Fireball vs Orb - Demonweb Pits Data (no spoilers)

[Ridley's Cohort]

How do you two feel about Horrid Wilting? Is it broken because it's a necromancy damage dealer?

Better the Horrid Wilting than get hit by an Empowered Chain Lightning or an Empowered Otiluke's Freezing Sphere.

I can understand that Wizards and Sorcerors may find HW intimidating, but no one else should find it very impressive at that level of play.

 

[James McMurray]

It's a Fortitude save.

I'm going to need more information to make sense of this statement and it's place in the conversation.

 

[James McMurray]

Better the Horrid Wilting than get hit by an Empowered Chain Lightning or an Empowered Otiluke's Freezing Sphere.

I can understand that Wizards and Sorcerors may find HW intimidating, but no one else should find it very impressive at that level of play.

I would instead say something like "Horrid Wilting is excellent in situations where Empowered Chain Lightnings and Freezing Spheres would be weak, and vice versea." But I get where you're coming from.

 

[ThirdWizard]

I'm going to need more information to make sense of this statement and it's place in the conversation.

Sorry, what I mean is that Fortitude saves are across the board higher than reflex saves, so you're not going to deal as much damage with the horrid wilting as you are with the equivalent evocation. I do consider it borderline, and its the top end of what I think should be possible with a non-evocation damage spell. I few years ago I probably would have called it broken, what with the long range and 60 foot "area." But, at that level, the saving throw is very very rarely going to be failed by decent opposition.

 

[Plane Sailing]

Sorry, what I mean is that Fortitude saves are across the board higher than reflex saves, so you're not going to deal as much damage with the horrid wilting as you are with the equivalent evocation. I do consider it borderline, and its the top end of what I think should be possible with a non-evocation damage spell. I few years ago I probably would have called it broken, what with the long range and 60 foot "area." But, at that level, the saving throw is very very rarely going to be failed by decent opposition.

It was nastier in 3.0e, when it did 1d8 per level damage.

The key benefits it has as an attack spell are:

1) selectable targets, so it can be used in the middle of melee easily
2) no resistances to reduce damage

I personally don't mind necromancy getting one big damage spell at this level.

 

[Ridley's Cohort]

I would instead say something like "Horrid Wilting is excellent in situations where Empowered Chain Lightnings and Freezing Spheres would be weak, and vice versea." But I get where you're coming from.

Yours is probably a better way to put it, overall.

 

[pawsplay]

In my view, a ball of energy that appears and flies under its own power at a target is probably an evocation.

 

[Victim]

I personally don't mind necromancy getting one big damage spell at this level.

I don't mind necromancy getting a big damage spell at 8th level.

I do mind evocation not having something even comparable at that level. I also mind druid evocation and conjuration attacks being better than wizardly ones.

 

[Plane Sailing]

I do mind evocation not having something even comparable at that level. I also mind druid evocation and conjuration attacks being better than wizardly ones.

Very true. Polar ray? I don't THINK so!

 

[Ridley's Cohort]

I do mind evocation not having something even comparable at that level. I also mind druid evocation and conjuration attacks being better than wizardly ones.

There may be an issue there, but I do not think a big one. At higher levels I would expect the Wizard or Sorceror to be dropping metamagicked spells for damaging AoEs. The Sorceror surely would be practiced with minmaxing with Metamagic.