Could you help me finish these homebrew spells that I made? Just kind of take a look at them and point out potential problems for me to either fix or successfully justify/explain. A simple positive feedback is also appreciated if you don't see problems. :)
Some of these descriptions are rather long. If you could also help me with the wording to make them shorter or more space efficient, I'd appreciate it.
I made four wizard spells. These spells were made by my character, a Transmutation wizard, and as such are by default wizard spells in our setting, but I included other classes that I see fitting. I also added a little comment to explain some of the decisions.
Thank you! Spells below. :)
Bardacran's Sudden Snatch
(Even though this has a chance to deal damage, this is definitely meant for utility purposes. The damage chance exists to make the spell risky as it can be quite game-changing when used in the right situation. A bad guy is about to grab an important object before you. You snatch it away, but you fail to catch it. It instead flies 50ft right past you into a pit of fire or hits a friend. A mundane item can even break. But if you do catch it, it can save the day. Combine it with someone else's Command to steal the staff of an enemy wizard!)
You reach with an empty hand toward one loose object within range that weighs up to 10lbs. Unless someone is wearing or holding the object, it propels into your hand with high velocity in a straight line.
Make a DC 12 Spell Attack check to pull the object safely into your hand and catch it. If you fail the check, the object continues to fly right past you, passing through your space, until it has flown a total of 90 feet, after which it falls to the ground.
If the object flies through the space of a creature or a bigger solid object, the creature must make a DC 12 dexterity check or both the flying object and the target take 3d8 bludgeoning damage and the object falls to the ground. This spell cannot cause damage to Magic Items.
At higher levels: If you use a spell slot of level 2 or higher, the maximum weight of the object increases by 5lbs, the potential damage increases by 1d8 and the DC to catch or dodge the object increases by 1 for each level above the 1st.
Bardacran's Big Bubble
(This is potentially a strong utility spell, but quite unpredictable and situational. The spell allows creatures to Hover an unlimited amount of time, but controlling the movement is unpredictable. I can see this resulting is fun situations.)
Lvl 2, Transmutation, Range: Touch, Action, Instantaneous, lasts until dispelled
V S M (a liter of any foamy liquid such as beer, which the spell consumes, and a metal pipe of any size that a medium sized creature can hold and blow into)
Wizard, Bard, Artificer
You touch up to two medium size or smaller creatures who are currently holding the material components. You can target yourself. The foamy liquid forms a transparent soapy bubble around the creature and the metal pipe is used for controlling the bubble.
Immediately after the spell is cast, the bubble begins to Hover, carrying the creature into the air.
The creature inside can control the bubble by blowing air through the pipe in any direction, including up or down. The bubble moves 1d4x5 feet in that direction. In addition, the bubble ascends 5ft higher every turn. If the bubble bumps into a solid object or terrain and has movement left, it bounces and uses the remaining movement in a logical direction (even backwards)
The bubble is instantly self-repairing, but if over 10 damage is dealt to the bubble at once, it bursts, causing the creature inside to fall. Bumping into objects, creatures or terrains does not cause the bubble to burst unless it is specifically designed to deal damage upon physical contact.
The creature inside can use an Action to burst the bubble.
If a metal pipe is not used when casting the spell or if the pipe goes missing, the bubble floats randomly in the wind. A wind spell such as the Gust cantrip can also be used to control the bubble. A spell or an effect that creates a moderate wind or higher increases the bubble's speed by another 1d4x5ft per turn.
The bubble lasts until burst or dispelled. If somehow two or more people end up inside the same bubble at the same time, there is a 50% chance each turn that the bubble bursts.
At higher levels: You can create one additional bubble for each level above the second. You must provide material components for each bubble and the other targeted creatures must be within 5ft of the creature you touch.
Bardacran’s Capture Elements
(Developer comment: This is similar to Counterspell. It is limited to certain elements, but not limited to spells. The storing / using is a powerful additional effect, but it has many risks and it requires Concentration and an Action as well as specific material preparations. The items created by this spell can be used by anyone, including enemies)
Level 3
Reaction, Range 60ft
Transmutation
S V (M: only for storing)
Wizard (in our game it was created by the wizard Bardacran as a wizard spells, but I think it would be suitable for Bards and Artificers too)
As a Reaction, you attempt to capture a Spell or an effect that deals Lightning, Fire or Cold damage that would otherwise hit you or deal damage to you. The spell automatically completely negates a spell of level 3 or lower. If the spell is of 4th level or higher, make an ability check using your spellcasting ability. The DC equals 10 + the spell’s level. On a success, you successfully absorb all damage and effects of the spell. If you use a spell slot of 4 or higher, you automatically negate the effects of a spell of the same level.
For non-spell effects, the damage of the effect is reduced by 8d6 and an additional 2d6 for each level above the third level if you use a higher spell slot for this spell.
As part of the same Reaction, you store the element within yourself for 1 minute (concentration). As an action, you can release the energy or store it in a special container that you are holding.
Releasing the energy means either using one of the options below right away or ending the effect and releasing the energy safely back into your surroundings. If you lose Concentration, you can choose to use one of the options below or release it safely into your surroundings. If you lose Concentration on your own turn, you need a Bonus action to use one of the following effects or a Reaction if you lose concentration on someone else’s turn. If you don’t have the required type of action available, you safely release the element into your surroundings.
You have the following options for storing the energy in a container, depending on the element you absorbed:
Lightning in a Bottle
You capture the Lightning in a Crystal Bottle worth at least 50gp. Lasts until released, dispelled or consumed. Once stored within the bottle, it can be used for the following effects by any creature that holds it.
By opening the bottle as a Bonus action, you release the Lightning back into your body and grant yourself resistance to Lightning damage for 1 minute. If you use this feature, the bottle loses all of its magic.
You can use the bottle as a Focus for spells that deal Lightning Damage. When you cast a spell that deals Lightning damage while you are using the Lightning in a Bottle as a focus, you can increase the damage of the spell by +2d8 per casting, up to a total of 8d8, after which the Lightning in a Bottle is completely consumed and the bottle shatters beyond repair. You cannot use another option after using this option, even if it has uses left.
Lightning in a Bottle is a valuable and hard-to-get component in Alchemy, Enchanting and Transmutation worth 100gp x the level of the absorbed spell or effect. A Dragon’s Breath Weapon contained in this way is worth 1000gp.
Fire Stone
You capture the Fire in a piece of polished volcanic rock worth at least 50gp. Lasts until released, dispelled or consumed. Once stored within the stone, it can be used for the following effects by any creature that holds it.
While touching the stone as a Bonus action, you can release the Fire back into your body and grant yourself resistance to Fire damage for 1 minute. If you use this feature, the stone loses all of its magic.
You can use an Action to activate the Firestone if the Stone is within 120 feet of you and you are the last person to touch it. The stone explodes and shatters beyond repair, dealing 6d6 fire damage in a 10ft radius and setting flammable and non-magical materials and objects on fire. The fire spreads 5 feet per turn in every direction. A 5 feet area can be doused as an Action without any equipment. Proper fire extinguishing equipment can be used to douse a 10 feet radius per Action. Creatures that move into the burning area or start their turn there, must make a DC14 dexterity save or take 2d6 fire damage or half as much on a successful save.
Fire Stone is a valuable and hard-to-get component in Alchemy, Enchanting and Transmutation worth 100gp x the level of the absorbed spell or effect. A Dragon’s Breath Weapon contained in this way is worth 1000gp.
Frost Shard
You capture the Frost element in a crystal shard worth at least 50gp. Lasts until released, dispelled or consumed. Once stored within the stone, it can be used for the following effects by any creature that holds it.
While touching the stone as a Bonus action, you can release the Frost back into your body and grant yourself resistance to Cold damage for 1 minute. If you use this feature, the shard loses all of its magic.
You can use the Frost Shard as a Focus for casting spells that deal Cold damage. If you cast any such spell or cantrip while using the Frost Shard as a Focus, you can cause an additional effect, causing the target to freeze in place. The target must make a Constitution saving throw against your Spell Save DC or lose all movement until the beginning of their next turn. You can use this feature 4 times, after which the Shard shatters beyond repair. You cannot use another option after using this option, even if it has uses left.
Frost Shard is a valuable and hard-to-get component in Alchemy, Enchanting and Transmutation worth 100gp x the level of the absorbed spell or effect. A Dragon’s Breath Weapon contained in this way is worth 1000gp.
Bardacran’s Heavy Bombardment
(Developer comments: This spell’s balance is based on two existing spells, Catapult and Melf’s Minute Meteors. The potential over time damage is rather high, but as a concentration spell it always poses the threat of ending early. You also need to have such loose objects available and the damage dealt by the spell quickly shatters simple rocks etc. The potential damage is also reduced by the fact that a successful save allows you to completely dodge the projectile. )
Level 3
Action
Concentration up to 1 minute
Transmutation
V S M (any loose object weighing between 1-10lbs)
Wizard, Sorcerer, Artificer
As an Action, you attune yourself to your surroundings, allowing you to magically feel solid objects within 60 feet of you. When you cast the spell — and as a bonus action on each of your turns thereafter — you can choose up to two loose objects within range. The object flies 90 feet in a straight line in a direction you choose before falling to the ground, stopping early only if it impacts against a solid surface. If the object would strike a creature, that creature must make a Dexterity saving throw. On a failed save, the object strikes the target and stops moving. When the object strikes something, the object and what it strikes each take 3d6 Magical Bludgeoning damage.
As an Action on each of your turns, you can Transmute up to two of these objects, magically coating them with Cold, Fire, Acid or Poison, changing the damage type accordingly. The effect lasts until the beginning of your next turn.
At Higher Levels. When you cast this spell using a spell slot of 4th level or higher, the number of objects you can send flying or Transmute per turn is increased by one for each slot above the 3rd.
So the first spell is basically a better catapult same damage same range and a chance to grab the object. Maybe instead of 3d8 it could do 2d8 or since it's for grabbing stuff maybe 2d6.
Second spell I love the idea just the only thing I see with it is just that it should be a pipe instead of specifically metal and lower the chance of it bursting maybe 30% to burst rolling a d100 on anything 30 and below it Bursts.
The third spell there's no dc for a non spell attack like dragon breath or different ability. Also 1000gp profit from a 3 level spell is insane.
Fourth spell seems ok maybe just lower the damage a tad bit but other than that it's pretty good.
The difference between Snatch and Catapult is that it works in reverse. You cannot launch it in a direction of your choosing - only toward yourself in a straight line. So by default you cannot reliably use it as a weapon unless someone is directly between you and the object. If you fail the catching check on purpose, you yourself are the first person to make the Dex save or take the damage. 😄 So it's a terrible damage spell.
Second spell: That's a great idea! Do you mean I should use this chance for both, when it takes damage and when it's overloaded? I think maybe both. The damage thing could be that whenever it takes any damage, there is a 30% chance whether it's 1dmg or 100dmg. Pipe idea is good too!
Third spell: the idea was that instead of having to evaluate the DC for negating a non-spell effect, you roll to reduce the damage. I think that's more dynamic. So you probably don't negate the fire breath entirely, but that 8d6 reduction could save your life. And you can increase the reduction by another 2d6 with a higher slot.
Fourth spell: Yeah the damage is tricky to evaluate. It's so situational. I made it a bit higher than Minute Meteor, because a successful save allows you to dodge the projectile completely, whereas the meteor is half damage when saved. Minute meteor allows 2 meteors per turn and up to 6 altogether. Catapult can shoot up to 20 projectiles (2 per turn) in one minute, BUT if there are no suitable loose objects around, the spell cannot be used whereas minute meteors reliably conjures its own ammo. Also holding con for 1 minute is not always easy. 😁
Forgot to answer the profit thing! Yeah 1000gp is a lot. I didn't really base that on the spell itself, but the fact that you need to fight a dragon, get in the way of its breath weapon, survive the excess damage, hold concentration until you can store it, spend an entire Action for storing it while fighting the dragon and survive the fight in order to sell it.
So even though 1000gp is a lot of money for a level 3 spell, I don't think it's that much for such a feat. 😄 I don't think a level 5 character could do it. Probably closer to 10 if it's a young dragon, much higher if older.
Maybe I could add a CR limit for the dragon, so baby dragons don't qualify? 😄
The normal price for the items is 100gp per spell level. So 300gp minus materials if you store a level 3 Fireball. Do you think that's ok?
Sudden Snatch - This feels redundant with Catapult. I'd suggest just HBing an additional clause to Catapult that reads "If you hurl the object towards yourself then on a successful save you catch the object in your hands without taking damage."
Big Bubble - This is unlimited Flight & Hover without requiring concentration though at a slower rate and it is unclear if creatures inside the bubble can still attack / cast spells targeting things outside the bubble. So it is WAY too powerful for a 2nd level spell. It should be a 4th level spell instead or honestly it would work MUCH better as a magic item (the pipe) rather than as a spell.
Capture Elements - This is WAY too complicated. I'd suggest making Lightning in a Bottle, Fire Stone, and Frost Shard into separate magic items that can do the Absorb ability (and I'd get rid of the counter-spell like effect just make it straight damage reduction - also I'd suggest specifying that it only reduces the damage taken by you if it is an AoE affecting multiple creatures) for their damage type once per day if they are currently empty.
Heavy Bombardment - The Transmute feature is 99% pointless since magical bludgeoning is rarely resisted, so should be removed as unnecessary complication. The scaling of this spell is RIDICULOUSLY GOOD, 9d6 as a BA at 4th level, 12d6 at 5th level. Consider Bigby's Hand does 4d8 as a BA as a 5th level spell, and Crown of Stars does 4d12 as a BA as a 7th level spell. Change this to starting at 2d6 damage per object and increasing by 1d6 damage per object per spell level (and never increasing the number of objects hurled) and you've got something decent. [Note: availability of items is not a limitation when you can buy 1000 ball bearings for 1 gp]
ETA Here's my suggestion for turning Capture Elements into magic items:
Lightning in a Bottle Very Rare, Wondrous Item
This specially enchanted bottle can capture and contain lightning within it. If the bottle is empty, then whenever you take lightning damage from a spell or magical effect you can use your reaction to reduce the damage you take by 8d6 potentially reducing it to 0. The absorbed energy is trapped within the bottle until you use a bonus action to release it harmlessly, or use it to produce one of the effects below, once you use the bottle it becomes empty:
- as a bonus action you release the contained energy and infuse it into your body. You gain resistance to lightning damage for 1 minute. - when you cast a spell of 1st level or higher that deals lightning damage you can use your reaction to deal an additional equal to the amount of damage you absorbed. You choose how this damage is spread across the targets of your spell.
Fire Stone Rare, Wondrous Item
This specially enchanted fist-sized block of basalt can capture and contain fire within it. If the stone is empty, then whenever you take fire damage from a spell or magical effect you can use your reaction to reduce the damage you take by 8d6 potentially reducing it to 0. The absorbed energy is trapped within the bottle until you use a bonus action to release it harmlessly, or use it to produce one of the effects below, once you use the stone it becomes empty:
- as a bonus action you release the contained energy and infuse it into your body. You gain resistance to fire damage for 1 minute. - as an action, while the stone is within 120 ft of you, you can cause the stone to release its stored energy as an explosion. Creatures within 10ft of the stone must make a DC 15 Dexterity saving throw taking 6d6 fire damage on a failure or half on a success. Creatures and objects within the 10ft radius immediately catch fire taking 1d10 fire damage at the start of their turn until a creature uses an action to extinguish the flames.
Frost Shard Rare, Wondrous Item
This specially enchanted transparent crystal can capture and contain cold within it. If the crytal is empty, then whenever you take cold damage from a spell or magical effect you can use your reaction to reduce the damage you take by 8d6 potentially reducing it to 0. The absorbed energy is trapped within the bottle until you use a bonus action to release it harmlessly, or use it to produce one of the effects below, once you use the shard it becomes empty:
- as a bonus action you release the contained energy and infuse it into your body. You gain resistance to cold damage for 1 minute. - when you cast a spell of 1st level or higher that deals cold damage, you can release the energy stored in this crystal to freeze each target of your spell. Each creature you hit with your spell or who fail the saving throw against your spell have their movement speeds reduced to 0 until the start of your next turn.
I'd appreciate if you could be a bit more constructive with your feedback. Basically you just sent me a long reply saying how they all suck and shouldn't be made at all.
But I'll go ahead and reply. Pardon me if the tone is not very appreciative. I do appreciate the ideas, just not the approach.
First. I created transmutation spells, not magic items. If I wanted magic items, I would have created magic items. Spells don't always need to make perfect sense or be perfect, because even though I can make whatever I can imagine, the mages that make the spells in-game probably have many limitations.
Snatch - It's a level 1 spell. They are known to be very specific with clear limitations. The ability to telekinetically pull an object into your hand is very useful in the right situation. You might not get to use it, but if you do, it can change everything. So you need to prioritize what you prepare. Having both effects in the same lvl 1 is very powerful and more importantly has the versatility of a higher level spell. Besides, Catapult is already strong enough for level 1.
Bubble - Level 2 has some of the best utility spells in the game. This spell has some very obvious downsides as it should at this level. You can use levitate to fly more reliably and precisely and at the maximum speed of the bubble. The movement in bubble is random, so going through narrow gaps is nearly impossible. If the bubble breaks, which it easily does, you fall from however high you are. I need to add in the detail, but the bubble is a physical object. You can use spells that only require sight, but you can't shoot things through it or it breaks. Also this can't really be used in combat if the enemies have any ranged dmg. These are all reasons why it can work until dispelled or broken without being way too strong for level 2. You can use Levitate to rise high into the air and blast at your enemies all you want and don't even take falling dmg if you lose con. And the movement averages at 10ft per turn. You'd almost always be better of walking. But you can use the bubble to go up a steep rock or across a wide canyon.
Elements - Yeah, you're right. It is complicated. But also bloody cool. Maybe I can find a way to make it simpler. It wouldn't serve its purpose as magic items unless they were items that could be made with another Transmutation spell. The idea of these is to add more depth and flavor to Transmutation. Your suggestion is good, but unfortunately useless since I'm looking for help to improve these spells, not replace them with magic items.
Bombardment - You're right about the transmute thing. It's fun for flavor, though. Maybe I'll change it to adding a little bit of the damage type or change the normal dmg to non-magical.
Note that the required object must be at least 1lbs, so 1000 of those would weigh 1000lbs.
Also note that saving makes the projectile miss entirely, effectively reducing overall dmg a lot and setting limitations as you risk hitting a friendly target if the enemy dodges it.
You're right about the scaling. Maybe I could have it scale by 1d6 for each level and set milestones like 5, 7 and 9 when the maximum amount of hurled objects per turn also increases.
Cheers! I got some surprisingly good ideas from being told not to make these spells at all.
The problem with Capture Elements being a spell, is that even small amounts of downtime make this insanely powerful because there is no limit on the number of bottles / stones / shards you can make. Given a week of downtime a 5th level wizard can create 14 of them to hand out to the entire party or keep on their person to use when needed, and this number just increases quadratically as they level up.
Hmmm. You're right about that. As a DM I wouldn't allow it during downtimes, because it requires being subjected to damage, which is a very special situation and would require playing.
But still, I do like to avoid situations where a player argues with the DM about things like this.
Possible fixes:
1. Increase the material cost by a lot. Maybe some hundred gp. This wouldn't be a problem anymore at later levels, though.
2. Have a detail saying you can only have one of each simultaneously. Maybe edit the selling option with making it permanent and not tied to you anymore for those Alchemy etc purposes, but losing the active effect options.
Hey I just wanted to put this in SerLoxy asked people to help balance the "spells" not "make them into magic items" and with you coming in saying that they all suck in some while using facts that didn't exist in the original spell. "1000 ball bearings would break the bombardment spell" That isn't really what this community is about. We should help people with what they ask, yes it's ok to say when a major change should be made but say it in an encouraging manner not undermining the them explaining that they should stop there ideas.
What do you think about making Bombardment Spell Attack instead of saving? It would go against AC instead of Saving Throw. And you could still make it continue flying after missing, until it reaches 90ft or hits something possibly hitting another target with lower AC.
This would make it easier to rule hitting a small utility target that is not a creature. You could say that you throw each rock through a window and the DM sets the DC for your spell attack depending on the size of your target
Hey I just wanted to put this in SerLoxy asked people to help balance the "spells" not "make them into magic items" and with you coming in saying that they all suck in some while using facts that didn't exist in the original spell. "1000 ball bearings would break the bombardment spell" That isn't really what this community is about. We should help people with what they ask, yes it's ok to say when a major change should be made but say it in an encouraging manner not undermining the them explaining that they should stop there ideas.
Thank you! I appreciate the support. I'm pouring my heart and soul into these, so inconsiderate negative comments can be hurtful and frustrating.
I do have one tiny comment however! I noticed in the snatch spell, when you cast it at a higher lever the DC to catch or dodge the item becomes higher, which seems a tad bit peculiar to me, if you increase the dc your magic is less controlled and it’s harder to grab, if you reduce the dc it becomes way to easy (should always be a risk) I would personally just let the dc chill at 12-14 wherever seems comfy.
Except for that these spells are fantastic. The last one really caught my eye!
I always thought it was more difficult and risky because the object is heavier, but it does seem a tad bit strange now that you put it that way. 😆
Then again the spell attack bonus increases quite a bit too.
What if I rephrased it like this:
At higher levels: If you use a spell slot of level 2 or higher, the maximum weight of the object you can pull increases by 10lbs for each slot above the first. If you target a heavier object, the damage increases by 1d8 and the DC increases by 1 for every 10lbs above the initial 10lbs. If you use a slot of level 5 or higher, you automatically succeed on the Spellcasting check.
The reasoning behind this is that with a big slot you could pull some pretty big objects, which are difficult to control and catch. But lvl 5 spell slots are telekinesis level. 😄
About the bombardment spell. I really want it to be heavy bombardment if there are materials available, so increasing the amount of objects rather than damage seems more satisfying. But it was pointed out by Agilemind that it upscales for a lot of damage for a bonus action, which is very much true.
So, what if I kept the original 3d8 damage but changed it to Action instead and changed the Transmute effect to bonus action?
This way it would scale for a lot of damage with the possible material and concentration limitation but Action economy would set its own limitation too. And keep the base damage non-magical bludgeoning, so against resisting enemies you need the Bonus Action Transmute too. And maybe use Spell Attack for the projectiles for simplicity, so that only the caster needs to make one roll instead of everyone in the line making saves until it hits.
This way it would maybe be somewhat comparable to Call Lightning. A damage spell that can be recast every turn as an Action for up to 10minutes. It has the limitation of having a high enough space while this one has the material limitation. Call Lightning is AoE within 5ft of the point where it strikes, so you could hit multiple targets that take at least half damage. The damage scales up to 9d10 per turn or 10d10 when outside in stormy conditions. Bombardment has no AoE effect, but instead it can target multiple enemies.
Now the only unpredictable thing is if the player uses special exploding objects etc. BUT I think it would set its own natural in-game limitations. An inexperienced DM might struggle, but that goes for Catapult already. Like sure you could buy lots of Acid Vials, but where are you going to get a lot of Acid Vials unless there is an Acid Vial factory line. And when combat starts, are you going to assemble all the fragile glass vials on the ground to fire or pick one from your bag every turn?
Now of course you could have big magic item bombs that deal 6d6 fire damage upon impact. But those are going to be quite pricy and can already be used with lvl 1 Catapult. I don't think being able to shoot 2 of them at once is going to make much of a difference. Maybe for a heavy burst of damage, but if you miss the target, you are going to shoot your precious bomb 90ft away. :P
In terms of objects, the big two would be vials of oil and daggers. Which are both readily available. Being able to target individual creatures rather than an area is generally an advantage, since often there is not a clear distinction between allies & enemies which makes placing a big AoE beyond round 1 quite challenging. Call Lightning is 80% of the time single-target IME and 20% of the time two targets, it's also quite hard to use since a lot of adventures take place in a building or underground where Call Lightning cannot be used, Moonbeam is far far better than Call Lightning for those reasons. In terms of repeated use spells as an Action you have:
Call Lightning / Moonbeam - 1d10 damage per spell level
Sunbeam - 6th level for 6d8 damage in a line big enough to reliably hit 2 targets. (blindness rider)
Dragon's Breath - 1d6 + 1d6 per spell level in 15ft cone
Earthen Hand - 1d6 damage per spell level
Flame Blade - barely worth mentioning b/c its trash
Enervation - 4d8 necrotic to 1 target as a 5th level spell, but also heals you
If made an action, and you reduce the scaling to 1 addition item every 2 spell levels then you would still be better than Moonbeam but not egregiously so.
I'd like to add Melf's Minute meteors, which is 1-2 x 2d6 projectiles per Bonus Action, which is what the spell was originally based on.
Before I get to Minute Meteors, I'd like to point out the scaling system of DnD 5e in general. Level 1 spells scale terribly. Level 2 spells scale a bit better but are almost always worse than natural level 3 spells. (Moonbeam does scale pretty nicely, by the way. Never noticed before!). Level 3 spells have reliable upcasting, but it's generally a better idea to just use the bigger spell slot for a bigger spell except in certain situations when you for example have an insane amount of targets for Fireball etc.
So I'll try to keep this is mind, to make a level 5 spell generally worth more than upcasting Bombardment. This is important for spell preparation economy, although I'm a big fan of upcasting myself and would like have more uses for it (like increasing the max weight of telekinesis up to Yoda levels with a lvl 9 slot).
So Melf's Minute Meteros vs the Current version of Bardacran's Heavy Bombardment
BASE DAMAGE
Minute Meteors is 2x2d6 Fire damage with a failed save or half as much when saved. Also hits targets within 5ft, which means quite often hitting one additional target. Note that you can hit the same target with each meteor, so you can focus your attacks on those enemies that have another target in proximity. I've used spells and feature that target an additional target within 5ft quite a bit and noticed that this is a rather common occurrence.
Bombardment is 2x3d8 Bludgeoning with a Spell Attack. Single target only. The projectile always travels that 90ft or until it hits something.You risk hitting friends if you miss, but you also have a chance to hitting a different enemy if the first one misses. You don't need to launch the object from your own space, it can be anywhere within 60ft if there is an object available.
Thoughts: Fire and non-magical bludgeoning are both heavily resisted so I'll put them on par with the difference being quite situational. Always taking at least half damage is very good for reliability and both Action and Spell slot Economy. Bombardment has theoretically infinite ammo, depending on the situation. The chance to hit a second target or even a third one if you get lucky is a major damage boost and the half-damage with Save boosts overall damage by alot. If you miss with Bombardment, you wasted an entire action getting no damage done. If you hit two targets with each Meteor, you do at least 4d6 damage or 2d6 if you hit only one target. So even with the higher base damage, I think Bombardment is weaker overall, but let's put them on par because it's so situational.
DURATION
Bombardment is 1 minute Concentration. This is a long time mid-combat, but runs out quickly if you even move from room to room. Concentration can end at any time. Difficult to use as a preparation, because you risk running out of time with any small delay. Allows up to 20 attacks in 1 minute, but only 2 per turn.
Meteors is 10 minutes Concentration. This is a very long time, but having a maximum number of meteors and risking Concentration probably makes you want to use them quickly. Good for quick minion fights with small breaks in between. Good for preparing a bit in advance. Allows up to 6 attacks in 10 minutes, but only 2 per turn.
Thoughts: Both are Concentration, which sets a very clear limitation as you cannot concentrate on other very important spells. Both durations have their benefits. You can definitely get a higher maximum damage out of Bombardment if you have materials. Note that if you provide the objects yourself, you either lay out all the materials on the floor or equip only one without an Action per turn. If you pour them all out, it's probably an Action and you'd have to spend some time collecting them when you leave the room/space. At that point they'll all be scattered throughout the room. If an object flies its maximum distance, it's no longer within range. But I'll give this round to Bombardment. The unlimited uses during the duration is a clear bonus despite being Concentration and with a material limitation.
ACTION ECONOMY
Meteors is Bonus Action after the initial Action to cast. You can shoot for example Scorching Ray and use two meteors in the same round or shoot a Fireball and two meteors or Dash/Disengage/Dodge.
Bombardment is an Action to cast and an Action to use.
Thoughts: Meteors is a lot better in this regard. Not needing an Action is really really good. You can use it almost every turn, even if you have other important things to do.
UPCASTING
Meteors creates two additional meteors, increasing the effective duration. This suffers heavily from the fact that you don't get to shoot more meteors per round, so your concentration risk grows higher without an immediate boost in damage. Over time damage increases if you can maintain con.
Bombardment allows you to shoot one additional projectile for 3d6 more damage, if you can provide an object. I personally don't see this being abused because of Action economy. Even if you did buy 10 daggers and you put them in bags of 4 to pour them out on the ground with one action, you'd catapult your daggers out of reach quickly and having to collect them before moving on.
ACH, I HAVE TO GO TO WORK. I'll finish this later. :P
Moonbeam upcasts well because it is the primary damage dealing spell for druids for most of the game, the only other high-ish damage / high scaling spell they get is Erupting Earth for 3d12 as a 3rd level spell. Those two spells remain their highest DPR for the rest of their career (discounting conjure animals hordes b/c most tables ban them).
For Bombardment it has a range of 60ft and throws items 90ft which means unless you're one of the handful of races with 25 ft walking speed, you can easily move 30 ft on your turn to get all of the items you threw on your first turn back into range to be thrown on your second turn. So e.g. if you managed to get 3x magical daggers you can toss them back and forth forever.
The expected damage from one item with 2 enemies in a straight line is 10.125 damage to 1 creature, and the expected damage of one minute meteor across 2 creatures is 10.5 damage. Single-target damage is preferable to damage spread across multiple creatures because of the action economy, and due to the nature of lines it is much easier to get two creatures on the same line than 2 enemies within 5ft of each other - note that all cases where 2 creatures are within 5ft of each other are also cases where 2 creatures are on the same line. Bombardment can also be a damage type must less resisted than Meteors (e.g. acid) and can have its damage type changed to exploit enemy weaknesses.
In terms of range I'd put them on approximate parity with Meteors having 120 ft and Bombardment with 60+90 ft. However Bombardment has additional utility that meteors doesn't have in that it can be used to e.g. coat enemies in oil/alchemist's fire, hurl a weapon that the fighter has knocked from an enemy's hand away from them, trigger switches / traps, or other creative uses such as pull a carpet out from underneath the enemy's feet.
PS: I just noticed you put the object restrictions in the components section of the spell not the description, you need to move it into the description because "M" components of a spell can be ignored by using a spellcasting focus. Thus by the spell description any objects no matter how big or small - e.g. a single ball bearing or an entire trebuchet - could be targeted.
I came back to these spells and after a few fixes I decided to just put them into playtest.
I made Bombardment an Action to cast / launch and bonus action to transmute. I didn't change the upcasting, because I strongly believe that situations will set their own limitations to how many projectiles you can reliably launch every turn. I might end up setting a limit at maybe 5 projectiles per turn, but there's no point right now before I see how it plays.
We are in a DM rotation with two friends. We all take turns DMing one short campaign for the same group of characters and we are all experienced DMs. They are fine with experimenting and homebrewing, and this whole concept of ours is a bit of a DM playground anyway, so that's probably the best way to see if the Bombardment spell works. :)
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Finland GMT/UTC +2
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Hey,
Long time no posting!
Could you help me finish these homebrew spells that I made? Just kind of take a look at them and point out potential problems for me to either fix or successfully justify/explain. A simple positive feedback is also appreciated if you don't see problems. :)
Some of these descriptions are rather long. If you could also help me with the wording to make them shorter or more space efficient, I'd appreciate it.
I made four wizard spells. These spells were made by my character, a Transmutation wizard, and as such are by default wizard spells in our setting, but I included other classes that I see fitting. I also added a little comment to explain some of the decisions.
Thank you! Spells below. :)
Finland GMT/UTC +2
So the first spell is basically a better catapult same damage same range and a chance to grab the object. Maybe instead of 3d8 it could do 2d8 or since it's for grabbing stuff maybe 2d6.
Second spell I love the idea just the only thing I see with it is just that it should be a pipe instead of specifically metal and lower the chance of it bursting maybe 30% to burst rolling a d100 on anything 30 and below it Bursts.
The third spell there's no dc for a non spell attack like dragon breath or different ability. Also 1000gp profit from a 3 level spell is insane.
Fourth spell seems ok maybe just lower the damage a tad bit but other than that it's pretty good.
Cheers! Good points. :)
The difference between Snatch and Catapult is that it works in reverse. You cannot launch it in a direction of your choosing - only toward yourself in a straight line. So by default you cannot reliably use it as a weapon unless someone is directly between you and the object. If you fail the catching check on purpose, you yourself are the first person to make the Dex save or take the damage. 😄 So it's a terrible damage spell.
Second spell: That's a great idea! Do you mean I should use this chance for both, when it takes damage and when it's overloaded? I think maybe both. The damage thing could be that whenever it takes any damage, there is a 30% chance whether it's 1dmg or 100dmg. Pipe idea is good too!
Third spell: the idea was that instead of having to evaluate the DC for negating a non-spell effect, you roll to reduce the damage. I think that's more dynamic. So you probably don't negate the fire breath entirely, but that 8d6 reduction could save your life. And you can increase the reduction by another 2d6 with a higher slot.
Fourth spell: Yeah the damage is tricky to evaluate. It's so situational. I made it a bit higher than Minute Meteor, because a successful save allows you to dodge the projectile completely, whereas the meteor is half damage when saved. Minute meteor allows 2 meteors per turn and up to 6 altogether. Catapult can shoot up to 20 projectiles (2 per turn) in one minute, BUT if there are no suitable loose objects around, the spell cannot be used whereas minute meteors reliably conjures its own ammo. Also holding con for 1 minute is not always easy. 😁
Finland GMT/UTC +2
Forgot to answer the profit thing! Yeah 1000gp is a lot. I didn't really base that on the spell itself, but the fact that you need to fight a dragon, get in the way of its breath weapon, survive the excess damage, hold concentration until you can store it, spend an entire Action for storing it while fighting the dragon and survive the fight in order to sell it.
So even though 1000gp is a lot of money for a level 3 spell, I don't think it's that much for such a feat. 😄 I don't think a level 5 character could do it. Probably closer to 10 if it's a young dragon, much higher if older.
Maybe I could add a CR limit for the dragon, so baby dragons don't qualify? 😄
The normal price for the items is 100gp per spell level. So 300gp minus materials if you store a level 3 Fireball. Do you think that's ok?
Finland GMT/UTC +2
Sudden Snatch - This feels redundant with Catapult. I'd suggest just HBing an additional clause to Catapult that reads "If you hurl the object towards yourself then on a successful save you catch the object in your hands without taking damage."
Big Bubble - This is unlimited Flight & Hover without requiring concentration though at a slower rate and it is unclear if creatures inside the bubble can still attack / cast spells targeting things outside the bubble. So it is WAY too powerful for a 2nd level spell. It should be a 4th level spell instead or honestly it would work MUCH better as a magic item (the pipe) rather than as a spell.
Capture Elements - This is WAY too complicated. I'd suggest making Lightning in a Bottle, Fire Stone, and Frost Shard into separate magic items that can do the Absorb ability (and I'd get rid of the counter-spell like effect just make it straight damage reduction - also I'd suggest specifying that it only reduces the damage taken by you if it is an AoE affecting multiple creatures) for their damage type once per day if they are currently empty.
Heavy Bombardment - The Transmute feature is 99% pointless since magical bludgeoning is rarely resisted, so should be removed as unnecessary complication. The scaling of this spell is RIDICULOUSLY GOOD, 9d6 as a BA at 4th level, 12d6 at 5th level. Consider Bigby's Hand does 4d8 as a BA as a 5th level spell, and Crown of Stars does 4d12 as a BA as a 7th level spell. Change this to starting at 2d6 damage per object and increasing by 1d6 damage per object per spell level (and never increasing the number of objects hurled) and you've got something decent. [Note: availability of items is not a limitation when you can buy 1000 ball bearings for 1 gp]
ETA Here's my suggestion for turning Capture Elements into magic items:
Lightning in a Bottle
Very Rare, Wondrous Item
This specially enchanted bottle can capture and contain lightning within it. If the bottle is empty, then whenever you take lightning damage from a spell or magical effect you can use your reaction to reduce the damage you take by 8d6 potentially reducing it to 0. The absorbed energy is trapped within the bottle until you use a bonus action to release it harmlessly, or use it to produce one of the effects below, once you use the bottle it becomes empty:
- as a bonus action you release the contained energy and infuse it into your body. You gain resistance to lightning damage for 1 minute.
- when you cast a spell of 1st level or higher that deals lightning damage you can use your reaction to deal an additional equal to the amount of damage you absorbed. You choose how this damage is spread across the targets of your spell.
Fire Stone
Rare, Wondrous Item
This specially enchanted fist-sized block of basalt can capture and contain fire within it. If the stone is empty, then whenever you take fire damage from a spell or magical effect you can use your reaction to reduce the damage you take by 8d6 potentially reducing it to 0. The absorbed energy is trapped within the bottle until you use a bonus action to release it harmlessly, or use it to produce one of the effects below, once you use the stone it becomes empty:
- as a bonus action you release the contained energy and infuse it into your body. You gain resistance to fire damage for 1 minute.
- as an action, while the stone is within 120 ft of you, you can cause the stone to release its stored energy as an explosion. Creatures within 10ft of the stone must make a DC 15 Dexterity saving throw taking 6d6 fire damage on a failure or half on a success. Creatures and objects within the 10ft radius immediately catch fire taking 1d10 fire damage at the start of their turn until a creature uses an action to extinguish the flames.
Frost Shard
Rare, Wondrous Item
This specially enchanted transparent crystal can capture and contain cold within it. If the crytal is empty, then whenever you take cold damage from a spell or magical effect you can use your reaction to reduce the damage you take by 8d6 potentially reducing it to 0. The absorbed energy is trapped within the bottle until you use a bonus action to release it harmlessly, or use it to produce one of the effects below, once you use the shard it becomes empty:
- as a bonus action you release the contained energy and infuse it into your body. You gain resistance to cold damage for 1 minute.
- when you cast a spell of 1st level or higher that deals cold damage, you can release the energy stored in this crystal to freeze each target of your spell. Each creature you hit with your spell or who fail the saving throw against your spell have their movement speeds reduced to 0 until the start of your next turn.
I'd appreciate if you could be a bit more constructive with your feedback. Basically you just sent me a long reply saying how they all suck and shouldn't be made at all.
But I'll go ahead and reply. Pardon me if the tone is not very appreciative. I do appreciate the ideas, just not the approach.
First. I created transmutation spells, not magic items. If I wanted magic items, I would have created magic items. Spells don't always need to make perfect sense or be perfect, because even though I can make whatever I can imagine, the mages that make the spells in-game probably have many limitations.
Snatch - It's a level 1 spell. They are known to be very specific with clear limitations. The ability to telekinetically pull an object into your hand is very useful in the right situation. You might not get to use it, but if you do, it can change everything. So you need to prioritize what you prepare. Having both effects in the same lvl 1 is very powerful and more importantly has the versatility of a higher level spell. Besides, Catapult is already strong enough for level 1.
Bubble - Level 2 has some of the best utility spells in the game. This spell has some very obvious downsides as it should at this level. You can use levitate to fly more reliably and precisely and at the maximum speed of the bubble. The movement in bubble is random, so going through narrow gaps is nearly impossible. If the bubble breaks, which it easily does, you fall from however high you are. I need to add in the detail, but the bubble is a physical object. You can use spells that only require sight, but you can't shoot things through it or it breaks. Also this can't really be used in combat if the enemies have any ranged dmg. These are all reasons why it can work until dispelled or broken without being way too strong for level 2. You can use Levitate to rise high into the air and blast at your enemies all you want and don't even take falling dmg if you lose con. And the movement averages at 10ft per turn. You'd almost always be better of walking. But you can use the bubble to go up a steep rock or across a wide canyon.
Elements - Yeah, you're right. It is complicated. But also bloody cool. Maybe I can find a way to make it simpler. It wouldn't serve its purpose as magic items unless they were items that could be made with another Transmutation spell. The idea of these is to add more depth and flavor to Transmutation. Your suggestion is good, but unfortunately useless since I'm looking for help to improve these spells, not replace them with magic items.
Bombardment - You're right about the transmute thing. It's fun for flavor, though. Maybe I'll change it to adding a little bit of the damage type or change the normal dmg to non-magical.
Note that the required object must be at least 1lbs, so 1000 of those would weigh 1000lbs.
Also note that saving makes the projectile miss entirely, effectively reducing overall dmg a lot and setting limitations as you risk hitting a friendly target if the enemy dodges it.
You're right about the scaling. Maybe I could have it scale by 1d6 for each level and set milestones like 5, 7 and 9 when the maximum amount of hurled objects per turn also increases.
Cheers! I got some surprisingly good ideas from being told not to make these spells at all.
Finland GMT/UTC +2
The problem with Capture Elements being a spell, is that even small amounts of downtime make this insanely powerful because there is no limit on the number of bottles / stones / shards you can make. Given a week of downtime a 5th level wizard can create 14 of them to hand out to the entire party or keep on their person to use when needed, and this number just increases quadratically as they level up.
Hmmm. You're right about that. As a DM I wouldn't allow it during downtimes, because it requires being subjected to damage, which is a very special situation and would require playing.
But still, I do like to avoid situations where a player argues with the DM about things like this.
Possible fixes:
1. Increase the material cost by a lot. Maybe some hundred gp. This wouldn't be a problem anymore at later levels, though.
2. Have a detail saying you can only have one of each simultaneously. Maybe edit the selling option with making it permanent and not tied to you anymore for those Alchemy etc purposes, but losing the active effect options.
Finland GMT/UTC +2
Hey I just wanted to put this in SerLoxy asked people to help balance the "spells" not "make them into magic items" and with you coming in saying that they all suck in some while using facts that didn't exist in the original spell. "1000 ball bearings would break the bombardment spell" That isn't really what this community is about. We should help people with what they ask, yes it's ok to say when a major change should be made but say it in an encouraging manner not undermining the them explaining that they should stop there ideas.
What do you think about making Bombardment Spell Attack instead of saving? It would go against AC instead of Saving Throw. And you could still make it continue flying after missing, until it reaches 90ft or hits something possibly hitting another target with lower AC.
This would make it easier to rule hitting a small utility target that is not a creature. You could say that you throw each rock through a window and the DM sets the DC for your spell attack depending on the size of your target
Finland GMT/UTC +2
Thank you! I appreciate the support. I'm pouring my heart and soul into these, so inconsiderate negative comments can be hurtful and frustrating.
Finland GMT/UTC +2
Man I love these spells, so very much cool!
I do have one tiny comment however! I noticed in the snatch spell, when you cast it at a higher lever the DC to catch or dodge the item becomes higher, which seems a tad bit peculiar to me, if you increase the dc your magic is less controlled and it’s harder to grab, if you reduce the dc it becomes way to easy (should always be a risk) I would personally just let the dc chill at 12-14 wherever seems comfy.
Except for that these spells are fantastic. The last one really caught my eye!
Thanks! 😄
I always thought it was more difficult and risky because the object is heavier, but it does seem a tad bit strange now that you put it that way. 😆
Then again the spell attack bonus increases quite a bit too.
What if I rephrased it like this:
At higher levels: If you use a spell slot of level 2 or higher, the maximum weight of the object you can pull increases by 10lbs for each slot above the first. If you target a heavier object, the damage increases by 1d8 and the DC increases by 1 for every 10lbs above the initial 10lbs. If you use a slot of level 5 or higher, you automatically succeed on the Spellcasting check.
The reasoning behind this is that with a big slot you could pull some pretty big objects, which are difficult to control and catch. But lvl 5 spell slots are telekinesis level. 😄
Finland GMT/UTC +2
Hey guys,
About the bombardment spell. I really want it to be heavy bombardment if there are materials available, so increasing the amount of objects rather than damage seems more satisfying. But it was pointed out by Agilemind that it upscales for a lot of damage for a bonus action, which is very much true.
So, what if I kept the original 3d8 damage but changed it to Action instead and changed the Transmute effect to bonus action?
This way it would scale for a lot of damage with the possible material and concentration limitation but Action economy would set its own limitation too. And keep the base damage non-magical bludgeoning, so against resisting enemies you need the Bonus Action Transmute too. And maybe use Spell Attack for the projectiles for simplicity, so that only the caster needs to make one roll instead of everyone in the line making saves until it hits.
This way it would maybe be somewhat comparable to Call Lightning. A damage spell that can be recast every turn as an Action for up to 10minutes. It has the limitation of having a high enough space while this one has the material limitation. Call Lightning is AoE within 5ft of the point where it strikes, so you could hit multiple targets that take at least half damage. The damage scales up to 9d10 per turn or 10d10 when outside in stormy conditions. Bombardment has no AoE effect, but instead it can target multiple enemies.
Now the only unpredictable thing is if the player uses special exploding objects etc. BUT I think it would set its own natural in-game limitations. An inexperienced DM might struggle, but that goes for Catapult already. Like sure you could buy lots of Acid Vials, but where are you going to get a lot of Acid Vials unless there is an Acid Vial factory line. And when combat starts, are you going to assemble all the fragile glass vials on the ground to fire or pick one from your bag every turn?
Now of course you could have big magic item bombs that deal 6d6 fire damage upon impact. But those are going to be quite pricy and can already be used with lvl 1 Catapult. I don't think being able to shoot 2 of them at once is going to make much of a difference. Maybe for a heavy burst of damage, but if you miss the target, you are going to shoot your precious bomb 90ft away. :P
Finland GMT/UTC +2
In terms of objects, the big two would be vials of oil and daggers. Which are both readily available. Being able to target individual creatures rather than an area is generally an advantage, since often there is not a clear distinction between allies & enemies which makes placing a big AoE beyond round 1 quite challenging. Call Lightning is 80% of the time single-target IME and 20% of the time two targets, it's also quite hard to use since a lot of adventures take place in a building or underground where Call Lightning cannot be used, Moonbeam is far far better than Call Lightning for those reasons. In terms of repeated use spells as an Action you have:
Bombardment | Moonbeam
21 = 6d6 at 3rd level | 16 = 3d10
31 = 9d6 at 4th level | 22 = 4d10
42 = 12d6 at 5th level | 27 = 5d10
52 = 15d6 at 6th level | 33 = 6d10
63 = 18d6 at 7th level | 38 = 7d10
If made an action, and you reduce the scaling to 1 addition item every 2 spell levels then you would still be better than Moonbeam but not egregiously so.
Thanks! These are really helpful. :)
I'd like to add Melf's Minute meteors, which is 1-2 x 2d6 projectiles per Bonus Action, which is what the spell was originally based on.
Before I get to Minute Meteors, I'd like to point out the scaling system of DnD 5e in general. Level 1 spells scale terribly. Level 2 spells scale a bit better but are almost always worse than natural level 3 spells. (Moonbeam does scale pretty nicely, by the way. Never noticed before!). Level 3 spells have reliable upcasting, but it's generally a better idea to just use the bigger spell slot for a bigger spell except in certain situations when you for example have an insane amount of targets for Fireball etc.
So I'll try to keep this is mind, to make a level 5 spell generally worth more than upcasting Bombardment. This is important for spell preparation economy, although I'm a big fan of upcasting myself and would like have more uses for it (like increasing the max weight of telekinesis up to Yoda levels with a lvl 9 slot).
So Melf's Minute Meteros vs the Current version of Bardacran's Heavy Bombardment
BASE DAMAGE
Minute Meteors is 2x2d6 Fire damage with a failed save or half as much when saved. Also hits targets within 5ft, which means quite often hitting one additional target. Note that you can hit the same target with each meteor, so you can focus your attacks on those enemies that have another target in proximity. I've used spells and feature that target an additional target within 5ft quite a bit and noticed that this is a rather common occurrence.
Bombardment is 2x3d8 Bludgeoning with a Spell Attack. Single target only. The projectile always travels that 90ft or until it hits something.You risk hitting friends if you miss, but you also have a chance to hitting a different enemy if the first one misses. You don't need to launch the object from your own space, it can be anywhere within 60ft if there is an object available.
Thoughts: Fire and non-magical bludgeoning are both heavily resisted so I'll put them on par with the difference being quite situational. Always taking at least half damage is very good for reliability and both Action and Spell slot Economy. Bombardment has theoretically infinite ammo, depending on the situation. The chance to hit a second target or even a third one if you get lucky is a major damage boost and the half-damage with Save boosts overall damage by alot. If you miss with Bombardment, you wasted an entire action getting no damage done. If you hit two targets with each Meteor, you do at least 4d6 damage or 2d6 if you hit only one target. So even with the higher base damage, I think Bombardment is weaker overall, but let's put them on par because it's so situational.
DURATION
Bombardment is 1 minute Concentration. This is a long time mid-combat, but runs out quickly if you even move from room to room. Concentration can end at any time. Difficult to use as a preparation, because you risk running out of time with any small delay. Allows up to 20 attacks in 1 minute, but only 2 per turn.
Meteors is 10 minutes Concentration. This is a very long time, but having a maximum number of meteors and risking Concentration probably makes you want to use them quickly. Good for quick minion fights with small breaks in between. Good for preparing a bit in advance. Allows up to 6 attacks in 10 minutes, but only 2 per turn.
Thoughts: Both are Concentration, which sets a very clear limitation as you cannot concentrate on other very important spells. Both durations have their benefits. You can definitely get a higher maximum damage out of Bombardment if you have materials. Note that if you provide the objects yourself, you either lay out all the materials on the floor or equip only one without an Action per turn. If you pour them all out, it's probably an Action and you'd have to spend some time collecting them when you leave the room/space. At that point they'll all be scattered throughout the room. If an object flies its maximum distance, it's no longer within range. But I'll give this round to Bombardment. The unlimited uses during the duration is a clear bonus despite being Concentration and with a material limitation.
ACTION ECONOMY
Meteors is Bonus Action after the initial Action to cast. You can shoot for example Scorching Ray and use two meteors in the same round or shoot a Fireball and two meteors or Dash/Disengage/Dodge.
Bombardment is an Action to cast and an Action to use.
Thoughts: Meteors is a lot better in this regard. Not needing an Action is really really good. You can use it almost every turn, even if you have other important things to do.
UPCASTING
Meteors creates two additional meteors, increasing the effective duration. This suffers heavily from the fact that you don't get to shoot more meteors per round, so your concentration risk grows higher without an immediate boost in damage. Over time damage increases if you can maintain con.
Bombardment allows you to shoot one additional projectile for 3d6 more damage, if you can provide an object. I personally don't see this being abused because of Action economy. Even if you did buy 10 daggers and you put them in bags of 4 to pour them out on the ground with one action, you'd catapult your daggers out of reach quickly and having to collect them before moving on.
ACH, I HAVE TO GO TO WORK. I'll finish this later. :P
Finland GMT/UTC +2
Moonbeam upcasts well because it is the primary damage dealing spell for druids for most of the game, the only other high-ish damage / high scaling spell they get is Erupting Earth for 3d12 as a 3rd level spell. Those two spells remain their highest DPR for the rest of their career (discounting conjure animals hordes b/c most tables ban them).
For Bombardment it has a range of 60ft and throws items 90ft which means unless you're one of the handful of races with 25 ft walking speed, you can easily move 30 ft on your turn to get all of the items you threw on your first turn back into range to be thrown on your second turn. So e.g. if you managed to get 3x magical daggers you can toss them back and forth forever.
The expected damage from one item with 2 enemies in a straight line is 10.125 damage to 1 creature, and the expected damage of one minute meteor across 2 creatures is 10.5 damage. Single-target damage is preferable to damage spread across multiple creatures because of the action economy, and due to the nature of lines it is much easier to get two creatures on the same line than 2 enemies within 5ft of each other - note that all cases where 2 creatures are within 5ft of each other are also cases where 2 creatures are on the same line. Bombardment can also be a damage type must less resisted than Meteors (e.g. acid) and can have its damage type changed to exploit enemy weaknesses.
In terms of range I'd put them on approximate parity with Meteors having 120 ft and Bombardment with 60+90 ft. However Bombardment has additional utility that meteors doesn't have in that it can be used to e.g. coat enemies in oil/alchemist's fire, hurl a weapon that the fighter has knocked from an enemy's hand away from them, trigger switches / traps, or other creative uses such as pull a carpet out from underneath the enemy's feet.
PS: I just noticed you put the object restrictions in the components section of the spell not the description, you need to move it into the description because "M" components of a spell can be ignored by using a spellcasting focus. Thus by the spell description any objects no matter how big or small - e.g. a single ball bearing or an entire trebuchet - could be targeted.
I came back to these spells and after a few fixes I decided to just put them into playtest.
I made Bombardment an Action to cast / launch and bonus action to transmute. I didn't change the upcasting, because I strongly believe that situations will set their own limitations to how many projectiles you can reliably launch every turn. I might end up setting a limit at maybe 5 projectiles per turn, but there's no point right now before I see how it plays.
We are in a DM rotation with two friends. We all take turns DMing one short campaign for the same group of characters and we are all experienced DMs. They are fine with experimenting and homebrewing, and this whole concept of ours is a bit of a DM playground anyway, so that's probably the best way to see if the Bombardment spell works. :)
Finland GMT/UTC +2