Negative side effects for spell casting

[Doc]

Hi everybody,

 

I was wondering how to create an area of effect negative side effects for a spell casting character. I'm going to run a Dark Sun campaign and I want to reproduce the Profanators' circle of casting life drain.

 

Technically, every character that is in a given radius of a casting profanator takes damages. I had thought of buying an area of effect killing attack, linked to every spells the profanator has, but a lesser power cannot be linked to more than one greater power in the standard rules.

 

The simplest way to build this I tought about is to cancel this rule in this case only, but maybe some of you may have better ideas?

 

Thanks a lot.

[sbarron]

Re: Negative side effects for spell casting

 

I don't know anything about Dark Sun. That said, if this is a feature of the magic system, you might not need to worry about anyone purchasing it at all. Just decide how it works and then have it happen.

 

If you want to build it, it sounds like an AE Body Drain, or a small AE RKA. Rather than linking to each spell, you can make it a side effect for each spell. That way, you can go over the APs of the spell with no worries.

 

However, I'd only allow that limit on characters that gave a crap about killing things around them. BBEG wouldn't get a limit for this, because he wouldn't care if he killed the minions around him, so long as it got the PCs, too. That's why I think I'd just make a feature of the setting, so everyone paid the same points for it.

[Doc]

Re: Negative side effects for spell casting

 

Thanks!

 

I'm still unsure about how I'll do this, because this side effect, though inherent to magic, can be controlled by good magicians in order to prevent it to hurt anything.

 

Moreover, to evil ones who don't give "a crap about killing things around them", I'd even buy it as an advantage, as it can damage opponents as wel...

[JmOz]

Re: Negative side effects for spell casting

 

Read the side effect rules carefully, there are a couple options that MIGHT give you what you are looking for

[Sean Waters]

Re: Negative side effects for spell casting

 

Hi everybody,

 

I was wondering how to create an area of effect negative side effects for a spell casting character. I'm going to run a Dark Sun campaign and I want to reproduce the Profanators' circle of casting life drain.

 

Technically, every character that is in a given radius of a casting profanator takes damages. I had thought of buying an area of effect killing attack, linked to every spells the profanator has, but a lesser power cannot be linked to more than one greater power in the standard rules.

 

The simplest way to build this I tought about is to cancel this rule in this case only, but maybe some of you may have better ideas?

 

Thanks a lot.

 

There's ways you can do this with the side effect limitation but whether you'll be allowed to depends on how useful the effect is - if it is nearly always a hindeerance, go with the side effects lim. If not, try this:

 

Profinator Zone of Death: Killing Attack - Ranged 1d6, Reduced Endurance (0 END; +1/2), Trigger (Activating the Trigger requires a Zero Phase Action, Trigger requires a Zero Phase Action to reset; +1/2), Area Of Effect (3" Radius; +1) (45 Active Points); No Range (-1/2), No Knockback (-1/4)

45 active, 26 real

 

I don't know Dark Sun - you may want to add in hole in the middle or personal immunity or even make the damage a Body drain or NND. Have fun.

 

The trigger removes the problems with multiple linkages.

[Doc]

Re: Negative side effects for spell casting

 

Thank guys! That was most usefull.

[Maur]

Re: Negative side effects for spell casting

 

Well, the problem is that the Area that needs to be drained isn't fixed, nor is the amount needed to be drained. The more powerful the spell, the more energy that is needed to be drained to power it. Defilers don't care about the damage and so they can turn a smaller area to Ash (since they kill all the plants in the area) whereas a Preserver would drain the same energy from a larger area and not actually kill the plants.

 

From Athas.org (D&D 3.5 conversion of Dark Sun)

Defilers and Preservers

Athasian wizards drain energy from the surrounding soil. The method used labels wizards as defilers or preservers. Preservers have the self-control to gather energy without destroying plants. Those who do not, or who feel no remorse about the damage caused, become Defilers. Defilers leave behind sterile soil and infertile ash when they cast spells. Due to this fact, most wastelanders blame wizards for the desert landscape that dominates the Tablelands today, and their hatred extends to defilers and preservers alike.

The Corruption of Power

Defilers leave behind an ashen circle when casting spells. The radius is 5 ft. x spell slot level expended (A 0-level spell defiles a single 5-ft. square occupied by the caster). Creatures except the defiler caught within the defiling radius at casting time experience pain and suffer a -1 penalty to attack rolls, skill checks and saves, lasting one

round. Plant creatures also suffer 2 hp damage x spell slot level expended (A 0-level spell inflicts 1 hp damage).

Defiler's ash is black and totally devoid of life-giving properties. It is the telltale sign of wizardry. Nothing grows in a defiled area for years. Even if the defiler's ash moves with the wind, the ground remains a lifeless scar. A defiler cannot preserve, but a preserver can defile if desperate.

When defiling, a wizard can extend the casting time of her spells to 1 round and gain a +1 bonus to caster level. Her defiling radius increases by 5 ft. Spells with a normal casting time of 1 round or longer require an extra round to be cast in this manner. Experienced defilers often increase their spellcasting power further through Raze feats (see Chapter 5: Feats).

[Sean Waters]

Re: Negative side effects for spell casting

 

In that case I'd build the effect as something like an AoE Body drain (or maybe a NND Does Body KA), against soil, plants and plant creatures as a side effect that damages the environment, with the area (rather than the effect) being governed by the AP in the spell. Unless soil or plant creatures are very common it doesn't sound like a useful effect. I'd also want the character taking some sort of social limitation disadvantage.

[Doc]

Re: Negative side effects for spell casting

 

In that case I'd build the effect as something like an AoE Body drain (or maybe a NND Does Body KA)' date=' against soil, plants and plant creatures as a side effect that damages the environment, with the area (rather than the effect) being governed by the AP in the spell. Unless soil or plant creatures are very common it doesn't sound like a useful effect. I'd also want the character taking some sort of social limitation disadvantage.[/quote']

 

Absolutely. But still, how could we merge this with the possibility of doing harm to near opposnents and to "aid" the spell being casted for a little more devastation?

[Sean Waters]

Re: Negative side effects for spell casting

 

Absolutely. But still' date=' how could we merge this with the possibility of doing harm to near opposnents and to "aid" the spell being casted for a little more devastation?[/quote']

 

The 'aid spell' could just be +1 to caster roll with side effect, which would then add to the side effects of the spell, increasing the area of defilement.

 

If you want to be able to use the effect to damage characters and NPCs, it becomes a GM call if that can still be done as a side effect or requires a seperate triggered power. Generally a spell caster will be closer to friends than enemies, or be in them midst of both, so it could arguably remain as a side effect, albeit probably at a lower limitation value to reflect the potential (occasional) usefulness.