Friday, November 1, 2013

Spell Design Challenge

ASpell Design Challenge from G+: Please invent for my game a 1st level magic-user spell that summons a very, very weak demon. It's OK to invent a new monster. The spell must keep game balance; it should be on par with magic missile. Bonus points: Spell enables fun role-playing and is "showy". Stretch goal: Demon has very slight chance to "break free" and/or dominate/make unconscious the caster.

Calling Up Minor Demon-Thingies for Fun & Profit

First off, let's take a look at Magic Missile...
Magic Missile
Spell Level: Magic-User, 1st Level
Range: 150 feet
Duration: Immediate
A magical missile flies where the caster directs, with a range of 150 feet. At the Referee's discretion, this spell may have one of two effects:
  1. The Magic-User must roll to hit the target with a +1 bonus to the roll. The missile inflicts 1d6+1 points of damage.
  2. The missile hits automatically, doing 1d4+1 points of damage.
In either case, the Magic-User casts an additional two missiles for every 5 levels of experience. Thus, at 5th level, the caster is able to hurl 3 magic missiles, and 5 missiles at 10th level.
Excerpted From: Swords & Wizardry Complete (Free version available in the D20SWSRD entry.)
So any spell we make for this Challenge needs to be First Level, on par with Magic Missile, and summon up a very minor demon-thingy. There's a bonus if the spell is somehow 'showy,' and enables fun role-playing, and it would be cool if the summoned critter has a chance to break free also. The spell needs to retain whatever this 'Game Balance' thing is that they're talking about. Okay. Hold my drink while I try this out...


Xongir's Fingerling
Spell Level: Magic-User, 1st Level
Range: 150 feet
Duration: Immediate
A smoldering scarlet tendril of wicked energy streaks out from the caster's outstretched hand to a range of 150 feet. The Magic-User rolls to hit (there's a +1 bonus) and if successful, the smoldering tendril lashes out at a victim of the caster's choosing, within the 150' range. The victim rolls to Save. If they fail, they lose a finger to the tendril (taking 1d6+1 damage, the stump is cauterized), if they succeed the tendril snaps back and severs one of the caster's fingers and the caster takes the damage. In the end, we are left with a shriveled and charred finger-bone which will slowly transform into a tiny demonlet over the next 1d6 hours. The caster gains a +1 bonus to all Loyalty Checks in regards to any Fingerling Demonlet they create via this spell. This bonus increases by an additional +1 every 3 levels of experience. If for any reason a Fingerling Demonlet has a negative reaction to their master, the horrid little thing will begin to connive and scheme to destroy them.
Loyalty check: Roll 1D%, any score over 70% means the Servitor becomes disloyal.

[Fingerling DemonletHD 1; AC 5[14]; Atk 1 claw or bite (1d2 x2  or 1d4); Move 6; Save 17; AL C; CL/XP 1/15. Special: Cast one first-level spell per day.]


Sidgwick's Scabrous Servitor
Spell Level: Magic-User, 1st Level
Range: Touch
Duration: 1 hour
A most unsanitary spell, once cast upon the designated recipient it can only be removed by a Cure Disease or Dispel Magic. Over the duration of the spell, every time the recipient takes any damage that produces bleeding, they suffer an additional 1 point of damage that goes into a clotted mass of scabs that forms near the wound(s). When the scab-clots have been able to acquire a total of 6 hit points, they tear themselves loose (inflicting 1d4 on the victim), and quickly form-up into a single, scabrous mass 1d4 inches in diameter. The Scabrous Servitor is mindless and follows the Magic-User who created it, always remaining within  3 feet of them. Unless fed each night directly from the Magic-User's own veins, the Servitor gains a cumulative bonus of +1 on their nightly Loyalty Check (roll 1D%, any score over 80% results in the Scabrous Servitor going rogue). They are most likely to attempt to escape, rather than attack their former master for fear that they will be exposed to their master's blood and brought back under control again.

[Scabrous ServitorHD 1; AC 7[12]; Atk 1 (1d4); Move 6; Save 17; AL C; CL/XP 1/15. Special: Servitor can stop bleeding once per day by sacrificing 1 hit point to heal 1d4. Servitor regains hit points by immersing itself in fresh blood. Servitor takes double damage from alcohol.]


Squiggling Suppurating Sores of Salamak
Spell Level: Magic-User, 1st Level
Range: Touch
Duration: 1 hour (6 rounds)
Temporarily disfiguring and very uncomfortable, this spell causes a terribly itchy rash of weeping sores to spread across the victim's skin. The rash makes movement unpleasant, so the victim suffers a -1 penalty to all attacks while suffering from this spell. A set of 1d4+1 sores erupt from the reddest, most painful portions of the rash, each one inflicting 1 point of damage. Each of the sores appear like wet, greedy mouths chewing their grisly way out of the victim's flesh. At the end of the spell, each of the sores will finally chew themselves free and drop to the ground in order to squiggle away like so many flabby, blind worms. The Magic-User casting this spell can collect the Squiggling Sores, if they avoid direct contact with the things. They must feed upon diseased flesh every night, or else they will attack their creator. These things have no loyalty, only hunger.

[Squiggling Sores: (1d4+1) HD 1; AC 7[12]; Atk 1 bite (1d2); Move 4; Save 9; AL C; CL/XP 1/10. Special: Automatically Detect Disease at will. Immune to all mind-influencing attacks--they are completely mindless.]

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