I was reading through some spells earlier today and I came across Deathword. This is a spell that none of my players really used or acquired and I never thought about much but it seems to be one of the deadliest spells in any of the books.
Range: 30 feet
Damage2D6 +1D6 per level, double if you whisper it in the ear. Direct to hit points or MDC for MDC beings
Requires 2 saving throws
First is save vs magic, if you succeed you take damage but no coma, if you fail you are in a coma
Second is save vs coma, you fail you die
My question is, am I missing something? This just sounds unbelievably powerful, I mean if I did this to a player in a game and they fail two saving throws they die. Give this to a mystic assassin, add in invisibility or shadow meld and they can go to town on an entire CS FOB. Just wondering if anyone has used this in game and how it has gone.
Deathword
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Warshield73
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Deathword
“No dictator, no invader can hold an imprisoned population by force of arms forever. There is no greater power in the universe than the need for freedom. Against that power, governments and tyrants and armies cannot stand. The Centauri learned this lesson once, we will teach it to them again. Though it take a thousand years, we will be free.”
- Citizen G'Kar, Babylon 5 - 2259
- Citizen G'Kar, Babylon 5 - 2259
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Franko Tyrador
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Re: Deathword
I primarily play Palladium Fantasy, so MDC is not a thing. There are quite a few spells that are just nuts: river of lava, carpet of adhesion, cloud of slumber. You can TPK with a lot of those. Even a Wall of stone dropped on 1 or more PCs, then quicksand to drown them...
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Warshield73
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Re: Deathword
Yeah even in Rifts there are some individual spells like carpet of adhesion that can really mess with players and NPCs alike, but those you can still act. You fail the save for CoA and you can still fight. You can shoot or fight, a friendly mage can negate it. I had one player wearing a contra-grav pack unbuckle his boots and then fly around in his socks. Lots of chances to survive.
Deathword though, wow. You have two saving throws and if you fail both you die. What's worse if you look at requirements for the saving throw, save vs magic is 12 or higher so when you take into account spell bonus for mage and a save bonus for victim it is usually going to be weighted towards failure and save vs coma is worse. Add to that both saves are based on PE so if your player has seven exceptional attributes, but your PE is just average you are really screwed. And that assumes your party doesn't burry you alive after you fail the first throw because they think you're already dead.
Like I said it seems really OP
Deathword though, wow. You have two saving throws and if you fail both you die. What's worse if you look at requirements for the saving throw, save vs magic is 12 or higher so when you take into account spell bonus for mage and a save bonus for victim it is usually going to be weighted towards failure and save vs coma is worse. Add to that both saves are based on PE so if your player has seven exceptional attributes, but your PE is just average you are really screwed. And that assumes your party doesn't burry you alive after you fail the first throw because they think you're already dead.
Like I said it seems really OP
“No dictator, no invader can hold an imprisoned population by force of arms forever. There is no greater power in the universe than the need for freedom. Against that power, governments and tyrants and armies cannot stand. The Centauri learned this lesson once, we will teach it to them again. Though it take a thousand years, we will be free.”
- Citizen G'Kar, Babylon 5 - 2259
- Citizen G'Kar, Babylon 5 - 2259
Re: Deathword
I agree that it is extremely powerful and in your example of a mystic assassin yes it could be dangerous as hell. Thought the CS's Dog Boy's and Stalker's would detect the use of magic in the area. Unless the FOB lacked those measures. It is one of those hidden treasure of a spell. But the range of 30 feet can be an issue at times unless doing it from invisibility or such.
Darkness is eternal. And so am I.