Re: Create Helm spells - Spell Levels

--- Julio Prina <ladob@???????.com> wrote:
>  > Create Furnace Helm (Pr 3, Alteration, Enchantment, Invocation)
>
>  > Create Furnace Helm (Wiz 9, Alteration, Enchantment)
>
> In relation to both spells, a believe the idea is very good,but the
> spell leves are somewhat erroneus, both up and downsides.

I knew this would be an issue for people so I'll expound on my
reasoning.

> For the
> priest version i think 50 tons is a good limit and the spell should
> be 4th lvl, so that novices to space travel wouldnot be lying around
> so easily.

First of all, why wouldn't we want "novices" flying around?  Unless you
play a very high powered game (and even then) 5th level priests should
be much more common than 7th level priests.  Also, high level rangers
can cast the spell at this level and high level paladins get it sooner.
 That means more people tooling around space.  That's always a Good
Thing (TM).  Also I'm not sure what you mean by novice.  Now in 3e a
5th level character is barely out of diapers due to the quick
advancement but in 1e and 2e 5th level is someone that's been around
for a few years (remember, NPCs are assumed to level slower than PCs
most of the time).  And why put a 50 ton limit on it?  What purpose
does it serve?  That can't even move a hammership yet we know
hammerships are some of the oldest craft in space and that in the not
too distant past furnace helms were the best there was that was
generally available.  Thus the spell should be able to power a
hammership at least.

> The Wizard one could be 7th or 8th level. As Timothy B. Brown wrote
> on Dragon Kings, 9th lvl spells should raise mountains! Let's put a
> " Create Helm" of the ninth level that truly blasts spacefarers to
> the depths of the spheres.

Timothy B. Brown is wrong.  We know from the FR Arcane Age stuff what
it takes to raise mountains.  But for this discussion let's ignore
that.

Look at the level of related spells.  Create major helm is 7th IIRC.
More importantly, this spell destroys magical items and sucks their
energy in.  What other spells do this and what level are they?  None
that I know of.  Mordenkainen's disjunction is 9th level and it
destroys magical items in a radius.  It doesn't suck their power in and
convert it.  Items do get a saving throw.  The create furnace helm
spell can only disjoin one magical item at a time.  It can't be used
offensively.  It sucks in the power and converts it to motive force.
There is no save (but then with the constant effect of the spell even a
save every round is just a needless hassle as the item will eventually
fail).  As such it is balanced as a 9th level spell (OK, maybe it
should be 10th level/true dweomer/whatever but I wanted to make a
generally available spell).

__________________________________________________
Do you Yahoo!?
New DSL Internet Access from SBC & Yahoo!
http://sbc.yahoo.com