Bonus on Cold Spells?

[Ogrork the Mighty]

We have a character that receives a +1 bonus per die of damage to spells with the Cold descriptor.

For the spell ice storm, would the +1 dam per die bonus apply to all 5d6 or just the 2d6 cold damage, as the other 3d6 are physical? It would make sense that it would only apply to the cold-specified damage, but the whole spell has the Cold descriptor.

Thoughts?

 

[Henrix]

I think it would be niggardly to deny him his full bonus. The spell is a cold spell, so his bonus applies to all the damage, not just to cold damage. Perhaps he evokes bigger hailstones?

 

[The Souljourner]

It's a cold spell, it does 5d6, he gets +1 per die of damage done by a cold spell, therefor he gets +5 damage to this spell. He's better at casting the spell, not just better at the cold part.

Especially for an already sub-par spell, I'd say give him the full bonus.

-The Souljourner

 

[Henrix]

Ice Storm sub-par? With no to hit roll required and no save allowed? What do you use against pesky monks?

 

[shilsen]

What do you use against pesky monks?

Our fighter

 

[Henrix]

Our fighter

Good point!

I was more in GM mode.

 

[Ogrork the Mighty]

It's a cold spell, it does 5d6, he gets +1 per die of damage done by a cold spell, therefor he gets +5 damage to this spell. He's better at casting the spell, not just better at the cold part.

Especially for an already sub-par spell, I'd say give him the full bonus.

-The Souljourner

Ahh, but there's the rub. The spell doesn't inflict 5d6 damage; it inflicts 3d6 physical damage and 2d6 cold damage. That's the reason behind my question in the first place. If it was just a straight 5d6 damage with the Cold descriptor, I wouldn't have asked.

Not that I think an additional +2 dam would unbalance the spell, but it made for an interesting question.

 

[AuraSeer]

Ahh, but there's the rub. The spell doesn't inflict 5d6 damage; it inflicts 3d6 physical damage and 2d6 cold damage. That's the reason behind my question in the first place. If it was just a straight 5d6 damage with the Cold descriptor, I wouldn't have asked.

You're confusing the two applications of the word "cold." One applies to the damage, the other applies to the spell itself. The latter is what's important here.

The character doesn't get +1 per die of cold damage; he gets +1 per damage die on cold spells-- which means spells with the [Cold] descriptor. That means it applies to all dice of the spell, regardless of those dice's type.

You could have a [Cold] spell that does piercing damage, or blessed damage, or even fire damage (which would be a bizarre choice but not forbidden). In all cases, the +1 per die will apply, because the damage is still coming from a "cold spell."

 

[Stalker0]

I definately give him the +5...just make it 3d6 +5 cold and 2d6 physical. As others have said, ice storm is not teh greatest spell in the world.

 

[Trainz]

If a DM would give me an ability that gives +1 PER DIE to all my cold spells, then the next feat I would take is Energy Substitution: Cold.

DAHUMN !

Forget Ice Storm, think about Empowered: Scorching Ray (Cold), Fireball (Cold), Orb of Whatever (Cold)...

Suhweeet !