Looking for an attack spell that's built to last

[Felon]

All too often I see the arcane casters in my party shoot their wad too early, wasting their energies on minor skirmishes, mainly due to the instantaneous nature of offensive spells.

I'm looking for an offensive spell that offers a caster multiple uses. Specifically, I thought that there might be some sort of spell that had a duration of one round per level, with the effect that it allows the caster to fire one ranged touch attack each round. I could've sworn I've seen such a spell in the PHB or some other WotC product, but I can't seem to find it. Then again, I don't often play arcanists. Heck, maybe it was in Arcana Unearthed. Can anyone out there point me in the right direction?

 

[shilsen]

I'm looking for an offensive spell that offers a caster multiple uses. Specifically, I thought that there might be some sort of spell that had a duration of one round per level, with the effect that it allows the caster to fire one ranged touch attack each round.

The woefully underutilized Produce Flame? Can be used for touch or ranged attacks. Actually has a duration of 1 min/lvl, but each attack with it reduces the duration by 1 minute, so if used in the middle of a fight it effectively works to 1 rd/lvl.

 

[EricNoah]

Not really the thing you're looking for, but our high-level parties have frequently been stymied by enemies who cast acid fog at us. It's not so much the acid as it is the fog that just keeps us occupied for waaaay too long...

 

[s/LaSH]

I think Produce Flame allows multiple attacks, but it's a druid spell. For some reason.

I've been considering the idea of spells that don't vanish when cast for a while now. Instead, they have a vastly inferior effect for their level, and require successive Concentration checks to keep memorised each time you cast them, with a greater effect when you eventually fail. One such spell would be the fourth level Magic Quiver, in which you throw one magic missile upon casting, unless you fail a DC 10+1/missile Concentration check, in which case you cast a proper MM per your level and the spell slot is lost for the day. Another would be... 7th level? Not sure. Sheep to the Slaughter, with the primary effect a suggestion of 'Go to place X', where X is constant for a single slot of the spell and within eyeshot, and the secondary effect is to fireball place X.

Question is, does this really work? Is it concievably balanced, or am I insane? (I'm thinking of putting a book together, with these and other interesting arcane ideas.)

 

[Capellan]

Chill Touch. It's not ranged, but when combined with a highly mobile familiar, or Enlarge Person or Spectral Hand, it may as well be.

Also, if your casters aren't already doing so, badger them to buy/make wands of low level attack magic. Never underestimate the value of a wizard with precise shot, too - at 6th level, a wizard with a masterwork crossbow and a Dex of 14 has a +6 attack bonus. Add on point blank shot and precise shot and you have a +7 attack doing 1d8+1 damage, with no penalty for firing into melee. Even against a target with AC 20, that's a 40% change to hit. It's a very useful tactic if you want to conserve your spellpower for more serious opponents.

 

[Privateer]

All too often I see the arcane casters in my party shoot their wad too early,

Symbul: *fumes*

Elminster: Sorry, I just got a little bit excited.

Edit: c'mon, under Grandma Noah radar... was aiming for Hongish here, not crude...

 

[Teflon Billy]

Symbul: *fumes*

Elminster: Sorry, I just got a little bit excited.

Edit: c'mon, under Grandma Noah radar... was aiming for Hongish here, not crude...

I think you succeeded admirably

 

[EricNoah]

Hey, granny's somewhat dense -- she rarely notes more than one entendre.

 

[humble minion]

I'm a big fan of Prismatic Eye from (I think) Magic of Faerun. It does the usual prismatic random-effect thing, but it hangs around for 1 rnd/level or until expended. As a bonus, the rays originate at the location of the eye rather than with the caster, which gives you some useful tactical options, and you can have more than one Eye active at once and can attack with each one once per round as a free action.

There's also the various Bigby's Hands, although to get any useful offensive capability out of them you need to have 7th+ level spell slots handy.

 

[takyris]

Felon, shoot. I know exactly what you mean. There used to be one -- you got more than one ray, and could use it over and over again...

Scorching Ray gives you multiple shots, but you've got to use 'em all at once. Flaming Sphere hangs around and can be retargetted, but the damage isn't incredible.

Feh. Sorry. Useless.