[Lesser] Orbs of X: surefire?

[Scharlata]

Hi to all!

Are the new [lesser] orbs of [energy type] now a surefire-thing?

You don't have to make an attack roll (because it's Close range), the target does not gain a saving throw, and spell resistance does not apply!

Woah, I think for a 1st level spell that does 1d8 (or 1d6) per odd level (2d8@3rd, 3d8@5th etc.) it's now better than MM.

What do you think?

Kind regards

 

[FireLance]

I could've sworn you need to make a ranged touch attack, which is not really surefire although the chance of connecting is quite high.

Also, there's energy resistance/immunity to take into consideration.

I personally like them a lot. I'm fond of giving arcane spellcasters a wand of lesser acid orb so that they have some reliable damage-dealing capability.

 

[hong]

If you mean the spells in CA, you still have to make a ranged touch attack.

 

[ThoughtfulOwl]

They still require a ranged touch attack; plus, they can be stopped by energy resistance/immunity.

So you have 1d4+1 (average 3.5) stopped only by shield and that can hit ethereal foes vs. 1d8 (average 4.5) which can be nullified by cover, concealment, high touch AC and energy protections.

 

[Patryn of Elvenshae]

Don't the Orb spells still have saving throws?

 

[Shallown]

The lesser ones don't have saves the normal ones (3rd level?) do but I think only for the secondary affects.

Later

 

[Scharlata]

The lesser ones don't have saves the normal ones (3rd level?) do but I think only for the secondary affects.

Hi!

Right! Ranged Touch Attack. I didn't read the text.

Saving Throws only to negate the secondary effect not to half or negate the damage.

Kind regards

 

[Liquidsabre]

Sure looks like they made the orb spells balanced and playable, yea! These spells are not anymore of a sure thing than other spells of their caliber. Looks good to me.