PEACH Through My Custom Low Level Spells! :)

[Scorponok]

Hi Giants,

I was thinking of adding these spells to my game, and wanted to know if they were overpowered/underpowered, or just right. Some of them also might be redundant as I haven't looked through all the published books.

Here goes:

Deft Strike
[Transmutation]
Brd 1, Sor/Wiz 1
Components: V,S
Casting Time: 1 standard action
Target: You or touched ally.

The target gains temporary, intuitive insight into the immediate future during their next attack. Their (or your) next single attack roll gains a +10 insight bonus.

---Reasoning: Why is True Strike personal only? Casters need a spell that help allies. This does half the bonus of a true strike, and costs the same (a level-1 spell). Concealed target penalty still affects this spell, unlike True Strike.



Vigilant Charge
[Transmutation]
Brd 1, Sor/Wiz 1
Components: V,S,M
Casting Time: 1 standard action
Target: you or touched ally.
Duration: 1 round/level

Vigilant Charge negates the -2 AC penalty while charging, and gives the target an extra 5 ft. of movement.

Material Component
Piece of leather from a used boot.

----Reasoning: This is like Protection for Evil/Good/etc. except the +2 AC is situational, and gives a bit of a movement bonus that is hard to find at low levels. Is also much shorter duration than Protection from Evil/Good etc.



Magic Steps
[Evocation]
Brd 1, Sor/Wiz 1
Components: V,S,M
Casting Time: 1 standard action
Duration: 1 round/level
Range: Close (25 ft. + 5 ft./level)

This creates a flight of stairs 20 ft high, 20 ft long, 5 ft. wide and at a 45 degree angle. (or shorter, at caster's discretion) This flight of translucent stairs is altogether mundane, having no safety rails. It looks quite literally like 25 slabs of wood floating in mid air, going up at an angle. These stairs cannot grant concealment. It can hold up to 100 lbs./level of weight. Any more than that and the Magic Steps blink out of existence.

Material Component
Wood from a used staircase or ladder.

----Reasoning: This spell helps allies climb up buildings easily. This is about the same amount of usefulness as a levitate spell but is weaker because it lasts rounds instead of minutes, and the highest an ally can get is 20 ft. vs. much higher for Levitate. The advantage over Levitate is all your allies can move up vs. only one person being able to move. It also doesn't suffer the same attack penalties as when someone is levitating. Semi-powerful for a level-1 spell. If someone argued this is a level-2 spell like Levitate, I'd not really have a problem with that.



Perdu
[Illusion]
Sor/Wiz 1
Components: V,S,M
Casting Time: 1 standard action
Target: One 5 ft. square
Duration: 1 round/level
Range: Close (25 ft. + 5 ft./level)

Perdu makes an area 5 ft. by 5 ft. by 5 ft. invisible. Creatures entering the square become invisible to the naked eye, but once they step out, they become visible again. Creatures who pass through the same square can see each other within the square. The effect is stationary and cannot be moved. As with the Invisibility spell, if the person inside the effect of a Perdu spell directly attacks an enemy, they become visible immediately. If an enemy successfully attacks a creature within the square, the spell effect also ends.

Material Component
Eye of an insect or arachnid.

----Reasoning: Perdu is a ghetto Invisibility spell that lasts rounds instead of minutes and as a result, is a lower level spell. It's useful for concealing and ally quickly without resorting to a level-2 spell.


 
Sprint
[Transmutation]
Brd 1, Sor/Wiz 1
Components: V,S,M
Casting Time: 1 standard action
Target: You or one ally
Duration: 1 round/level
Range: Touch

This spell increases you or an ally's base land speed by 10 feet. (This adjustment counts as an enhancement bonus.) It has no effect on other modes of movement, such as burrow, climb, fly, or swim.

Material Component
Fur of a 4 legged animal.

----Reasoning: A movement spell that can help allies. Both Longstrider and Expeditious Retreat are Personal spells. This fixes that issue and allows a caster to give an ally this benefit also. I'm tempted to also let Druids have this. Longstrider is 1 hour/level and Expeditious Retreat is 1 minute/level. This has a much shorter duration, hence the level-1 spell slot.



Hindrance
[Transmutation]
Brd 1, Sor/Wiz 1
Components: V,S
Casting Time: 1 standard action
Target: You or one ally
Duration: 1 round/level
Range: Touch

Hindrance allows you or an ally to make trip and disarm attacks without provoking attacks of opportunity.

----Reasoning: Allows low INT melee allies and those who don't want to waste a feat taking Combat Expertise (and then another feat) to attempt trip and disarm attacks. People don't seem to build Combat Expertise melee guys much so this gives them a bit of variety to their attacks. This is a bit like Bigby's Tripping Hand, though that one is a medium range spell and is only for trips. This gives an ally the ability to trip without the AoO.



Safeguard
Clr 1/Hlr 1
Components: V, S
Casting Time: 1 standard action
Range: Close (25 ft. + 5 ft./level)
Target: One living creature
Duration: 1 round/level

Safeguard gives you or an ally within range an enhancement bonus of DR2/magic.

----Reasoning: This spell is like Barkskin, except it gives damage reduction instead of AC. It also does not increase with levels, and only lasts rounds instead of 10 minutes/level like Barkskin, hence it is a level-1 spell. I'd also like to put this on the Healer's spell list. (Along with the Vigor, Regenerate Light Wounds and Invest Light Protection spells.) This functions like Invest Light Protection, but doesn't have the healing component to it, but increases the DR by 1. It is also DR2/magic instead of DR1/evil. Still, people tell me to be careful giving out DR. Some say it is more powerful than increasing AC.



Arcane Shell
Clr 1/Hlr 1
Components: V, S
Casting Time: 1 standard action
Range: Close (25 ft. + 5 ft./level)
Target: One living creature
Duration: 1 round/level

Arcane Shell reduces the amount of damage taken by an energy attack. Any energy attack that does HP damage is reduced by 2 for the duration of the spell.

----Reasoning: Resist Energy essentially gives the person DR10 to one energy type, (acid, cold, electricity, fire, or sonic). Wherelse Arcane Shell only gives DR2 to any of those. Resist Energy (a lvl-2 spell) is 10 min/level, wherelse Arcane Shell is 1 round/level. In every way, except various energy types, it is inferior to Resist Energy, which is why I put it as level 1.


The reason for most of these is I'm thumbing through the books and trying to come up with spells for a buffing sorcerer to pick and there doesn't seem to be much. The other spells also give the Healer more to do as well.

[Arkhaic]

These look fairly well balanced, though a few of them are superseded by spells of the same level—for example, Perdu's primary function can be achieved through the Silent Image spell (though if the DM hates illusionists the lack of a will save is helpful). Remember to specify the subschools. Also, Bards and Beguilers should probably get Perdu. I would word it more like invisibility sphere, something like:

Perdu
Illusion (Glamer)
Sor/Wiz 1
Components: V,S,M
Casting Time: 1 standard action
Target: One 5 ft. square
Duration: 1 round/level
Range: Close (25 ft. + 5 ft./level)

This spell functions like invisibility, except that this spell confers invisibility upon all creatures within a 5 foot cube.

Those affected by this spell can see each other and themselves as if unaffected by the spell. Any affected creature moving out of the area becomes visible, but creatures moving into the area after the spell is cast do not become invisible. Affected creatures who attack negate the invisibility only for themselves.

Safeguard is more comparable to Invest Light Protection (PHB II) which grants DR 1/Evil (lesser but generally harder to pierce) for a minute, cures a few hit points and has an offensive application against undead.

As for Arcane Shell, I would almost propose that it be a cantrip—Prestidigitation can grant Fire Resistance 1, lasts longer and has many more applications. In general, my advice would be to standardize your phrasing to match the existing spells you based yours on; Balancewise these all look okay.