Create Heat Fire warlock spell

[Thinyser]

So it raises heat by 10F /lvl and if it gets over 110F there is a 40% chance anybody in the heat will pass out for 2d6 minutes. By the RAW this happens instantly but that is just silly.

From personal experience I think we can all agree this would not happen instantly. Most people have at some point walked outside from our 70-75F house to sweltering 110+ degree heat and/or gone from a nice 75-80 day into a 140+ degree vehicle... and likely none of us has passed out... certainly not 40% of us.

Being that it's a very long duration spell (10 min/lvl) I think it would be reasonable to think that it would take a fair amount of time for the 40% chance to actually come into play. I would propose that the chance of succumbing to heatstroke would be based on level of activity as well as dress.

10% per melee during combat
5% per minute of rest or light activity (walking at normal 3 mph pace)
10% per minute of moderate activity (moving at 1/2 Spd attribute or less, and activities determined by the GM to be moderate)
20% per minute of sprinting at full speed (its taxing but you make your own breeze to cool down.)

Double these for wearing full suit of armor or winter clothing, +50% for wearing a 1/2 suite of armor or thick clothes.

So a person wearing full armor and in combat would have a 20% chance of passing out after the first melee, if they stay awake and continue to fight they reach the max 40% chance and roll again at the end of the 2nd melee. If still awake they continue to roll at the 40% chance until the pass out.

It's still pretty overpowered I think, but at least it gives people a chance to fight/run their way out of the heated area (which is also very large) before the full 40% chance is reached.

Also I would lessen the sleeping time to 2d6 melee, that gives them a chance to wake up before combat is over.

What do you think?

EDIT- Also what if multiple warlocks cast it on the same area, would they stack? (I wouldn't let the same warlock keep casting it on the same area but I think I would allow separate warlocks to each raise the temp with their own casting) but how would the 40% work would it stack too so that at if you hit 220F its a 80% chance, or maybe each new caster only adds half of the previous one so base is 40% second caster +20%, third+10%, fourth +5%, etc so that each new caster even though he might significantly raise the heat would only contribute a fraction to the total %... Hmm lots to think about if I allow that.

[Nekira Sudacne]

It was caluclated at one point, during the extended Seige on Tolkeen threads back in the day, that a small group of elementals could render Chi-town a gigantic oven and bake everyone alive inside just by stacking the spell over and over again. As there's nothing written preventing stacking, nothing is preventing you from stacking spell after spell until the room temprature is high enough to melt a glitter boy.

[Tor]

Isn't the trick to have the elementals get close enough to cast and affect a large enough area to prevent the CS troops from temporarily relocating until the duration expires?

Plus then there's the Nega-Nulli brigade and the Anti-Magic cloud-wielding Vanguard.

[Glistam]

I think it would happen instantly. Nothing in the spell description leads me to believe otherwise. It's magic, it isn't required to be logical nor is it under any obligation to make sense.

[Tinker Dragoon]

From personal experience I think we can all agree this would not happen instantly. Most people have at some point walked outside from our 70-75F house to sweltering 110+ degree heat and/or gone from a nice 75-80 day into a 140+ degree vehicle... and likely none of us has passed out... certainly not 40% of us.

That's assuming that the spell is only raising ambient air temperature. It may very well increase the temperature of everything in its area of effect, which could lead to some interesting situations involving the melting/boiling/ignition points of various materials; as with most Elemental magic, the precise mechanics of the spell are unclear.

It is also unclear how often this percentage should be rolled. Every melee? Every minute? Just one time ever?

[Killer Cyborg]

I think it would happen instantly. Nothing in the spell description leads me to believe otherwise. It's magic, it isn't required to be logical nor is it under any obligation to make sense.

I think that would be the simplest way to hand it. Just assume that any effects of the spell that are out of whack with physics as we know them are just effects of the magic, not the change in temperature.

[Thinyser]

I think it would happen instantly. Nothing in the spell description leads me to believe otherwise. It's magic, it isn't required to be logical nor is it under any obligation to make sense.

I think that would be the simplest way to hand it. Just assume that any effects of the spell that are out of whack with physics as we know them are just effects of the magic, not the change in temperature.

Simple? yes... but also ridiculously overpowered. Its a 3rd level spell that costs 8 PPE and has NO saving throw. If you start at 70F (common room temp) you only need to heat it 40 degrees (4th level will accomplish this) to reach the 110F needed to have a 40% chance to instantly incapacitate your foe for 2-12 minutes.

[Killer Cyborg]

I think it would happen instantly. Nothing in the spell description leads me to believe otherwise. It's magic, it isn't required to be logical nor is it under any obligation to make sense.

I think that would be the simplest way to hand it. Just assume that any effects of the spell that are out of whack with physics as we know them are just effects of the magic, not the change in temperature.

Simple? yes... but also ridiculously overpowered. Its a 3rd level spell that costs 8 PPE and has NO saving throw. If you start at 70F (common room temp) you only need to heat it 40 degrees (4th level will accomplish this) to reach the 110F needed to have a 40% chance to instantly incapacitate your foe for 2-12 minutes.

True enough.
On the downside, it only works against foes who are vulnerable to environmental heat. Also, if it's an area of affect, then the caster is going to risk taking down friendlies as well as enemies.
Also, I'm not sure how effective the spell would be on a rainy day, or a windy day, or underwater, etc.
Of course, I'm just working with your description of the spell- I haven't read it in a while.

I'd have to compare it to other stuff like CoA and Magic Net.

If it needs further nerfing, house-rule that victims get a save, and/or have 1 melee round before passing out.

[Glistam]

Fire Warlocks have very little going for them - why take this away from them?

[Tor]

Doesn't even work against environmental body armor, so it's more of a crowd control thing.

Might be useful against unarmored supernaturals though.

[Thinyser]

Doesn't even work against environmental body armor, so it's more of a crowd control thing.

Might be useful against unarmored supernaturals though.

Its pretty badass in PFRPG.

[Tor]

True, not sure why I only thought of Rifts, I think summer is casting this spell on my room.