Spells / Powers

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The following spells are banned (book in parentheses, reason/notes after a dash if listed):
Alter Self (PH)
Arcane Spellsurge (DrM)
Celerity spells (all of them)
Wraithstrike (SpC) - Full attack touch attack, 'nuff said
Shapechange (PH) - If you get it as a level 9 domain spell, I'll help you pick another spell
Draconic Polymorph (Drac) - The only reason I allow Polymorph is b/c it's not selfish, so...
Power Word Pain (RotD)
Ray of Stupidity (SpC) - Too many enemies with very low int
Dance of Ruin (BoVD) - Crazy damage, crazily variable area, crazy spell
Love's Pain (BoVD)
Mindrape (BoVD)
Friendly Fire (EoE) - It single-handedly shuts down entire builds and classes for the entire fight, automatically.
Ice Assassin (Frost)
Venomfire (SS) - Note I ban Savage Species entirely anyway.
Embrace/Shun the Dark Chaos (FC1)

Synchronicity (CPsi) - Combined w/ Linked Power feat, gives an extra standard action for 1 pp. I had to ban one of the two...
Sense Danger (MoE) - Fairly low cost for a bonus action at the start of every combat for long duration.
Forced Dream (MoE) - Ripe for abuse and even played as intended is a nightmare to undo stuff like that.
Anticipatory Strike (RoD) - Same reason Celerity spells are banned.
Greater Metamorphosis (XPH) - If playing a psychometabolist, I'll design a new power for level 9.
Psychic Reformation (XPH) - I'm pretty generous about retraining, this is just excessive


The following spells are receiving houserule errata:
- Complete Psionic nerfs: The ones for crystal powers (affected by DR), Energy Stun and Energy Missile (save DC fix) are used; the 1 construct limit of Astral Construct is not used.

- Touchsight does not automatically detect mundane stealth attempts. It gives a +10 insight bonus on Spot and Listen checks.

- Orb of Acid and all the other orb and lesser orb spells are now Evocations. They are otherwise unchanged.

- Gate functions as normal with the following exception: If you attempt to Call any creature that cannot be summoned with Summon Monster VII (or lower), you have no control over the creature and it gets a Will Saving Throw to avoid being Called. You can call a single creature with up to your CL +5 in HD, or multiple creatures with up to your CL - 5 in HD, to a maximum total HD of your CL +10. Examples: A Wizard with CL 20 could call a single creature up to 25 HD, or multiple creatures with up to 15 HD but whose total HD is no more than 30.

- Blood Wind is unchanged except for the following. "Level: Cleric 1, Druid 1, Sorcerer/wizard 1."

- Dragon Breath is now Transmutation instead of Evocation. The spell effectively grants you a Supernatural ability, and the breath weapon doesn't count as a spell (so it doesn't allow SR or trigger the Dwarven racial bonus vs. saves).

- Shivering Touch is raised to 4th level and is now treated as a Dex penalty instead of Dex damage and cannot reduce a creature's Dex below 1. The duration is changed to 1 min./level, and a fortitude save halves the penalty. Penalties from additional castings overlap, they do not stack.

- Deathwatch is not evil.

- Wings of Cover grants a +8 cover bonus to AC and +4 cover bonus to reflex saves against one attack. Any targeted or area attack/spell/ability that does not need to hit AC or give a reflex save instead has a 50% chance of being stopped by the wings blocking line of sight and effect. Any effect that does not require line of sight/effect to function is unaffected by the use of this spell.

- Wings of Flurry is capped at 15d6 force damage and one target per three caster levels.

- Resist Energy, Mass is unchanged except for the following. "Level: Cleric 4, Druid 4, Sorcerer/wizard 4."

- Heroics is unchanged except for the following. "Level: Bard 2, Sorcerer/wizard 2."

- Wall of Thorns gives a Reflex save to move out of the way by 5 ft if it is created in a creature's square. If 5 ft is insufficient to avoid the spell, they are damaged as normal. Creatures can make Escape Artist or Strength checks to push through, and move 5 ft if they make DC 20, and 5 more feet per 5 points they beat DC 20 by. If a creature attacks while in the thorns but doesn't move from his space, he takes the damage he would suffer for moving. The damage is non-magical piercing and DR applies. The time to chop through 1 ft or burn it down is reduced to 1 minute. Fires spread to the whole wall quickly, but those trapped inside only take 2d4 fire damage if they try to push through (1d4 if they just attack) on their turn and are otherwise safe from the fire.

- Wind Wall gives a 30% miss chance to all normal projectiles, it does not automatically block arrows and bolts. Just to clarify, this miss chance is not concealment, and thus a) applies separately and b) does not on its own foil precision-based attacks.

- Blinding Spittle includes a Fortitude save. If it succeeds, the blindness ends in 5 rounds (or sooner, if washed out). This also means creatures immune to fortitude save effects that don't work on objects (ie, undead and constructs) are immune to the spell.

- Dweomer of Transference (XPH) spell has a 1500 gp material component and receiving any pp from another dweomer of transference spell immediately dissipates any pp left from a prior casting. The casting time is reduced to a standard action.

- (For the War of the Burning Sky game only) Energy Immunity spell is banned.

If there is any other spell you believe needs erratta, tell me and I'll check it out.

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New Polymorph rules!

These rules apply to the spells Polymorph and Polymorph Any Object. Any rule with asterisks also applies to any spell with the Polymorph subschool, since the rules written for those are idiotic.

-Choice of creatures is limited to the MM1

-You must have either encountered (in game) the creature you're attempting to turn yourself/another into or have some remains of one of the species to use as a focus. Alternatively, you can attempt the appropriate knowledge check as if identifying the creature. If the check fails, you can continue casting (and concentrating) and try again with a different creature in a subsequent round as a standard action (part of the concentration) until you succeed. If you stop concentrating before making a knowledge check successfully, the spell fails.

- Both your caster level and the HD of the target must be equal to or greater than the CR or the HD of the desired creature, whichever is higher.

-*If the creature has opposable thumbs or can use weapons or tools, you retain the ability to cast spells with somatic and/or material components, provided you have the material components.*

-*If the creature can speak a language, you retain the ability to cast spells with verbal components.*

-*The target can choose at the time of casting to have any items which the new form has appropriate body slots for to remain worn and used as normal. This includes backpacks, component pouches, and the like as well. Anything not chosen melds into the new form and becomes nonfunctional.*

-*Abilities, whether racial, from a class feature, or elsewhere remain available to the character unless the polymorph spell in question gives the use of those types of abilities of the new form, in which case the character's use of his original ones is temporarily impeded. For example, a spell that gave (Ex) attacks of the new form would block use of (Ex) attacks of the character, like a Barbarian's Rage. Spells, powers, maneuvers, and any quality or attack gained from a feat or item (still being worn) are never impeded, though the new form may restrict their use (such as lack of hands or voice).*

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Rules clarification:

All "modal" spells (Resist Energy, Energy Immunity, Heroics, etc...) do not stack with themselves, even if granting a new benefit. The only time the same spell can stack with itself in this way is if it has a different subtype, like (fire) and (cold), each casting.