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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Herremann the Wise" data-source="post: 5900003" data-attributes="member: 11300">My opinion on this is a little bit weird so I'll start with the controversial and then try to explain my way out of it.A fireball should have the capacity to kill any humanoid regardless of level. However, it should also be possible for any humanoid regardless of level to survive a fireball.Hit point damage takes on this weird meaning when put in the middle of these two things. Rather than being representative of something specific, hit points more take on the cloak of plot protection in regards to PCs or"screen-time" when looking at the PC's opponents. 4e handles this through the use of minions (something which I really don't like) where as previous editions attempted to have hp values such that you end up with limits; such as you are looking for in your original post. I prefer such potentially deadly magic to feel a little more... magical, compared to the quickly adjudicated 27hp damage to some and 13hp damage to the rest. I'd like fireball to feel more like a Magical Event.Herremann's FireballImagine if Fireball worked slightly differently:• Imagine if it was not that easy to cast (certainly not auto-success for the average wizard). Perhaps failure to cast resulted in the caster being stunned or some such, so as low level casters would only cast it under optimal or the most desperate of circumstances. In addition, the spell might take a whole round to cast and so can be disrupted (the ease of that disruption being dependent upon the skill, might and willpower of the caster). With the vocal and somatic necessities of casting amongst the tang of bat guano, it is also a very difficult spell to disguise; anyone on the vicinity will know• Our little firey red pea is shot as if in slow motion, meaning that it isn't quite "cast" then "boom" (such things could be the province of a more advanced fireball-like spell). This means that only the most oblivious target would be unable to react to it. In addition, it most likely requires some sort of aiming accuracy on the part of the caster when casting the thing.• Everyone who "makes their reflex save" or whose reflex defense is not completely breached gets to react by possibly:- Falling prone and taking reduced damage- Covering someone so as to fully protect them and possibly taking reduced damage themselves- For the spritely types if unimpeded, they may be able to jump/tumble/move up to 10ft. to escape the blast.- Cast a spell, hold a shield, perform a blessing, compel a summoned entity to block the pea causing detonation at a point not of the fireball-caster's choosing. For the target, this may result in a botched detonation if highly skilled or lucky even; or if significantly less skilled or particularly unlucky, quite serious ramifications.• For the completely oblivious target though, fireballs should be very, very deadly.In this scenario, Kobolds are easily killed although in a large group, a couple are going to just as easily jump out of the blast radius. Best RegardsHerremann the Wise</blockquote>

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