Spells you're surprised don't exist

[Slipperychicken]

as for do math u are a wizard some one who can reshape the world with but a word and you can't do your own maths?

Who says we have to be a wizard? We could be some Cleric or Sorcerer who skipped algebra.

[Rubik]

Fusion+Astral Seed can hybridize critters.

That just means "a psion did it."

[atemu1234]

Sounds hilarious, well for a slapstick Wizard anyway.

Actually, why aren't there more Practical Joke cantrips ?

Prestidigitation, my friend. Once saw a player turn a glass of wine into vinegar while a noble had his back turned.

[Tvtyrant]

Wrong sub-forum. If I wanted to move a 2E spell across it would be Inverted Ethics; best Magical Trap ever.

Basically if you fail the save you behave in the opposite manner to which you intended: Rogue breaks into a vault, trips the trap, fails the save — instead of taking the loot, he leaves some of his own behind.

If I was going to port one over it would be Sands of Time from Dark Sun. It can either return entire cities to existence, or it can erode them out of it.

I have always been upset that there is no Summon Undead IX with a horde of 100 skeleton archers option.

[atemu1234]

If I was going to port one over it would be Sands of Time from Dark Sun. It can either return entire cities to existence, or it can erode them out of it.

I have always been upset that there is no Summon Undead IX with a horde of 100 skeleton archers option.

That's probably why. It would be awesome, though.

[Fax Celestis]

If I was going to port one over it would be Sands of Time from Dark Sun. It can either return entire cities to existence, or it can erode them out of it.

I have always been upset that there is no Summon Undead IX with a horde of 100 skeleton archers option.

Animate legion, Heroes of Battle.

[BWR]

Wrong sub-forum. If I wanted to move a 2E spell across it would be Inverted Ethics; best Magical Trap ever.

The point is that many, of these 'non-existant' spells did exist in previous edition. Math spells, look at "The Republic of Darokin", which had stuff like that, including my favorite[, I]Embezzle[/I]. Time keeping spells and items, Chronomancer. Detect Curse had three different variants, all lvl 3. Seek Teleporter for BECMI and Teleport Tracer from Book of Eldritch Might - both are 6th. Tracking is lvl 2 Druid spell that allows you to follow psychic impressions of people up to 2 days old /level. Transferring magical properties from one item to another is Dweomerflow. Allows you to transfer charges from one source to another - combine charges on Wands of Fireball, for instance. Holy Vesting can take anything from non-artifacts and transfer. Poison spells, too many to bother counting - Venom Bite, Venom Bolt, Vile Venom, Poison Touch, Poisonstar, Venomdust and several more with less obvious names.
You get the idea.

[Daishain]

Sounds hilarious, well for a slapstick Wizard anyway.

Actually, why aren't there more Practical Joke cantrips ?

Heh, how's this?

"Fleas, Level 0 Illusion spell
The subject must make a wisdom saving throw, if it fails, subject experiences the sensation of being massively infested with minuscule biting insects, -2 to concentration checks."

In a similar vein, you could make someone colorblind, or cause them to make donkey noises during speech, or cause the skin on their feet to develop the sense of taste.

Ooh, or how about of a variant of Thunderhead? Instead of 1 lightning damage a turn, the cloud just rains on the subject.

The possibilities are endless

[Tvtyrant]

Animate legion, Heroes of Battle.

The hit dice are capped at twice your CL though. I would prefer 10X, seeing as how skeletons and zombies are terrible in combat.

[sleepyphoenixx]

The hit dice are capped at twice your CL though. I would prefer 10X, seeing as how skeletons and zombies are terrible in combat.

It may sound cool on paper but i'd rather not have spells like that in the game. Combat is already tedious enough with a party of more than 4-5. I'd rather not try it with the number of participants being in the triple digits.

Edit: There are also several ways to increase your control cap. If twice your CL isn't enough for you, invest in it. No reason to give casters everything for free.

[Tvtyrant]

It may sound cool on paper but i'd rather not have spells like that in the game. Combat is already tedious enough with a party of more than 4-5. I'd rather not try it with the number of participants being in the triple digits.

Edit: There are also several ways to increase your control cap. If twice your CL isn't enough for you, invest in it. No reason to give casters everything for free.

Give them the mob or volley rules then. It doesn't need to be so much hundreds of undead so much as fulfill the trope. And they have lots of better things for free, this won't make them stronger.

[Thrice Dead Cat]

The hit dice are capped at twice your CL though. I would prefer 10X, seeing as how skeletons and zombies are terrible in combat.

If you can swing the extra level, make it a war spell from a Dragon magazine. It will multiply the effects by 25, IIRC.

[Ravens_cry]

I hate when we get a big, massive of coinage that, even with extradimensional spaces, is still an unwieldy sum. Which is why I want a spell called 'change maker', that converts coin to their equivalent in other currency. 1000 copper become 1 platinum, for example.

[Slipperychicken]

I hate when we get a big, massive of coinage that, even with extradimensional spaces, is still an unwieldy sum. Which is why I want a spell called 'change maker', that converts coin to their equivalent in other currency. 1000 copper become 1 platinum, for example.

Just trade it in for diamonds.

[Dalebert]

I was just thinking of something to summon inexpensive items of convenience and my first thought was a 1st level spell that could summon about 5 gp worth of basic equipment (no food). Then I thought of something cooler. What about summoning a little goblin merchant? Picture this...

A little guy appears with a big backpack. The little guy's quite encumbered. You have x amount of rounds to do business with him (they're very busy!). The remnants of the portal he arrived through twinkle behind him. As soon as he shows up, he flips over an hour glass. He'll even convert currencies over though he has a limited amount and he might want a small fee for it. There's a limit on how much he can carry so figure there some certain percentage chance that he has what you want except for really common items which he always has (flint and steel, whetstone, oil, torches, etc.) He might even have some gems you can buy to help lighten your load of coinage. He might drive a hard bargain and there's certainly a "convenience fee"--his prices are all a bit upcharged, but he generally won't screw you over because they have a reputation to maintain.

I'm thinking like a 3rd level spell. It gets cast a lot in the middle of dungeons or out in the wilderness.

If you try to steal from him, he and all his belongings can teleport back from whence he came as an immediate action... but he'll probably toss a alchemist bomb up in the air right before he does.

[Slipperychicken]

Picture this...

A little guy appears with a big backpack. The little guy's quite encumbered. You have x amount of rounds to do business with him (they're very busy!). The remnants of the portal he arrived through twinkle behind him. As soon as he shows up, he flips over an hour glass. He'll even convert currencies over though he has a limited amount and he might want a small fee for it. There's a limit on how much he can carry so figure there some certain percentage chance that he has what you want except for really common items which he always has (flint and steel, whetstone, oil, torches, etc.) He might even have some gems you can buy to help lighten your load of coinage. He might drive a hard bargain and there's certainly a "convenience fee"--his prices are all a bit upcharged, but he generally won't screw you over because they have a reputation to maintain.

Picture your player immediately shouting "KILL THE GOBLIN AND TAKE HIS STUFF WHILE HE'S FLAT-FOOTED*, WE'LL BE RICH! ROLL INITIATIVE!!!".


*Flat-footed characters (i.e. those whose turn hasn't yet come up in combat) can't make AoOs or take Immediate actions.

[Dalebert]

Picture your player immediately shouting "KILL THE GOBLIN AND TAKE HIS STUFF WHILE HE'S FLAT-FOOTED*, WE'LL BE RICH! ROLL INITIATIVE!!!".

Fluff it however you need that he's not. I picture some little goblin warehouse. A summoning comes in. It's like a phone call. Takes a few rounds sometimes but someone answers it. (Don't try to cast in the middle of combat) They can peek through the "portal" and see what's going on before he shows up to watch out for shenanigans. He steps through with awareness and has already taken an action to get there. It's a business. They've set up the basic magics but your spell powers the actual trip. It's one-way there and one-way back and, other than coinage, nothing can come back through that didn't already pass through the portal. There's also a security guy or two watching. Pull any shenanigans and a goblin SWAT team shows up sometime in your near future when you're not expecting it, probably during the party's next camp.

Wasn't something like this added to World of Warcraft? I seem to recall hearing something about it. If not, that's another place I'm surprised this spell doesn't exist at.

[Yahzi]

keep it around long enough to be useful for just about anything other than a single combat.

You hit the nail on the head. Spells that don't exist? Anything that doesn't involve breaking into to houses, killing the occupants, and taking their stuff.

There is one spell - Plant Growth - that, as a secondary note, tosses out a little-used alternative effect that completely changes the economy of the world.

How about: Remove Pain. Remove Pregnancy. Improve Fertility. Detect Forgery.

And of course, Get High. Given how much effort people spend on getting wasted, why isn't there a magical way to do it without hangovers, health effects, or addiction?

[Dalebert]

A cantrip that lets you create very elaborate illusions that fool all the senses, but only the caster can perceive them. I figure casters need a way to practice making convincing illusions and this is how they would do it. Also, it would be a cool way to enjoy some good food without getting fat.

[Venger]

You hit the nail on the head. Spells that don't exist? Anything that doesn't involve breaking into to houses, killing the occupants, and taking their stuff.

There is one spell - Plant Growth - that, as a secondary note, tosses out a little-used alternative effect that completely changes the economy of the world.

How about: Remove Pain. Remove Pregnancy. Improve Fertility. Detect Forgery.

And of course, Get High. Given how much effort people spend on getting wasted, why isn't there a magical way to do it without hangovers, health effects, or addiction?

while that's true about plant growth, the dnd economy is much more borked due to wall of iron, genesis, fabricate, etc. I don't think that crops could really be used as much of a trade good due to how easy it is to make as much of them as you like via create food and water traps and other stuff.

ease pain exists. if you can convince your DM pregnancy is a disease, that might work. there's always iron heart surge for ending "unwanted effects," which pregnancy definitely qualifies for.

my googlefu is failing me, but I distinctly remember talking about magic contraceptive tea on this forum. I think it was in one of the old 3.0 books. it only works for males and will suppress your ability to conceive for some amount of hours or days and if you fail a lowish fort save, make you permanently infertile. bestow curse can also make a target infertile.

any of the honesty spells (zone of truth, etc) will help with forgery, same as guidance of the avatar or similar.

if bovd's drugs aren't your bag, just go with false sensory input and simulate the recreational substance of your preference

A cantrip that lets you create very elaborate illusions that fool all the senses, but only the caster can perceive them. I figure casters need a way to practice making convincing illusions and this is how they would do it. Also, it would be a cool way to enjoy some good food without getting fat.

false sensory input :]

[Dalebert]

false sensory input :]

I can find references to a psionic power of that name but I don't have access to the psionic handbook. If so 1) Not a spell. 2) Probably completely misses the point. I'm guessing from this (all I can find) it's an offensive power which this is not meant to be. There are high level illusion spells that can fool multiple senses. I'm talking about a fairly trivial spell of convenience that's completely useless in combat because it is self-only, and thus can be a fairly common resource to wizards that doesn't require taking separate class levels for.

My PCs have happened upon a number of magic items of convenience. Among them are magical towels for cleaning and drying things, a medallion you keep in your back pocket that summons a chair when you sit down, and rings of infertility. The party bard is loving the ring. They're also about to happen upon a magic chamber pot. Small non-living objects placed inside vanish. What the users haven't realized thus far is the way they disappear is by being teleported 100 ft in a random direction. Random pieces of a dead body have been found around a certain section of town and the PCs tracked to the center of the circle and ended up in the thieves guild.

[Dr. Cliché]

'Greater Permanency'

Makes anything permanent.

[Slipperychicken]

'Greater Permanency'

Makes anything permanent.

Target: One moment, feeling, night, or relationship which the caster knows in his heart will have to end someday.

[atemu1234]

Target: One moment, feeling, night, or relationship which the caster knows in his heart will have to end someday.

Our marriage lasted 30 years, until that one sorcerer used Disjunction...

[Svata]

Some sort of Lock-On system for ranged spells and attacks.

Targeting Ray. Spell compendium page 219. Lasts rounds/level, and provides a +1 insight bonus per three caster levels to ranged attacks from all of your allies (incl. yourself) who can see the ray. Continues even if you personally lose LOS to the target. Sound about right for what you want?

[Zaq]

I'm a little surprised there isn't a spell that makes the next spell you cast friendly (in other words, targeting enemies only and not allies). Kind of like Sculpt Spell, but costing a spell slot and an action rather than a feat slot and a level increase.

[nedz]

I'm a little surprised there isn't a spell that makes the next spell you cast friendly (in other words, targeting enemies only and not allies). Kind of like Sculpt Spell, but costing a spell slot and an action rather than a feat slot and a level increase.

When metamagic was introduced in 2E it was as a series of spells, though certain spells such as Extension had been around a lot longer. We tried this approach and it didn't really work since you had to cast two spells to get a small improvement. One of the design decisions early in 3E was to make a metamagic system using feats — so you tend not to see such spells.

[Thrice Dead Cat]

I'm a little surprised there isn't a spell that makes the next spell you cast friendly (in other words, targeting enemies only and not allies). Kind of like Sculpt Spell, but costing a spell slot and an action rather than a feat slot and a level increase.

Complete Arcane or Mage does have the spell guard rings, but that's still not a spell in and of itself.

[Venger]

I can find references to a psionic power of that name but I don't have access to the psionic handbook. If so 1) Not a spell. 2) Probably completely misses the point. I'm guessing from this (all I can find) it's an offensive power which this is not meant to be. There are high level illusion spells that can fool multiple senses. I'm talking about a fairly trivial spell of convenience that's completely useless in combat because it is self-only, and thus can be a fairly common resource to wizards that doesn't require taking separate class levels for.

XPH is core

false sensory input lets you fool your senses and change one sensation to another, so is basically only really useful for getting high in the first place. psibond agent can use this as a su.

it doesn't exist in exactly the way you want, my point was that an effect like what you described (tasting good food and not getting fat, getting high, etc) already did exist

I'm a little surprised there isn't a spell that makes the next spell you cast friendly (in other words, targeting enemies only and not allies). Kind of like Sculpt Spell, but costing a spell slot and an action rather than a feat slot and a level increase.

the extraordinary spell aim feat basically does this.

[Skysaber]

It's not quite the same, but there are a series of Dragon Magz feats, [body part] of the Mage, that grants some interesting, if pretty not great, stuff. One of them is, I think, Ears of the Mage, which allows you to hear your name whenever anyone on the same planet/plane (not quite sure, but it was big) speaks it, plus a few other small benefits. Sadly, like many feats, great idea, sub-par execution. Still, might be interesting if you are making a pc/npc with that as a gimmick.

Any idea on what issue that was in?