Can You Empower Claws of the Beast?

[Dracorat]

By the rules, No. The spell description does not have a listing for Power Resistance.

IMO, yes. As I view the power being valid for empowerment, that also means that I view the claws as being manifested by psychic energy and would be subject to Spell/Power Resistance.

Same here, which is why I answer in the fashion I do. I guess answering this question answers the crux of the other one too.

 

[Hypersmurf]

And this is a Psionic ability, but I am looking for an answer as if it were a magical one since we are talking about applying a magical feat to it.

I suspect most people are talking about applying the Empower Power Metapsionic feat to it.

-Hyp.

 

[Rystil Arden]

Considering Acid Arrow says then No. But that's apples and oranges. And this is a Psionic ability, but I am looking for an answer as if it were a magical one since we are talking about applying a magical feat to it.

Why is it apples and oranges? Are you saying you cannot empower Acid Arrow?

 

[starwed]

And the damage from Flaming Sphere and Wall of Fire are randomly determined each time damage results, not once at casting time?

I would have to respond that as far as I know, the RAW are completely unclear on this matter. But how I rule on that is kind of tangential to my main point, so perhaps I made a mistake in trying to illustrate my argument with the process by which we decide this question for the claws.

Again, my key assertion is that a numeric range is not, in itself, a variable numeric effect. With fireball, flaming sphere, or wall of fire, the numeric range given has to be considered a property of the spell itself, since none of these things exist outside the framework of that particular spell. The spell itself is dealing damage.

But when the spell creates a weapon, the damage range is a property of that weapon, not the spell. When you attack someone with the claw, it is simply not the spell dealing damage, it is the claw itself. I don't think this is an arbitrary distinction.

(For what it's worth, I don't think considering the power/spell resistance of a spell is useful in determining whether it is empowerable or not.)

 

[Rystil Arden]

I would have to respond that as far as I know, the RAW are completely unclear on this matter. But how I rule on that is kind of tangential to my main point, so perhaps I made a mistake in trying to illustrate my argument with the process by which we decide this question for the claws.

Again, my key assertion is that a numeric range is not, in itself, a variable numeric effect. With fireball, flaming sphere, or wall of fire, the numeric range given has to be considered a property of the spell itself, since none of these things exist outside the framework of that particular spell. The spell itself is dealing damage.

But when the spell creates a weapon, the damage range is a property of that weapon, not the spell. When you attack someone with the claw, it is simply not the spell dealing damage, it is the claw itself. I don't think this is an arbitrary distinction.

(For what it's worth, I don't think considering the power/spell resistance of a spell is useful in determining whether it is empowerable or not.)

So is the Flaming Sphere not a weapon? If the Flaming Sphere was shaped like a whip and appeared to originate from an intangible whip in the caster's hand that otherwise did all the same things (sweeping across the ground for damage) would that change things?

 

[wildstarsreach]

I have sat back and waited to comment. By the rules, there appears to be no reason to not allow it to be empowered. I don't agree with this but that is personal opinion rather rules. If you can magically increase spells that do a variable amount. What about Shillelagh? Why couldn't you empower this theoretically?

 

[Hypersmurf]

What about Shillelagh? Why couldn't you empower this theoretically?

In 3E, I don't see any reason that you couldn't.

In 3.5 in my own game, it's prevented by my rule of thumb. The dice expressed in the spell description are merely reminders of values defined in the Equipment chapter.

Outside of my own game, it will depend on how the DM reads 'variable numeric effects of the spell'.

-Hyp.

 

[KarinsDad]

Hyp mentioned that he doesn't like using common sense as a rule in this case. But here, we're already using our common sense to make a judgment on what "claws ... dealing 1d4 damage" actually means.

We are not using commons sense here, we are using the rules. We are making no assumptions about what 1D4 natural weapons mean.

Go back and reread the power. You get two natural weapons. A natural weapon is defined in the game system.

Your claws work just like the natural weapons of many monsters.

 

[KarinsDad]

As in more power points gives you bigger claws.

Very reasonable.

As in Empowered Claws give you sharper claws.

Very reasonable.

 

[Dracorat]

Why is it apples and oranges? Are you saying you cannot empower Acid Arrow?

No, what I am saying is that acid arrow is very clear that its damage is part of the spell description. Acid arrows have no description outside that spell for effect or damage.