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More exotic spells in RPGs.

luj1

You're all shills
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The coolest spells for me are those in 3D games that allow new methods of movement, like flying, walking on water, etc.

ye spells that are literally new methods of exploration like in Morrowind

I remember drinking a levitation potion and flying over the Ghostfence when i was like lvl 2, only to get lost in the crimson winds and be massacred by ash zombies. Felt like a fevered dream tbh but awesome

Also the Telvanni towers which you cannot navigate without levitation
 

anvi

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Charm and invisibility may be fun and cool but they are not exotic. Charm is in 99% of fantasy RPGs, and invisibility is easily one of the most common non combat spells in game.
I think it depends. Most of the time Invisibility just gives characters some evasion or something, a boring buff. But sometimes it's really good. In EQ it made you completely invisible even to other players and yourself, you could get past enemies and go into dungeons and reach a specific enemy and then de-cloak and fight it. It was really exciting to use because it could break at any time so you had to always plan somewhere to hide and cast it again. Also any undead could see through it so you had to watch for them and then use a different invis to get past them.

Charm is the same, most games don't even have it. And when you do it gets resisted a lot and only works on a small number of enemies and only if they are a lower level and it only lasts a few rounds or whatever. They make it shit is my point. But again in EQ you could charm something and give it various equipment, then get some buffs off people, boost it's HP, AC, give it Haste, STR boost, maybe some DEX, maybe INT if it can cast spells, can give it mana regen too. And you had to heal it and take care of it but it would slaughter stuff for you. And you had complete control over it too, being able to say "stop attacking this" and "attack this instead" is amazingly good and most games don't let you even do that. It also has spells that could make your pet say whatever you wanted, you talk through the pet and you could look through the pet's eyes too. Most games have boring magic.
 
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luj1

You're all shills
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Guys, you are talking about exotic spells, but no one mentions Sacrifice?

Demonstration of just the most powerful spells in the game:


The game had 5 gods with its own spellbook, which on the campaign you could mix(to a limit) so it was a greatly replayable game. Every god had 9 levels of spells + summons. For more memorable mid-level spell is for example frog rain, which slowed and damaged units.

Edit: I'm an idiot and it was mentioned.


cult game with awesome spells

gj
 

Blutwurstritter

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Germany
Magic and Mayhem is also worth a mention for its spell system, where each spell is based on a unique item that you need to place in one of three talismans yielding a different spell, one for each type of talisman. It even has experience points that can be spent on a small number of attributes, like number of talismans, hitpoints, mana. Definitely a fun game focused on spellcasting and summoning creatures.
 

anvi

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Magic and Mayhem is also worth a mention for its spell system, where each spell is based on a unique item that you need to place in one of three talismans yielding a different spell, one for each type of talisman. It even has experience points that can be spent on a small number of attributes, like number of talismans, hitpoints, mana. Definitely a fun game focused on spellcasting and summoning creatures.
I wish Diablo 4 and the like could have gameplay more like that. :/
 

Fowyr

Arcane
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The coolest spells for me are those in 3D games that allow new methods of movement, like flying, walking on water, etc. Those are spells that aren't just status affects. These were, unfortunately, phased out of 3D RPGs eventually for reasons that I'm sure everyone already knows by now.
Exile 3 had several great spells for moving around. "Move Mountain" that destroyed weak walls, item that allowed fly, spells for water and lava walking (I think, can't remember it clearly). Spell for destroying energy walls.
 

Chimera

Augur
Joined
Feb 19, 2007
Messages
126
Location
A fallen nation...
FATAL has the best damage spell: Perpetual Orgasm.

It makes the target orgasm forever, which leads to a heart attack after a couple of minutes.

Tempted by comments such as yours, I delved into the F.A.T.A.L. books, expecting utter depravity and being pleasantly surprised by the autistic-level of detail where most systems are concerned. Spells, for that matter, were fairly diverse in their scope, relegated primarily to defensive or social applications and largely divorced from any sort of sexual activity.

Among some of the more interesting spells, notably those that could be implemented in a videogame, are...

Ablation
The caster is able to insert their hand into the target's body and grasp the organ they specified in the chant, forcibly removing it from the target's body with sufficient strength. The heart is a popular choice as the target is doomed to perish within a matter of minutes.

Agelast
The creature at whom the caster points while casting the spell loses the capacity to smile and any attempts to elicit one will be perceived as annoying. The target is neither angered nor depressed by the spell itself, but tends to withdraw socially as the activities in which they'd normally delight now cause irritation or boredom.

Against Menstruation
Causes the woman on whom it is used to cease menstruating after a week. The spell persists for a lunar month, after which her menstrual cycle will resume as usual.

Audio Range
The caster may recreate any memorable sound and, depending on their level, alter its volume.

Bestow Aeon
Causes the target to age, both permanently and instantly, by several million years. Aging beyond their natural lifespan is immediately lethal. Nearly all mortal creatures are fossilized by this spell.

Convert to Cannibalism
Causes the target to lose their taste for all food, actively despising it, while instilling a craving for the flesh of their own species. The target's behavior is not modified, thus some may act like animals but others are just as likely to be cunning in securing some meat.

Create Species
Casting this spell allows the creation of a mortal species as dictated by the whims of the caster. If cast by a mortal, this spell is certain to earn the disfavor and wrath of the gods.

Cup of Love
The cup of wine used in the spell is enchanted to cause its consumer to irrevocably fall in love with the caster provided they drink its contents entirely within a day.

Decortication
Causes the skin of the target to be rapidly peeled from their body, removed in up to four strips at random. Unless bandaged immediately, the target will suffer massive loss of blood. Those who survive the spell will find their sense of touch severely impaired as nerve endings are largely within the skin.

Defenestration
The target creature is forcibly ejected, by an invisible and otherwise imperceptible agent, out of the nearest window. The forces pushes them at a rate of roughly 100 feet per round. The force may be withstood by sufficiently powerful creatures, though it will not subside so long as they remain near a window.

Demokritos' Table Gimmicks
Consists of many uses, any one of which may be selected, including: to make bronze look like gold; to be able to eat garlic and not stink; to make cold food burn those who eat it; to be able to imbibe excessive alcohol and not become drunk; to get and maintain an erection on demand.

Develop Breasts
Capable of affecting any mammal, male or female, the target will immediately develop (or further mature) breasts. Males will gain fatty deposits like those of a female, not muscle, though their nipples will remain unaltered. Females who already possess breasts merely increase in cup size.

Discursivity
The target will be unable to hold a conversation without rambling from one topic to another incessantly.

Ejaculate Blood / Acid / Poison
...need I explain?

Eternal Spell of Binding a Lover
After casting, and applying the unguent to his manhood, the caster must insert the head into the orifice of his choosing, after which its owner will eternally burn with desire for repeated penetration by the caster such that they are likely to beg for his manhood daily.

Fatal
Successfully casting this spell causes all living creatures on the world in which it was cast to immediately perish. Death is inescapable, unavoidable and permanent. This spell has never been cast by a mortal (worth noting it costs an obscene amount of magic points).

Force Falsity
Causes the target to lie with every statement made verbally for the duration of the spell, despite any attempt or desire they may posses to speak the truth.

Happy Cleaver
Causes matter in the area of its casting to transmute into a sentient, self-propelled cleaver. The weapon does not require the caster to wield it, seeking out and attacking anything that may bleed within a 100 meter radius; if no such creature is present, it will attack the caster. With each successful attack the cleaver can be heard, in a hysterical fashion, emitting a chill laugh. The cleaver, for some reason, consistently displays a preference for hacking apart female dancers.

Intestinal Wreathe
Causes the target's intestines to emerge from their rectum and wind about their neck in an attempt to strangle the victim for the duration of the spell. Those who manage to survive the strangulation still require immediate medical aid and will likely suffer indefinite discomfort when defecating.

Omniscience
Grants all knowledge regarding all subjects, past, present and future, to the target instantly. The target must pass a number of skill checks, however, or suffer a large number of permanent mental illnesses. After the spell concludes, the target will immediately forget all of their omniscient knowledge and return to their normal faculties.

Perpetual Orgasm
Causes the target to endure a single, neverending orgasm whose intensity surpasses that of any other they've ever experienced. As appealing as the prospect sounds, no mortal creature is capable of normally functioning while under the effect nor can they endure for long as the unceasing pleasure causes eventual madness, muscular decay as the body twitches and convulses uncontrollably, followed by inevitable death as the heart gives out from the strain.

It also struck me that, given the erotic nature and general reputation of this system, the spell "Burning Bush" was quite distinct from what I'd anticipated. It's an allusion to the Biblical story of Moses, summoning a literal god into an actual bush. For a game with several varieties of "charm a woman into submission" or "force a woman you've kissed/touched/slept with to fall in love," there are shockingly no "give a woman chlamydia" spells.
 

JarlFrank

I like Thief THIS much
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Steve gets a Kidney but I don't even get a tag.
A lot of FATAL's spells are quite interesting to be honest, as are the over 1000 randomly rolled spell failure effects that can fire when you fail your cast. Sure, some of them are lewd or just plain stupid (one spell failure effect makes two gay ogres appear and buttfuck, lol lmao so funny), but they do show a lot of creativity and attempts to diverge from the regular damage/buff/debuff effects.

FATAL's biggest issue is not its edginess, but its system design. It's too complicated in a bad way, and I say that as someone who loves complicated RPGs. It's just badly designed and badly explained so actually playing it is more of a chore than fun.
But taking some of its spell and spell failure effect ideas and using them in a less retarded system is a cool idea, especially for pen and paper. There's stuff with some real potential in there.
 
Self-Ejected

Dadd

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Magic The Gathering is the champion of spells though. That game has the most amazing insane spells. Trying to find a crazy one to show.
A few off the top of my head:
d90f5a4e-8c3a-4803-bb59-d3d7c23761db.jpg
5b3c6d87-9383-450b-bba5-33435b6b0d08.jpg

fa3ecb4e-d08f-4fac-8842-c3e772b95bd5.jpg
cf14de50-d123-400c-862e-2c95fd2aa23f.jpg
 

Cryomancer

Arcane
Glory to Ukraine
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Frostfell
Create Species
Casting this spell allows the creation of a mortal species as dictated by the whims of the caster. If cast by a mortal, this spell is certain to earn the disfavor and wrath of the gods.

What type of wrath such spell would cause? Lets suppose that and vampire necromancer decides to create an race of obedient vampire bride succubi to serve him. IF they are sterile and cant reproduce hence will be no more of them, it would cause an massive deity wrath too?
 
Joined
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Codex Year of the Donut
There's a ridiculous amount of p&p resources to pull from for this kind of material that never gets any attention.
If you compiled all the AD&D/3.5e official material only into a single book of spells it would easily be hundreds of pages long. And that's just scratching the surface.
 

NecroLord

Dumbfuck!
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The infamous "Book of Vile Darkness" had some "exotic" spells. There is even an item called "Nipple Clamp of Exquisite Pain",no I am not making this up,that turns pain into pleasure...
It costs 8000 gp.
D&D 3.5 has a LOT of supplements with many spells you would call exotic.
 

Tweed

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Pathfinder: Wrath
My favorite spell from my time playing a wild mage in a 2nd edition campaign:

There/Not There* (Evocation)
Range: 30 yards
Components: V, S, M
Duration: 1-6 turns
Casting Time: 1 round
Area of Effect: 10' cube
Saving Throw: None

This peculiar wild magic creates a random fluctuation in the probabilities of existence. The spell can be cast only upon nonliving objects and can affect only materials within a 10'x10'x10' cube.

Objects in the area of effect either remain normal and visible or they disappear (50% chance). The state of existence for any object is determined randomly and changes with each viewing and viewer. Thus, a single object could appear and disappear several times during the course of the spell. Furthermore, it might be "there" for one onlooker, but "not there" for another.

For example, a wild mage casts this spell on a doorway. The DM rolls percentile dice and determines the door is "there" for the wizard. The wizard's companion also looks at the door. The DM rolls and determines that the door is "not there" for the companion. The pair studies the door for several minutes, during which time the door does not change (this counts as a single viewing for each character).

The wizard and his companion then close their eyes. When they look at the door again, new checks for each character reveal the door is "not there" for both characters. The pair steps through the open archway and turns around to look at the door once again. This time it is "not there" for the wizard, but "there" for his companion. This random changing continues throughout the duration of the spell.

Objects that are "there" are normal in all respects. Doors can be opened, chests can be picked up and carried, and rocks can be used as barricades. Objects that are "not there" are gone, although their absence does not cause ceilings to collapse or other damage. A wizard could walk through a "not there" wall without difficulty.

When two parties perceive a there/not there object differently, the object functions for each party according to its own perceptions. For example, a wizard hides behind a rock that he sees as "there." Her enemy, a fighter, perceives the rock as "not there" and fires arrows at the wizard. The wizard would perceive the arrows as bouncing off the rock, while the fighter would perceive the arrows as missing their target or falling short. The fighter would be subject to a check before firing each arrow to determine whether his perception changes (assume that the fighter must look away from the rock every time he nocks an arrow; each time he takes aim, this counts as a new viewing).

After the spell is cast, any objects removed from the area of effect retain their uncertain existence for the duration of the spell. Thus, a pair of heroes could pick up a treasure chest, carry it down the hall, set it down, and discover it had vanished while their backs were turned. Worse still, one might see the chest and the other not!

The material component is a small piece of cat fur sealed inside a small box.
 

Tony

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Codex Year of the Donut
I think mages having the ability to cast long, ritualistic spells a la the sorceress from Willow would be pretty cool. You'd have to find the spell ritual, then the regents, then a place of power to cast from, and have a cast time of like six or 10 hours. But it does something massive, like kills half or 3/4ths the enemies (or all people) in a city or map or zone.
 

Alex

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Jun 14, 2007
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Magic The Gathering is the champion of spells though. That game has the most amazing insane spells. Trying to find a crazy one to show.
A few off the top of my head:
d90f5a4e-8c3a-4803-bb59-d3d7c23761db.jpg
5b3c6d87-9383-450b-bba5-33435b6b0d08.jpg

fa3ecb4e-d08f-4fac-8842-c3e772b95bd5.jpg
cf14de50-d123-400c-862e-2c95fd2aa23f.jpg
Not that these aren't interesting, but in the context of RPGs, it is a bit hard to actually make spells like this. Magic is a game that ultimately is very abstract. What "life" means, what the grimoire is, what does it mean to summon a creature and what is actually summoned (is a white soldier card supposed to represent a single person, a unit or something else) is all abstracted away.

As such, it can have spells that, like the ones you posted, affect the game only through the rules, without some kind of explanation of what is going on; all the while remaining "thematically" connected to something more concrete. The nefarious lich enchantment, for instance, allows the caster to use cards in his "cemetery" as "life", which is kinda like something that a lich would do... without being clear on what either term means concretely.

While this is perfectly fine in an abstract card game like magic, it doesn't really fly on an RPG (and trying to play like this only leads to a game themed like an RPG, rather than a real one). The stuff you do in game should be resolvable to concrete actions, you can't have something exist only on the "rules" level.
 

notpl

Arbiter
Joined
Dec 6, 2021
Messages
1,633
The coolest spells for me are those in 3D games that allow new methods of movement, like flying, walking on water, etc.

ye spells that are literally new methods of exploration like in Morrowind

I remember drinking a levitation potion and flying over the Ghostfence when i was like lvl 2, only to get lost in the crimson winds and be massacred by ash zombies. Felt like a fevered dream tbh but awesome

Also the Telvanni towers which you cannot navigate without levitation
*laughs in acrobatics 100/constant effect Feather*
 

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