Essence of the Dragon: Great Spell?

[Ziegander]

So, I just ran across this spell for the first time, and it occurred to me, wow, that spell is really good. Essence of the Dragon, 2nd level arcane spell, Sorcerer-only, from Races of the Dragon. Unless I'm missing something, and it's very likely that I am (or at least I hope so), the damn spell just grants the subject full BAB, all good saves, Darkvision, and immunity to sleep and paralysis. For 1 minute/level. Technically, it should also grant them d12 HD, but I wouldn't think that would retroactively change the subject's amount of hit points.

Am I missing something or is this spell better in every way than Divine Power?

[ariasderros]

The BaB and saves would only affect your racial HD. So if you had Monstrous Humanoid HD, then the stats from those HD would improve, but class progression is always tracked separate and is by the class. Relevant rules are in the MM.

[Ziegander]

The BaB and saves would only affect your racial HD. So if you had Monstrous Humanoid HD, then the stats from those HD would improve, but class progression is always tracked separate and is by the class. Relevant rules are in the MM.

Gotcha. I knew that. Thanks for reminding me.

So the spell is pretty lame as is, but I suppose just to gain Darkvision it's not horrible, though it could stand to last 1 hour/level.

[sirpercival]

It's a great spell if there's a druid or paladin in the party.

[ariasderros]

So the spell is pretty lame as is, but I suppose just to gain Darkvision it's not horrible, though it could stand to last 1 hour/level.

It is not that good as a player. If you are a DM for players who are T2 and know how to use it, then it is something to use for higher level encounters. Give that troll leader 4 levels of Sorcerer, and it is a more powerful threat (officially, for only +2 CR, though I would say +4).

[SorO_Lost]

As it on an Animal Companion, Special Mount, or your Familiar.

Always nice when your Familiar is more powerful than most mundanes

[Ziegander]

As it on an Animal Companion, Special Mount, or your Familiar.

Always nice when your Familiar is more powerful than most mundanes

Yeah, it's great on a Druid's Animal Companion, possibly better on a Paladin's Special Mount, and hilarious on a Battle Sorcerer's Improved Familiar... Crazy.

Huh, actually I guess it wouldn't be that great on an Improved Familiar since they already have d10 HD and BAB that is set to your BAB.

[phaedrusxy]

As it on an Animal Companion, Special Mount, or your Familiar.

Always nice when your Familiar is more powerful than most mundanes

So it's a boost to the arcane heirophant, and those silly wizards/sorcerers who took the "animal companion instead of familiar" ACF.

[Phoenix00]

Even though it is a sorcerer spell it seems a great spell to make into an eternal wand (all arcane clases) or a normal wand with umd.
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Wouldn't this be a big boost for undead creatures?

Would the creature be considered a dragon type and an undead type or just a dragon type?

Go go go Dread Necromancer

[ariasderros]

Wouldn't this be a big boost for undead creatures?

They would benefit from BAB and Saves, just as anyone / thing else would.

Would the creature be considered a dragon type and an undead type or just a dragon type?

Dragon type. Undead traits would be retained though, including Con --.

Go go go Dread Necromancer

DN alone would not benefit from this anymore than anyone else w/o racial HD, as their BAB and saves are advanced by class, not race.

[littha]

The real benefit would be of course to a creature with racial sorcerer casting and a crappy type... I'm sure I have seen a fey like that somewhere.

[ariasderros]

The real benefit would be of course to a creature with racial sorcerer casting and a crappy type... I'm sure I have seen a fey like that somewhere.

Or the spellweaver, whose casting level is based on its HD.

[Phoenix00]

Go go go Dread Necromancer

DN alone would not benefit from this anymore than anyone else w/o racial HD, as their BAB and saves are advanced by class, not race.

It is a buff spell that a Dread Necromancer can cast on his undead prior to a battle since its duration is 3 mins long in an eternal wand.  It is quite easy to be able to create very big undead if you are using desecrate, but a Dread Necro is one of the few classes that can control big stupid creatures (with a low CR to HD ratio) while a normal wizard/cleric would be better served via a high CR to HD ratio.  That is all the difference that class level*4 vs 4*(class level+cha) makes.  (Rod of Undead Mastery doubles this number.)

Imagine a dread necro with a 72 HD Colossal Giganotosaurus (think t-rex but bigger in real life), Giganotosaurus is located in DR318, it is a 24 HD Garg animal, 37 HD Colossal.

or a 60 HD Spinosaurus (that stupid dinosaur that killed the t-rex in Jurassic Park III), it is located in MM2.  It is a 20 HD Garg animal, 41 HD Colossal

[Amechra]

Me? I use this as a debuff at higher levels; it means that your Rogue can SA practically anything (hey, Dragon types aren't immune to SA!), and you can do some funny things with Favored Enemy (Dragons)... Stuff like Favored Power Attack, Wise to your Ways, and Murderous Intent are less situational when everyone you fight is a Dragon...

Not to mention Dragonsdoom...

If you can somehow get this onto the spell list of a Mystic Ranger with the Shooting Star sub levels... Use Hunter's Mercy for great justice, when combo'd with Dragonsdoom, to deal 5x your normal damage with a bow.

Can I get a hell ya?

So, in other words... you just took something that made your Rogue feel small in the pants, and let the Rogue take sweet, sweet vengeance.

[Agita]

Me? I use this as a debuff at higher levels; it means that your Rogue can SA practically anything (hey, Dragon types aren't immune to SA!), and you can do some funny things with Favored Enemy (Dragons)... Stuff like Favored Power Attack, Wise to your Ways, and Murderous Intent are less situational when everyone you fight is a Dragon...

Not to mention Dragonsdoom...

If you can somehow get this onto the spell list of a Mystic Ranger with the Shooting Star sub levels... Use Hunter's Mercy for great justice, when combo'd with Dragonsdoom, to deal 5x your normal damage with a bow.

Can I get a hell ya?

Hell no.
Unfortunately, it's restricted to willing creatures (and, for that matter, they also have to be living).

[Amechra]

I love the Bluff skill+Glibness, don't you?

Alternatively... Make potions of it, and then somehow compel them to drink...

Plus, I'm pretty sure there is some way to make a spell that only affects Willing creatures affect things that ain't willin'...

And I forgot about the "can't affect non-living creatures". Still, go ahead and SA those stupid oozes, eh?

[SorO_Lost]

I love the Bluff skill+Glibness, don't you?

You know what is better than Sense Motive? Divination spells.

P.S. Used Contact Other Wife, she said that was the second long lie you told today. She sounded very displeased too >.>
Oooh burn!

[Amechra]

Sorry Mr. Diviner, I have the Insidious Magic feat and a high CL, that's why you can't find anything.

Or any of the myriads of spells that alter or remove auras.

And then there IS the fact that most creatures your casting it on, you could probably get them to accept the "buff".

Finally, here is a question; do ray spells ever have target lines? Or are the two mutually exclusive? Because if it is the second, then Ocular Spell lets you zap an enemy.

Plus, I am too young to be legally married in my country; your burn is denied.

[SorO_Lost]

Finally, here is a question; do ray spells ever have target lines? Or are the two mutually exclusive? Because if it is the second, then Ocular Spell lets you zap an enemy.

Magic Missle has a target line.

And Ocular Spell pretty much lets you zap everything with anything. Even the example calls out Scorching Ray which lacks a target line as it changes the effect

[Amechra]

Damn Ocular Spell's limit on two spells affected each time!

Though... could you apply Ocular Spell to a wand through one of the myriad different ways of applying Metamagic to wands?

If so... that makes little sense.