Is there errata on this...

[Dannyalcatraz]

...or am I missing something?

I'm looking at 1st level A-W Invoker powers and I noticed 2 were nearly identical in many respects- Divine Bolts and Vanguard's Lightning have the same keywords, range, targeting, damage type, scaling, etc.- but Vanguard's Lightning has an additional kicker and could potentially hit more targets. Why, then, would one choose Divine Bolts?

 

[AbdulAlhazred]

Weeeeeelllll, they are a bit different, but yeah, not too much. It is a matter of calculation. Divine Bolts attacks 2 targets within 10. That makes it party friendly AND you almost always have 2 targets. VL OTOH is an area burst 1 in 10, which means you may have issues with allies. In theory it could hit more than 2 targets, but practically speaking that will be rare. Often you'll be hitting one target, now and then its possible you won't want to use it at all. The rider on VL is also pretty situational. It certainly COULD be triggered and is a handy little control mechanism, but not earth shaking.

I might choose DB over VL depending on the build of the rest of the party. They aren't MUCH different, but each one has its tactical uses.

 

[FireLance]

Because divine bolts:

1. Allows you to attack two creatures more than 2 squares apart; potentially, up to 21 squares apart.

2. Allows you to attack two creatures flanking an ally without including him in an area effect.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

IOW, its like the difference between a grenade and a 2-shot sniper rifle.