's choosing: acid, cold, electricity, fire, or sonic. Additional energy types can be added from those five by increasing the spellcraft DC by +4 for each energy type added. Alternatively, the energy type can be change to positive or negative energy by increasing the spellcraft DC by +6. Additional energy types can be added to this by increasing the DC by +4 for the original five or +6 for positive or negative energy. As another option, the energy type can be made into a force effect by increasing the DC by +8, and more energy types can be compounded with this by following the afore-mentioned DC increases. As a last option, the energy type can be taken off the damage dealt by this seed completely by increasing the spellcraft DC by +10.
The damage dealt by this seed begins at 5d6 and can be increased by increasing the spellcraft DC by +2 for each additional 1d6. No matter the how many energy types this seed produces, each energy must have at least one d6 of damage, which means a version of this seed with more than five energy types (including non-energy typed) must have more than 5d6 which must be seperately added. The distribution of energy over the number of damage dice is determined by the creater, with a single die being the smallest value that the energy can be divided over. For example, a damage seed with 4 energy types and 10d6 damage could have 2 energy types deal 3d6 damage each and 2 energy types deal 2d6 damage each or 1 energy type deal 7d6 damage and three energy types deal 1d6 damage each, but could not have all energy types deal 2d6 damage each and the remaining 2d6 damage deal half of one type of energy and half of another type of energy. Also, all material components and focuses that apply to the energy types must be provided by the caster.
Material Component: Crushed green emerald worth 50 gp (for acid effect only), crushed blue sapphire worth 50 gp (for cold effect only), crushed yellow topaz worth 50 gp (for electricity effect only), crushed red ruby worth 50 gp (for fire effect only), crushed diamond worth 100 gp (for force effect only), or crushed white opal worth 50 gp (for sonic effect only), or a lump of platinum worth 100 gp (for energy-less effect only)
Focus: Holy focus costing 50 gp (for positive energy effect only) or unholy focus costing 50 gp (for negative energy effect only)

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Seed: Age (From the D&D Wiki Homebrew Seeds)

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Transmutation
Spellcraft DC: 29
Components: V, S
Casting time: 1 minute
Range: Touch
Target: Touched object or touched willing creature weighing up to 1,000 lb.
Duration: Instantaneous
Saving Throw: None or Will negates (see text)
Spell Resistance: No or Yes (see text)

Spells using the age seed instantly age the touched subject by one year, causing no change in material, density, or mental state that would not have occurred from being stored in perfect conditions for one year. Creatures aged in such a way are affected by the usual aging effects but have no memories of an additional year, they are simply one year older. Each additional year of aging increases the Spellcraft DC by +8. Only objects worn or carried (attended) by another person receive saving throws and Spell Resistance. For a spell intended to age unwilling creatures, increase the Spellcraft DC by +16.

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Epic Invocations & You:

The Epic Invocations are special in that they, like their non-Epic counterparts, can be cast repeatedly, but unlike non-Epic Invocations, they are much more likely to have overt damage capability, albeit at a higher cost. This property gives Invoking Classes a greater capacity for direct damage spells, and also allows them to shine in another way: Non-damaging epic spells become easier to cast, allowing defensive power far in excess of anything else, at least as far as Epic Spellcasting is concerned. Epic Invocations may have higher base Spellcraft DCs, but this is offset by how much more frequently they can be cast.

Sample Epic Invocation: Ancient Blast

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Seeds: Age (29), Seed of Invocation.(15)
DC:91
Modifiers: Affect Unwilling Target (+16), 9 extra years (+72), Modify Class Feature (+40), Backlash 10d6 (-10), Burn 4000 XP (-40), Non-Damaging Invocation (*.75).
School: Transmutation
Components: V, S
Casting Time: 1 minute
Duration: Instantaneous
Saving Throw: Will negates
Spell Resistance: Yes

The caster may use this invocation to add an aging effect to their Eldritch Blast, Dragon Adept Dragon Breath, or other similar spell-like or supernatural class feature. The effect ages the target 10 years, immediately applying any aging penalties the target may receive for their new age category. If an unattended object is hit by this spell, they receive any damage or decay they would have endured over 10 years. If this would render the object unusable, it is turned to dust. Attended or magical items receive a saving throw, but not unattended objects.

[malonkey1]

Any opinions on this, or did it just get ignored?

[Analytica]

How would mitigating factors work? Specifically, contributing spell slots?

[malonkey1]

The spell slots would be occupied and unusable until you unready the invocation (in the case of spellcasters), and you would temporarily lose the use of a lower invocation(s) of the correct level while such an invocation is readied (in the case of invoking casters).

[Network]

Seed of Invocation is hard to understand, but the Age seed is balanced (maybe a bit of a high DC, there are a few monsters with a no-save ageing effect. Otherwise, perfectly right).

[malonkey1]

Alright, how do you think I could clear it up?