idea for a new wizard spell, need some feedback
Ice Glyph (level 3)
draw a brightly glowing rune on a solid surface while muttering a password. The first time somebody moves or touches the glyph without saying the password, the glyph detonates and traps everybody within reach range in a casing of ice.
“With this spell, I can make my own dungeon, a tormenting gauntlet of ice”
Nice spell, but I would recommend bumping it as a Level 5 spell
Samuel Bogumill Hmm. True. While it’s breakable, unlike Cage, you can cast many of them.
I know this is DW, and not D&D, however you could put some additional caveat, like:
– The ice glyph stay until the morning lights.
Or…
– you have -1 continous until you release them.
Or… (I like this)
– you can cast only INT+1 number of glyphs.
Alternately, the glyphs could do (magic missile or fireball) area damage (ice based), so they are a good triggered trap/lock, but not a oneshotter. Then, you could put that if a creature reach 0 hit points when hit from this spell, his body stay intact like an ice statue.
Really useful to get some fancy statue for you dungeon, AND to clearly understand who is trying to enter your domain.
EDIT: also, you could let a character to be freed from his 0 hit points prison (cure, sunlight, dispel?), living again with just 1hp remaining.
I was kind of intending the spell to be a non-lethal trap. Mostly in the hands of an NPC, specifically a guild of wizards that sell the casting of this spell to noble patrons in their personal sanctums, but I wanted an equivalent that a PC wizard could learn
Still, my 1st post can be useful.
Hmmm. Perhaps make it so any damage from an outside source will shatter the ice?
“Freeze Tag”, lol. The warm touch from a friendly hand melts the ice and free’s the trapped person.
refined version:
Ice Trap (Level 5)
Mutter a password and draw a glowing sigil on a solid surface. The first creature that touches or disturbs the sigil without first speaking the password causes it to trigger. The triggering creature and any others close to it are harmlessly encased in ice, unable to move. Those encased are freed if they take any damage, although the ice gives them 3 armor.
How big is this? Can I draw a glyph on an entire ballroom floor?
Eric Lochstampfor I’d be inclined to say: if you have the time and patience and are willing to still have it only effect the first guy to touch it, sure.
Good thing I can have an unlimited number of them active. I see no restrictions in that regard…. Just playing devils advocate… 🙂
Stealing this!
Ice Trap (Level 3)
Mutter a password while drawing a glowing sigil on a solid surface. The first creature that touches or disturbs the sigil without first speaking the password causes it to trigger. The triggering creature and any others within reach range and touching the surface the sigil is on have their touching body part encased in (non-magical) ice an eighth of a Dwarf deep.
Sean Fager for Fiction sake, ‘Lower bodies’ may not entirely make sense. What if the sigil is on the ceiling?
Good point! Edited.
How can it be touched or disturbed on the ceiling?
Also if it is glowing it’s pretty obvious and not a very good trap.
Spiders? Low ceilings likely to get bumped into? Thieves with thievey magic gloves?
How much light is there anyway? Is the victim sentient enough to recognize that glowing runes imply magic?
This might be my army training overinfluencing my thinking, but a lot of ‘traps’ are actually area-denial techniques. Minefields are often marked, because the goal often isn’t to kill people but to let them know ‘If you come this way you will be killed’.
The glowiness might reduce the practicallity, but I suspect it’d do so in a fun way (how can we get around this?) and further justifies moving it back down to 3rd level.
Sean Fager yeah, glow causing fun interaction and area denial was the intent. Also, GM might allow glow-concealing shenanigans like putting it on the inside of a chest, or covering it in dust. Or they might not.
EDIT: also, if you’re fast enough, you could put one down while being chased around a corner.
Band of goblins sees glowy circle. Band of goblins throws weakest member into circle. Goblins avoid glowy circles from now on. Sure for mindless or animalistic creatures might be fooled more than once but not much more. If it’s covered with something like a carpet it’s not going to be touched. Maybe it would be useful in the snow where it would be covered but still stepped on by accident. Seems like a situational spell you would find in an NPC spell book in a frozen fortress or snow witch type adventure, imho.
Why not use conditions depending on your roll? Just ‘spit-balling’ here:
10+: The sigil is made successfully
7-9: Choose 1
-The sigil glows and is revealed
-The sigil won’t last long
-It’s less potent than intended
-It’s taking longer to make
6: The sigil had un-intended effects. GM will let you know what they are. Mark XP
if you wanted to make the sigil a move, then sure, but none of the existing wizard spells have roll-dependent features.
Word it kinda like Summon Monster or Dominate. Provide options for a 7-9 like.
“If a 7-9 was rolled to cast this spell, select one of the following”
…my copy of DW has no such wording for the Summon Monster spell. Summoned monsters get 1d6 trait selections.