Good spells with duration of hours?

[Judging__Eagle]

The 'Weakest PrC's Thread got a bit derailed with a discussion on using cheap, buyable animals to power up caster levels using stuff like Death Knell.

and this is the last thing that I posted there:

In any case, gaining +50% more levels isn't bad; going from lvl 7 to 10; and then again from 10 to 13 (I'm safely assuming it's based on base CL (plus maybe gear); but the power spike is handy enough as it is.

There's no way I can justify myself being Neutral Good at that point.

Oh, I could just call it a 'sacrifice' (or better still, a burnt offering) and then donate the killed chickens to the people who are hungry in town?

Nothing says fillin' like god-blessed chicken is what I always says.

Damn, at 2 CP per chicken; heh, heeh, heheheh.

I'm gonna be the most well armed and armoured chicken "keeper" in all of Eberron. Scratch that, I'm going to be a poultry distributor; I'll deliver straight to those in need.


Say, has anyone here ever heard of a "detect hunger" spell in any book?

If not, I'm gonna make one for the Archivist Spell list as a 1st lvl spell.

I'll kill some chickens, feeds some poor hungry peoples and get spell caster levels. Which will really only apply to buffs which have really long base Durations (like, hours), but oh well.

I can't do the divine metamagic persistant spell trick, but, I 'might' be able to. Once we jimmy around the way our group will allow the 'new' Feats to be aquired and how we will leave a place for the 'old' feats to still do something.


Say, aside from GMW and Magic Vestments; are there any decent buff spells that have a base Duration of hours?

So, are there any other good buff spells that last hours that I could use?

I'm thinking for an 'expedition' that my Eberron group will be making to the Mournlands could benefit from the group having, oh I dunno tons of hours of Greater Magic Weapon and Magic Vestments?

Those two alone should do the party a lot of good, but it's always good to trawl for more options.

Also, can Death Knell's be stacked? This plan might not be so hot if they can't, but if it's not it's still a decent idea.


The way that I plan on using this spell and not going all Evil (right now I'm a NG Archivist with several ties with the Church of the Sovreign host and i've done them at least one good deed so far) is as follows:

1. Rename the spell; call it Ritual Blessing.
2. Put a qualifier that you can't kill sentients (so, stuff like chickens or pigs etc.)
3. Put in an other qualifier that the food must go to those in need (i.e. hungry people)
4. Put in a final qualifier that pretty much states that you don't get the benefits unless what you killed gets eaten by something hungry.

Presto, a non-evil version of Death Knell. I'll make it a Clc, Brd, Drd spell and we're good to go.

[User3]

False Life is good for about +4 Con's worth of HPs, and can be empowered.

Mage Armor and Greater Mage Armor are solid for Druids, Animal Companions, and the like (Monks too, if anyone is being terrible).

[josephbt]

Complete Mage has got a line of spellc called Heart of [Insert element]. Last for hours, if you've got 2 or more active at the same time, you gain fortification. All of the spells give a bonus while they last and also give an ability to activate a free swift spell(feather fall, freedom of movement, stoneskin) that lasts for 1rd/lvl.
I kinda like these spells because of the "ignore retarded component" part of that one spell which gives you Stoneskin. Also, swift Freedom of movement is sweet.

[Zherog]

Savage Species has superior resistance. I believe it's +6 resistance bonus to all saves, but I could be a bit off on the bonus - but it's up there.

There's longstrider for +10 to movement. Not great, but not bad...

Darkvision will give you, well, darkvision if you don't already have it.

edit: Libris Mortis has undead bane weapon which will - you guessed it - give your weapon the bane (undead) ability.

[Judging__Eagle]

False Life, I'm not sure if I can cast it with my Archivist.

As for Mage Armour; he's packing around.... 30-43 AC as it is at lvl 7.

That's with only a +1 (+5 with Magic vestments and Ritual Blessing abuse) Med Fort Mithral Shirt and a +1 (+5) Darkwood hvy sheild; I'm abusing Alter Self cheese to be a Crucian (+8 Nat AC), then tossing on a ring and amulet of protection (+1 each) with Circle of Proc against Evil and Sheild of Faith for getting more AC, I guess.

Thanks of the advice; I'm gonna have a wiz hireling so I'll make sure that he preps those.

I'll have the check the "Heart of ... " Spells, Superior Resitance and Darkvision spells.

Longstrider is a good spell, but I've now long since made a pair of 7 League boots so I'm god for running and jumping, and I don't think I can get any more speed as it is.

Thanks.

Cieling cat also told me to check out any spells with 10 minutes/lvl spell as well so I'll have to do that.

[Iaimeki]

In the core, here's my quick list. Make sure to use a bead of karma (or multiple ones, if your DM allows) and a rod of extend on the 10 min./level duration ones to get the duration up to last most of the day.

Longstrider. The barbarian gets this as a class feature, divine casters get it as a 1st-level spell. Who has the better end of this deal?

Darkness and deeper darkness. You have darkvision and took Blindfight, right? If so, this douses most lights, blinding any opponents who don't have darkvision, and gives ones with darkvision but without blindfight a 20% miss chance, while you only have a 5% effective miss chance.

Magic circle. All versions protect your party from a variety of enchantment effects, and other protections against the specific alignment.

Spell immunity and greater spell immunity. The utility of these depend on how well you can predict your opposition's abilities, but if your DM likes to spam dispels or you know you're going up against a certain kind of monster, they can be very effective.

Antilife shell. Prevents most things from attacking you in melee, just don't stand too close to your party members while you have it up.

Barkskin. Pretty obvious what this does.

[Fwib]

1171562366[/unixtime]]Darkness and deeper darkness. You have darkvision and took Blindfight, right? If so, this douses most lights, blinding any opponents who don't have darkvision, and gives ones with darkvision but without blindfight a 20% miss chance, while you only have a 5% effective miss chance.

Based on the wording of the spell, I think that those with and without darkvision are either both blinded by the spell, or neither are.

Having said that, since the wording in 3.0 that darkness made you unable to see was removed, and neither the FAQ nor PHB errata appears to comment on it, can anyone point to another official or semi-official source ruling either way?

[Iaimeki]

The way I interpret the spell is that it effectively makes everything shadowy illumination and douses any light sources that aren't magical or are magical but have spell levels lower than the darkness in the range of effect. Thus, if you can see in complete darkness (i.e., you have darkvision) and just doused all the light sources for creatures who can't, you only get the shadow illumination effect (20% miss chance), while your enemies are actually blinded (because you've cut off their lights).

[Judging__Eagle]

Well, you don't need Darkvision.

If you use Blacklight on everburning Torches and cast the spell Ebon Eyes (Spell Compendium), you get 50% concealment from Blacklight and magical Darkness doesn't affect your vision (from Ebon Eyes).

While everything else that you see that probably can't see though magical darkness is boned.


Can I get an opinion/ruling here though?

Can muliple castings of Death Knell stack to grant you more caster levels?

Also, do spells that increase your caster level add to your level based on your original base caster level or on your newer incrased caster level.

So, say, a 13th lvl cleric with a orange ioun stone has a CL of 14; and casts Death Knell, does he get up to +7 caster levels or +6?

And once they've done that, can they do it again for either an other +10 (if you use the 'new augmented caster level' of 21) or +6 (if you're using the original 'base' CL of 13) more caster levels?

I thought it would be good to ask.

[Fwib]

1171570494[/unixtime]]
Can muliple castings of Death Knell stack to grant you more caster levels?

I don't think so. I would tend to read the rules on stacking as saying not:

Stacking Effects

Spells that provide bonuses or penalties on attack rolls, damage rolls, saving throws, and other attributes usually do not stack with themselves. More generally, two bonuses of the same type don’t stack even if they come from different spells (or from effects other than spells; see Bonus Types, above).

However, YMMV

[Catharz]

Fwib, the first sentence under "Stacking Effects" is true, but it's a generalization and not a rule. 'Most spells that provide bonuses on saving throws provide resistance bonuses, and therefore don't stack.'

The second part is the rule (and not a generalization, despite the "more generally").

The 'same source' issue is a weird one, and to my knowledge never fully clairified. It may be that two different castings of the same spell are 'different sources.' In some cases, one casting of one spell may qualify as multiple sources (see Sadism).

[Fwib]

Yeah, it is that sort of opaqueness that made me add YMMV

[User3]

The Yes argument tends to quote the "untyped bonuses stack" rules, adn the No argument quotes the "same effect" set of rules.

I'd say no, but ask your DM.

[Judging__Eagle]

Okay, so I can't get say, from CL 7 to CL 10; and then 'perhaps' CL 15 by using Consumptive field since they're different effects?

Or am I sort of, you know, stuck adding my old base Caster lvl when I use Consuptive Field goodness? Resulting in 7 becoming 10, and then 13?

[NineInchNall]

No one really knows, because WotC can't write rules.

[Cielingcat]

You could always alternate Consumptive Field and Greater Consumptive Field, which, since they're different spells with untyped bonuses, stack, and since each puts your caster level at a new level, stack with eachother no matter how many times you use them. A staff with 50 charges of Greater Consumptive Field is a mere 45,000 gold, to boot.

[Judging__Eagle]

Screw that noise, I only need scrolls.

I'll make scrolls of Blessing Ritual (death knell) and Blessing Ritual-Turbo (consumptive field); buy up a bunch of chickens, have a big old party in town and then teleport the group to our target... better still; cast Bottle of Smoke to have us get there in a matter of hours; then start casting buff spells.

I'll get the group's cleric to help me perform the ritual (b/c I don't have enough spell slots to GMW or MV everyone's gear >_>).

I can't buy a staff (for one) and I can make scrolls really, really cheap and fast (for, uh two).

Plus, I'm lvl 7, no crafty staffy for a while.

Well, CL 7 to 10; CL 10 to 15 and CL 15 to 22?

Next lvl I'm gonna have to save up for a Karma Bead, but the fckers are 20k gp.... so either I find one or craft one. -_-;;

[omg! I used a -_- emote! what a dork! lollololol!]

[Cielingcat]

The staff is because a single scroll of GCF is 3,000, and a staff with one charge is 900. If you plan to do this a lot, a staff is totally cheaper. If you'd rather not use the alternating CF/GCF thing, though, you won't need this.

Karma beads are actually free, as long as you get only a Karma bead. Steps to winning:
1. Acquire beads.
2. Remove everything but the Karma bead from the necklace.
3. Feel guilty that they technically cost 0 gp and pay a couple thousand just to be nice.
4. ???
5. Profit!

What you actually want to do is use Death Knell first, to go to CL 8, then a Karma bead for CL 12, and then CF for 18. If you decide to get a few castings of GCF, that then jumps to 27. Then if you for some reason decide to cast CF again, it's 40. But that would be mean.

[User3]

The strand is pretty clearly misprinted at 20-something K gp, when it should be 40-something K gp (the value if you add up all the individual pieces). In fact, it's exactly 20K gp short.

[Judging__Eagle]

Strand of Prayer Beads

This item appears to be a normal string of prayer beads until the owner casts a divine spell. Once that occurs, the owner instantly knows the powers of the prayer beads and how to activate them. Each strand includes two or more special beads, each with a different magic power.
Special Bead Type Special Bead Ability
Bead of blessing Wearer can cast bless.
Bead of healing Wearer can cast his choice of cure serious wounds, remove blindness/deafness, or remove disease.
Bead of karma Wearer casts his spells at +4 caster level. Effect lasts 10 minutes.
Bead of smiting Wearer can cast chaos hammer, holy smite, order’s wrath, or unholy blight (Will DC 17 partial).
Bead of summons Summons a powerful creature of appropriate alignment from the Outer Planes (an angel, devil, etc.) to aid the wearer for one day. (If the wearer uses the bead of summons to summon a deity’s emissary frivolously, the deity takes that character’s items and places a geas/quest upon him as punishment in the very least.)
Bead of wind walking Wearer can cast wind walk.

A lesser strand of prayer beads has a bead of blessing and a bead of healing. A strand of prayer beads has a bead of healing, a bead of karma, and a bead of smiting. A greater strand of prayer beads has a bead of healing, a bead of karma, a bead of summons, and a bead of wind walking.

Each special bead can be used once per day, except for the bead of summons, which works only once and then becomes nonmagical. The beads of blessing, smiting, and wind walking function as spell trigger items; the beads of karma and summons can be activated by any character capable of casting divine spells. The owner need not hold or wear the strand of prayer beads in any specific location, as long as he carries it somewhere on his person.

The power of a special bead is lost if it is removed from the strand. Reduce the price of a strand of prayer beads that is missing one or more beads by the following amounts: bead of blessing -600 gp, bead of healing -9,000 gp, bead of karma -20,000 gp, bead of smiting -16,800 gp, bead of summons -20,000 gp, bead of wind walking -46,800 gp.

Faint, moderate or strong (many schools); CL 1st (blessing), 5th (healing), 7th (smiting), 9th (karma), 11th (wind walking), 17th (summons); Craft Wondrous Item and one of the following spells per bead, as appropriate: bless (blessing); cure serious wounds, remove blindness/deafness, or remove disease (healing); righteous might (karma); gate (summons); chaos hammer, holy smite, order’s wrath, or unholy blight (smiting), wind walk (wind walking); Price 9,600 gp (lesser), 25,800 gp (standard), 95,800 gp (greater).

Yeah, the Standard strand has:

A strand of prayer beads has:
a bead of healing, 9000
bead of karma -20,000 gp,
and
bead of smiting -16,800 gp

but costs: 25,800 gp (standard)

So, you could remove two of the beads for free.... fucking stupid is what that is.

I'd price them at 45,800; or you can remove beads but you still have to pay for what is left.

[User3]

Yeah, note that if you use the Greater prices, the Bead of Karma ends up at its correct (20,000 gp) price. And both the greater and lesser are priced by just adding up their individual components exactly.

If you're paying any less than 20,000 gp for a Bead of Karma, your DM is not paying attention.