Disintegrate vs. Slay Living

[Sanackranib]

Well, disintegrate is now a spell which requires an attack roll and which deals damage. This has a couple of side-effects

1. You can crit with it
2. You can sneak attack with it (Arcane Trickster)
3. You can empower, maximize (and intensify) it

Also, it works against almost everything, including enemies with death ward, constructs, undead, objects.

What I want to say: Fear that epic arcane trickster sneak attacking with an intensified disintegrate and scoring a crit!

now thats just mean!

 

[Norfleet]

What I want to say: Fear that epic arcane trickster sneak attacking with an intensified disintegrate and scoring a crit!

Indeed. This very much reminds me of shooting someone in the back of the head with a phaser rifle. Set phasers on disintegrate!

 

[Sanackranib]

not to mention that distroying all of the BBEG's stuff along with him is not very cost effective and generally considered "bad form"

 

[AuraSeer]

not to mention that distroying all of the BBEG's stuff along with him is not very cost effective and generally considered "bad form"

Read the spell again. "A disintegrated creature’s equipment is unaffected."

 

[niteshade6]

Disintigrate is now more of a utility spell with combat applications then a combat spell. It's probably worth taking for any high level caster for it's ability to destroy walls of force and similar effects alone. The fact that you can turn it into a so-so combat spell when you need it is a bonus.

 

[Jhyrryl]

Disintigrate is now more of a utility spell with combat applications then a combat spell. It's probably worth taking for any high level caster for it's ability to destroy walls of force and similar effects alone. The fact that you can turn it into a so-so combat spell when you need it is a bonus.

22d6 damage for the minimum caster-level needed to cast the spell by a Wizard is a so-so combat spell? Admittedly, it's not a save for half, it's a save for a flat 5d6, and I'm not saying that disintegrate isn't a very useful utility spell, but still, jeez.

 

[Tywyll]

I'm bummed that it's so ineffective against objects now. When it first becomes available, it'll do 22d6, averaging 77 damage. That takes care of most small objects, but big pieces of construction like walls, doors, and pillars (not to mention boats or wagons) tend to have hundreds of hp and a disintegrate ends up just doing cosmetic damage.

Er... versus objects it still destroys the same amount of stuff that it did in 3.0.

Second or third paragraph.

 

[Darklone]

Right. It's a multifunctional spell with the nice side effect to kill every wizard you fire it against.

 

[Plane Sailing]

22d6 damage for the minimum caster-level needed to cast the spell by a Wizard is a so-so combat spell? Admittedly, it's not a save for half, it's a save for a flat 5d6, and I'm not saying that disintegrate isn't a very useful utility spell, but still, jeez.

Personally I wish it had been save for half damage, which would have been (to my mind) an equitable balancing factor compared to the reduction of its top-end capability from death to merely damage.

BTW, another limitation on "new distintegrate" - it can't take out regenerating creatures any more.

 

[Kae'Yoss]

Personally I wish it had been save for half damage, which would have been (to my mind) an equitable balancing factor compared to the reduction of its top-end capability from death to merely damage.

Hm... it would be a spell that deals 1d6 per caster level (20d6 maximum) without save - and then some!