Idea for a spell: Alchemical Infusion

[Seharvepernfan]

So, alchemical items tend to become ineffective by high levels; this is a way to keep them somewhat relevant.

Infuse
Transmutation
Level: Sor/Wiz 1, Artificer 1, Bard 1, other arcanists
Components: V, M
Casting Time: 1 Swift Action
Duration: 1 round
Target: one alchemical item

For one round, the alchemical item you cast this spell on has it's saving throw DC become equal to 15 + your casting stat ability modifier, with a maximum bonus from your casting stat modifier equal to half your caster level (minimum one).

edit: I suppose Spell Focus (Transmutation) should also give it's bonus, not that anybody ever takes it.

Thoughts?

[Amnoriath]

So, alchemical items tend to become ineffective by high levels; this is a way to keep them somewhat relevant.

Infuse
Transmutation
Level: Sor/Wiz 1, Artificer 1, Bard 1, other arcanists
Components: V, M
Casting Time: 1 Swift Action (or 1 standard action)
Duration: 1 round (or 1 round per level)

For the duration of this spell, any alchemical item you touch and throw/use has it's saving throw DC become equal to 15 + your casting stat ability modifier.

Thoughts?

1. Well for a 1st level spell you are effectively giving a 5th level save. I understand it needs to be beneficial but I think a better way to handle it would be to simply increase the DC by 2 and increase the damage by 1 per caster level(max 5). This way it can benefit more than just ones allowing a save while not making it almost impossible to avoid at lower levels.
2. What is with the 2 casting times?

[Seharvepernfan]

1. Well for a 1st level spell you are effectively giving a 5th level save. I understand it needs to be beneficial but I think a better way to handle it would be to simply increase the DC by 2 and increase the damage by 1 per caster level(max 5). This way it can benefit more than just ones allowing a save while not making it almost impossible to avoid at lower levels.
2. What is with the 2 casting times?

The two casting times are a normal version and a "swift" version, like how there is expeditious retreat and swift expeditious retreat. I just didn't think there needed to be two different spells for that; it's already of fairly narrow use (I think).

As for the save thing; maybe I could add a limit to how high you can increase the save, based on level. Like: "
For the duration of this spell, any alchemical item you touch and throw/use has it's saving throw DC become equal to 15 + your casting stat ability modifier, with a maximum bonus equal to half your caster level (minimum one)." That way, this spell is still worth the bother (and alchemical expense), but doesn't get out of hand. I personally don't want the spell to increase damage.

[Seharvepernfan]

Now that I think about it, allowing this spell to last for rounds/level is a really bad idea; people can then just start chucking 2 or 3 noxious smokesticks or flash pellets every round with high DCs. So, I will limit the spell to the swift version, and I'll edit my first post accordingly.

[Seharvepernfan]

bump for great justice

Really, I just want to know if the spell is too good for a 1st level spell as is.

[AtlasSniperman]

So, alchemical items tend to become ineffective by high levels; this is a way to keep them somewhat relevant.

Infuse
Transmutation
Level: Sor/Wiz 1, Artificer 1, Bard 1, other arcanists
Components: V, M
Casting Time: 1 Swift Action
Duration: 1 round

For the duration of this spell, any alchemical item you touch and throw/use has it's saving throw DC become equal to 15 + your casting stat ability modifier, with a maximum bonus equal to half your caster level (minimum one).

edit: I suppose Spell Focus (Transmutation) should also give it's bonus, not that anybody ever takes it.

Thoughts?

1) "any alchemical item you touch and throw/use" Does this mean that if you touch it, someone else can't use it and gain the benefit? If so why not just change it to "any alchemical item you throw or use", if not then shouldn't it change to "any alchemical item you touch", it seems quite redundant as is.

2) I'm confused by the "Maximum bonus" thing, is that the DC increase? If so I might change it to "DC becomes equal to 15 + your casting stat ability modifier modifier, to a maximum of half your caster level." As is the wording is very lengthy and confusing.

3) I take Spell Focus(Transmutation) :(

[Seharvepernfan]

1) "any alchemical item you touch and throw/use" Does this mean that if you touch it, someone else can't use it and gain the benefit? If so why not just change it to "any alchemical item you throw or use", if not then shouldn't it change to "any alchemical item you touch", it seems quite redundant as is.

2) I'm confused by the "Maximum bonus" thing, is that the DC increase? If so I might change it to "DC becomes equal to 15 + your casting stat ability modifier modifier, to a maximum of half your caster level." As is the wording is very lengthy and confusing.

1) yeah, poor wording on my part. Should be "any alchemical item you throw or use"

2) For the duration of this spell, any alchemical item you throw/use has it's saving throw DC become equal to 15 + your casting stat ability modifier, with a maximum bonus from your casting stat modifierequal to half your caster level (minimum one). So, a 10th level wizard with 22 Int would use this spell and throw a flash pellet at DC 20 (not 21, because the maximum bonus is +5, which is half his CL). If he were 12th level, the DC would then be 21. However, if he had Spell Focus (Transmutation) at 10th level, the DC would be 21, because the bonus from that feat is not a casting stat ability bonus (I shoulda said that somewhere).

So, basically, the maximum DC for items used with this spell is equal to:

16 at CL 1 & 2
17 at CL 3 & 4
18 at CL 5 & 6, etc

Make sense?

[Seharvepernfan]

I changed it to only affect one alchemical item. Should I change the duration to rounds or minutes per level?

The way I see it, you are getting a 5th level save for a 1st level spell, but you have to have an alchemical item (which requires both availability and money), then successfully use said item before the end of the duration (hitting an enemy or square). Also, you get to choose between whichever items you have, so it could be a flash pellet for blindness, or a thunderstone for deafness or whatever, but alchemical item effects tend to be somewhat weaker than similar effects from spells.

What's the verdict, playground? Still too good for a 1st level spell? If so, what level should it be?

[sreservoir]

why ... not just set the DC equal to the spell's save DC?

[Seharvepernfan]

why ... not just set the DC equal to the spell's save DC?

Because alchemical items have a DC of at least 15; you're infusing the item with extra power. Also, as a 1st level spell that has a rather expensive material component, it needs to be useful to low-level people.

[nonsi]

So, alchemical items tend to become ineffective by high levels; this is a way to keep them somewhat relevant.

Infuse
Transmutation
Level: Sor/Wiz 1, Artificer 1, Bard 1, other arcanists
Components: V, M
Casting Time: 1 Swift Action
Duration: 1 round
Target: one alchemical item

For one round, the alchemical item you cast this spell on has it's saving throw DC become equal to 15 + your casting stat ability modifier, with a maximum bonus from your casting stat modifier equal to half your caster level (minimum one).

edit: I suppose Spell Focus (Transmutation) should also give it's bonus, not that anybody ever takes it.

Thoughts?

Seems ok to me.