I got Monte Cook's "The Year's Best D20" and I found a feat chain that, to me, has very dubious mechanics. I want to draw on the collective intelligence of EN World to make these feats better.
First is "Damaging Spell." It's from Atlas Games' Love and War, and is basically Power Attack for spells. You take a spell that allows a save to reduce or ignore the damage, and which deals damage depending on the caster's level. For every two points by which you reduce the save DC of the spell, it deals damage as if you were one level higher. This can increase the spell past the damage cap. It doesn't change the spell slot.
The example is of a 10th level spellcaster who prepares the spell with a -4 to the save DC. The resulting fireball does 12d6 damage. My objection is that there is nothing in the feat that limits the penalty to the DC. I don't see why the spellcaster doesn't reduce the save DC by -60, and do a 40d6 fireball. Sure everyone saves, but they take 20d6 damage. Heck, why stop at -60? Reduce the DC by a few billion and kill everyone who doesn't have evasion. How should this feat be fixed?
Damaging Spell is a prerequisite for Spell Cleave. Once per round, when a touch-range spell reduces an opponent to 0 hit points or kills him, you may cast another touch-range spell as a free action against another creature in the area you threaten. You may not take a 5-foot step before casting this spell, and the spell you cast must have a casting time of one standard action or less. The feat doesn't grant you extra spells, it just lets you cast them faster.
Since Spell Cleave has Damaging Spell as a prerequisite, you'd think they'd affect the same kind of spell, wouldn't you?
Spell Cleave seems ignorant of how touch spells are actually used. A spellcaster normally casts the spell, then takes a 5 foot step and touches an opponent. Or holds the charge and touches somebody the next round. When the spell is cast is not when the victim is chosen. I don't know what it means by casting a spell on another creature in the area you threaten. If you miss, does that mean the spell is lost, or can you try again the next round? If you try again, does it have to be against the same creature, or can you try to touch a different opponent?
If I were writing Spell Cleave, I would say that if you drop someone with a touch spell, the spell is not immediately expended but lasts long enough for you to attempt another touch attack (with the same attack bonus) against an opponent you threaten. You may not take a 5 foot step before making this attack. In other words, the feat allows you to stretch the spell enough that it can affect one additional opponent.
Comments? Suggestions?
First is "Damaging Spell." It's from Atlas Games' Love and War, and is basically Power Attack for spells. You take a spell that allows a save to reduce or ignore the damage, and which deals damage depending on the caster's level. For every two points by which you reduce the save DC of the spell, it deals damage as if you were one level higher. This can increase the spell past the damage cap. It doesn't change the spell slot.
The example is of a 10th level spellcaster who prepares the spell with a -4 to the save DC. The resulting fireball does 12d6 damage. My objection is that there is nothing in the feat that limits the penalty to the DC. I don't see why the spellcaster doesn't reduce the save DC by -60, and do a 40d6 fireball. Sure everyone saves, but they take 20d6 damage. Heck, why stop at -60? Reduce the DC by a few billion and kill everyone who doesn't have evasion. How should this feat be fixed?
Damaging Spell is a prerequisite for Spell Cleave. Once per round, when a touch-range spell reduces an opponent to 0 hit points or kills him, you may cast another touch-range spell as a free action against another creature in the area you threaten. You may not take a 5-foot step before casting this spell, and the spell you cast must have a casting time of one standard action or less. The feat doesn't grant you extra spells, it just lets you cast them faster.
Since Spell Cleave has Damaging Spell as a prerequisite, you'd think they'd affect the same kind of spell, wouldn't you?
Spell Cleave seems ignorant of how touch spells are actually used. A spellcaster normally casts the spell, then takes a 5 foot step and touches an opponent. Or holds the charge and touches somebody the next round. When the spell is cast is not when the victim is chosen. I don't know what it means by casting a spell on another creature in the area you threaten. If you miss, does that mean the spell is lost, or can you try again the next round? If you try again, does it have to be against the same creature, or can you try to touch a different opponent?
If I were writing Spell Cleave, I would say that if you drop someone with a touch spell, the spell is not immediately expended but lasts long enough for you to attempt another touch attack (with the same attack bonus) against an opponent you threaten. You may not take a 5 foot step before making this attack. In other words, the feat allows you to stretch the spell enough that it can affect one additional opponent.
Comments? Suggestions?
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