Melf's Acid Arrow and Point Blank Shot

[Pielorinho]

Okay, correction: the damage above was on a crit, so in most cases, our shoot-every-round arcane trickster will only be doing 90 points of damage every round. (I'm also correcting some math above, AND subtracting the spell specialization feat).

However, it can get worse: we're talking about a fourteenth-level character relying on second-level spells for damage. So let's make it a little worse.

Let's make a rogue 7/sorcerer 6, an 13th-level character. The arrows will now last for three rounds. 'Cept we're going to extend the first few, so they last for six rounds.

Assuming a tough fight in which the enemy doesn't have access to water (many, many common fights), by the sixth round of combat, our 11th-level character is going to be dealing (2d4+4d6)x6 damage, or (12d4+24d6), for an average of 30+84 points of damage. We're back up to our 114 points of damage every round, with a single touch-attack every round, dealth from over 500 feet away, not subject to SR or DR or saves.

It still seems a bit extreme to me for that build; I have trouble finding similar ways for such a character to deal similar damage.

Daniel

 

[Trainz]

[...]Assuming a tough fight in which the enemy doesn't have access to water (many, many common fights), by the sixth round of combat, our 11th-level character is going to be dealing (2d4+4d6)x6 damage, or (12d4+24d6), for an average of 30+84 points of damage.

Are you talking about sneak attacks ? That's 6 rounds the target is actually sneak-attackable. Most targets aren't.

We're back up to our 114 points of damage every round, with a single touch-attack every round, dealth from over 500 feet away, not subject to SR or DR or saves.

Ranged sneak attacks only work within 30 feet, not 500. That is, if I understood your example correctly. Somehow, I'm feeling I'm missing something.

It still seems a bit extreme to me for that build; I have trouble finding similar ways for such a character to deal similar damage.

Warmage, same level, does even more damage. And that's on first round, not something you have to wait to build up to.

A player IMC plays a warmage, and by 15th level, he was dealing well over 100 dmg each round. It was even worse when he rolled a crit.

 

[Nail]

You know, it'd be really helpful in discussions like this if we had some "averages" for dam/rd, total hp, and AC for each PC level. (Not the useless model NPCs in the DMG, BTW.) What often happens in these discussions is a loss of perspective.......something that averages provides.

Before you say "impossible": WotC currently has such a spreadsheet in-house (but not for public distribution - and no: I don't have a copy. ).

 

[Pielorinho]

Are you talking about sneak attacks ? That's 6 rounds the target is actually sneak-attackable. Most targets aren't.

On the contrary, a single greater invisibility enables it.

Ranged sneak attacks only work within 30 feet, not 500. That is, if I understood your example correctly. Somehow, I'm feeling I'm missing something.

D'oh! Good catch! Make it within 30', then.

Warmage, same level, does even more damage. And that's on first round, not something you have to wait to build up to.

I'm guessing they've devoted most of their build to wizard levels, right? And therefore don't also have improved evasion,, improved uncanny dodge, beaucoup skill points, and all the other advantages that a rogue has?

Note that a rogue character at 13th level can normally, at best, do 32d6+3xstr (average 112, or 118 with a str of 14-15) damage every round, assuming duel-wielded shortswords with improved two-weapon fighting and accurate math on my part . That's pretty impressive, too--but it depends on 4 hits each round against a full (not touch) AC and with some increasingly tough 2-weapon and iterative attack penalties.

Daniel