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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Elder-Basilisk" data-source="post: 3278078" data-attributes="member: 3146">We could also invent a fireball that does 1d6 damage per 2 levels level but added 4d12 damage per level of evocation specialist wizard. Evocation specialization is a very specific focus and not even it's own character class and the spell would only really be useful for those evocation specialist wizards. That wouldn't make it a good addition to the game though.The argument that a spell is only broken in the hands of those who would actually want to use it is not very convincing. Spells should be analyzed for their power, balance, and usefulness in the cases where they are going to be used not in the cases where they won't. To use another example, my Living Arcanis character has a 9th level cleric cohort. With her 8 strength, 10 dex, and compete lack of any melee focused combat feats, Divine Power is pretty anemic for her. (Wohoo, she gets to attack at +12/+7 for 1d8+2 instead of +6/+1 for 1d8--it's a big improvement, sure, but +12/+7 for 1d8+2 isn't going to be helpful in any combats that call for casting spells. She could make the spell persistent and it STILL wouldn't be broken). That does not, however, prove that Divine Power is a weak spell. In the hands of my Shadowbane Stalker character or my melee focused cleric, it is a great spell.Likewise, wraithstrike may not be broken for a single-classed arcane caster with low hit points and a +1/2 BAB. In fact, it's probably useless for most of them just like Divine Power is useless to my Living Arcanis cohort. The case where wraithstrike should be examined for balance is the people who actually will use it: fighter/mage characters who plan on fighting in melee and have access to builder books (like the one wraithstrike comes out of). Thus, the fighter/wizard/eldritch knight with Arcane Strike is the paradigmatic case for wraithstrike, not the exception.It's effective a good ways below 10th level. About 4th level (when the standard fighter/wizard would cast the spell) is when it would become useful. Granted, it's not quite as broken at those levels, and its useful in a different way (it's more of a big bonus to attack than an autohit), but it's still pretty darn good at those levels.And, as for commonly fighting things with high ACs that they would otherwise not be hitting as often? What other kind of fighter mages are there? I can guarantee you that a fighter/mage power Attacking for his full base attack bonus will otherwise not hit as often as he does when he's using wraithstrike unless he's fighting a raging naked barbarian with a dex penalty at low levels or one of less defensive dire animals. There was only one battle where I remember my fighter/wizard starting off using wraithstrike and then deciding that it wasn't necessary. One fight in four levels or so of play is not much.Sure, creating a wraithstrike using fighter/mage is more complex than a raging, power attacking, barbarian. But it's also orders of magnitudes more effective than a simple raging power attacking barbarian. I know my character (who was using this newfangled prestige class called Eldritch Knight from that rare and relatively new book, the DMG) dropped a Cornugon in one round with attacks left over (and without a weapon that could penetrate its DR at that time) when he was 14th or 15th level. A barbarian who can do that reliably (ie, without assuming that he rolls really well and scores crits) is not going to be simple if he exists at all. Similarly, I could create a 17th level power attacking barbarian NPC and he would be powerful, but he wouldn't be reliably dropping a similar level fighter from full hit points to nearly dead in a single round without critting and killing that fighter with a slightly hot set of damage dice or a crit. (On the other hand, the fighter/wizard/eldritch Knight with just Arcane Strike, wraithstrike, and NPC gold did that).As for Arcane Strike, I think it comes standard for any fighter/mage that has a copy of complete warrior. It's a bit like rapid shot for archers or Power Attack for melee fighters who don't use light weapons--good enough and important enough to the concept that, of course you're going to take it.</blockquote>

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