Spell changes

Spell Changes

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This page lists and explains Spells that work differently than in Vanilla NWN.

Changes to Spell Foci

Spell Foci have been changed and augmented greatly on Arelith, and often alter or expand the potential of spellcasting classes. Changes to Spell Foci are listed under Feat Changes.

Spell Components System

Spell components are used in casting Arcane Spells of Levels 7-9 and the Console Commands gained through Epic Spell Focuses in magic schools. One charge of a component pouch is consumed when casting a Level 7 Spell, two for a Level 8 Spell, three for a Level 9 Spell, and five for the Console Commands. If a character lacks sufficient components, then the spell will fail, but it won't consume any charges. However, if the spell component pouch reaches 0 charges, like any other item, it will be destroyed.

Note that the spell level doesn't equate the slot it occupies. For example an extended Mass Haste (level 7 slot, level 6 spell) would not consume charges of the spell components pouch.

Spell components can be created through Alchemy and Art crafting, and the spell components pouch, can be made through Tailoring.

Changes to Summoning Spells

• Compedium of summoning-related changes.
• Complete list of overhauled summons with streams.

Changes to Groups of spells

• Death Armor, Elemental Shield and Acid Sheath do not stack; the last spell cast overrides the others.

• A half of the weapon buffs have been restricted and cannot be used with magical weapons, weapons with any property, or stacked with each other. Applying a restricted weapon buff on an enchanted or buffed weapon will simply do nothing. The spells that are not restricted can be used freely in any weapon and stacked with one another and even one restricted buff.

• • Greater Magic Weapon: Restricted. Duration changed to hours/3 levels.
  • Magic Weapon: Restricted.
  • Flame Weapon: Restricted. Power capped to CL 10. Last turns/level
  • Darkfire: Restricted. Now adds +AB and Elemental Damage, scaling to CL. Also see Darkfire changes below.
  • Keen Edge:Restricted. Also see Keen Edge changes below.
  • Bless Weapon: Not restricted. The enhancement bonus improves to +2 at caster level 11, and improves by another +1 for every 5 caster levels, capping at +5 at level 26. At caster level 13, the +2d6 damage bonus also applies to outsiders. At caster level 18, the +2d6 damage bonus also applies to dragons.
  • Blackstaff: Not restricted. Duration increased to Turns/Level. Completely reworked. Can be used on any weapon. On hit, procs a normal will save. Failing the save inflicts a cumulative 5% vulnerability to magic damage and 10% vulnerability to elemental damage. This malus can be stacked up to 10 times, capping at 50%/100%. The duration is 6 rounds, but it is refreshed with every new application.
  • Holy Sword: Not restricted. The On-Hit Dispel effect is now capped at CL 20. If the caster has Abjuration Foci, the Dispel check improves by +1 per focus feat. (This may be changed: CoT levels stack with Paladin levels for determining the caster level of this spell).
  • Deafening Clang: Not restricted. The damage component now instead deals 1 of Sonic damage at level 1. 2 at 7, and increases by +1 every 4 levels thereafter, capping at 7 of damage.
  • Blade Thirst: Not restricted. Duration increased to 2 Turn / Level. Enhancement Bonus has been changed to 2 + 1 / 5 levels beyond the 11th (i.e. +2 at level 11, +3 at level 16, +4 at level 21, +5 at level 26). Additionally, when the enchanted weapon is wielded by a character with ranger levels, it grants an equivalent amount of regeneration upon every hit. Also, their weapon type restriction was removed - Blade Thirst may be casted on any kind of melee weapon.

• All Bigby spells have a Reflex Save, with the exception of Bigby's Clenched Fist, since it already has a Fortitude Save. Additionally, all Bigby spells (except Interposing Hand) will attack both mind and mobility. Protection against one effect will not deny the other, but the spells will only affect mobility if the user is mind effect-immune. The movement-restraining effect can be removed with Remove Paralysis, Restoration, Greater Restoration and Freedom of Movement.

• Planar Ally, Planar Binding, and Lesser and Greater Planar Binding summons now last hours/level. Those same spells have been decoupled from Conjuration foci bonuses.

• Invisibility, Improved Invisibility and Invisibility Sphere last rounds/level. The Concealment element of Improved Invisibility remains unchanged.

• All spells casted from the Shadow Conjuration line will be considered illusion and use illusion focus for calculating the DC. Summon Shadow lasts rounds/levels, more details here.

• Shadows summoned by Shades and similar spells now have +1 Magical Damage on their equipped weapons.

• Most polymorphing effects will refresh the spellbook once the state is left, in order to prevent loss of spells related to gear and stat switching. Note that there are some polymorphing effects that do not benefit from this. Additionally, whilst under polymorph, disguise checks will only reveal you are polymorphed, but not your name.

• Banishment and Dismissal inflict a minor debuff and stun on outsiders PCs with the native subtype (tieflings, aasimars, but not imps). Dismissal applies a will-save 2 rounds stun and a saveless 1 AB, 1 AC, 1 saves penalty. Banishment doubles these numbers. The debuff lasts rounds/level. Dismissal is not granted the bonus +6 to DC for the stun. These spells also banish imps on a failed save - this doesn't kill them, but teleports to somewhere back to Baator. These spells also block all summoning spells in the area where they were cast, for 30 and 60 seconds, respectively. Note that this excludes animated creatures.

• Dominate Creature, Dominate Person, and Dominate Monster now have a duration of 2 + CL/3 Turns, instead of 2 + CL/3 Rounds. With Greater Spell Focus Enchantment, this improves to 2 + CL/3 Hours. Dominated PCs will now be Stunned instead of Dazed. The Stun duration against PCs remains 2 + CL/3 Rounds, and does not improve to Turns or Hours. Additionally effects orcs, monstrous humanoid, goblinoid, and reptilian humanoids. (Warning: The following feature is currently non-functional) With Epic Spell Focus Enchantment, a second creature can be Dominated.

• Raise Dead and Resurrection are now incredibly expensive to scribe, and casting them (even from scrolls) costs 50% and 75% of Piety, respectively. Insufficient piety will result in the spell being consumed and doing nothing. Characters with cleric levels reduce the piety penalty by a flat 25%. If the spells are casted from a tome or a special item, there's no piety cost.

• The Protection From Alignment line does not confer immunity to mind spells from the selected alignment. Instead, these have different bonus, and also added protection against neutral characters, not only good and evil. The Good and Evil variants can be stacked to grant the full protection against neutrals. The active auras have been removed from Magic Circle Against Alignment and Aura Versus Alignment, and the effects are instead granted as persistent large AoE buffs.
  • Protection From Alignment: +2 Deflection AC, +2 saves (+1 against neutrals), +4 will saves (+2 against neutrals).
  • Magic Circle Against Alignment: Is now Turns/level. Same bonuses as Protection Against Alignment.
  • Aura Versus Alignment: +6 will saves (+3 against neutrals), +4 Deflection AC, 5+CL Spell Resistance, damage shield of 1d6+8. The damage is negative for unholy aura, and divine for holy aura.

Persistent area spells

All persistent area spells, such as Cloud of Bewilderment and Stinking Cloud, do not stack with themselves. When the same spell is casted it will be replaced and refreshed. However:

• Different area spells may be stacked.
• Same spell by different caster stacks.
• The same spell may be casted away from 50% of the center of the AoE radius, allowing a section where they can overlap, and hit twice.
• Blade Barrier and Wall of Fire are not affected by these changes.
• Acid Fog, Wall of Flames, Incendiary Cloud and Cloudkill spells will ignore NPC and PC corpses, but still damage furniture/placables normally.

Fright, Fear and Fear Auras

Fear has branched in two different effects in Arelith. Some spells and abilities will apply the old vanilla effect (like Barbarian's terrifying rage or the Fear spell), while others will incur some penalties on a failed save, here named Fright.

Standard Fright Aura:

• -10 AB
• -10 Saving Throws
• -10 Skills
• -10 AC
• 50% Spell Failure

Lesser Fright Aura:

• -1 AB per level difference
• -1 Saving Throws per level difference
• -1 Skill per level difference
• -1 AC per level difference
• 5% Spell Failure per level difference

Usually coming from summons, the lesser auras act according to a level difference. The greater the difference, the greater the effect.

Lesser Fright Aura penalties never exceed -10/50% (+10 levels and will never be below -2/10%).

Fright cannot be self-removed by the same frightened character. Attempting to self-recover using spells like Remove Fear will not dispel the effect, but will leave the lingering increased save bonus against fear effects. Third-party characters using the spells will function as normal.

Epic Spells

Dragon Knight: Duration increased to 2 rounds per Level.

Epic Mage Armor: Cannot be used while in the effect of Polymorph Self or Shapechange. Casting either of these spells will dispel EMA - other polymorphing effects are fine to use.

Greater Ruin: Damage increased to 45d6 + 10 damage. Has no saving throw. Casters without Epic Evocation Focus will take 30d6 as backlash damage when casting.

Hellball: Damage type changed to Divine, Magical, Negative and Positive. Has no saving throw. Will not damage the environment (placeables, etc). Casters without Epic Evocation Focus will take 30d6 as backlash damage when casting.

Mummy Dust: Having this feat will grant access to the strongest variants of undead as per the undead summoning changes.

Changes to Individual Spells

Acid Fog: Has no spell resistance check. Applies a 75% movement speed penalty with no save and -2 to AB and damage rolls for all creatures within the area of effect. Does not damage corpses.

Amplify: Duration increased to Turns/Level.

Aura of Vitality: Duration increased to 3 rounds/level with Greater Transmutation Focus. With Epic Transmutation, duration increases to turns/level.

Aura of Glory: If the character has a majority of levels in Paladin, the duration changes to hours/level.

Awaken: Also grants an additional attack.

Ball Lightning: Behaves as the Firebrand spell, with electric damage (1 ball per target, 1d6/CL per ball, max 15d6). AOE size is not increased.

Black Blade of Disaster: Slightly re-balanced and empowered. Has permanent haste.

Bless: Lasts rounds/level. For Healers it lasts turns/level.

Bombardment: Added reflex save against Knockdown (1 round). Does not bypass SR. Party-friendly.

Burning Hands Damage increased to d6. No longer harms allies.

Call Lightning: Damage dice are upgraded from d6s to d10s when the spell is cast outside during rain or thunder.

Camouflage: Does not stack with Mass Camouflage.

Clarity: Has 12 rounds of cooldown. The CD starts the moment you are affected by the spell, not when casting it.

Cloudkill: Has no spell resistance check. Deals 1d4+1 CON damage per round to all creatures in the area of effect (fortitude save for half). Does not damage corpses.

Continual Flame: Lasts 24 hours.

Creeping Doom: Now correctly increases by 1d6 for every round there is a creature taking damage in the AoE.

Darkfire:At CL 6 or less, the spell adds +1 AB and 2 Elemental Damage.
At CL 7-11, the spell adds +2 AB and 4 Elemental Damage.
At CL 8-17, the spell adds +2 AB and 6 Elemental Damage.
At CL 18+, the spell adds +3 AB and 8 Elemental Damage.

Darkness: Is no longer considered a hostile spell. NPC companions will no longer attack the caster.

Daze: Works against any creature with hit dice less than or equal to the caster's class level.

Dirge: The effect does not disappear when one leaves the aura, but instead lasts rounds/level.

Divine Power: Can no longer be cast from a scroll.

Drown: Also deals 2d10+5 damage, even on failed save.

Earthquake: Damage increased to d6 bludgeoning, max die increased to 30d6 at caster level 30. Characters that fail the reflex save will be knocked down for 3 seconds.

Elemental Swarm:Summons four elementals at the same time, instead one of them in sequence, each of a different element. Cannot be altered with -stream.

Entangle (and Vine Mine: Entangle): Has no spell resistance check.

Feeblemind: Now applies CHA damage as well. If the target has arcane caster levels, the DC is increased by 4. If the INT would drop below 3, the target is stunned instead for 1 round/level. Metamagic functions normally.

Find Traps: Does not disable traps, just reveals them.

Flame Weapon:At CL 6 or less, the spell adds +1 AB and 2 Elemental Damage.
At CL 7-11, the spell adds +2 AB and 4 Elemental Damage.
At CL 8-17, the spell adds +2 AB and 6 Elemental Damage.
At CL 18+, the spell adds +3 AB and 8 Elemental Damage.

Flesh to Stone: Duration changed to 1 Turn/2 Caster Levels.

Freedom of Movement: Can be removed with spell breaches.

Grease: Has no spell resistance check.

Greater Dispelling: Caster Level bonus cap has been increased, allowing a bonus of 22 before applying bonuses from Abjuration Spell Foci.

Greater Magic Fang: Continues to scale past level 14. (+6 6/+6 at 17, +7 7/+7 at 20...). Additionally, it grants AC along the AB bonus.

Greater Sanctuary: Lasts Rounds/4 levels and it has a cooldown timer of 240 seconds.

Greater Restoration: Has 240 seconds of cooldown timer before it can be casted again.

Harm: Deals 10*CL points of damage. Will not reduce health below 1 HP.

Heal: Heals 100 + 5*CL. Capped at 200 at level 20.

Healing Circle: Level cap removed. Also, when casted it creates a stationary zone below the caster that heals all creatures within the area of effect each round for a period of three rounds, for a total of up to 3 * (1d8 + Caster Level) additional healing to all creatures that remain within the area of effect.

Healing Sting: Damage increases by 1d6+1/2 CL. Caps at 10d6+10. Has no saving throw. If the target dies, the caster receives the excess of healing as temporary HP over the maximum by hour/2 CL.

Implosion: Removed the +3 bonus to the difficulty check.

Incendiary Cloud: Damage increased to 4d6 + 1d6 per 2 levels (reflex save for half damage), and creatures within the area of effect are blinded (no save). Does not damage corpses.

Inferno: Damage dice changes to d6/3 levels if the caster has Greater Transmutation Focus.

Isaac's Greater Missile Storm: Cannot strike one target with more than ten missiles. This limits it to only producing ten missiles if only one viable target is present upon casting.

Keen Edge: Duration reduced to 2 minutes per level. Also:
At CL 6 or less, the spell adds +1 AB, Keen, and 1d4 Massive Criticals.
At CL 7-11, the spell adds +2 AB, Keen, and 1d8 Massive Criticals.
At CL 12-17, the spell adds +3 AB, Keen, and 2d6 Massive Criticals.
At CL 18+, the spell adds +4 AB, Keen, and 2d8 Massive Criticals.

Nature's Balance: Also applies Lesser Spell Breach. With Greater and Epic Transmutation focus, the area of effect and power of the Breach increases.

Mass Camouflage: Does not stack with Camouflage.

Mass Heal: Heals 150 + 5*CL. Capped at 300 at level 30.

Meteor Swarm:Damage increased to d8, max die increased to 30d8 at caster level 30. Does not affect allies.

Mind Fog: All creatures in the area of effect take a 2d6 will save penalty (will save for half) and are dazed for 1 round (will save negates).

Monstrous Regeneration: Lasts for 1 turn / level. Does not stack with Regenerate and/or itself.

Mordenkainen's Disjunction: Caster Level bonus is capped at 22, before applying bonuses from Abjuration Spell Foci.

Mordenkainen's Sword: Duration increased to Turns/level.

Owl's Insight: Only affects characters with druid levels.

Phantasmal Killer: Phantasmal Killer fears a target for 1 round / level on a failed will save. A target that fails their fortitude save still dies.

Power Word: Stun: Targets with more than 150 of HP must pass a save or be stunned for a duration according to the HP. Additionally, there is a small bonus DC relevant to the HP.

HP above 300: No bonus

HP from 251 to 300: +1 DC

HP from 201 to 250: +2 DC and duration changes to 4+1d4 rounds

HP from 151 to 200: +3 DC and duration changes to 5+1d4 rounds

HP from 101 to 150: Automatic success and duration changes to 6+2d4 rounds

HP less than 101: Automatic success and duration changes to 7+2d4 rounds

Power Word: Kill: Targets with more than 100 of HP must pass a fortitude save or be slain. There is a +3 DC bonus from 101 to 150 HP, +2 for 151 to 200, +1 for 201 to 250.

Regenerate: Lasts for 1 turn / level and heals 4 + 1 / 6 levels each round. Does not stack with Monstrous Regeneration and/or itself.

Shadow Conjuration: Mage Armor: Does not stack with normal mage armor or itself.

Shield: Protects against Isaac's Lesser Missile Storm if you have Spell Focus: Abjuration, and against both missile storms if you have Greater or Epic Spell Focus: Abjuration.

Sleep: Works against any creatures with hit dice less than or equal to the caster's class level, and affects (caster level + 1d4) hit dice worth of creatures. Empower Spell increases affected hit dice by 50%.

Spike Growth: Damage increased to d4/3 CL.

Stinking Cloud: Has no spell resistance check.

Stone Bones: Is now an AoE spell around the target.

Sunbeam: Damage capped at 10d6. Triggers Inferno spell on failed save.

Sunburst: Currently doesn’t affect vampires.

Time Stop: Only affects the area in which it is cast. Also has a cooldown timer 240 seconds (independent of resting). Also, any affected PC who is over 50% HP when the spell is cast receives 100% physical damage immunity for the duration of the time stop.

True Seeing: True Sight effect will only last 1 round. For Turns/level, the target receives See Invisibility and Ultravision. For rounds/level, the target receives +15 spot, applicable toward piercing disguises.

Vine Mine: Camouflage: Grants Hide in Plain Sight to all allies while they remain within the area of effect.

Wall of Fire: Damage increased to 2d6 + 1 per caster level, with no saving throw. Deals double damage to undead. Does not damage corpses.

Web: Has no spell resistance check.

Weird: Weird fears targets for 1 round / level on a failed will save. Targets that fail their fortitude saves still die.

Wounding Whispers: Can be removed with spell breaches.

The changes to spells are organized by class in this article.

Added Spells

Avascular Mass

Caster Level(s): Wizard / Sorcerer 8

Innate Level: 8

School: Necromancy

Descriptor(s): Mind-Affecting

Component(s): Verbal, Somatic

Range: Short

Area of Effect / Target: Single

Duration: 1 Round

Additional Counter Spells:

Save: Fortitude Negates

Spell Resistance: Yes

You shoot a black ray of necromantic energy from your outstretched hand, causing your foe to violently purge blood vessels through its skin. The purged blood vessels spread outward, creating a many-layered mass of bloody, adhesive tissue that traps nearby creatures in a gory horror. You must succeed on a ranged touch attack with the ray to strike a target. If the attack is successful, the subject loses half its hit points and is stunned for 1 round. On a successful Fortitude saving throw, the subject is not stunned. Nearby enemies around the target must also roll a Fortitude saving throw or be stunned for 1 Round as well.

Blasphemy

Caster Level(s): Cleric 7

Innate Level: 7

School: Evocation

Descriptor(s):

Component(s): Verbal

Range: Medium

Area of Effect / Target: Huge

Duration: 1 Round / 2 Levels

Additional Counter Spells:

Save: None

Spell Resistance: Yes

Any nonevil creature within the area of a blasphemy spell suffers the following ill effects based on the difference between caster's and target's hit die.

Equal to caster level:

Dazed

Up to caster level -1:

Weakened, dazed

Up to caster level -5:

Paralyzed, weakened, dazed

Up to caster level -10:

Killed, paralyzed, weakened, dazed

The effects are cumulative and concurrent. No saving throw is allowed against these effects.

Burst of Glacial Wrath

Caster Level(s): Druid 9, Wizard / Sorcerer 9

Innate Level: 9

School: Evocation

Descriptor(s): Cold

Component(s): Verbal, Somatic

Range: Medium

Area of Effect / Target: Huge

Duration: 1 Round / 2 Levels

Additional Counter Spells:

Save: Fortitude 1/2

Spell Resistance: Yes

You create a burst of icy energy that flash-freezes any creatures within the spell's area. The spell deals 1d6 points of cold damage per caster level (maximum 25d6 points). Any living creature reduced to 10 hit points or lower is encased in ice for 1 round/ two caster levels (max 10 rounds). Creatures turned to ice in this fashion gain DR 10/-, vulnerability to fire, and immunity to cold and electricity.

Chromatic Orb

Caster Level(s): Wizard / Sorcerer 1

Innate Level: 1

School: Evocation

Descriptor(s):

Component(s): Verbal, Somatic

Range: Medium

Area of Effect / Target: Single

Duration: Instant

Additional Counter Spells:

Save: None

Spell Resistance: Yes

This spell causes a sphere to move against the target. The caster must make a successful ranged touch attack to hit the target. Once struck the target takes 1d8 points of damage of different element per two caster levels (to a maximum of 5d8 at Level 9).

Faerie Fire

Caster Level(s): Druid 1

Innate Level: 1

School: Evocation

Descriptor(s):

Component(s): Verbal, Somatic

Range: Long

Area of Effect / Target: Single

Duration: 1 Round / Level

Additional Counter Spells: Darkness, Invisibility

Save: Harmless

Spell Resistance: Yes

A pale glow surrounds and outlines the target and will remove concealment benefits from blur, displacement, invisibility, or similar magical effects.

Bugs Affecting Spells

Please Note: These bugs are either inherent to NWN, or in some other way a long-standing & chronic problem. Incidental or minor bugs should not be mentioned here.

• Charm and Mass Charm makes the target hostile to you, thus defeating its own purpose but serving as a daze instead.

• Invisibility sphere, Magic Circle vs Alignment, Dirge etc (spells working in circle around caster and following him) are affected by lag. The effects can often be lost on transitioning, and can even fail to apply when standing still.

• Balagarn's Iron Horn is from Enchantment School, in spite of being listed as Transmutation. It can not be scribed or used by those with forbidden Enchantment School.

• Spontaneous casters (Sorcerers and Bards) who transition whilst shapechanged can continue to lose spells each time they transition.

• Hostile NPCs may keep chasing and attacking PCs even after entering invisibility, stealthing, or even both.

• True Strike reports as increasing +20 points of AB in the character sheet, but this information may be false since it counts toward the +20 bonus AB cap. The real attack value still appears in the combat log when performing an attack.