Level Up (A5E) An eldritch whip + added damage clarification

[Valrei]

Eldritch whip states "At the end of your turn you gain a number of temporary hit points equal to half the damage you dealt with Eldritch Whip this turn" I assume this means the raw damage that eldritch whip did (increased by agonizing blast if you have it) and that things like extra damage from Hex or your pact curse don't add to this damage right? Since agonizing blast makes your eldritch blast do more damage and hex just state that they take extra damage (thus the damage is done by Hex and not by the triggering damage's source). The damaging umbra from the dragoncult would I assume then also not add to the damage of your eldritch whip but deal the damage itself? So it would not be counted towards the damage Eldritch Whip has dealt this turn? Or is the umbra from the dragoncult different because it says extra damage?

 

[Micah Sweet]

Eldritch whip states "At the end of your turn you gain a number of temporary hit points equal to half the damage you dealt with Eldritch Whip this turn" I assume this means the raw damage that eldritch whip did (increased by agonizing blast if you have it) and that things like extra damage from Hex or your pact curse don't add to this damage right? Since agonizing blast makes your eldritch blast do more damage and hex just state that they take extra damage (thus the damage is done by Hex and not by the triggering damage's source). The damaging umbra from the dragoncult would I assume then also not add to the damage of your eldritch whip but deal the damage itself? So it would not be counted towards the damage Eldritch Whip has dealt this turn? Or is the umbra from the dragoncult different because it says extra damage?

Seems reasonable to me.

 

[VenerableBede]

IMO, a very strict reading would be that only Eldritch Whip (+ Agonizing Blast) would add to the Temp HP and buildup of damage. (There’s also an invocation that gives you bonus Temp HP that would add to the damage.)
That said, as Narrator I would allow all extra damage to be added. I crunched the numbers and am of the opinion it is balanced. Eldritch Whip has the potential to do amazing damage, but only if you manage to hit with a whip at least once each turn and only after a few turns have passed. If I remember correctly, it takes 3 or 4 turns for the damage to catch up with Eldritch Spear/Disturbance, and that’s assuming a 60% chance to hit. After that you pull ahead quite nicely. But that requires combat to run that long in the first place, and for you to be able to hit an enemy every turn.

 

[VenerableBede]

Plus, rule of cool. Just give your warlock awesome tools (and the other players).

 

[thuter]

I am not sure if 'Additional damage' and 'Extra damage' are keywords that are being used consciously, but if it is the case, I would count 'Extra damage' (Dragoncult's Damaging Umbra, Rogue's Sneak Attack, Ranger's Hunter's Target) as part of the Eldritch Whip damage, and 'Additional damage' (Herald's Divine Smite, Hex) as a separate damage instance.

 

[Morrus]

I don't believe there is any design intent to have the words 'extra' and 'additional' mean anything beyond their common English usage.

 

[Xethreau]

IMO, a very strict reading would be that only Eldritch Whip (+ Agonizing Blast) would add to the Temp HP and buildup of damage. (There’s also an invocation that gives you bonus Temp HP that would add to the damage.)
That said, as Narrator I would allow all extra damage to be added. I crunched the numbers and am of the opinion it is balanced. Eldritch Whip has the potential to do amazing damage, but only if you manage to hit with a whip at least once each turn and only after a few turns have passed. If I remember correctly, it takes 3 or 4 turns for the damage to catch up with Eldritch Spear/Disturbance, and that’s assuming a 60% chance to hit. After that you pull ahead quite nicely. But that requires combat to run that long in the first place, and for you to be able to hit an enemy every turn.

As the one who wrote it, I feel like this is what I intended. Any damage done by the whip---including "additional" and "bonus" damage, or anything else---increases the temp HP gained.

 

[Mark Essel]

@Xethreau can you comment on eldritch scythe + pact of the blade -> are scythes intended to benefit from charisma twice via agonizing blast (I don't think so but wanted to confirm my understanding)

 

[Xethreau]

@Xethreau can you comment on eldritch scythe + pact of the blade -> are scythes intended to benefit from charisma twice via agonizing blast (I don't think so but wanted to confirm my understanding)

I'm not sure how that could be construed at all. Care to site the rules for me for how that could be taken?

 

[Mark Essel]

I'm not sure how that could be construed at all. Care to site the rules for me for how that could be taken?

It was my misreading how magic weapon bonuses as pact weapons convey those modifiers to eldritch scythe and eldritch ray. I misunderstood and thought that eldritch scythes counted as pact weapons.