Raise The Defensive Shields (Protection Spell List)

[Aaron]

This is another tentative spell list post. Weigh in with your suggestions. We really are listening to you guys and you are already changing things in the background. Eventually we're going to be able to open up the wiki to you guys so you can wander around and go “Hey! That was my idea!! I'm so awesome!!!” I really want to let you guys in, but we have been crazy busy the last few weeks. We're making progress on it, but it's a lower priority than some things. I'm sure you understand.

Anyways, the list runs thus:

Tier 1:
Luck (+4 on saves)
Mage Armor

Tier 2:
Resist Energy
Blur

Tier 3:
Wind Wall
Protection from Energy

Tier 4:
Death Ward
Break Enchantment

Tier 5:
Wall of Force
Spell Resistance

Tier 6:
Blade Barrier
Wall of Iron

Tier 7:
Spell Turning
Restoration

Tier 8:
Greater Spell Resistance (A more powerful version of Spell Resistance)
Iron Body

Tier 9:
Mage's Disjunction
Immunity (Iron Body + Greater Spell Resistance)

Standard Disclaimer: The links to the D20 spell descriptions are for reference only. Most (if not all) of them need to be tweaked for WoM. They are obviously a few spells in there we created from scratch.

As always, jump in here with your feedback and suggestions.

[Asmodai]

Yet another uncreative post by me. Mainly for reference for those not knowing D20 clerical spell domains since Protection another one.

Protection Domain Spells
1.Sanctuary: Opponents can’t attack you, and you can’t attack.
2.Shield Other: You take half of subject’s damage.
3.Protection from Energy: Absorb 12 points/level of damage from one kind of energy.
4.Spell Immunity: Subject is immune to one spell per four levels.
5.Spell Resistance: Subject gains SR 12 + level.
6.Antimagic Field: Negates magic within 10 ft.
7.Repulsion: Creatures can’t approach you.
8.Mind Blank: Subject is immune to mental/emotional magic and scrying.
9.Prismatic Sphere: As prismatic wall, but surrounds on all sides.

[Aldaron]

No dispel magic?

Also I would change wind wall to air and add protection from arrows to the protection list. Another spell for this list could be Solid fog.

[Aaron]

Asmodai, your reference posts are always good for... well... reference... Lol.

Where dispel magic fits in is still an open debate ATM. It may make it into protection. It may end up being more of a mechanic than a spell.

Good suggestions on the spell changes. We'll have to give it a think.

[Trudd]

I think, one cross circle might be:

Protection + element = protection from the opposite element (less damage taken and more resistant)
E.G. protection+fire = protection from water, high level: immune to water
Very useful for units which are going to invade a planar
Can be added to skill circle, with the circle for protection to that circle (protection+mentalism for protection to mentalism), but much more difficult to implement for necromancy or summoning

On high level, that cross-circle can be implemented to global disjonction.
High lvl air+protection can be a global enchantment which dispel (have a chance to dispel) any earth-base spell on the plane of the fortress of the wizard.

[Aldaron]

Where dispel magic fits in is still an open debate ATM. It may make it into protection. It may end up being more of a mechanic than a spell.

Maybe you could make some spells universal (both MoM and D&D have universal spells), because if you don't have dispel magic (or disjunction) the game can become quite difficult.

@Trudd: Cross circle protection spells could be more powerfull versions (but same level) of single circle spells.

So tier 3 "Protection from energy" from the protection list could absorb 20 point of damage, while cross-circle tier 3 Protection/Fire "Protection from fire" could absorb 50 points of fire damage.

[Aaron]

Those are some good cross-circle examples. Actually, I think protection + summoning could be done with banishment spells and even spells like Protection from Evil. Obviously is would need to be tweaked for WoM, but the idea of having a protection spell that wards off attacks by creatures from another plane is a good fit IMO.

We have kicked the “arcane spells” ball around a bit. The idea being, as you suggest, that some spells don't fit into any circle. I feel it looses some flavor. However, I agree that everyone is probably going to need access to some method of breaking global enchantments and dispelling persistent spells that affect the world map. Maybe we could have a “ritual” mechanic where certain rituals could be preformed regardless of the circles you know. Much like what we're doing with crafting magical items. It's a thought anyway. We may have to discuss it some more.

[Asmodai]

"Protection from..." spells are a bit interesting I guess.
There are Good, Evil, Law, and Chaos varieties which are based off of the D20 alignment system. Are these just going to be folded into "protection" and it just works against whoever/whatever you are fighting. Otherwise I'm not sure how these things would even work if there is no implementation of the alignment system.

While I do think there needs to be a universal spell pool I and it's true both MoM and D20 have one Dispel Magic is not in the D20 universal pool and I'm not sure it needs to be in WoM. If dispelling magic is deemed to be a critical function that every wizard needs then I don't think it should be represented by a single spell that everyone essentially has to research. Instead I'd suggest the dispelling mechanic be expanded so while there is a Dispel Magic spell that can be researched you can also dispel magic by casting opposite spells or some such so you don't NEED the general one. So if a life wizard casts a global spell that makes everything bloom then a death wizard can cast the opposite corruption one to dispel it.

[Aaron]

We're going to have to make the "Protection" spells more specific. For instance we could have "Protection from Outsiders" that worked against summoned creatures. It's going to take some thinking to fit it in well.

Good point on dispel magic.

[Kah-thurak]

I think that in a mana based system the DnD spells can only be very rough references. For example a Protection from Energy spell could easily have a variable casting cost of X Mana and protect the target unit from X+CasterLevel points of damage (more advanced version of the spell could also offer protection from debuff spells with the shield weakening by the costs of the spell, or even damage "Demons"/summoned creatures that try to attack the unit according to the strength of the shield).