Is Chaos bolt capped at a maximum of 3 attacks, or could it be potentially infinite as long as you keep rolling even numbers and have enemies in range? The "repeat the secondary attack" statement is part of the secondary attack itself, which strictly speaking would suggest an infinitely recursive sequence, but that seems a bit much to me.
Chaos bolt: Max 3 attacks or infinite?
WalterKovacs
First Post
While potentially infinite it is ultimately limited by the number of enemies present (and how those enemies are positioned relative to one another). I had a player take out quite a few minions with it as it was a perfect storm of lots of minions on a battlement spaced out relatively evenly and the player getting good roles. However, in most fights, they may be able to hit all the enemies in the fight (which is quite good, but requires quite a bit of luck), but unless it's a ton of minions, it's going to be a nice ammount of damage, but hardly deadly. The "no same target twice" is what keeps it in check.
Assuming it isn't too hard to hit (say about 70%), you end up with a 35% chance of getting a second shot off, which has comparible odds. The chances of "going infinite" are slim ... played long enough, it will come up once in a while where a long enough chain will happen but not so often to make encounter or daily powers useless compared to the at-will.
Assuming it isn't too hard to hit (say about 70%), you end up with a 35% chance of getting a second shot off, which has comparible odds. The chances of "going infinite" are slim ... played long enough, it will come up once in a while where a long enough chain will happen but not so often to make encounter or daily powers useless compared to the at-will.
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It's been clarified that secondary attacks aren't required to be made even if they're available, you always have the choice of if you want to or not. So you don't actually need to hit your friends if you have no enemies left to target...
Be that as it may, it was still funny. And personally I'd make the attacks anyways as chaos magic is supposed to be random and unpredictable.
As others have said the secondary attacks have the potential to keep going, but I am curious as to how you came at the idea that it was capped at 3.
lukelightning
First Post
I interpreted it that way as well at first. You hit, that gives you the secondary attack, then the secondary attack gives you another secondary attack... then I thought that "obviously" unlimited secondary attacks was too good so "obviously" that was the limit. But since then I have been convinced that while Chaos Bolt is an extremely powerful at-will (a la Twin Shot), it is not out of control. The limits inherent in the power (must target another target within 5 squares, can't target the same target twice, can't use the power on your birthday), are enough.
Shhh, the other party members don't know that... and bluff is a sorcerer skill...
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In my opinion the biggest limitation against "infinite" is that you have to keep on rolling even attack rolls.
Since you have 1/2 chance of rolling evens, the chance of getting infinite secondary attacks (with enough targets) is approaching zero.
When you feature in the probability of missing, which is probably at least 30%-50% (vs. will is better than most) you don't have much going for infinite attacks.
Luckily you have the tooth of chaos dagger that lets you "roll" evens for the whole encounter, but even then it is not too powerful - there are not enough targets and you are bound to miss at some points.
I play a sorcerer, so I have some experience of chaos bolt. It is good, still not as good as twin strike IMO, since you cannot hit the main target twice with it.
Since you have 1/2 chance of rolling evens, the chance of getting infinite secondary attacks (with enough targets) is approaching zero.
When you feature in the probability of missing, which is probably at least 30%-50% (vs. will is better than most) you don't have much going for infinite attacks.
Luckily you have the tooth of chaos dagger that lets you "roll" evens for the whole encounter, but even then it is not too powerful - there are not enough targets and you are bound to miss at some points.
I play a sorcerer, so I have some experience of chaos bolt. It is good, still not as good as twin strike IMO, since you cannot hit the main target twice with it.
DracoSuave
First Post
Twin strike can't eradicate an entire room of minions in one action.
Plus, 1d10+Cha+Dex is a different situation. Sorcerers don't -need- to hit the same target twice in order to get value for their money. It's just a different can of whoopass for a different kind of ass.
And as well 'It's not as good as twin-strike' is an irrelevant argument to the viability of non-ranger at-wills. Seriously. All you say with that is 'Screw that class, just play a ranger.' It's really meaningless.
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