Balance question

[starwed]

I noticed that Races of the Dragon has some sorcerer only spells, a couple of which seemed pretty good for a PC of mine. I'm a bit concerned about the balance/rules for them, though:

Wings of Cover: This is an immediate action spell which provides momentary total cover, the idea being that you negate a single attack. But the way the spell is written makes almost no sense:

• It's an immediate action that you can take to interrupt an opponents attack.
• But, your opponent can then choose to take another action, rather than attack you. It reads like they can even change the type of action, so what's to stop them from delaying/readying an action until after your protection wears off?
• If they cast an area of effect spell, the protection grants a bonus on reflex saves, rather than completely protecting you. (And doing nothing for a great many AoO spells such as Cone of Cold.) Yet the spell also clearly states that it blocks line of effect, which should grant complete protection from this type of spell.

Wings of Flurry: This one is simple: a 4th level AoO spell which deals 1d6/level force damage in a 30' burst, Reflex save for half, dazes creatures for 1 round if they fail the save. That alone is pretty strong (few things being immune to daze), but there's also no cap to the damage dice!

This is definitely a really good direct damage spell, although the range of 30' helps to balance it. But I'm wondering how much that limits it in practice, and whether it's overpowered or not.

 

[KarinsDad]

I don't have that book, but the first one does not make sense. The best thing is either to not allow the spell, or use a simplified version of it that gives total cover and ignore the rest of the writeup in the spell (i.e. the attackers action is still his action, it protects against all AoE spells, etc.).

The second one should be adjusted to follow the DMG: 10D6 damage cap.

 

[UltimaGabe]

I very strongly suggest making the Wings of Flurry spell deal 1d6 per TWO levels, with a 10d6 cap. Force damage is unmitigatable, unresistable, and affects incorporeal. Being able to use that at your caster level's worth of d6's is WAY too powerful, especially with no cap.

 

[starwed]

The force damage part is mitigated by the shape: it's a 30' burst, with a 30' range, so it will always be overlapping an area in front of you. That means that if you're casting it at bad guys, either there's nothing between you and them, or your allies are going to be hurt as well.

It's more the damage cap+daze that I'm concerned about. Has anyone used this one in play?

 

[Slaved]

The force damage part is mitigated by the shape: it's a 30' burst, with a 30' range, so it will always be overlapping an area in front of you. That means that if you're casting it at bad guys, either there's nothing between you and them, or your allies are going to be hurt as well.

It is a 30' radius burst with a maximum range of 30'? That seems incredibly strange since that would mean that you are virtually always losing a very large portion of its area of effect.

Unless the spell states an exception to the rule about extending beyond the maximum range of an effect like that?

 

[AuraSeer]

It is a 30' radius burst with a maximum range of 30'? That seems incredibly strange since that would mean that you are virtually always losing a very large portion of its area of effect.

No, it just means that you're centering it on yourself.

 

[Slaved]

No, it just means that you're centering it on yourself.

I do not believe that you can center it on yourself, bursts require you to pick a grid intersection. Characters of medium size or smaller do not overlap a grid intersection.

Also, I was accounting for the targetting near yourself with the Virtually Always portion.

 

[KarinsDad]

I very strongly suggest making the Wings of Flurry spell deal 1d6 per TWO levels, with a 10d6 cap. Force damage is unmitigatable, unresistable, and affects incorporeal. Being able to use that at your caster level's worth of d6's is WAY too powerful, especially with no cap.

You mean like Orb of Force?

Actually, this could be stopped via Evasion or Improved Evasion or Globe of Invulnerability or Total Cover. It can also get a Reflex save bonus from normal cover.

And since it is a short range burst, it is likely that it will not be cast too often.


1D6 per two levels, however, will almost never be used by anyone. That's only 20% to 50% of opponent's hit points, half of that if the save is made, regardless of it being force damage.

 

[AuraSeer]

I do not believe that you can center it on yourself, bursts require you to pick a grid intersection. Characters of medium size or smaller do not overlap a grid intersection.

If that were a problem, it would be impossible to cast self-centered emanations like antimagic field or globe of invulnerability.

The spell would be centered on one of the four intersections contacting the character's square. Range and radius are both calculated from that spot.