Learned Boost - how many targets?

[Mengu]

This would introduce a die-roll to magic missile, which would dramatically affect it by virtue of all the bonuses that apply to damage rolls as opposed to damage in general. On an "auto-hit" that might be too much. Then again, it's a single target once per encounter - it might not be an issue.

This is another topic, but extra damage is not a damage roll. Adding something like hunter's quarry or curse damage to say beguiling strands would not turn it into a damage roll. Similarly, this power would not turn it into a damage roll.

 

[eamon]

This is another topic, but extra damage is not a damage roll. Adding something like hunter's quarry or curse damage to say beguiling strands would not turn it into a damage roll. Similarly, this power would not turn it into a damage roll.

Do you roll for damage? Then it's a damage roll. And even were this defined differently (thank god it's not), it'd be unwise to rely on such a counterintuitive wording in a new rule - after all, you don't want to have this discussion in the first place.

In any case, in retrospect I think I'm actually bothered with all the extra bonuses magic missile gets - it's an encounter power now, after all, and a single target one at that; it's not particularly attractive to a wizard over, say, enlarged winged horde / freezing burst or whatnot.

Edit: (the above is discussing a possible alternate version of Learned Boost - not RAW).

 

[Dr_Ruminahui]

Hmm... on thinking on it further, I think neither my friend nor I were correct.

First, I want to say I still disagree with "the target" meaning "all targets of the at-will". It clearly says "the target" - as in the singular.

As well, its not a power that triggers off the use of an at-will - rather, its a power that lets you use an at-will on the target. Whether or not that at-will might have other targets is IMHO irrelevant to the target of THIS power.

That said, it DOESN'T say that the extra damage is only to the target - but rather that it only triggers if you hit the target. So, if you are using an at-will that affects multiple targets and only rolls for damage once (such as most/all bursts/blasts), then if you hit the target of Learned Boost, you do the extra damage to ALL the targets of the at-will. Indeed, given that Learned Boost essentially says “add x damage if you hit the target”, he may get to add the extra damage even if the power did have multiple damage rolls… though I don’t think I need to decide on that just yet, as I don’t think my player has such an at-will. have such an at-will.

Or, if you miss the target of Learned Boost, you don't get the extra damage to the other targets of the at-will, but you get to keep the power (as it is reliable). This happens even if you hit other targets of the at-will... given my comments above about the meaning of the word "the target" in Learned Boost.

And, in my view, such an interpretation wouldn't put it out of line for the damage one would expect from a lvl. 11 paragon path encounter attack power.

But, yeah, I agree that its terribly worded.