This massive tome is the size of four Без черты книги заклинаний, bound in leather as hard as plate armor and stitched together with strands of thin, pliable Металлов rather than thread. Toward the end is a list of names, each crossed out.
Защита Символ смерти on the first page of the book (Fort СЛ 22)
Opposition Schools Воплощение, Иллюзия
Value 22,675 зм (27,265 зм with the preparation ritual)
SPELLS
9th— подчинение чудовища S, видение будущего, магическое разъединение, mass паралич (чудовище) S, mass удушение **, слово силы смерть S, остановка времени
8th— сковывание S, клон, безудержная пляска S, сокрытие разума, универсальный полиморф, слово силы шок S, солнечная вспышка
7th— отражение **, greater мистическое зрение, мгновенный призыв OP, ограниченное желание, mass паралич (гуманоид) S, планарный переход OP, power world blind S, resonating word *, символ шока S
6th— полог снов S, **, заготовка, враждебный молот **, могучая рука, greater рассеивание магии, гейс/миссия S, знание легенд, память волшебника, истинное зрение
5th— возвращение, подчинение гуманоида S, изготовление, icy prison *, слабоумие S, кабинет волшебника, постоянство, глаза-разведчики, телепортация OP
4th— проклятие, сокрушительное отчаяние S, пространственный якорь, ужас, оборотничество S, **, силовая сфера, преображение камня, каменная кожа
3rd— огненный шар, полет, greater волшебное оружие, героизм S, loathsome вуаль *, необнаружимость, защита от стихии, symbol of peace S, *, внушение S
2nd— мистический замок, вечный свет, ложная жизнь, безудержный смех S, волшебный рот OP, зеркальное отражение OP, устойчивость к стихии, фокус с веревкой, увидеть невидимое, touch of idiocy S
1st— сигнал тревоги, приворот (гуманоид) S, плавное падение, forced quiet *, гидравлический толчок **, опознание, волшебная стрела, ошибка памяти S, **, ослабляющий луч, щит, невидимый слуга OP
PREPARATION RITUAL
Проклятий of Names (Св) When you are finished preparing your spells with this book, write the proper name of a single creature among the list of names in this book. As a быстрое действие, when you are within 30 feet of the named creature, you can call out its name to bestow the Проклятий of names on it. This spends the boon’s effect. The target creature takes a –2 penalty on all attack rolls, and a –4 penalty on all attack rolls against you, for 1 minute. When you activate this Проклятий, the name is crossed out in the back of the book. That creature cannot be the target of a Проклятий of names originating from you ever again. The penalties of two instances of Проклятий of names on the same creature do not stack.
ПРОЕКТИРОВАНИЕ ЗАКЛИНАНИЙ
Designing spells for the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game is a complex task that is part art, part science. This section describes what you need to think about when designing balanced, playable spells for your campaign.
Unlike Магии items, spells have predefined power levels corresponding to the круг заклинанияs already in the game. When you design a spell, you have to take those power levels into account by comparing the new spell to existing spells in the Core Rulebook —a spell has to fall into the narrow range of power for one of the nine круг заклинанияs (plus cantrips or orisons). In contrast, prЛьдаs for Магии items are strongly granular, and are calculated to the gold piece based on precisely what чертаures the item possesses. In other words, if you add more power to a Магии item, you just increase its prЛьда to compensate, but if you add too much power to a spell, you have to make it a higher- level spell, which means you then have to compare it to a different set of example spells.
THE GOLDEN RULE
Compare your spell to similar spells, and to other spells of its intended level.
Unlike when pricing Магии items, there are no formulae for how to correctly “prЛьда” a spell. The entire process is a matter of comparing the new spell you’re creating to other spells and evaluating whether your spell is weaker, stronger, or about the same as that spell or group of spells. Designing a spell requires a firm understanding of all the game’s rules, not just those related to spells. Further more, it requires an understanding of some unwritten game assumptions, most of which are discussed throughout this section.
Example: If you look at the spell list in the Core Rulebook, you’ll notЛьда that there isn’t a 1st-level волшебник spell that deals sonic damage. You may decide to design a spell to fill that niche, modeling it after пылающие руки, except dealing sonic damage instead of Огня—perhaps you’d call it sonic визг. However, there’s a reason there aren’t as many sonic spells in the game: “sonic” as an energy type is a late addition to the rules, and very few monsters have any сопротивляемость to sonic damage because most monsters existed before “sonic” was defined as an energy type. Because there are fewer creatures with sonic сопротивляемость than creatures with Огня сопротивляемость, sonic визг воля almost always be a better spell than пылающие руки. That means if you introduce sonic визг into your game, you’ll see savvy players selecting it instead of пылающие руки. If a new spell displaces an existing spell from the roster of most spellcasters, it probably means it’s better than the other available choices—and if it’s so Добра that it’s obviously the best spell choice, it’s probably overpowered. Understanding the entire system of rules can help you avoid mistakes like this.
SPELL TERMINOLOGY
It is essential for you to understand the terminology used in the game to describe spells and the effects they can create. Before designing a new spell, фамильярize yourself with “Chapter 9: Магии” in the Core Rulebook. In particular, be sure you understand the various schools and subschools on pages 209–212 and the spell stat block categories (components, range, and so on) on pages 212–218 of the Core Rulebook.
The following sections address aspects of spell design in Закона of their importance and relevance to making a balanced spell. For example, the components of a spell have very little to do with its power level unless an expensive focus or material component is involved, so components are discussed well after damage, range, duration, and испытания.
INTENDED LEVEL
Before you start, you typically need an idea of the general power level of the new spell—probably because you have a specific PC or NPC in mind who’d like to use it, and making the level too low to be significant or too high for that character to cast deчерты the purpose of designing the spell. Once you know the general level of the spell—a two-level range is close enough at this point—you can progress to the next issue.
FUNCTION
The intended function is the most important consideration when designing a spell. Specifically, function refers to the tangible game effects of the spell, such as dealing damage, applying a condition such as дезориентация, or giving a bonus on saves or attack rolls. Everything else is cosmetic at this point—it doesn’t matter if it’s режущее damage or Огня damage, makes a target дезориентация or замешательство, grants an интуитивный бонус on saves or an бонус усиления on attack rolls, or looks like unicorns or Огня Демоновs. Some sample functions include:
Deal damage to one opponent
Deal damage to multiple opponents
Apply a condition or effect to one opponent
Apply a condition or effect to multiple opponents
Give a defensive bonus to one ally
Give a defensive bonus to multiple allies
Give an offensive bonus to one ally
Give an offensive bonus to multiple allies
Лечение one ally
Лечение multiple allies
A spell can do several of these things at once, or give the caster a choice between several options, but such spells should always be less powerful than a single-purpose spell of the same круг заклинания, so keep that in mind when designing the spell. Note that “condition or effect” is the broadest category in the above list, which includes actual conditions like дезориентация and паникует, as well as effects like телепортацияation.
SPELL DAMAGE
One of the easiest ways to measure an offensive spell’s power is to look at how much damage it does. Offensive spells are the easiest spells to design in the game, and there are dozens of examples of them in the Core Rulebook. A typical damage spell deals 1 die of damage (typically a d6) per caster level for an мистическое заклинание (for example, шоковое прикосновение or огненный шар), or 1 die of damage (typically a d6, but sometimes a d8) per two caster levels for a Божественная spell (for example, палящий свет).
TARGET
The simplest spells only affect one target, whether that target is a creature, an object, or just the caster. Technically, a spell that only affects the caster (with a range of “personal” and target of “you”) is sСветаly weaker than one with a target of “one creature,” because being able to cast the spell on anyone makes it more versatile and thus more powerful. However, the sСвета decrease in power from making a spell “caster-only” should not be used to justify designing the spell at a lower level. In most cases, the caster-only spells are designed that way either because they’ve always worked that way, or because they provide a bonus that is unique and advantageous for that class, but that could get out of hand if you allowed anyone to get the Преимущества of the spell by casting it on them or drinking a potion of that spell; these spells should remain caster-only, but you should examine their power level as if you could cast them on anyone.
Example: Щит and верный удар are both 1st-level spells that only affect the caster. If you could cast those spells on others, they’d still be at the right power level for 1st- level spells—they aren’t 2nd-level spells that you knocked down a level because you designed them as caster-only. Щит has always been a spell that only affects the caster, and there’s a game-balance reason to keep it that way: because щит grants a щит bonus, casting it on a melee character means the воин could drop his actual щит and start wielding his weapon two-handed for extra damage. Верный удар was deliberately designed as a caster- only spell so a чародей couldn’t just cast it every round on the воин, who’d be guaranteed a hit against a difficult monster even if he used Защитная Стойка (for extra КБ) and Сокрушительный Удар (for extra damage). Making those spells caster-only doesn’t really weaken the spells, but it does prevent players from exploiting certain combinations that would make encounters too easy.
Spell Research
The game rules for what a caster must do to create a new spell are very vague (see Independent Research on page 219 of the Core Rulebook). This is because, like the details of creating Магии items, the nitty-gritty of what the caster is doing for this research isn’t important for the progress of the campaign. Just as it’s not necessary to know whether a волшебник is using squid ink or ink from a rare Растений when ремеслоing a scroll of пылающие руки, it’s not necessary to know whether he’s modifying gestures described in Irulark’s Incunabulum or altering the pronunciation of words detailed in Murlost’s Great Grimoire to create a new 1st-level attack spell. While it’s fine to include these elements for flavor, particularly in a high-narrative campaign, they don’t affect the outcome of the item ремеслоing or spell research, both of which largely take place outside of game time. Therefore, this chapter is about the game mechanics of a player or GM designing a new spell, not the in-world requirements of a character researching a new spell.
A spell that affects multiple creatures is more powerful than a spell that only affects one creature. Multiple- creature spells tend to either be area effects such as cones and spheres (like огненный шар), or allow the caster to select multiple targets as long as no two targets are more than a set дальнобойное apart (like замедление). A burst effect like огненный шар can potentially affect many more enemies than a pick- your-targets spell like замедление, but you never risk hitting your friends when you use замедление. Select which type is most appropriate for the spell, but understand that selecting multiple targets is generally more powerful except at the lowest caster levels (where a low caster level means few targets compared to a burst which can affect many).
DAMAGE CAPS
Low-level damage spells are not as Добра as medium- or high-level damage spells—the game is designed so lower- level spells eventually reach a maximum amount of damage they can deal. This is because if low-level spells continued to increase in damage without hitting a maximum amount, they’d rival some higher-level spells for effectiveness, and the game isn’t as interesting if casters are using the same spells at 20th level as they were at 1st.
The maximum damage depends on the level of the spell and whether the spell is Скрытности or Божественная. This is because мистическая магия is deliberately designed to be better at dealing damage to balance the fact that Божественная Магии is better at healing. A “single target” spell only damages one creature (like шоковое прикосновение), or divides its damage among several creatures (like пылающие руки or волшебная стрела). A “multiple target” spell applies its full damage to several creatures (like огненный шар).
TABLE 2–5: MAXIMUM DAMAGE FOR МИСТИЧЕСКОЕ ЗАКЛИНАНИЕS
Скрытности Max Damage Max Damage
Spell (Single (Multiple
Level Target) Targets)
1st 5 dЛьда —
2nd 10 dЛьда 5 dЛьда
3rd 10 dЛьда 10 dЛьда
4th 15 dЛьда 10 dЛьда
5th 15 dЛьда 15 dЛьда
6th 20 dЛьда 15 dЛьда
7th 20 dЛьда 20 dЛьда
8th 25 dЛьда 20 dЛьда
9th 25 dЛьда 25 dЛьда
TABLE 2–6: MAXIMUM DAMAGE FOR БОЖЕСТВЕННАЯ SPELLS
Божественная Max Damage Max Damage
Spell (Single (Multiple
Level Target) Targets)
1st 1 die —
2nd 5 dЛьда 1 die
3rd 10 dЛьда 5 dЛьда
4th 10 dЛьда 10 dЛьда
5th 15 dЛьда 10 dЛьда
6th 15 dЛьда 15 dЛьда
7th 20 dЛьда 15 dЛьда
8th 20 dЛьда 20 dЛьда
9th 25 dЛьда 20 dЛьда
For example, a 1st-level single-target волшебник spell like шоковое прикосновение can deal a maximum of 5 dЛьда of damage (specifically 5d6). Волшебная стрела can be used against a single target, or the caster can split up the missiles to affect multiple creatures, dividing the single-target damage among them. Пылающие руки initially looks like it doesn’t obey the damage cap table because it deals multiple dЛьда of damage against multiple creatures, but this is offset by the fact that it only deals d4s instead of d6s, and it has an extremely close and limited area of effect.
When looking at the Maximum Damage tables, also keep in mind that мистические заклинания usually use d6s for damage and Божественная spells usually use d8s, and these tables assume d6s; when looking at the damage caps for Божественная spells, count each d8 as 2d6. Thus, палящий свет is a 3rd-level single- target жрец spell that deals up to 5d8 points of damage; treating each d8 as 2d6, that counts as 10d6, which is on target for a 3rd-level жрец spell. (Note that the 1d6 per level and maximum 10d6 points of damage against нежить are still correct for a spell of this level, and the sСветаly higher damage against Света-vulnerable нежить is offset by the reduced damage against конструкцийs).
Tip: If your spell does more damage than the amount defined on the table, you should reduce the damage or increase the spell’s level.
Tip: If your spell does less damage than the amount defined on the table, you should increase the damage or add another effect to the spell. An example of this is раскат грома, which only deals 1d8 points of damage (this amount never increases), but can stun creatures in the area.
RANGE
Spell range plays a significant part in the power of a spell. Requiring the caster to touch a target with a hostile spell means the caster is in or very close to melee combat, and is risking retaliation from enemies and внеочередные атаки from threatening opponents. Similarly, while close-range spells give the caster a little more breathing room, a hostile target is generally within the range of a single move or a charge, allowing an opponent to close and attack the caster—even at caster level 14, a close-range spell only reaches 60 feet.
In indoor situations, most medium-range combat spells may as well have an infinite range, because at the level the caster gains access to the spell, the caster can reach 150 feet or more, and few encounters deal with ranges that far—the caster can hit anything he can see. Even outdoors, a spell with a 150-foot range can hit anything in sight on a typical game mat like a Paizo GameMastery Flip-Mat (24 inches by 30 inches is 120 feet by 150 feet). Long range is likewise all- encompassing, with a 400-foot minimum range translating to almost 7 feet on a game mat—longer than many tables used for gaming. Long range only comes into play in abstract situations like launching a огненный шар at enemies across a large prВоздухаie, using дверь в пространстве to return to an earlier (and safer) part of the dungeon, and so on.
Obviously, touch-range spells are the weakest type of
spell, close-range spells are better but not extremely so, and medium- and long-range spells may as well be identical for most purposes. Given that the Дальнобойное Заклинание черта doubles a spell’s range at a cost of +1 круг заклинания, and the Дальнее Заклинание черта from the Advanced Player’s Guide increases the range by one category (from touch to close, close to medium, medium to long), at a cost of +1 круг заклинания, it’s reasonable to balance a spell by assuming a +1 increase in level corresponds to increasing the range category by one. For example, a spell that works like исцеление легких ранений (Без чертыly 1st level) at close range instead of touch is appropriate for a 2nd-level spell.
DURATION
There are no hard-and-fast rules for determining how long a spell should last at a particular level; a weak spell may last hours, while a powerful one may only last a few rounds or be spent in one action. Your best bet is to compare your spell’s effect and duration to those of similar spells of its intended level and spells one level below and above that. Make sure you are fully aВойныe of the differences between “instantaneous” spells and “permanent” spells (see Duration on pages 216–217 of the Core Rulebook).
ИСПЫТАНИЯ
Most spells that directly affect creatures with a Магииal effect should allow a испытания. Spells that create nonМагииal materials that then strike or impede creatures (such as ледяная буря and пурга) do not Без чертыly require a испытания.
Spells that require the caster to make an attack roll to hit (even if it’s a ranged touch attack) may or may not require a испытания (истощение and палящий свет do not, дезинтеграция does). Attack effects that do not require rolling damage should always allow a испытания to reduce or negate the effect; otherwise, the spell becomes an obvious choice for anyone of the level to cast it.
Tip: When deciding whether or not the spell should have a испытания, consider how you’d feel if someone used the spell on your favorite PC. If your PC didn’t get any chance to resist the effect with a save or to Уворот it entirely because of a failed attack roll, would you be annoyed, embarrassed, or angry? If so, you should give the spell some kind of save or attack roll, just so it’s not an always-effective option.
Стойкость Saves: Spells with Стойкость saves usually physically transform the target, apply an effect you’d Без чертыly resist with a Стойкость save (such as disease or яд), or are a form of attack that sheer physical Живучесть is enough to resist. In general, making a successful Стойкость save means the effect hits, but the target toughs it out, like a bear shrugging off the stinky musk sprayed by a skunk. Note that if your spell only affects creatures—not objects—then nonliving creatures such as конструкцийs and нежить are immune to the spell. For example, this makes them immune to creature-oriented полиморфing spells, but not spells such as дезинтеграция, which can attack objects.
Реакция Save: Spells with Реакция saves usually create a physical burst or spread in an area, like an explosion, which the target is able to Уворот with a successful испытания. In general, making a successful Реакция save means the target Уворотd the effect, or the effect rolled over or around the target with a lesser effect. Note that you shouldn’t build a spell where the caster makes an attack roll and the target also makes a Реакция испытания; doing so brings Ловкость into play дважды for the same spell (once for the target’s КБ, once for the target’s Реакция save modifier).
Воля Saves: Spells with Воля saves are mental, mind- affecting attacks; the target resists with pure mental power, by using evasive Размышленияs or noticing f Принципиальностиs in the spell’s assault that can negate its effectiveness. A Воля save is like a mental version of a Стойкость save; the effect “hits” the target, and whether or not it succeeds depends on the target’s воляpower. Most direct-attack Воля-save spells (such as сон and убийственный фантазм) are разум effects (see Descriptors, below).
Some spells can be cast on objects, and the object only gets a испытания if it is a Магии item or is held by a creature; these spells should have “(object)” listed after the type of испытания (see уменьшение предмета).
Helpful spells and spells that do not повреждение the target in any way either should have no испытания, or should allow a испытания but have “(повреждениеless)” listed after the type of испытания (see полет).
Spells that only affect the caster never require a испытания (you’d never try to resist a beneficial spell you’re casting on yourself), so you don’t list a испытания for those spells at all (see верный удар).
УСТОЙЧИВОСТЬ К МАГИИ
Whether or not устойчивость к магии applies to a spell depends mostly on whether or not it is an instantaneous or ongoing Магииal effect. Устойчивость к магии applies to instantaneous Магииal effects (such as огненный шар) and ongoing Магииal effects (such as огненная стена), but not to nonМагииal effects or spells that create nonМагииal effects, whether instantaneous or ongoing. For example, каменная стена conjures an instantaneous каменная стена that cannot be dispelled; устойчивость к магии doesn’t help you walk through the spell’s wall any more than it would if you tried to walk through a mortared stone wall in a castle—neither wall is Магииal, and both walls remain there even if you use рассеивание магии or поле антимагии on them.
The general rule is that most spells allow устойчивость к магии. Only when you’re deliberately designing a spell that creates a nonМагииal object or nonМагииal effect is устойчивость к магии likely to be irrelevant. You can use движение грунта (instantaneous duration) to create a hill, and устойчивость к магии won’t help you get over or through the hill because the spell moves the Земли and thereafter stops being Магииal; likewise, you can use движение грунта to create a pit, and устойчивость к магии won’t help you ignore the pit because it’s a nonМагииal pit, just as if you had created it with a shovel. Волшебный камень adds Магииal power to stones, but устойчивость к магии doesn’t help protect against being hit by the stones any more than устойчивость к магии helps protect against a +1 arrow because the Магии is focused on the stones, not on the creature with устойчивость к магии.
It’s a common trick to design a spell that doesn’t allow устойчивость к магии so the caster can use it against creatures who have устойчивость к магии. In many cases, the idea behind the design is just silly, like a spell that creates a sphere of burning oil and hurls it at the intended area, where it bursts in an explosion of flame; clearly the intent is to create a nonМагииal огненный шар that bypasses устойчивость к магии. Golems in particular are often the intended targets of these spell designs, as their immunity to Магии ability makes them completely immune to any effect that allows устойчивость к магии. You should avoid letting these sorts of trick spells into your campaign, as they meddle with the balance of encounters (some monsters are designed to be harder for melee characters to fight, some are designed to be harder for spellcasters to fight, and some are just supposed to be difficult all around).
Whether or not a spell allows устойчивость к магии is not an indicator of the spell’s power; for most encounters, устойчивость к магии isn’t a factor.
If a spell’s испытания entry is marked as “(повреждениеless)” or “(object),” the устойчивость к магии entry should say that as well.
CASTING TIME
Almost all spells meant to be cast in combat should have a casting time of “1 основное действие.” Avoid the temptation to invent spells with a casting time of “1 move action,” “1 быстрое действие,” or “1 прерывающее действие,” as that’s just a cheesy way for spellcasters to be able to cast two spells in 1 round, and there’s already a mechanism for that: the Быстрое Заклинание черта. Making combat spells with faster casting times devalues the Быстрое Заклинание черта; even if you design the spell to be similar to a quickened spell, including the +4 level boost, it steals from casters who actually learn that черта, and your spell would become a common combo for high-level casters who can afford extra spells of that level. For example, if you create a 5th-level quickened волшебная стрела spell that acts just like a волшебная стрела spell with the Быстрое Заклинание черта, any 14th-level волшебник (who has at least three 5th-level spells available) is going to be tempted to learn this spell just because it allows him to add 5d4+5 extra points of damage to any high-level combat spell he casts, which is a way to get around the spell-damage cap. Further more, allowing spellcasters to routinely cast two spells per round means they tend to use up their spells more quickly and push their allies to camp and rest rather than continue exploring.
Spells that summon creatures to help in combat should have a casting time of “1 round.” This is to give a reasonable action cost for a character casting the spell. If the caster could summon a monster using a основное действие and have it act that same round, it’s like the spell didn’t cost him any actions at all.
Spells that call an outsider to serve for more than a few rounds (such as потусторонний союзник and потусторонний слуга) should have a casting time of 10 minutes; more powerful spells may have even longer casting times. Note that gate can be used to call creatures and only has a casting time of 1 основное действие, but when used this way, it requires a 10,000 зм material component, so that faster casting time doesn’t come cheaply.
COMPONENTS
For the most part, a spell’s components have very little to do with its overall power level unless it requires a costly focus or material component or has no component at all. Most spells in the Core Rulebook have verbal and жестовый компонентs, and new spells should follow this trend.
The advantage of spells that don’t require verbal components is they can be cast in an area of тишина, and thus there is the temptation to create silent versions of common combat spells. However, doing so devalues the Безмолвное Заклинание черта, just like making swift-action spells devalues Быстрое Заклинание, though not to such a great extent (casting two spells per round is a more serious problem than having a backup spell to counteract an unexpected тишина). If casters decide they’d rather prepare a silent волшебная стрела instead of кислотная стрела, or a silent кислотная стрела instead of огненный шар, they’ve deliberately chosen weaker options, and that’s fine.
The advantage of spells that don’t require жестовый компонентs is they can be cast when bound, захват, or when both hands are full or occupied, and мистическое заклинание failure doesn’t apply. Just as creating silent versions of spells devalues Безмолвное Заклинание, making non-somatic spells devalues the Безжестовое Заклинание черта. The premise of the game is that most spells require words and gestures, and new spells should stick with that unless the theme of the spell suggests it wouldn’t require a жестовый компонент, or it was specifically designed to escape сковываниеs or grapples.
The advantage of spells that don’t require material components is they don’t require a spell component pouch (and in the rare circumstance in which if you’re захват, you needn’t already have your material components in hand to cast the spell). Most material components are part of a spell for f lavor rather than to satisfy rules. The guano and sulМеха material components of огненный шар are there because early gunpowder (black powder) was made from guano and sulМеха. The Меха and glass rod material components ofудар молнииcome from the ability to create a buildup of static электричество by rubbing Меха against a glass rod. The game could present those spells without material components at all, and it would have a negligible effect on how the game plays (as proven by the “it has whatever I need” spell component pouch, and the чародей class getting Заклинания Без Реагентов as a дополнительная черта)—they’re just in the spell for fun. Balance your spell assuming it has no material components or free material components, and then add them in if the f lavor seems appropriate.
Costly material components should be used to prevent overРвенияous players from casting the spell as often as they want, because the spell either makes adventuring too easy if everyone in the party has it (such as каменная кожа), allows the PCs to bypass key adventuring experiences like exploring and investigating (such as предвидение, прорицание, and божественное откровение), or allows the PCs to trivialize certain threats (such as возвращение к жизни and восстановление). Balance a spell without costly material components if possible, usually by raising the круг заклинания if it is too Добра for the intended level. Sometimes the power level of a spell is on target (like предвидение, as it makes sense to have a low-level прорицание spell for жрецы), but the spell is valuable enough that players воля overuse it if it’s free, so you have to apply a зм cost to moderate how often the PCs use it. Long-lasting defensive spells such as сторожевая печать also fit into this category; if they were free, every spellcaster would cover her lВоздуха in them, casting one в день for the weeks or months of planning the NPC has before the PCs arrive. By giving сторожевая печать a зм cost, it allows for more traditional adventuring—otherwise every square the PCs walk on is a potential trap, замедлениеing play to a crawl as the PCs are forced to замедлениеly and carefully search every square to notЛьда the glyphs (given that a typical 5th- level плут has +14 to Внимание against a СЛ 28 glyph, meaning she fails most searches unless she takes 20).
Focus components are governed by the same rules as material components—in most cases they’re just there for f lavor, and are only relevant if costly. A costly focus is like a costly material component, except it’s a one-time расходiture rather than a repeat расходiture, a barrier to entry that you can ignore once you’ve crossed the threshold. A costly focus is a Добра way to delay when PCs gain access to the spell, but once they have the materials, it’s essentially just like any other spell without a costly focus. As with material components, balance the spell for its level, and if it seems like the spell is too Добра and delaying access to it would help moderate it, consider adding a costly focus component.
SCHOOL
In terms of balancing the power of a spell, its school isn’t very important—a 6th-level Воплощение attack spell should be about as powerful as a 6th-level Разрушение attack spell. Deciding on the spell’s school is really about choosing what best fits the theme and effect of the spell. Spells that deal energy damage to an area are usually Воплощение or Разрушение spells. Spells that call, summon, or create physical objects or creatures are usually Воплощение spells, while those that create things made of energy or force are usually Разрушение spells. Spells that affect minds are usually Очарование spells, unless they устрашение or affect нежить, in which case they’re Некромантия spells.
BONUS TYPES
There are many types of bonuses in the game. It’s tempting to look at that list of bonuses, find “holes” in the spell list that don’t have spells for certain bonus types, and create a new spell that adds one of those unused bonus types to your favorite statistic or roll. Resist this temptation. Not all bonus types are equal within the game, and many bonus types are only meant for certain things. See Table 2–7: Bonus Types and Effects.
A dПраха entry (—) in the table indicates there are no common examples of items or spells that grant that kind of bonus. If you’re designing an item or spell and want to include a certain type of bonus to a particular ability or statistic, check Table 2–7 first; if the bonus type doesn’t say it can affect that ability or statistic, use one that does instead. One reason for this table is that some bonuses are better than others (бонус отраженияes work against бестелесность creatures and when you are застигнут врасплох, бонус естественной брониes do not). A second reason is that allowing any kind of bonus on any roll or statistic makes it really easy to stack many small bonuses more cheaply than a larger bonus, which makes powerful Магии items like a ring of защита +5 much less interesting. A third reason is that some of these combinations just don’t make sense, like a бонус отражения to Сила or a щит bonus on Знание checks.
DESCRIPTION
The description is the meat of the spell, and what you put here is the most important information of all.
Make sure the spell description is clear and concise. Remember that players are going to refer to the spell description in a hurry during their turn of combat, and if they have to fight their way through f lowery Языка to figure out the details, the resulting delay воля annoy other players and the GM. If the spell has several complex effects, put each effect into its own paragraph. If the spell allows the caster to choose from several options, put each option on its own line with an italicized name (see сковывание for an example).
Anything that appears in the spell stat block doesn’t need to appear again in the spell description—it’s redundant. For example, the огненный шар description doesn’t say, “The spell can reach up to 400 feet plus 40 feet per caster level.” Extraneous text like that is just more clutter for the player to просеять through when looking up the spell’s effects in the middle of combat.
Avoid using Языка that implies something that the game mechanics of the spell don’t back up. For example, a spell’s description shouldn’t say “using the foul powers of Некромантия” if the spell doesn’t actually have some sort of Зла effect or the Зла descriptor. This sort of mistake is most common with Некромантия spells, which include not only many obviously Зла spells, but also a fВоздуха share of helpful ones as well (such as астральная проекция, посмертный покой, and упокоение нежити). People who read your spell description may not know your intent, and using flavorful Языка can trick readers into thinking a spell should have additional effects not explicitly spelled out in the description.
Remember that while you may be designing a spell with a particular character or class in mind, most spells are going to have a broader availability. You have to think of the spell in the hands of the biggest power gamer, and in use by a character who is very different than the one for whom it is designed. Even a simple чародей/волшебник spell has to deal with two different types of casters: a волшебник, who can learn many spells but can only cast a few в день, and a чародей, who knows few spells but can cast many в день. A spell that is Добра for a волшебник may be too Добра when used by a чародей because the чародей can use it more times в день. Likewise, think of what happens if the PCs can access the spell in potion or scroll form—you may intend for the spell to be rare and for the PCs to not have it most of the time, but a волшебник can create scrolls of rarely used spells and save them for just the right внеочередная.
When you finish writing a spell description, have others look it over. They’ll notЛьда things you missed, come up with questions your spell needs to address, and find ways your spell can be abused. Use that feedback to revise the spell.
TABLE 2–7: BONUS TYPES AND EFFECTS
| Bonus Type | Can Affect | Sample Item | Sample Spell |
| Alchemical | Характеристикиs, saves | Antitoxin | — |
| Armor | КБ | Bracers of armor | Магический доспех |
| Circumstance | Attacks, checks | Robe of blending | — |
| Competence | Attacks, checks, saves | Boots of elvenkind | Божественное наставление |
| Отражение | КБ | Ring of защита | — |
| Уворот | КБ | Never* | Never* |
| Enhancement | Характеристикиs, КБ, attacks, damage, быстрое | Belt of giant Сила | Волшебное оружие |
| Inherent | Характеристикиs | Manual of bodily лечениеth | Wish |
| Insight | КБ, attacks, checks, saves | Dusty rose prism ioun stone | Верный удар |
| Удачи | КБ, attacks, checks, damage, saves | Stone of Добра Удачи | Милость божества |
| Morale | Attacks, checks, damage, saves, Сил, Con, Лвк | Candle of invocation | Благословение |
| Natural Armor | КБ | Amulet of natural armor | Дубовая кожа |
| Profane | КБ, checks, damage, DCs, saves | — | Осквернение |
| Сопротивляемость | Saves | Cloak of сопротивляемость | Сокрытие разума |
| Sacred | КБ, checks, damage, DCs, saves | — | Освящение |
| Щит | КБ | Ring of force щит | Щит |
| Size | Характеристикиs, attacks, КБ | — | Увеличение гуманоида |
* Spells and Магии items should never grant Бонус уклоненияes because Бонус уклоненияes always stack, and it would be a simple matter to stack various low-power items or spells with small Бонус уклоненияes and get an incredibly high Armor Class more cheaply than by achieving that КБ using the armor, отражение, enhancement, and бонус естественной брониes in the game.
DEPLETABLE STATISTICS
Depletable statistics are any values in a creature or object’s stat block that can be reduced by some form of attack and that can neutralize, kill, or destroy the creature or object when they reach a low value (typically 0). Пункты здоровья, Характеристикиs, and levels are all depletable statistics—a creature falls без сознания below 0 пункты здоровья and eventually dies; objects, нежить, and конструкцийs are destroyed at 0 пункты здоровья; creatures are made беспомощьность or killed by bringing an Характеристики to 0; creatures die when their negative levels equal their total Кости Здоровья. Many Магииal attacks and most nonМагииal attacks reduce a target’s depletable statistics in some way, eventually deчертаing the target.
However, бонус атакиes, испытания bonuses, Armor Class, hardness, МБМ, ЗБМ, initiative, быстрое, skill modifiers, and most other game statistics are not depletable statistics because no matter how low these statistics get, the affected creature or object is still able to take actions. For example, a spell that gives a target a –10 attack penalty has little effect on a чародей casting огненный шар, as would a spell that gave her a –10 penalty on her Воля испытания; deозлобленность her poor attack rolls and miserable Воля saves, she is still quite capable of blasting her opponents to bits, whether these penalties are –10 or –100. Similarly, a воин with a –10 penalty on Стойкость испытания can still swing a sword, as can one with a –10 penalty to Armor Class; the воин is still viable deозлобленность these penalties.
“Depletable statistic” isn’t an official game term, but it is a helpful concept when comparing power levels of spells—attacking depletable statistics is a Войны of attrition that can eventually wear down the target, whereas adding penalties to non-depletable statistics may have no effect at all, as the target may have other attacks that allow them to ignore those penalties.
HIERARCHY OF ATTACK EFFECTS
When it comes to attack spells, there is a clear hierarchy of what kinds of effects are better than others. Here are the attack effects in Закона of best effect to worst, assuming all other factors (specific immunities, number of targets affected, and so on) are equal.
Control: A control spell puts an opponent under your control, turning him into an ally or at least keeping him from being an active enemy for a while. This is the best kind of attack spell because not only does it negate an opponent (the same effect as a kill or incapacitate spell), but it also creates a new ally that the caster can turn against his other opponents. Many of the more powerful Очарование spells are control spells, though their drawback is that they tend to be all-or-nothing (if the creature saves, it’s completely unaffected by the spell). Examples of control spells are приворот (чудовище), приворот (гуманоид), замешательство, подчинение чудовища, and подчинение гуманоида.
Kill: A kill spell kills or destroys an opponent outright, bypassing the target’s depletable statistics (see sidebar), typically with a Стойкость испытания. Kill spells are better than incapacitate spells because they don’t wear off and there’s no chance another enemy can easily reverse the spell (such as with рассеивание магии). The best of the kill spells still act as damage spells if the target saves, so the caster is guaranteed some effect. Examples of kill spells are дезинтеграция, палец смерти, убийственный фантазм, слово силы смерть, сразить живого, and вой баньши.
Incapacitate: An incapacitate spell makes the target unable to act against the caster, effectively removing him from a battle for a period of time (possibly permanently) but at the risk of other opponents reversing the incapacitated target’s condition. Spells that cause an enemy to flee count as incapacitate spells. Incapacitate spells are better than damage spells because they allow the caster to bypass a target’s depletable statistics, sometimes disabling an opponent with a single spell. Examples of incapacitate spells are ужас, превращение камня в плоть, паралич (чудовище), паралич (гуманоид), слово силы шок, and сон.
Damage: A damage spell reduces the target’s depletable statistics, bringing the target closer to the point where that damage incapacitates it. Damage spells are reliable spells because all creatures have depletable statistics of some sort and because most nonМагииal attacks affect depletable statistics (which means that the caster’s воин and плут allies are helping overcome the opponent). Damage spells are better than penalize spells because damage always stacks (penalties do not) and if the caster and his allies deal enough damage, they’ll eventually disable an opponent, whereas it’s possible to add penalties almost indefinitely and still have a somewhat viable opponent. Examples of damage spells are конус холода, огненный шар, удар молнии, волшебная стрела, яд, and раскат грома.
Penalize: A penalize spell gives the target some penalty not related to its depletable statistics, such as an attack penalty, an Armor Class penalty, restrictions on the kinds of actions it can take, and so on. Penalize spells are the weakest sort of spells because in most cases the caster can’t kill an opponent with penalties and the penalties don’t stack with themselves, so the caster and his allies have to deal with the penalized opponent in some other way (typically through damage spells and nonМагииal attacks). Examples of penalize spells are отповедь, слепота/глухота, ослабляющий луч, and замедление.
There are exceptions to the above categories. For example, if dealing with a monster that has a lot of пункты здоровья and deals substantial damage but only has a moderate chance of повреждениеing the caster’s allies, the caster may be better off trying to give the opponent an attack penalty (to decrease the chance of the monster hitting) than trying to wear down its пункты здоровья (because during that time the monster may be dealing a lot of damage to the caster’s allies). In this case, a penalize spell that reduces its бонус атаки is better than a damage spell. As another example, the PCs may need to question a deчертаed opponent, in which case an incapacitate spell is a better choice than a kill spell (unless the PCs have some really Добра Магии that lets them question the мертв more effectively than разговор с мертвым).
Spells with variable effects may be more than one type of spell in the hierarchy depending on the results—a замешательство spell that causes a monster to babble incoherently is an incapacitate spell, but if the spell causes it to attack one of its allies, it’s a control spell. Likewise, a призыв чудовища III spell that summons a fiendish удав is an incapacitate spell if the snake grapples an enemy, but it’s just a damage spell if it summons a fiendish boar, which only deals damage and has no special attacks. Balancing these spells is tricky, as you have to consider their optimal usage.
CORE IS KING
When designing a new spell, you should always compare it to the spells in the Core Rulebook to get a sense of whether the spell is strong or weak for its level. You can compare it to spells in other books as well, but you should use the Core Rulebook as a baseline. This is because if a spell in another sourcebook pushes the boundaries of what’s acceptable
or balanced, even just by a little bit, it’s easy to push the boundaries a little more with your new spell, which means that over time, new spells end up more and more powerful compared to those in the Core Rulebook. The Core Rulebook spells are the most playtested, optimal versions of spells in the game—new spells shouldn’t be significantly better than them (see also the Benchmarks section on pages 138–139).
Remember that it’s acceptable to make a spell that isn’t as powerful as an existing spell. Just because it’s not the best spell of its level doesn’t mean it won’t get used by adventurers. In fact, that’s why easily ремеслоed scrolls are a significant part of the game—to allow parties access to spells they wouldn’t Без чертыly prepare or learn, but may find useful in some circumstances.
MULTIPURPOSE SPELLS
A spell that gives the caster a choice of multiple options should be weaker overall than a spell that only does one thing. First, a spell that is Добра at two things is much better than a spell that is Добра at one thing, so you should reduce the power of the former spell so the two spells remain about equal. Second, because бардs, оракулs, and чародейs can only learn a limited number of spells, a spell that can do multiple things is often a better choice for them because it’s almost like learning multiple spells.
Examples of poorly designed spells with multiple, dissimilar options are:
A general “emotions” spell that lets the caster project one of several emotions, each of which has a different effect on targets.
A Огня spell that lets the caster hurl a blast of Огня, ignite multiple arrowheads to add Огня damage, or make a protective щит of Огня.
A spell that works like бычья сила, but lets the caster choose which Характеристики it affects.
A spell that either телепортацияs the caster or can be used to send away an Unwilling target.
A spell that deals energy damage of a type chosen by the caster to an area.
Rather than create a multipurpose spell that gives a “shopping list” of effects the caster can choose from, keep the Любимая Школа Магииed on one or perhaps two similar options. Note that there is a difference between a spell with multiple similar options and one with radically different options. Добра examples of appropriate multipurpose spells are сигнал тревоги (audible and mental сигнал тревогиs are still сигнал тревогиs), облик зверя I (Small or Medium Животныхs, specific Преимуществаs from a short list), огненный щит (two options with basically the same mechanical effect, on par for a spell of its level), the призыв чудовища spells (very versatile but of limited duration, with monsters of a lower power level than other spells of the same level).
CHOOSING DESCRIPTORS
While spell descriptors are frequently overlooked, they play an important role in the mechanics of a spell. Assigning the correct descriptors is key to finishing the spell. The follows is a list of all the descriptors in the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game, including several new ones introduced in this book.
Acid: Acid effects deal damage with chemical reactions rather than cold, электричество, heat, or vibration. This descriptor includes both actual acids and their chemical opposites, called bases or alkalines (such as ammonia and lye).
Воздуха: Spells that create Воздуха, manipulate Воздуха, or conjure creatures from Воздуха-dominant planes or with the Воздуха subtype should have the Воздуха descriptor.
Chaotic: Spells that draw upon the power of true Хаоса or conjure creatures from Хаоса-aligned planes or with the chaotic subtype should have the Хаоса descriptor.
Cold: Cold effects deal damage by making the target colder, typically by blasting it with supernaturally cooled matter or energy. Cold effects also include those that create Льда, sleet, or snow out of nothing. They can cause обморожение, numbness, coordination problems, замедлениеed movement and reactions, stupor, and Смерти.
Проклятий: Проклятий is a new spell descriptor created for this book. Проклятийs are often permanent effects, and usually cannot be dispelled, but can be removed with a разрушение чар, ограниченное желание, чудо, снятие проклятия, or wish. For a list of Проклятий spells in the Core Rulebook and Advanced Player’s Guide, see “Chapter 5: Spells.”
Тьма: Spells that create тьма or reduce the amount ofСвета should have the тьма descriptor. Giving a spell the тьма descriptor indicates whether a spell like дневной свет is high enough level to counter or dispel it.
Смерти: Spells with the Смерти descriptor directly attack a creature’s life force to cause immediate Смерти, or to draw on the power of a мертв or при смерти creature. The защита от смерти spell protects against Смерти effects, and some creature types are immune to Смерти effects.
Disease: This is a new spell descriptor created for this book. Disease effects give the target a disease, which may be an invading organism such as a bacteria or virus, an abБез черты internal condition (such as a cancer or mental disЗакона), or a recurring Магииal effect that acts like one of the former. Creatures with сопротивляемость or immunity to disease apply that сопротивляемость to their испытания and the effects of disease spells. For a list of disease spells in the Core Rulebook and Advanced Player’s Guide, see “Chapter 5: Spells.”
Земли: Spells that manipulate Земли or conjure creatures from Земли-dominant planes or with the Земли subtype should have the Земли descriptor.
Электричество: Электричество effects involve the presence and f low of electrical charge, whether expressedin amperes or volts. Электричество deals damage to creatures by disrupting their biological systems. It deals damage to objects (as well as creatures) by heating the material it passes through, and thus technically many электричество spells could also be treated as Огня spells, but for sake of game simplicity, it is better to just let электричество-based spells deal электричество damage. Электричество effects may stun, paralyze, or even kill.
Emotion: This is a new spell descriptor created for this book. Spells with this descriptor create emotions or manipulate the target’s existing emotions. Most emotion spells are Очарованиеs, except for ужас spells, which are usually Некромантия. For a list of emotion spells in the Core Rulebook and Advanced Player’s Guide, see “Chapter 5: Spells.”
Зла: Spells that draw upon Зла powers or conjure creatures from Зла-aligned planes or with the Зла subtype should have the Зла descriptor.
Ужас: Spells with the ужас descriptor create, enhance, or manipulate ужас. Most ужас spells are Некромантия spells, though some are Очарование spells.
Огня: Огня effects make the target hotter by creating Огня, directly heating the target with Магии or friction. Lava, steam, and boiling Воды all deal Огня damage. Огня effects can also cause замешательство, dizziness, exhaustion, fatigue, nausea, без сознанияness, and Смерти. Spells that manipulate Огня or conjure creatures from Огня-dominant planes or with the Огня subtype should have the Огня descriptor.
Force: Spells with