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Message: <blockquote data-quote="StreamOfTheSky" data-source="post: 4868120" data-attributes="member: 35909">1. A level 4 Empowered Scorching Ray, with no other feats or investment at all, does an average of 42 damage.  Once you hit CL 11, it surpasses your magic missile example in damage.2. Even if it did 50 str penalty, ray of enfeeblement couldn't reduce a creature's str below one, so it never becomes an instant win button, even after boosting it to spell levels where you could just learn instant win buttons.I think arcane thesis is like any costly build.  It mostly sucks and isn't worth it on its own, but can get out of hand if enough resources are devoted to the one trick.  I really don't think it's a big deal, though.  You have to spend a lot of feats to start seeing a huge benefit, and casting the same spell over and over would be mind-numbingly boring to me.  If you're not casting that spell at least 1/4 of the time and you've spent all your feats towards it...I'd call that a bad investment, YMMV.Even for the Killer Gnome" Shadowcraft Mage build, which can cast any Sorcerer/Wizard evocation or conuration (creation and summoning only) using just a single spell (ie, enough versatility ot not get boring)...that build literally REQUIRES 4 feats right off the bat to work right.  So, it's already quite feat starved.  Arcane Thesis is kinda lowsy even for that build if all you're getting is +2 CL.  You need to pick up metamagic feats, too.  (And the only one you have as part of the required 4, Heighten Spell, does not benefit from AT)In any case, like others said...it's one spell.  Once he gets well known or faces the same foe a second time, said foes can be expected to have measures to foil the one spell at least sometimes.</blockquote>

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