Discussion is
here.
From the Dragonlance Campaign Setting, page 86:
Reserves of Strength [General]
When you cast a spell, you can choose to increase its effective caster level at the cost of exhausting yourself.
Prerequisites: Iron Will, spellcaster level 1.
Benefit: when you cast a spell, you can decide to increase your caster level with that spell by 1, 2, or 3, but you are stunned for an equal number of rounds immediately after doing so. Your increased caster level affects all level-based variables of the spell, including range, area of effect, spell penetration, and the difficulty of dispelling the spell. You can exceed the normal level-fixed limits of a spell with this feat, so a 9th-level wizard could use Reserves of Strength to cast a fireball as a 12th-level wizard and deal 12d6 fire damage.
If you are not subject to stunning effects, you instead suffer 1d6, 3d6, or 5d6 points damage when you call upon your Reserves of Strength feat.
There are two possible interpretations of this feat. Take, for example, a 20th-level wizard attempting to cast
fireball.
(1) In likely RAI, the wizard could cast
fireball with a maximum effective CL of 13 and do 13d6 damage.
(2) In the other, more optimization-friendly interpretation, the wizard would have a maximum effective CL of 23 and do 23d6 damage.
THIS MINI-HANDBOOK IS NOT A FORUM FOR DISCUSSING WHICH INTERPRETATION IS CORRECT. Take that somewhere else. Rather, this is simply a compilation of capped spells in all sources (or as many as I can process) that could do with a good uncapping via RoS. I will, however, differentiate between spells which can use RoS in both interpretations, and spells which can only use RoS in interpretation 2 (because applying only +3 CL has no effect). Spells which are useable by RAI are marked with an asterisk (*) in the Use column.
Ways to be immune to stunningThe only drawback to this feat is the 1-3 round stun, which is pretty brutal. The damage is much more manageable. Here are the ways I've found (with the help of Surreal's Lists of Stuff) to be immune to stunning:
- Favor of the Martyr, Paladin 4, SpC. Gives immunity to stunning along with a whole bunch of other stuff, and is an entirely awesome spell.
- Paladin 3, warforged substitution level, Races of Eberron
- Sanctified One 1 (Wee Jas), ecl 6, Complete Champion, for one minute per day
- Pale Master 7, ecl 12, Libris Mortis
- Necrocarnum Vestments, soulmeld, Magic of Incarnum, bind to heart
- Wakeful Mind, warforged graft, Faiths of Eberron
- Mark of the Dauntless, feat, Dragonmarked
- Construct, Elemental, Ooze, Plant, or Undead type
- Iron Body, Elemental Body, Plant Body, Sandform, Amorphous Form, Mantle of the Slime Lord, Stone Body, Veil of Undeath, Undead Mask, Body of War, and Freedom all grant immunity to stunning along with other immunities
sirpercival's Favorite Spells to Uncap- Hail of Stone (SpC, Sor/Wiz 1, Conj) -- CLd4 untyped damage, no attack roll, no save, no SR. Just damage. Widen it to hit a 10' radius.
- Dispel Magic -- Get a large dispel check.
- Contingency -- Contingency 9th-level spells or higher.
- Mirror Image -- Who wants a ton of images?
- Shapechange, Polymorph, Alter Self -- Epic monsters?
- Greater Magic Weapon, Barkskin, Magic Vestment, Armor of Darkness, Conviction -- Yes.