Reply to thread

Message: <blockquote data-quote="drnuncheon" data-source="post: 752176" data-attributes="member: 96">Don't think of the randomness as 1d4+1 - think of it as '2-5'.  Then you'll see why Empower Spell multiplies all of a magic missile.When it comes to things like shocking grasp, it's 1-8 + caster level.  The caster level isn't random - it's fixed.  The 1-8 is random.  See the difference?As for your other questions:EBT would get +50% on the 1d4 tentacles but nothing else.  The extra tentacles are based on caster level, which is not random, and the damage doesn't get multiplied any more than the damage from the monsters ummoned by an empowered Summon Monster spell.  The effect of the spell is the tentacles, not the damage.For Dispel Magic, the caster check is not a random, variable effect of the spell - it is a roll to see if the spell works against a particular other spell.Simulacrum - with the Core Rules only there is no problem - even an Empowered simulacrum can be at best 90% of the caster's power level.  It's when you start adding things from other sources that it becomes possible to surpass that.  I would say that the best thing to do is cap the simulacrum at the caster's power level (or even at 90%), reasoning that a copy cannot be better than the original as it has nothing to draw on for the extra ability - the spell doesn't "know" what to put the "extra" ability into.J</blockquote>