Are these balanced with eachother?

[Altamont Ravenard]

I won't explain the whole background behind these abilities, suffice it to say a certain spellcasting class will be able to use spell slots to shoot somekind of damaging bolt. I don't want to know if this ability is too much for said spellcasting class, but rather if every option is balanced with the other.

It's very close to the Warlock's Eldritch blast, and I realize that it's incredibly video-game-y / super-hero-y.

So here are the variations on a common theme. Is one particular version much more stronger / weaker than the others? Should I include other damage types?

This attack, unless noted, is a ranged touch attack, has a range of 60' with no increment penalty, can be used once per round as a spell-like ability, and can be modified by using a higher spell slot level to add a certain effect to the bolt decreasing the number of dice of damage. If you use the modified version of an attack, you must use a spell slot of level equal at least to the number of dice by which the attack is diminished (ie you cannot use a 1st-level spell slot to cast a modified shocking bolt). Unless noted, that increase the dice damage penalty is of one level die. Finally, the save DC for the special effect is (10 + # of dice of damagespell slot level + ability modifier).

Thanks in advance,

Fire bolt
Damage type: fire
Damage die / spell slot level: d8
Special restrictions / notes: subject to fire resistance and SR
Modified bolt (increase in spell slot level# of damage dice reduction): Ref save or catch fire

Frost bolt
Damage type: cold
Damage die / spell slot level: d8
Special restrictions / notes:subject to cold resistance and SR
Modified bolt (increase in spell slot level# of damage dice reduction):Fort save or 2 temp dex damage

Shocking bolt
Damage type: eletrical
Damage die / spell slot level: d8
Special restrictions / notes:subject to electricity resistance and SR
Modified bolt (increase in spell slot level# of damage dice reduction): Fort save or dazed for 1 round (-2 damage dice)

Acidic bolt
Damage type: acid
Damage die / spell slot level: d8
Special restrictions / notes:subject to acid resistance and SR
Modified bolt (increase in spell slot level# of damage dice reduction):Fort save or sickened for 1 round

Sonic bolt
Damage type: sonic
Damage die / spell slot level: d8
Special restrictions / notes:subject to sonic resistance, SR, and the silence spell
Modified bolt (increase in spell slot level# of damage dice reduction):Fort save or deafened for 1 minute

Force bolt
Damage type: force
Damage die / spell slot level: d6
Special restrictions / notes:subject to SR
Modified bolt (increase in spell slot level# of damage dice reduction):ranged trip attack (d20 + # of dice of damage + ability modifier instead of Str check)

Holy bolt
Damage type: holy
Damage die / spell slot level: d8 d6
Special restrictions / notes:only affects evil creatures, subject to SR
Modified bolt (increase in spell slot level# of damage dice reduction):affects neutral creatures as well

Unholy bolt
Damage type: unholy
Damage die / spell slot level: d8 d6
Special restrictions / notes:only affects good creatures, subject to SR
Modified bolt (increase in spell slot level# of damage dice reduction):affects neutral creatures as well

Flying arrow
Damage type: normal, piercing
Damage die / spell slot level: d10 d12
Special restrictions / notes: ranged attack, subject to DR
Modified bolt (increase in spell slot level# of damage dice reduction):imbue attack with special property (magic / adamantine +2 to spell slot level -2 dice of damage; others +1 -1)

Propelled blade
Damage type: normal, slashing
Damage die / spell slot level: d10 d12
Special restrictions / notes: ranged attack, subject to DR
Modified bolt (increase in spell slot level# of damage dice reduction):imbue attack with special property (magic / adamantine +2 to spell slot level; others +1)

Bolt of Impact
Damage type: normal, bludgeoning
Damage die / spell slot level: d8 d10
Special restrictions / notes: ranged attack, subject to DR
Modified bolt (increase in spell slot level# of damage dice reduction):imbue attack with special property (magic / adamantine +2 to spell slot level; others +1)

Psychic Strike
Damage type: [Mind-affecting]
Damage die / spell slot level: d8
Special restrictions / notes: is a [Mind-affecting] ability, subject to SR
Modified bolt (increase in spell slot level# of damage dice reduction):Will save or stunned for 1 round (-2 dice of damage)

Whitebolt
Damage type: positive energy
Damage die / spell slot level: d8
Special restrictions / notes:subject to SR, half damage to living targets, double damage to undead
Modified bolt (increase in spell slot level# of damage dice reduction): If target is undead, Will save or Turned (may add Turn Resistance to Will save)

Darkbolt
Damage type: negative energy
Damage die / spell slot level: d8 d6
Special restrictions / notes:subject to SR, half damage to undead
Modified bolt (increase in spell slot level# of damage dice reduction):Will save or shaken for 1 round

Sunbolt
Damage type: light
Damage die / spell slot level: d6
Special restrictions / notes:subject to SR, treat as a [light] spell of appropriate level, may dispel magical darkness if so aimed
Modified bolt (increase in spell slot level# of damage dice reduction):Fort save or blindness for 1 round

Shadowbolt
Damage type: shadow
Damage die / spell slot level: d6
Special restrictions / notes:subject to SR, treat as a [darkness] spell of appropriate level, may dispel magical light if so aimed
Modified bolt (increase in spell slot level# of damage dice reduction):Fort save or 2 temp str damage

Chaos bolt
Damage type: anarchic energy
Damage die / spell slot level: d6
Special restrictions / notes: ???
Modified bolt (increase in spell slot level# of damage dice reduction):Will save or Confusion for 1 round
AR

 

[Arkhandus]

Hrum.

First, as a suggestion, I think you should restrict which options a mage should normally have available from amongst these; if they were to have free choice from amongst all of them, they'd just use the most effective type of bolt for every situation and never really have to care about the target's resistances or creature type. For instance, if the mage faces a salamander, he's just going to go right for the Frost Bolt and not have any difficulty accessing it. Then in the same day or same encounter he could be flinging Whitebolts at ghouls, Fire Bolts at ice mephits, Psychic Strikes at enemy human warriors, and so on and so forth. Always able to capitalize on the enemy's obvious weaknesses without worry or fail. So perhaps you should only grant access to a few types of energy bolt initially, and only allow access to new ones via feats? I.E. an Expanded Energy Bolt feat, obtainable multiple times, and each time granting access to, say, 2 more types of energy bolt? Maybe even just 1 more type. It's just an idea, albeit a very valid concern.

Shocking Bolt is a bit too strong on the extra effect. 1 round of being dazed is rather worse than potentially needing to spend a portion of your next action extinguishing your burning clothes, or 1 round of sickness. Perhaps change it to 1 round of being staggered (but without the associated subdual damage normally necessary to do so; but only staggers targets susceptible to subdual damage).

Holy Bolt and Unholy Bolt should only deal 1d6 damage per spell level, as they're not subject to any real energy resistances and, to the kind of people who would use them, there's rarely going to be any foes the bolts won't work against (without even bothering to modify them; i.e. most heroes will only fight evil stuff, and, at worst, only occasionally fighting neutral or good stuff).

Flying Arrow, Propelled Blade, and Bolt of Impact should probably deal one degree better damage, since mages suck at making normal ranged attack rolls, and will thus rarely succeed against any decent opposition with such attacks.

Psychic Strike should probably be scaled down to a d6 of damage per spell level, since, like Holy Bolt, it bypasses energy resistances and whatnot and will affect the vast majority of enemies. The stun effect is too strong compared to other versions, as well. Perhaps, instead, 1 point each of temporary Wisdom and Charisma damage in the vein of Frost Bolt? 2 points to a single mental ability score would hurt an enemy mage much more than 2 points of Dex loss would affect an enemy warrior, since the warrior could always just move up closer and hit you with a sword rather than an arrow, whereas an enemy mage may as well try fighting you with insults and mean thoughts if you chop down several points of his Int/Wis/Cha in the first one or two rounds.

Whitebolt's modified extra effect could perhaps be a Reflex save against 1 minute of being dazzled, maybe 2 minutes instead.

Darkbolt will bypass resistances and deal good damage to the vast majority of enemies, unlike Whitebolt, while only being diminished against one small group of creatures, so I'd reduce its damage to 1d6 per spell level.

Sunbolt and Shadowbolt should probably be reduced to 1d4 damage per spell level, since they bypass resistances and have no restrictions or limitations on what they can affect, unlike just about everything else here.

Chaos Bolt should probably just affect lawful-aligned creatures, and should then deal 1d8 damage per spell level instead of 1d6. Probably make an Axiomatic Bolt as its counterpart, only affecting chaotic-aligned creatures, dealing 1d8 damage per spell level, with the modified extra effect being a Fortitude save against being knocked back 10 feet (relative to the mage's position). Maybe 15 feet away instead, or maybe some other effect, but after all the other bolts' effects, I can't think of a good secondary effect for an Axiomatic Bolt.

 

[Altamont Ravenard]

First, as a suggestion, I think you should restrict which options a mage should normally have available from amongst these;

Thanks for the feedback. I'll take it into consideration.

That is indeed what I plan to do. When you get this ability, you choose one bolt.

AR