Lightning Bolt or Fireball?

[drquestion]

I'm also going to have to chime in on the side of fireball, now it's been tamed in 3rd edition. Particularly when you first get the spell, it's a great way to clear out a group of low-level enemies.

The main problem with lightning bolt is that it often ends up only targeting one enemy, because the chance that there are multiple enemies standing in a row, without any of your friends also being in that row, is pretty slim.

And, if you're only hitting one person, there are probable better ways to go than lightning bolt.

drquestion

 

[guedo79]

"Lightning bolt! Lightning bolt! Lightning bolt! Lightning bolt!..."

Lightning bolt is way cooler because you get to throw stuff at the other players. Trust me, I saw it in a movie.

Plus those little yellow balls are so cool!

 

[Quickbeam]

Thanks for all the replies thus far!! I'm glad that a topic of this magnitude and importance is being so well received . Seriously, though, a little fluff and a means of sharing amusing anecdotes today are good things IMO.

For my part, I like Lightning Bolt better because of the ozone/static electricity side effects, and because it's less frequently used. But in truth, I see Fireball in 3E as marginally more useful.

 

[Cedric]

With the increased number of hit points, the way saves work and the all around differences in 3rd Ed...both spells have had had their teeth pulled.

Cedric

 

[Elder-Basilisk]

Lightning bolts are useful against devils which lack any form of lightning resistance. Lightning bolts also work better with the enlarge spell metamagic. But that's about all they've got going for them. I've found the area of fireball and especially the fact that you can cast it from behind party members without killing them to make it vastly superior.

Of course, my vote for favorite 3rd level blast spell has to be Tome and Blood's Icy Burst. Too bad it's not an option.

 

[Xarlen]

I voted for Lightning Bolt.

Not only can it blaze for long distances (Ranks of critters struck), BUT, you can WIDEN it (Look at the spell's stats), a 10' wide swath going about 100' feet? WHEE! That's half a fireball, stretched long.

Also, when dealing with creatures that are over 5' tall, all you need to do is fire above the first line fighters' heads, and hit the sucker with the bolt. Say hello to my electric friend, Mr. Giant.

And, if you have a cool DM, he may offer certain effects with LB and water (-2 to saves, or widened effect).

LB, all the way. Bzzt!

 

[Shard O'Glase]

With the increased number of hit points, the way saves work and the all around differences in 3rd Ed...both spells have had had their teeth pulled.

Cedric

I disagree. If you look at just the spell and hp and saves it looks bad. You add in haste now giving you an extra spell, more spells per day(high int/chr), and metamagic I think they fare about the same as before. I miss the fireballs tunnel clearing effect though. We used to call it kobold be gone, a wand at 6d6 didn't penetrate our resitance spells and we'd just fire away into kobold tunnels, and other rat warren type places, In just blazed aorund on the inside buring huge quanaties of the tunnels.

 

[Quickbeam]

As a quick "for the record" note, I'm not implying that these are the two best 3rd level arcane spells, or that there aren't a myriad array of other devastating options available. I'm just trying to see what the general consensus is on these two spells here at EN World, and how that compares with our group.

 

[frankthedm]

I voted for Lightning Bolt.

Not only can it blaze for long distances (Ranks of critters struck), BUT, you can WIDEN it (Look at the spell's stats), a 10' wide swath going about 100' feet? WHEE! That's half a fireball, stretched long.

Also, when dealing with creatures that are over 5' tall, all you need to do is fire above the first line fighters' heads, and hit the sucker with the bolt. Say hello to my electric friend, Mr. Giant.

And, if you have a cool DM, he may offer certain effects with LB and water (-2 to saves, or widened effect).

LB, all the way. Bzzt!

i usually give
-2 to save for metal armor and / or carrying metal bodied weapons

- 2 if you have a lightning rod..er...pole arm or other reach weapon

-2 to save if soaked or in water.

and a small bolt may arc into you if you are just outside of area and are a goot target[see above conditions]

Though bolting water is a random and hazardous thing even in the Territories.

I like Lightning Bolt more [ it's just so Dahling {no BAKA!}] but by 3e rules fireball is superior; outdoors longer at least 600' range, will nuke whole units of troops while you fly HIGH above dispeling range and indoors you roast whole rooms as long as you have trained your tanks to give you a chance to fireball

lightning bolt only has precision and that it is not fire damage that 20% of everything is immune to going for it.

a friend of mine after seing me pull the fly high and fireball trick cleric [with magic and travel domains] one too many times decide to switch the ranges for the two spells. which i feel is a good idea

 

[Xarlen]

I like those house rules!

Poor, Poor Master of Chains.