[PHB] Divine Favor and Righteous Might Official Spell Changes

[Methos of Aundair]

This was just posted by one of the WizCo staff (WotC Mel) here:

http://boards1.wizards.com/showthread.php?t=305224

Here’s a quote of his post:

Posting for Jesse Decker from RPG R&D. Also posted on D&D main web page.
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With each passing year, we in Wizards of the Coast’s R&D Department gain a deeper understanding of the effects different game mechanics (class abilities, spells, and feats) have on the Dungeons & Dragons® gameplay experience. Sometimes these game mechanics do not have the effect that the design and development teams intended. However, in general, if a mechanic works as printed, we don’t change it. From time to time, we will identify a mechanic that creates too great an impact on the play experience or creates constraints for designing new mechanics, and we act to correct the problem.

Wizards of the Coast R&D has identified two spells that have too great an impact on the play experience and are creating design constraints for future game mechanics: divine favor and righteous might. We have changed these spells in the following ways (changes noted in boldface type):

Divine Favor (Player’s Handbook, page 224): Calling upon the strength and wisdom of a deity, you gain a +1 luck bonus on attack rolls and weapon damage rolls for every three caster levels you have (at least +1, maximum +3). The bonus doesn’t apply to spell damage.

Righteous Might (Player’s Handbook, page 273): This spell causes you to grow, doubling your height and multiplying your weight by 8. This increase changes your size category to the next larger one, and you gain a +4 size bonus to Strength and a +2 size bonus to Constitution. You gain a +2 enhancement bonus to your natural armor. You gain damage reduction 3/evil (if you normally channel positive energy) or damage reduction 3/good (if you normally channel negative energy). At 12th level this damage reduction becomes 6/evil or 6/good, and at 15th level it becomes 9/evil or 9/good (the maximum). ...

We feel strongly that these changes will improve the overall play experience of the Dungeons & Dragons game, as well as help you better enjoy our products for years to come.

__________________
Jesse Decker
Development Manager
RPG/Miniatures R&D
Wizards of the Coast, Inc.
__________________
Before enlightenment, you chop wood and carry water. After enlightenment, you chop wood and carry water.
-Zen Proverb

 

[Methos of Aundair]

This was also added by WotC Mark

The above info appears in todays News on the D&D site...

http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/news/20040910news

And the official Players Handbook Errata..

http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/er/20040125a

MJ

__________________
Mark A Jindra
Web Developer: D&D, Eberron, Forgotten Realms, D&D Miniatures, d20 Modern, d20 System, Avalon Hill.

 

[Sammael]

I love being right. Here's the quote from my house rules doc:

Divine Favor
The maximum luck bonus this spell can grant is +3 (at 9th caster level).

 

[ruleslawyer]

Yet they kept divine power as is...

 

[drunkmoogle]

It isn't official until 3.6 comes out. They're house rules, now.

Personally, I think the spells are fine without modification. The duration of these spells leave much to be desired. I don't think we'd be too upset about their usage if it weren't for Persistant spell...

Let them nerf it if it means a better game. Since they're designing new mechanics, that must mean that they're going to keep the 3.5 system out for a while.

Right?

 

[DevoutlyApathetic]

It's in the errata, there isn't much more official than that.

I'm surprised that they didn't change the progression of DF. Pushing it to one for every four levels would mean you could even up with a fighter for a minute with it. Now it's the low level buff until your GMW's start pulling the weight.

They changed the DR? The DR of Righteous Might is near useless anyways. At that level range I'm always fighting well equipped humans or outer planar foes. It's just a huge joke now.

I'm also rather annoyed at the assymmetry with Animal Growth. Good size changing effects generally did the +8 str and so on. Now we've got a variety of different effects that vary by spell. It's good to see the streamlining process is alive and well.

I'm amazed that with all the rules that have huge holes in them these are the ones they chose to fix. The rules here worked, in poor fashion, but they didn't breakdown completely.

Design space? Bah. They must really want to reprint presistant spell.

 

[jodyjohnson]

So could you list the rules with huge holes in them?

These changes leave things as is up to 9th. At 9th the fully buffed cleric loses +2/+2 (plus 9 hp) (and caps at +5/+5) and by 20th is behind +5/+5 (and 20 hp) from the previous +10/+10.

Looking forward to seeing these changes in action in our latest campaign (currently 7th).

Maybe errata/rewrite of Polymorph is in the works (Complete Arcane?).

 

[thorian]

What a load of sh..

I don't understand why only two changes were made. The change for Divine Favor is exactly what my group house ruled in 3.0 and better balanced for a 1st level spell. The change to Righeous Might makes it hardly worthwhile as a 5th level spell with a duration of 1 round/level.

The real problems here are the Persistent Spell feat, Divine Metamagic and Shapechange.

Persistent Spell allows one to ignore the 1 round/level duration which is supposed to be a limiting factor on a spells balance.

Divine Metamagic lets one use Persistent Spell, or any other metamagic feat for that matter, before a character should be able to use it. Allowing characters to exceed the metamagic cap shouldn't happen, IMO. Simply fixing the feat by limiting it in this manner makes it very useful, but not overpowering.

Shapechange is the most broken spell. What other spell lets you get +10-+30 on multiple attributes, +23 natural armor, and supernatural abilities of any creature with as many or fewer HD as you? Wish, buff spells, nothing can come close to this.

 

[drunkmoogle]

Er... missed the part of official eratta. I didn't think WotC would make such a bold move to change Cleric staples, but apparantly they have.

Hm... Does this officially allow the Druid to outshine the Cleric?

If it does, then I'm all for it.

 

[DevoutlyApathetic]

You named the largest. Polymorph is very murky and full of weird little bits. I'd hope they're rewriting it but I'd much rather they learn to use errata documents like they should. [In relation to JodyJohnson's question, I type slow]

Others of the top of my head? Grapple rules need about another days worth of work by a good writer to really clarify and tighten up to where they don't inspire mind-boggling questions. An answer to why most animals actually want to grapple would be nice for a start.

Improved Trip is just silly now. It's worse since the 'prone/standing' rules consist of about three sentances scattered across chapters.

They also need to decide that the "Design Space" for druids doesn't include any more new capabilities. 3.5 made druids close to being too good. Complete Divine makes it ludicrious.

Divine Favor is too good, but Nature's Favor (shared with your companion of course) is just peachy keen.

Bah.