Cloudkill

[Balek]

This spell generates a bank of fog with poisonous vapors of yellowish green. These vapors automatically kill any living creature with 3 or fewer HD (no save). A living creature with 4 to 6 HD is slain unless it succeeds on a Fortitude save (in which case it takes 1d4 points of Constitution damage on your turn each round while in the cloud).

A living creature with 6 or more HD takes 1d4 points of Constitution damage on your turn each round while in the cloud (a successful Fortitude save halves this damage). Holding one’s breath doesn’t help, but creatures immune to poison are unaffected by the spell.

In game terms, I think this spell would probably be a whole-room spell, ideally cast from a distance to affect everything in the nearby room. It allows a wizard to clear out groups of low level enemies without totally draining their mana and memorized spells. I think one of the most important abilities a wizard has in tabletop is the ability to affect many enemies all at once and this spell does a lot to bring that to the game.

I'm not sure if PCs and NPCs in the game use hit dice. If not, the spell's effects could probably be based on level rather than hit dice.

[Kregor]

So it would have to be all or nothing for the room. And yes, to balance it out, I think bystanders and group members would suffer as well. That's pretty much the way it worked tabletop, the only way to avoid it was to keep away.

This spell was a central spell in Heirs of Prophecy. Sembian wizards were using the spell to defoliate Cormanthor Forest along the roads. It killed the trees, plants and any wildlife that was in its way, and could severely injure hero-level characters who were trapped in it. And I believe I recall one instance where a member of the casters' party was affected as well by stupidly wandering into the cloud.

That said, it could damage plant objects in the room per round as well.

[Balek]

I agree that the spell would hurt anyone in the room, as it has no way of distinguishing friend from foe. Additionally, as noted above, the only people who don't have to worry about it are people/mobs that are immune to poison.

[Glim]

Fun looking spell.

If this spell was coded, I think a nice priestly spell would be the wind type spell that cleared away the fog.

[Athon]

Wasn't it Zone of Sweet Air?

[Hviti]

Zone of Sweet Air is from BG2.

Edit: It's a divine spell level 3

Edit 2:

Zone of Sweet Air (Abjuration)
Statistics:
Sphere: Wards
Range: 30 yards
Duration: Instant
Casting Time: 3
Area of Effect: Special
Saving Throw: None

Zone of Sweet Air repels all noxious elements from poisonous vapors (including magically created vapors such as Cloudkill). This spell will dismiss all clouds in the entire area that the caster is currently in. The spell offers no protection against poisonous vapors created by a dragon's breath weapon (such as the chlorine gas of a green dragon).

[Hviti]

For Glim's Gust of Wind...one phrase near the end being most pertinent to cloudkill.

Gust of Wind

Evocation [Air]

Level: Drd 2, Sor/Wiz 2

Components: V, S

Casting Time: 1 standard action

Range: 60 ft.

Effect: Line-shaped gust of severe wind emanating out from you to the extreme of the range

Duration: 1 round

Saving Throw: Fortitude negates

Spell Resistance: Yes

This spell creates a severe blast of air (approximately 50 mph) that originates from you, affecting all creatures in its path.

A Tiny or smaller creature on the ground is knocked down and rolled 1d4x10 feet, taking 1d4 points of nonlethal damage per 10 feet. If flying, a Tiny or smaller creature is blown back 2d6x10 feet and takes 2d6 points of nonlethal damage due to battering and buffeting.

Small creatures are knocked prone by the force of the wind, or if flying are blown back 1d6x10 feet.

Medium creatures are unable to move forward against the force of the wind, or if flying are blown back 1d6x5 feet.

Large or larger creatures may move normally within a gust of wind effect.

A gust of wind can’t move a creature beyond the limit of its range.

Any creature, regardless of size, takes a –4 penalty on ranged attacks and Listen checks in the area of a gust of wind.

The force of the gust automatically extinguishes candles, torches, and similar unprotected flames. It causes protected flames, such as those of lanterns, to dance wildly and has a 50% chance to extinguish those lights.

In addition to the effects noted, a gust of wind can do anything that a sudden blast of wind would be expected to do. It can create a stinging spray of sand or dust, fan a large fire, overturn delicate awnings or hangings, heel over a small boat, and blow gases or vapors to the edge of its range.

Gust of wind can be made permanent with a permanency spell.

[Glim]

Actually, I was thinking more of the Zone of Sweet Air spell. But it looks like either would be effective counters

[Dalvyn]

The 0-dimensionality of the game already penalizes spellcasters (wizards can't just fly above and dump spells on their opponents, or haste-run around and cast spells from afar - but still in the same "room"), so I think that, for such area spells, we should tend more towards favourizing the spellcaster.

That means that we should assume that the spellcaster would target the spell in such a way that it only affecs enemies instead of forcing the spellcaster to make dumb decisions and affect by-standers and himself as well.

[Balek]

An additional thought, the description of cloudkill mentions that it stays close to the ground, to the point of sinking down into holes, caves, trapdoors and the like. For this reason, it should probably not affect flying characters and mobs that are in outdoor environments.

[Natasha]

Not affect people in outdoor environments? Wasn't one of the examples given above that Sembians used this spell to destroy Cormanthor and that people were getting caught in it, etc?

Natasha

[Lorion]

I think Balek meant *flying characters in outdoor envronments, and *flying* mobs in outdoor environments.

[Natasha]

Ah, I get it now... My mistake

Natasha