Blade Barrier - Overpowered? I think so.

[Anabstercorian]

I think Blade Barrier is overpowered, for the following reasons:

- It causes slashing damage, not elemental, and can thus pierce any energy resistance. The 6th level Energy Immunity can allow a mage to laugh in the face of meteor storms, chain lightnings, or draconic breath, while NO spell provides significant protection against Blade Barrier aside from Iron Body. Even Stoneskin is almost irrelevant.

- It lasts for 10 minutes per level, allowing it to serve as a sort of immense sawblade that can tear down even the toughest of structures with hundreds of hacking blades. It effectively has the Repeat Spell metamagic feat a bazillion times for free!

- It's got a thirty foot radius disc - Okay, that's not really overpowered, just something cool.

I think this spell needs some tweaks to remain balanced. I've seen myself the spectacular devastation it can wreak upon foes. Here's what I recommend be changed:

First off, cut the duration to 1 round per level, and certainly no more than a minute per level. If it's arranged along a hortizontal plane, creatures inside it should get a reflex save for half damage every round, not just a chance to get out before things get hairy. Third, it should be a seventh level spell. As is, the sucker is far superior to even Meteor Storm, and almost better than Horrid Wilting.

 

[(Psi)SeveredHead]

As long as your PC isn't being held, there's no reason to be hurt by this spell. It's like Wall of Fire, you discourage your opponent from crossing the barrier.

 

[Anubis]

It's immobile, you can save to avoid it altogether, and it's easy to get away from. Unless paired with Otto's Irresistible Dance, this spell rarely does anything.

 

[Shard O'Glase]

As long as your PC isn't being held, there's no reason to be hurt by this spell. It's like Wall of Fire, you discourage your opponent from crossing the barrier.

except the 1st round when it s cast. In that round you can easily take damage that blows even the arcane damage caps out of the water. I effectively see it as one of the damaging wall or clud spells. I'd put it's damage aorund 6d6 save none or 8d6 save 1/2, and then it still blows away the incredibly lame incindeary clouds 4d6 save for 1/2.

 

[Vaxalon]

Blade barrier doesn't affect objects.

This spell creates a spinning disk of razor-sharp blades. These whirl and flash around a central point, creating an immobile, circular barrier. Any creature passing through the blade barrier takes 1d6 points of slashing damage per caster level (maximum 20d6). The plane of rotation of the blades can be horizontal, vertical, or slanted.

Creatures within the blade barrier when it is invoked take the damage as well. They can negate the damage with a successful Reflex saving throw, provided they can and do physically leave the area of the blades by the shortest possible route. Once the barrier is in place, anything entering or passing through the blades automatically takes damage

Since walls and structures are not:

1> Creatures
2> entering or passing through the blades

they do not take damage from blade barrier.

 

[Leopold]

This is the easy part..i just cast spells through the blade barrier and my clerics buff the snot out of the enemy and just wait for it to run out or move around it since the PC's don't know the terrain..


this is more of an annoyance than anything else..

 

[EOL]

I think Blade Barrier is one of those spells that seems ower-powered on paper, but in practice really isn't. I've played some high level campaigns and though Blade Barrier was frequently cast I never had a case where I thought it was more effective or more damaging than it should have been. Now clerics in general, there you might have an argument, this one spell? Nahhh.....

 

[1337 h4xor]

and to top it off it's another 1 turn casting time spell..... someone makes their spellcraft check and shouts "hey guys he's casting blade barrier go kill him." In and of itself this spell isnt as dangerous as you think

 

[The Forsaken One]

It's powerfull and has caused problems but what's wrong with having a very powerfull spell at that level? Finally some attack spells for the clerc and a powerfull one to, np with it.

 

[maddman75]

Blade Barrier is not overpowered. One of the clerics in my game uses it all the time. It is much more useful as a disruption tactic than it is raw damage. Sure, he'll hurt some baddies and drop a couple mooks when it comes out, but the real power of the spell is how it changes the terrain of the combat.