D&D 5E (2014) New Spell: Umbral Bolt

[Hawk Diesel]

So I know I started a thread about the inconsistency regarding damage dealing spells and difficulty in creating new spells because of it. Still, that won't stop me from attempting. Definitely looking for feedback and suggestions to make it work.

Umbral Bolt (Warlock)
6th-level evocation
Casting Time: 1 action
Range: Self (150ft)
Components: V, S, M (an elf's shadow)
Duration: Concentration, up to 1 minute

Soulwrench summons power from his connection to the Hells to conjure and shape motes of darkness. They swirl about your shoulder cannons, the blackness charging within the beholder eyestalks until a burst of dark energy arcs towards your target of choice within range. The energy then splashes, leaping to two more targets within 30ft of the first. Each target struck must make a Dexterity saving throw. On a failed save, a creature takes 5d10 necrotic damage. On a successful save, it takes half as much damage. Celestial and Fey have disadvantage on this saving throw.

You can create a new arc of energy as your action on any turn until the spell ends.

For the duration, your shoulder cannons seem to absorb ambient light, darkening the area around you. The area with 10ft of you becomes dimly lit. If you are already in an area of dim light, the area within 10ft of you becomes non-magical darkness.

Background: My character is a Tiefling (reskinned as a Warforged) warlock named Soulwrench. He fires his eldritch blast from dual shoulder cannons, which have beholder eyestalks grafted to them (trophies from a pair of beholder siblings the party dispatched).

Mechanical Reasoning: This spell is striving to be somewhere between chain lightning (for range and targeting) and sunbeam (for damage and duration). The average damage is slightly higher than sunbeam due to no secondary effect (Sunbeam normally blinds targets that don't save). The range and targeting is more similar to chain lightning, though targets one less than chain lightning (I thought this would be more balanced). I understand that it does strike as powergamish to mix and match spells. That is not my intent. I just like the way chain lightning works, but also like the duration and thematic elements of sunbeam.

Any thoughts to bring this in line with other 6th level spells would be appreciated.

 

[raleel]

Looking at your reasoning and the spell -

I think there should be a cost for duration multi-targeting. As you have it now, you are getting a very good sunbeam every round that hits multiple targets for no action or spell slot. Sure, they can't be blinded, but things close to you could end up being blinded due to darkness. Particulwrly with warlocks, this isn't much of a downgrade.

If we go off of the custom spell damage in the DMG, you are a multitarget spell, but are doing single target damage. Sunbeam is 6d8, which averages to almost exactly half of the single target damage by the chart. Chain lightning is actually a little better than multitarget damage, but it is close enough I don't think we should cross the multitarget threshold there. As sunbeam sets a benchmark of "half for spells that last longer than instant" we should be looking at half of the multitarget spell. That would put your spell in the 5d6-6d6 range, averaging at (half of 11d6) 19 or so. Generously, I'd do 4d10 as a cap for your spell, or perhaps 5d8.

Pretty close though! Excellent imagery. If I were running the game, I'd probably allow it with this sort of analysis.

 

[Satyrn]

I think the damage is fine. It's less than a multi target spell. Because it uses uan action each round this is much more like a cantrip replacement for 1 minute.

Like a higher level witchbolt with a darkness side effect. How does it compare to spamming eldritch blast, or upcasting witchbolt (it rather must be better than an upcast witchbolt, the way fireball is better than an upcast burning hands, I'd think.)

 

[raleel]

I think the damage is fine. It's less than a multi target spell. Because it uses uan action each round this is much more like a cantrip replacement for 1 minute.

I disagree. As it is, it is sunbeam, but multiple targets, minus the blind, but add the very useful aura ( especially with devil's sight or one with the shadows ). The wording is nearly identical to sunbeam, but it adds multi target, changes the damage to necrotic (comparable to radiant for usefulness), and even includes a logically consistent save disadvantage against two types.

Like a higher level witchbolt with a darkness side effect. How does it compare to spamming eldritch blast, or upcasting witchbolt (it rather must be better than an upcast witchbolt, the way fireball is better than an upcast burning hands, I'd think.)

That would be a fair comparison if it was single target. it's not. both burning hands and fireball are both multi target. That would also be a fair comparison if burning hands was a cantrip, which it's not.

The other thread also shows that before level 3 spells, equality is far more tenuous, and many are only comparable at that level as far as range and area go. A closer comparison would be Vitriolic Sphere, which does 19d4 over 2 rounds on a failed save at level 6 to multiple targets. Assuming they fail their save both times, This does slightly less damage with my suggestion, but he can keep going. with his current level of damage, he matches it for the same slot and he can keep going.

 

[Hawk Diesel]

I'd like to point out that Sunbeam is a 60' line effect, so it also can hit multiple targets. Also, in most circumstances the aura is only dim light. If the area is already in dim light, then it's darkness, but non-magical which allows darkvision to function. It's also defeated by a mundane torch or light spell, as the area would no longer be dimly lit to turn to darkness. (I would hope by level 12 non-magical darkness is not a huge barrier for enemies a PC might face).

 

[Dausuul]

I think sunbeam is a fair comparison.

Advantages of umbral bolt:

• Typically hits more targets (pretty reliably hits three, where sunbeam will often be limited to two)
• Aura of shadow is more generally useful than aura of sunlight
• Targets a harder saving throw (most monsters have better Con than Dex)
• Superior range

Advantages of sunbeam:

• Imposes a crippling rider effect on a failed save
• Radiant damage is better than necrotic
• With a suitable choke point, can be set up to hit many targets
• Targets a common monster type (undead rather than celestials/fey)
• Does not require having an elf in the party

The damage is essentially identical (27.5 for umbral bolt versus 27 for sunbeam). All in all, I'd say it balances pretty well.

 

[Satyrn]

By the way, does the attack you make on subsequent rounds do the whole "hit one target, splash onto two more" thing?

I think that will turn out to be too good in play, that those subsequent attacks should just be against single targets - or that you should go a little crazier. Instead of being able to use this spell to make more attacks in later rounds, have it so that it convert's the damage that other spells do into necrotic damage (necrotic eldritch blasts or necrotic fireballs for example).

Or have it affect only cantrips to more effect, letting those necrotic eldritch blasts fire an additional ray, or a necrotic acid splash deal an extra die of damage. This works out rather like your intention of subsequent attacks in later rounds, with (I think) more intresting effect.

 

[Antonlowe]

Background: My character is a Tiefling (reskinned as a Warforged) warlock named Soulwrench. He fires his eldritch blast from dual shoulder cannons, which have beholder eyestalks grafted to them (trophies from a pair of beholder siblings the party dispatched).

.

This is awesome. Also the spell seems balanced to me.

 

[Hawk Diesel]

By the way, does the attack you make on subsequent rounds do the whole "hit one target, splash onto two more" thing?

I think that will turn out to be too good in play, that those subsequent attacks should just be against single targets - or that you should go a little crazier. Instead of being able to use this spell to make more attacks in later rounds, have it so that it convert's the damage that other spells do into necrotic damage (necrotic eldritch blasts or necrotic fireballs for example).

Or have it affect only cantrips to more effect, letting those necrotic eldritch blasts fire an additional ray, or a necrotic acid splash deal an extra die of damage. This works out rather like your intention of subsequent attacks in later rounds, with (I think) more intresting effect.

What you seem to be suggesting is a completely different spell. Yes, the intent is that on subsequent rounds the caster could use an action to do another attack that would target up to 3 people (depending on how far they are spaced from the first target). In my mind, this is only slightly different then Sunbeam, which allows you to use your action of subsequent rounds to summon another 60' line effect that can potentially target multiple enemies. There is precedent for spells of this kind based on existing official 5e spells (Sunbeam being one example, Call Lightning being another). So I'm not really sure what your critique is or how you are attempting to "fix" it.

This is awesome. Also the spell seems balanced to me.

Thank you! ^_^

 

[Satyrn]

So I'm not really sure what your critique is or how you are attempting to "fix" it.

Oy. Like raleel, I'm forgetting an aspect of sunbeam. In my case, that it's reusable.