July Homebrew: Magnetism Pt. 1 - Magnetized Condition
Hey folks. Dirk here. I’ve been working on making some spells, items and subclasses based around Magnetism. This is partly because Magneto is my favorite X-Men villain and partly because magnets are super cool.
I’m going to be releasing my work in pieces to help keep things organized and coherent, as well as give me the time to properly playtest my work with the groups I play with. This first post is the Magnetized Condition, which is the cornerstone of effectively implementing Magnetism-themed magic and subclasses.
Click here for a pdf version.
The Magnetized Condition
Magnets are not normally dangerous. The danger comes when a living creature becomes magnetized. When magically magnetized, your whole body becomes the magnet and begins to emit a powerful magnetic field. This field starts by drawing magnetic metals to you but progressively hinders you as your body’s movements become restricted. Becoming too magnetized can disorient you to the point of rendering you unconscious or, in extreme cases, disrupting your body’s processes to the point of causing death.
Magnetic Metals: Adamantine, Iron, most forms of Steel. Non-Magnetic Metals: Copper, Gold, Lead, Mithral, Silver, some forms of Steel. Non-Magnetic Steel: Steel is interesting because it is an alloy. These alloys can negate or severely limit the magnetic properties of the final steel product. For the sake of sanity and simplicity, I normally rule that all steel is magnetic in my game worlds.
Polarity Levels
The state, or condition, of being magnetized is measured in polarity levels. The positive level represents attraction and the negative level represents repulsion. As a creature becomes magnetized and gains polarity levels, they have certain effects happen to them, as described below:
- Disadvantage on ability checks.
- Attacks against the creature made with metal weapons have advantage and the creature’s attack rolls with metal weapons have disadvantage.
- Speed halved
- Restrained
- Stunned
- Unconscious
- Death
Design Note: Some creatures are immune to being restrained, stunned, or rendered unconscious. The DM should be determined by whether or not the magnetized condition ignores this immunity. My preference is to make constructs, elementals, oozes, plants, and undead immune to effects of levels 5 and higher. Keep in mind that these creatures still emit a magnetic field as described later on.
Many spells and effects that cause the magnetized condition have limits on how high a creature’s polarity level can be raised. These limits are recommended for lower level effects to help put restraints on how detrimental the effects of being Magnetized can be to help keep things interesting without worrying too much about death.
On the other hand. For games where death is fairly common. I’d recommend the removal of the polarity level limitations and let cruel fate have her way.
An effect can give one or more polarity levels, as specified in the effect’s description. A creature or object that has a polarity level of at least one increase in polarity if the effect causes the same polarity to increase, or decreases in polarity if the effect would provide polarity levels of the opposite polarity.
A creature suffers the effect of its current level of being magnetized as well as all lower levels.
Effects can reduce polarity levels as specified in the effect’s description, with the magnetized condition ending if a creature’s polarity levels is reduced below 1.
Creatures who are affected by a negative polarity suffer the same effects as those who are affected by a positive polarity of the same level.
For Example: Grok the Barbarian fails a saving throw against an electro-magnetic effect and gains 4 positive polarity levels. His friend, Shuresh the Wizard, casts a spell on Grok that gives him 1 negative polarity level. Now Grok now has a positive polarity level of 3. Shuresh repeats this action in following turns until Grok’s polarity level becomes 0, at which time the magnetized condition ends.
Magnetic Field
When magnetized, creatures and objects create their own magnetic field of their own polarity. This field is a sphere a number of feet in diameter equal to 5 x the polarity level. Unattended, magnetic metal objects within this magnetic field that weigh 5 lbs or less autonomously move 5 feet towards the source until they “stuck” to them.
Polarity Field DC: 10 + twice the polarity level. Use the highest Polarity Field DC when determining interactions between magnetic fields.
If a magnetic creature or object that weighs at least 5 lbs becomes stuck to another magnetic creature or object weighing at least 5 lbs, it requires a strength check versus the polarity field DC, as described above, to remove it. Magnetized objects that are stuck together can hold a number of pounds equal to 200 x the lowest polarity level.
Polarity Interaction
Creatures and objects that are magnetized interact in different ways depending on their polarity. Just like magnets, they repel or attract one another depending on the polarity’s involved and their magnetic strength.
Same Polarity
If two creatures or objects with the same polarity share a magnetic field, all movement towards the center of a field requires 2 feet of movement to move 1 foot in addition to having disadvantage with all melee attack rolls against a magnetized creature or object of the same polarity. This disadvantage replaces any advantage gained from the target being Magnetized.
If a creature has a polarity level of 3 or higher, any creature of the same polarity that ends their turn within its field must succeed on a Strength saving throw or be pushed 10 feet away from them, or half as much on a successful one.
Different Polarity
If two creatures or objects with a different polarity share a magnetic field, all movement away from the center of a field requires 2 feet of movement to move 1 foot in addition to having advantage with all melee attack rolls against a magnetized creature or object of a different polarity.
If a creature has a polarity level of 3 or higher, any creatures of a different polarity that ends their turn within its field must succeed on a Strength saving throw or be moved 10 feet closer to them, or half as much on a successful one. If the creature is already within 5 feet, then both creatures are considered grappling each other, albeit possibly unwillingly. Creatures grappled in this way use the polarity DC as the escape DC.
Thank you for reading. I hope you feel inspired to implement this condition into your games. Please join the discussion on Discord. For an in depth scoop on how we designed things behind-the-scenes, please support us on Patreon
Thank you for reading,
Dirk
Critical Game Mastery
