Epic Spell Conversions, Part III

   To continue with Alzrius’s request, here are a few more epic spells converted to Eclipse high-level spells.

   Dreamscape

   Dreamscape carries the caster and a group of companions into the realm of dreams, wherein they can travel for a time to emerge elsewhere, traveling at an effective speed of five miles per minute or into another dimension in 1d4 hours – not especially fast considering the scene-shifting typical of the realm of dreams. Characters who wander off from the caster may stumble into random dreams or stumble back into the origin dimension with roughly equal odds.

   OK; That’s Plane Shift (Level Five Divine, Level Seven Arcane), with a fair degree of accuracy (+2 Spell Levels), and allowing a second, delayed, shift – that’s the Multiple and Trigger metamagics (+3 Spell Levels). Of course, it only allows a shift to a corresponding location rather than anywhere on it (-2 Spell Levels),and the first shift can only be to the Realm of Dreams and the second can only return to the origin dimension unless a good deal of time is spent traveling the perilous realm of dreams – and even then only realms populated with creatures that dream can be reached (-2 Spell Levels).

   Well, that comes out to be level eight at best – or level six for clerics. That’s about as expected; this isn’t a particularly epic effect. It’s just a variation on Plane Shift – slightly more versatile, in that it can be used for travel, less useful in that it’s slower. In fact, there are several psionic effects which can produce similar results, while – for most purposes – spells such as Greater Teleport or Gate, or a paired effect such as Plane Shift – Greater Teleport, are obviously superior.

   Dreamscape: Conjuration (Teleportation), Level: Six Cleric, Level Eight Sorcerer/Wizard, Components: V, S (no need to specific a plane, since it’s fixed at first and then set by travel), Casting Time: One Standard Action, Range: Touch, Target: Creature Touched, or up to eight willing creatures holding hand, Duration: Special, Saving Throw: Will Negates, Spell Resistance: Yes.

   Dreamscape carries the targets into the realm of dreams, wherein they can travel for a time to emerge elsewhere, traveling at an effective speed of five miles per minute or into another dimension in 1d4 hours. Targets who are sent off on their own, or who wander off from the caster, may stumble into random dreams or stumble back into the origin dimension with roughly equal odds. Unwilling targets receive a will save to avoid being so transferred.

   Eclipse

   This spell generates a solar eclipse, affecting a five mile radius of the caster, culminating in a total eclipse and spectacular coronal ring. The eclipse will follow the caster around for up to eight hours.

   OK, so this spell negates natural sunlight to make it kind of dark out.

   That’s Deeper Darkness (Spell Level Three) with a major area boost – a bit larger than a common battlefield (the Area Metamagic at +9 Spell Levels), Only blocks natural sunlight, other lights remain unaffected (-1 Spell Level), and the built-in Metamagic Credit (-3 Spell Levels for 7+ levels of built-in Metamagic) = level eight. Call it plus one level, for a total spell level of nine, for the really impressive special effect – but “it gets dark over a wide radius” isn’t really one of the greatest feats of magic in history. I could push this up to low-epic by presuming that it needs a +10 spell level area boost, but it’s already dropping the duration from one day per level to eight hours anyway.

   Eclipse: Evocation (Darkness), Level: Nine, Components: V, S, Casting Time: One Standard Action, Duration: Eight Hours, Range: Touch (normally you touch yourself, but you can hang an Eclipse over something else), Target: Object Touched, Duration: 8 Hours, Saving Throw: None, Spell Resistance: No.

   Eclipse blots out the light of the sun within a five mile radius of the target for the next eight hours, providing a spectacular view of the corona and a +10 circumstance bonus to intimidating anyone who watched you cast it and is below level fifteen. (This guy’s willing to blow a ninth level spell just to provide special effects!).

    Greater Ruin

   Greater Ruin does 35d6 of damage to one target within line of sight, with a Fortitude save for half damage.

   OK, that’s Disintegrate (Spell Level Six) with Line of Sight Range (+2 Spell Levels of Extension), no need to roll to hit (+2 Spell Levels. If you like, you can consider this as throwing in a secondary targeting spell of about level eight – which should suffice to hit pretty much anything with a ranged touch attack), and half effect on save instead of 5d6 (Amplify, roughly +2 Spell Levels) with the standard spell level price break for five or more levels of built-in Metamagic (-2 Spell Levels). That’s level ten. Ergo:

   Greater Ruin: Transmutation, Level: Ten, Components V, S, M, Casting Time: One Standard Action, Range: Line Of Sight, Effect: Ray, Duration: Instantaneous, Saving Throw: Fortitude Partial (Object), Spell Resistance: Yes.

   Greater Ruin allows you to inflict 40d6 damage to any creature or object within range or line of sight. Any creature reduced to 0 or fewer hit points by this spell is entirely disintegrated, leaving behind only a trace of fine dust. A disintegrated creature’s equipment is unaffected.

   When used against an object, Greater Ruin simply disintegrates as much as one 10- foot cube of nonliving matter. Thus, the spell disintegrates only part of any very large object or structure targeted. The spell affects even objects constructed entirely of force, such as forceful hand or a wall of force, but not magical effects such as a globe of invulnerability or an antimagic field.

   A creature or object that makes a successful Fortitude save takes only 20d6 damage. If this damage reduces the creature or object to 0 or fewer hit points, it is entirely disintegrated.

   Only the first creature or object struck can be affected; that is, the spell affects only one target per casting.

   Arcane Material Component: A lodestone and a pinch of dust, otherwise divine focus. If you can’t live with the material component, throw in an additional +1 Spell Level to get rid of it.

   Living Lightning

   This is basically a double-size lightning bolt that can cast itself when needed. The original version did 10d6 and used up an epic spell slot every time it was cast. This version will be somewhat improved, since I’d just make a sapient item that threw lightning bolts – or make an item and give it to my familiar – if that was all I wanted. It would be cheaper, more useful, and could be used a lot more often.

   That’s Lightning Bolt (Spell Level Three) with a Doubled Area (+2 Spell Levels) +1 level of Triggering to allow it to hang around and go off as needed (+1 Spell Level), Stabilize (at ‘Obliging”, allowing it to go off by itself when the player wants it to, +3 Spell Levels), and – to make it more useful – Multiple using the Spamming option (at +9 Spell Levels for eight independent shots at up to once per round), -3 spell levels (for having seven or more spell levels worth of Metamagic built into the formula), and +1 spell level for dropping the material component (Easy, +1 Spell Level). That’s Spell Level Sixteen.

   Living Lightning: Evocation (Electricity), Level Sixteen, Components V, S, Casting Time: One Standard Action, Range: 300 or 150 Feet, Area: A bolt five feet wide and three hundred feet long or ten feet wide and one hundred and fifty feet long, Duration: Instantaneous, Saving Throw: Reflex Half, Spell Resistance: Yes.

   When a character devotes a spell slot to Living Lightning, he’s presumed to actually cast it – whereupon it will obligingly hang around, firing one of the eight 20d6 lightning bolts the spell generates whenever the character would like one fired off up to once per round. The spell acts on the character’s initiative, but does not require that the caster be awake at the time or take up any of his or her actions. If you need to find out if the spell notices something, use the casters mental ability scores and skills with any relevant modifiers from feats but not devices.