Empower Spell Metamagic Feat

[Mistwell]

1d4? It's a d6 I think:

"Ray of Enfeeblement: A coruscating ray springs from your hand. You must succeed on a ranged touch attack to strike a target. The subject takes a penalty to Strength equal to 1d6+1 per two caster levels (maximum 1d6+5). The subject’s Strength score cannot drop below 1."

So average is 12.75. Not an instant-kill, but usually an instant-helpless as the target collapses under the weight of their equipment

Ray of Stupidity is 1d4, but it is ability damage and not penalty, so multiple castings stack, and it can go below 1, so can kill. A maximized empowered Ray of Stupidity might kill. And a quickened Ray of Stupidity followed by an empowered one might as well.

And I believe both are no-save (just ranged touch attack).

 

[gnfnrf]

Really? (1d4+1) x 1.5 is enough to kill most humans? That's an average of 5.25. I don't think so.

It's even less than that.

2*1.5=3
3*1.5=4.5 which rounds to 4
4*1.5=6
5*1.5=7.5 which rounds to 7

3+4+6+7=20, and 20/4=5.

This is notable because an Empowered magic missile and a Maximized one have the exact same expected damage value.

--
gnfnrf

 

[Hypersmurf]

Without the example, I think you could argue that the variable effect is the bit where you have to roll a die. The +X amount isn't variable as it stays the same every time you cast the spell. It is just the 1d4 (or 2d4, 3d4, etc.,) bit that changes from casting to casting.

By the same logic, I could say that with a 1d6 roll, there's a fixed component (1) and a variable component (0-5) which are added together. The first pip on the die, after all, stays the same every time you cast the spell...

Ray of Stupidity is 1d4, but it is ability damage and not penalty, so multiple castings stack, and it can go below 1, so can kill.

Not by itself - it can render the target helpless, but not dead. It's just that helplessness tends to lead to death in short order when PCs are about.

-Hyp.

 

[Infiniti2000]

Where is ray of stupidity? It seems to be far different than touch of idiocy. If it deals damage, though, remember that it can then crit, too. RoE can't.

 

[Olaf the Stout]

1d4? It's a d6 I think:

"Ray of Enfeeblement: A coruscating ray springs from your hand. You must succeed on a ranged touch attack to strike a target. The subject takes a penalty to Strength equal to 1d6+1 per two caster levels (maximum 1d6+5). The subject’s Strength score cannot drop below 1."

So average is 12.75. Not an instant-kill, but usually an instant-helpless as the target collapses under the weight of their equipment

Ray of Stupidity is 1d4, but it is ability damage and not penalty, so multiple castings stack, and it can go below 1, so can kill. A maximized empowered Ray of Stupidity might kill. And a quickened Ray of Stupidity followed by an empowered one might as well.

And I believe both are no-save (just ranged touch attack).

I used xd4 in my example as Hypersmurf was talking about the spell Magic Missile. I am aware that Ray of Enfeeblement is 1d6 +x

Olaf the Stout

 

[Olaf the Stout]

Where is ray of stupidity? It seems to be far different than touch of idiocy. If it deals damage, though, remember that it can then crit, too. RoE can't.

Ray of Stupidity is in the Spell Compendium. It is a second level spell does Intelligence damage.

Olaf the Stout

 

[Olaf the Stout]

By the same logic, I could say that with a 1d6 roll, there's a fixed component (1) and a variable component (0-5) which are added together. The first pip on the die, after all, stays the same every time you cast the spell...

Are you sure, because I think that sometimes that pip swaps places with some of the other pips on the die while you are rolling.

Olaf the Stout