Defensive Explosion
The name of the game today is defense—sort of. See, the problem with your average defensive spells is that they keep you from doing something offensive (or, as most of us like to think of it, fun) on your turn. For my part, I feel that in a world full of magic, there isn’t any good reason to have a cake you can’t eat, and to that end I came up with these more exciting, and frankly, explosive defensive spells.
ASSAULT BARRIER
School abjuration; Level sorcerer/wizard 8
Casting Time 1 standard action
Components V, S, M (a ring made from iron recycled from a sword used in combat)
Range personal
Target you
Duration 1 round/level
When you cast this spell, you are surrounded by the phantom images of various weapons and implements of war, including axes, swords and spears, which lash out as tangible force whenever you are hit in combat. Choose bludgeoning, slashing, or piercing damage. You ignore the first 10 points of damage of the chosen type from each attack. Additionally, whenever you are damaged by a melee attack, a wave of force energy erupts from you, damaging all creatures other than yourself in a 10-foot radius centered on you. Creatures in this area suffer 3d6 points of force damage.
DOOM WARD
School abjuration; Level cleric/oracle 2, inquisitor 1, paladin 1, sorcerer/wizard 2
Casting Time 1 standard action
Components V, S, M/DF (the whiskers from a rat)
Range personal
Target you
Duration 1 min./level, or until discharged
You surround yourself with a palpable aura of defensive energy which protects you from various debilitating conditions and allows you to channel those same harmful forces outward in a sudden burst of energy. For the spell’s duration, you gain a resistance bonus on all saving throws made to resist fear effects, paralysis, petrification, sleep, and stunning effects, as well as against any effect which would make you fatigued or exhausted, and against any effect which would make you sickened or nauseated. This resistance bonus is equal to 1/2 your caster level (rounded down, minimum 1, to a maximum of +5 at 10th level).
Additionally, whenever you make a saving throw against such an effect, whether or not you succeed, you can choose to discharge this spell in order to force all other creatures within 30 feet of you to be affected by the same effect, except that the saving throw made to resist the effect is equal to doom ward’s saving throw DC. You must declare that you are discharging the spell in this way before learning the result of your saving throw. Discharging the spell in this way ends the spell’s effects.
ELEMENTAL WARD
School abjuration; Level druid 7, sorcerer/wizard 7, witch 8
Casting Time 1 standard action
Components V, S, M/DF (an elemental’s heart worth 25 gp)
Range personal
Target you
Duration 1 round/level, or until discharged
You speak mystic words and brilliant, brightly colored sigils appear all over your body. These sigils store up elemental energy to protect you from harm, but can also be unleashed in a deadly burst. When you cast this spell, choose one of the following energy types: acid, cold, fire, electricity, or sonic. Your body becomes covered in brightly colored sigils which can be read with a read magic spell or a successful Knowledge (arcana) check (DC 20), and when read, indicate the type of energy you chose when casting this spell. For the spell’s duration, you gain complete immunity to the selected type of energy.
Additionally, at any time during the spell’s duration, as a standard action, you may choose to discharge the spell, unleashing a wave of the energy stored in this spell to damage all other creatures within 20 feet of you. Characters caught in this blast suffer 1d10 points of damage of the chosen energy type per caster level you possess (to a maximum of 20d10 at 20th level). A successful Reflex save halves this damage.