Arcane Channelling on Full Attack (Duskblade)

Gnome · Apr 30, 2008

How do you interpret the duskblade's 13th-level ability to channel a touch spell on every attack on a full attack? Here is the wording of the ability:

At 13th level, you can cast any touch spell you know as part of a full attack action, and the spell affects each target you hit in meele combat that round. Doing so discharges the spell at the end of the round, in the case of a touch spell that would otherwise last longer than one round.

To me "affects each target you hit" implies that each opponent can only be affected by the spell once, even if he is hit multiple times in the same round by it. How do the rest of you interpret this?

Additionally, if it can affect the same target multiple times, is this ability too overpowered? Had anyone seen this in play long enough to gauge how scary this is in practise, or not?

Wednesday Boy · Apr 30, 2008

I think it means that an same individual can be affected by the channeled spell multiple times, if it is hit multiple times. But that's based on what I think the intent of the ability is and because I think it would be explicitly stated that a target can only be affected once, if that was the intent. That's just my opinion, I think you could argue over the definition of "target" and there may be precident in the PHB on what makes a target.

I haven't seen this ability in play so I'm not sure if the same individual being affected multiple times would be overpowered.

Kat' · Apr 30, 2008

The spell can affect the same target multiple times. That's the point of the ability, in fact. And it can be quite devastating, true enough, OTOH, duskblades have to be good at SOMEthing, don't they. And that something is damage dealing. A 18th level duskblade with GTWF channeling Vampiric Touch does deal an extra 49d6 damage indeed, but compared to what other classes can do, it's not that overpowered.

Nifft · Apr 30, 2008

Yeah, I'm on the side of "not all that broken". 13th level = 7th level spells. There's plenty of Save-or-Die effects flying around, and there should be plenty of ways to avoid facing a Full Attack if you really want to avoid it.

Cheers, -- N

jaelis · Apr 30, 2008

For what its worth, this is addressed in the FAQ:

At 13th level, the duskblade’s arcane channeling class feature (Player’s Handbook II, 20) says “you can cast any touch spell you know as part of a full attack action, and the spell affects each target you hit in melee combat that round.” If you hit the same creature more than once during the full attack action, does the spell affect it each time you hit?

No. The spell affects each target only once.

Kat' · Apr 30, 2008

Not as if the FAQ was failproof, mind you...

MarkB · Apr 30, 2008

In this case, I'd go with the FAQ, though - if it had been intended that the spell could affect the same target multiple times, it would have been easy enough to word it as "you deliver the spell effect with each attack you make". I tend to think the intent here is to allow single-target spells to become multi-target spells, not multiple-casting spells.

Folly · Apr 30, 2008

So instead of building a TWF you build a spiked chain whirlwind fighter with tweaked reach. By using spells to amp your damage you get over the normal limitation of whirlwind (hitting and doing significant damage)

Gnome · Apr 30, 2008

If I go for the single target only affected once interpretation, I was thinking of having it overlap, so that spell damage is rolled each time, and if it is above the previous amount it does that much more to that target so that there is at least a small benefit in these cases.