CW - Arcane Strike feat

Olive · Dec 21, 2003

Is this feat worth it when it only lasts for one level? I mean say you sacrifice a magic missle for it. That gives you a +1 to hit, plus 1d4 extra damage. But if you used the magic missle normally, then you'd get 3d4 damge with no chance to miss (given the minimum caster lever for a PC with the feat).

Am I missing something? I guess there's no AoE, but with casting on the defensive etc., then that's not much of an issue.

hong · Dec 21, 2003

The attack and damage bonus are for all attacks in one round, and it's +1 to hit and +1d4 damage per spell level. If you sacrifice a 4th level spell, that's +4 to hit and +4d4 damage. It's pretty good, especially if you have haste and/or TWF going -- great for bladesingers.

James McMurray · Dec 21, 2003

Its also good for characters that wear armor and cast. Rather than risk ASF you an just dump the spell.

In the hands of a Spellsword it can also be nice. You can have two spells channeled into your weapon and ready to smack someone, then dump a higher level slot into Arcane Strike in order to increase your odds of hitting and also do a bit more damage.

Since it applies the damage and bonus to hit for all attacks made that round, it can get pretty scary in the hands of a Spellsword / Eldritch Knight. At 20th level you can have two channeled spells and drop a 7th level spell slot for +7 to hit and +7d4 damage for all of your attacks in one round. Since you'll get 3 attacks from BAB and one from haste, that's a possible 28d4 extra damage. That it bypasses spell resistance (the bane of many a fighter / wizard) is also a nice benefit to the feat.

In other words: yes, I think the feat an be worthwhile.

Olive · Dec 21, 2003

Hmmm... thanks guys. The lack of spell failure etc. are pretty good. I'll pointit out to my player with a bladedancer cohort...

Taren Seeker · Dec 21, 2003

IIRC the feat states it only works with 1 weapon, so a TWF character will not get it with all attacks in the round. (IDHMBIFOM)

Regardless, the feat can be very useful, especially if you also convert that to hit bonus into more power attack. It's not a feat that you use very often, but when you do it can shift the tide of battle in a hurry.

Also consider using the feat on a character that has a lot of scrolls (for backup spellcasting) and multiple pearls of power. You can get a lot more use out of it.

The original feat in Dragon magazine added d6 damage per level instead of d4. If you find that the spell slot cost is not worth the bonus damage (if you don't have PA for instance) then you may want to consider using the original version.

Philip · Dec 21, 2003

I think its quite a useful feat, handy in emergency situations. Last game my Pal2/Sor8 was backed in a corner and surrounded by enemies. Not wanting to risk failing a Concentration check for casting a spell on the defensive, I attacked the enemies using my Smite Evil, and it was quite effective. Being able to burn a 4th lvl spell to get even more to hit and damage bonus would make it even better. He rarely burns all of his spells each day anyway.

Elder-Basilisk · Dec 21, 2003

For characters with prepared spells, it also serves another purpose--the ability to get some use out of a spell that would otherwise be rendered useless by the circumstances.

For instance, a fighter/wizard packs Command Undead because the party lacks a cleric and it's very good for dealing with undead mooks. When the party decides to invade the orc stronghold, and doesn't run into undead, he can still get some use out of that 2nd level slot. Or, the fighter/wizard is packing Feeblemind but, when he reaches the end of the cave complex, he runs into a priest and a barbarian. Not too much call for Feeblemind there. So he uses Arcane Strike. The same is true for the fire evoker/fighter who runs into fire elementals. His scorching Rays are much better as Arcane Strikes than as nothing.

Also, note that it has very good synergy with reach and combat reflexes, expert tactician, and other ways of getting extra attacks. In the best case, a fighter/Wizard/Eldritch Knight/Spellsword with Blink and haste active, combat reflexes, and Expert Tactician could make 6 attacks in his normal round and then 5 attacks of opportunity (when all the people he tripped stand up for instance). If he had cleave or Great Cleave as well, it could add up to even more attacks. If he used Arcane Strike on one of his 9th level spells, that could theoretically add up to more than 117d4 damage. (A good deal better than using that Wierd spell against the undead creatures he's facing wouldn't you say?) Of course, that's a best case scenario and it's unlikely to actually happen but it does show the potential usefulness of the feat on a more realistic scale.

Corlon · Dec 22, 2003

what book is this spell from and what does it say exactly? it sounds very cool.

Crothian · Dec 22, 2003

It's in complete Warrior.

Persoanlly I think it's a great feat for almost any caster. Makes fighting Golems and other creatures that are very diffucult to hurt with magic, a little easier.

Greatfrito · Dec 22, 2003

Well, as this is a part of Complete Warrior, I think it's also necessary to point out that the feat is very good when using a character with a full attack bonus -and- okay access to not-that-great spells all of the time... a character just like the Hexblade.

The feat seems to be custom tailored for characters like the Hexblade, and would probably be part of my hexblade's feat collection. Just seems logical.