Reply to thread

Message

<blockquote data-quote="Banshee16" data-source="post: 3131543" data-attributes="member: 7883">There is plenty of use for the spell.&nbsp; I understand that the feat scales depending on the level of spell you keep to &quot;power&quot; it.&nbsp; For the purposes of this example, 3d6 for 20' really isn't much.&nbsp; Sure, at lvl 5, it might mean *a little*.&nbsp; But that's an average of 10.5 dmg/round at 20', and if the opponent saves, it's basically 5 hp.&nbsp; A wizard could do that with a crossbow.&nbsp; Worst case scenario, he keeps Chain Lightning, which is lvl 6, and gets a 6d6 bolt at 20'....he's now out one 6th lvl spell for a short range attack that will do 6d6 (average 21 dmg, or 10 on a successful save).&nbsp; My experience is that at the level he'll have Chain Lightning, many characters won't have difficulty making that save.&nbsp; And it's entirely possible that opponents might have Electricity Resistance 10.&nbsp; And to use it, he has to be within 20' of his opponent.&nbsp; so basically, he's almost close enough to be engaged in melee, which is the worst situation he can be putting himself in.IMO, it's a sub-optimal choice.&nbsp; It does give a bit of flavour though.&nbsp; It allows you to have the character known as the storm mage, who can shock people around him with deadly (to commoners) bolts of electricity, or expend it in one large bolt.&nbsp; To equal CR creatures and NPCs, however, I don't think it will really do much.So the lvl 5 mage keeps his lightning bolt memorized, and zaps the lvl 5 fighter standing 20' away.&nbsp; he does, what, 10 dmg as his best result, or, if the fighter saves, 5 dmg.&nbsp; The fighter takes one move action, and whacks him with his greatsword.&nbsp; He might only do ave. damage, so let's say with a STR 14, that's 9 dmg.&nbsp; The average lvl 5 mage has what.....14 hp?&nbsp; By contrary, that average fighter, assuming no CON bonus, began with 32, and is now down to either 22, or 27.&nbsp; In round 2, the wizard can continue using that ability, or unleash his lightning bolt for 5d6 (ave. 17.5/8.5).&nbsp; Meanwhile, the fighter is going to whack him again, and assuming ave. damage, the mage is now bleeding to death.Alternatively, if the fighter has a Longbow or Crossbow, he uses his move action to stay past the 20' range, and feather the mage, one round after another.I see this as giving a bit of flavour, so a wizard can have a slight magical attack that remains forever....but it's by no means unbalanced.&nbsp; The idea of a mage getting into the thick of it with his quarterstaff, club, or maybe darts has always stricken me as somewhat incongruous.&nbsp; Now he can at least be still doing something magical.Banshee</blockquote>

[QUOTE="Banshee16, post: 3131543, member: 7883"] There is plenty of use for the spell. I understand that the feat scales depending on the level of spell you keep to "power" it. For the purposes of this example, 3d6 for 20' really isn't much. Sure, at lvl 5, it might mean *a little*. But that's an average of 10.5 dmg/round at 20', and if the opponent saves, it's basically 5 hp. A wizard could do that with a crossbow. Worst case scenario, he keeps Chain Lightning, which is lvl 6, and gets a 6d6 bolt at 20'....he's now out one 6th lvl spell for a short range attack that will do 6d6 (average 21 dmg, or 10 on a successful save). My experience is that at the level he'll have Chain Lightning, many characters won't have difficulty making that save. And it's entirely possible that opponents might have Electricity Resistance 10. And to use it, he has to be within 20' of his opponent. so basically, he's almost close enough to be engaged in melee, which is the worst situation he can be putting himself in. IMO, it's a sub-optimal choice. It does give a bit of flavour though. It allows you to have the character known as the storm mage, who can shock people around him with deadly (to commoners) bolts of electricity, or expend it in one large bolt. To equal CR creatures and NPCs, however, I don't think it will really do much. So the lvl 5 mage keeps his lightning bolt memorized, and zaps the lvl 5 fighter standing 20' away. he does, what, 10 dmg as his best result, or, if the fighter saves, 5 dmg. The fighter takes one move action, and whacks him with his greatsword. He might only do ave. damage, so let's say with a STR 14, that's 9 dmg. The average lvl 5 mage has what.....14 hp? By contrary, that average fighter, assuming no CON bonus, began with 32, and is now down to either 22, or 27. In round 2, the wizard can continue using that ability, or unleash his lightning bolt for 5d6 (ave. 17.5/8.5). Meanwhile, the fighter is going to whack him again, and assuming ave. damage, the mage is now bleeding to death. Alternatively, if the fighter has a Longbow or Crossbow, he uses his move action to stay past the 20' range, and feather the mage, one round after another. I see this as giving a bit of flavour, so a wizard can have a slight magical attack that remains forever....but it's by no means unbalanced. The idea of a mage getting into the thick of it with his quarterstaff, club, or maybe darts has always stricken me as somewhat incongruous. Now he can at least be still doing something magical. Banshee [/QUOTE]

Verification