Maximized Ball Lightning

[JiffyPopTart]

Simple question from tonights session...

Does a maximized Ball Lightning (from the SC) from an 18th level caster deal a potential 90 points of damage a round for 18 rounds?

We were told to buckle our seatbelts and put on our safety helmets for tonights adventure but instead of a rough one I just killed the BBEG with this one spell. Didn't seem right.

DS

 

[Victim]

It's Reflex negates. Our 14th level wizard usually opens with Sudden Maximized Ball Lightning, but it often doesn't achieve much since it only takes a few successful saves to cripple the effect over the length of the fight. It's an economical spell, since you can get lots of attacks with it over the duration with only 1 cast, but it's not that devastating.

Also, IIRC, there's a 30 limit on how far you can move the ball lightning. A mobile foe can leave it in the dust.

 

[Darklone]

Can that ball fly???

 

[Venator]

Can that ball fly???

yeah, pretty much.

 

[Alpha Polaris]

Yes, sir. Or more precisely, roll and jump.

BALL LIGHTNING
[...]
You create a 5-foot-diameter ball of concentrated electricity that rolls in whichever direction you point, dealing electricity damage to creatures it strikes. It moves 30 feet per round. As part of this movement, it can ascend or jump up to 30 feet to strike a subject. If it enters a space with a creature, it stops moving for the round and deals 1d6 points of electricity damage per caster level (maximum 15d6), though a successful Reflex save negates that damage. [...]

 

[JiffyPopTart]

We were fighting a colossal worm that moved slowly and had an INT of 2. It was a CR20 monster from the AoW that I killed by casting this spell once and watching it die.

Granted, its easy for a lot of things to avoid it totally (always stay more than 30' away from it at all times) but for something that can't this spell seems like an instant death sentence.

DS

 

[mikebr99]

We were fighting a colossal worm that moved slowly and had an INT of 2. It was a CR20 monster from the AoW that I killed by casting this spell once and watching it die.

Granted, its easy for a lot of things to avoid it totally (always stay more than 30' away from it at all times) but for something that can't this spell seems like an instant death sentence.

DS

Ray of Stupidity would have done the same thing... and it's 3 levels lower... and you don't need to maximize it!

... sorry for the hijack...


Mike

 

[Doug McCrae]

It sounds like a lot of tactics could've defeated that worm. An archer who shoots and moves away (kiting) for example. It doesn't mean maximise, ball lightning or maximised ball lightning are overpowered. It just means some tactics are good against some foes, which is the way things should be.

 

[JiffyPopTart]

The part that seems unfair is an 8th level spell doing a potential 1800 points of damage. Thats a lot of damage for an 8th level spell even with someone getting 20 saves to mitigate the damage.

Yes, it had many ways to be defeated.

DS

 

[Pielorinho]

Did the worm lack a burrow speed?

Daniel