My rant on Energy Substitution.
- Thread starter Bonedagger
- Start date
Heap Thaumaturgist
First Post
Well, Microwaves "excite" water molecules within the food, as opposed to "shaking" them, I think. They get all bothered and start running around looking for molecules of the opposite sex so they can ... oooh, hey, there's Eric's Grandmother.
Personally I prefer people to research a new spell and we'll give it some different effects and dice. Cone Of Heeby-Jeebies. Wall of Magnetism. Otilukeiamyourfather's Fairly Sturdy Ovoid. Chain Light. Evard's Hentai Tentacles.
IMC I have a spell for an NPC that is a cold sphere, like a fireball. The material component is a small metal sphere (BB) that begins to glow red as the heat in the area is drawn into it. The damage is divided over two rounds, doing more average damage than a fireball, but only if you can't get out of the area.
--HT
Personally I prefer people to research a new spell and we'll give it some different effects and dice. Cone Of Heeby-Jeebies. Wall of Magnetism. Otilukeiamyourfather's Fairly Sturdy Ovoid. Chain Light. Evard's Hentai Tentacles.
IMC I have a spell for an NPC that is a cold sphere, like a fireball. The material component is a small metal sphere (BB) that begins to glow red as the heat in the area is drawn into it. The damage is divided over two rounds, doing more average damage than a fireball, but only if you can't get out of the area.
--HT
Xeriar
First Post
smetzger said:
Sound waves above the range of human hearing (over 24,000 khz) are called ultrasonics. They are never referred to as microwaves, I don't know where you got the idea.
Hear are the definitions.
http://www.dictionary.com/search?q=microwaves
http://www.dictionary.com/search?q=ultrasonic
Xeriar
First Post
Heap Thaumaturgist said:
It's important to note that Microwaves do not use the exact resonant frequency of water, but rather they use something close.
Otherwise the water molecules on the outside of whatever you are cooking will absorb all of the radiation, vaporizing yet still leaving the inside cold.
Mustrum_Ridcully
Legend
Well, maybe someone could come up with a variant of "Energy Substituion" that has more flavor?
A try:
Energy Substituon:
You can change any spell that causes energy damage to cause Sonic damage instead of the standard energy. The following changes do apply for the spell:
Sonic Variant:
Original Energy: Fire
Half the damage. The target must make a Fortitude Save against the spell or be deafend for (caster level) rounds.
Original Energy: Acid
Remove any extra damage on following rounds (if no such damage exists, use the rules for fire). The target must make a Fortitude Save against the spell or be deafened for (caster level) rounds.
Original Energy: Electricity, Cold
See Fire.
Acid Variant:
The Spell causes only half damage in the first round. The remaining damage dies are spread in the following rounds (one die per round). This acts as continuing damage.
You will probably see that this is still very weak, but it might be a good start.
Mustrum Ridcully
A try:
Energy Substituon:
You can change any spell that causes energy damage to cause Sonic damage instead of the standard energy. The following changes do apply for the spell:
Sonic Variant:
Original Energy: Fire
Half the damage. The target must make a Fortitude Save against the spell or be deafend for (caster level) rounds.
Original Energy: Acid
Remove any extra damage on following rounds (if no such damage exists, use the rules for fire). The target must make a Fortitude Save against the spell or be deafened for (caster level) rounds.
Original Energy: Electricity, Cold
See Fire.
Acid Variant:
The Spell causes only half damage in the first round. The remaining damage dies are spread in the following rounds (one die per round). This acts as continuing damage.
You will probably see that this is still very weak, but it might be a good start.
Mustrum Ridcully
I think the problem lies not with the concept of the Metamagic feat, but the lack diffences between monsters.
Creatures that are immune to one type of "element" should have some type of suceptiablity to another "element." Also there is the lack of "elemental" subtypes.
Case in point, the Fire Elementals are the only ones that have this "imunity(fire)/suceptiability(cold/water)." But none of the other elementals have this. The Water Elemental should have the reverse.
If this dicotomy between fire/water(cold) earth(adic)/air(electricy) was established, then sonic attacks would sort of be the "neutral" element. Not many thing are immune to it, but also not many are sucepetiable to it.
Overall, I like the feat. Adds some style to the Magic Users. But like anything in DnD, there are many ways to abuse it and find interesting loopholes.
-Luddite
Creatures that are immune to one type of "element" should have some type of suceptiablity to another "element." Also there is the lack of "elemental" subtypes.
Case in point, the Fire Elementals are the only ones that have this "imunity(fire)/suceptiability(cold/water)." But none of the other elementals have this. The Water Elemental should have the reverse.
If this dicotomy between fire/water(cold) earth(adic)/air(electricy) was established, then sonic attacks would sort of be the "neutral" element. Not many thing are immune to it, but also not many are sucepetiable to it.
Overall, I like the feat. Adds some style to the Magic Users. But like anything in DnD, there are many ways to abuse it and find interesting loopholes.
-Luddite
Well, I've ran a campaign from 1-20, and the wizards had Energy Substitution in my game and it worked just fine.
Firstly, can I state that none of the three (!) PC wizards took Energy Substitution. Granted, they were a transmuter, necromancer and enchanter, but even so, this still shows that it is not clearly overpowered. You spend a valuable feat in order to get Energy Substitution: it is therefore implicit that it is slightly better than its ordinary counterpart, but not so much better as to bump up the level. If it were no better, then who would take the feat? To say that no additional benefit should be derived is similar to calling Improved Initiative broken because it makes your initiative better than if you didn't have it (or Weapon Focus etc.)
As for Sonic energy, this is no big deal. Silence and/or countersong will negate it, and if you have a wizard who starts going berserk on Sonic magics, as soon as the enemies get wind of this they are going to have a lot of Protection from Elements [Sonic]. Granted, monsters are less likely to have Sonic resistance than Fire, but intelligent foes can prepare accordingly- and for the majority of foes with no resistances or only resistances to certain elements it makes little difference. The only time I can see it clearly overpowered is with the Elemental Savant prestige class: though this is more the fault of the Savant than the feat itself (and note that you cannot get [Sonic] savants...)
To summarise, it is a powerful feat. But feats are both handy and limited and some more power is meant to be derived from it. Even the dreaded [Sonic] is easy to defend against with bards, Silence or appropriate Energy Resistance spells. It's good, but not too good.
Firstly, can I state that none of the three (!) PC wizards took Energy Substitution. Granted, they were a transmuter, necromancer and enchanter, but even so, this still shows that it is not clearly overpowered. You spend a valuable feat in order to get Energy Substitution: it is therefore implicit that it is slightly better than its ordinary counterpart, but not so much better as to bump up the level. If it were no better, then who would take the feat? To say that no additional benefit should be derived is similar to calling Improved Initiative broken because it makes your initiative better than if you didn't have it (or Weapon Focus etc.)
As for Sonic energy, this is no big deal. Silence and/or countersong will negate it, and if you have a wizard who starts going berserk on Sonic magics, as soon as the enemies get wind of this they are going to have a lot of Protection from Elements [Sonic]. Granted, monsters are less likely to have Sonic resistance than Fire, but intelligent foes can prepare accordingly- and for the majority of foes with no resistances or only resistances to certain elements it makes little difference. The only time I can see it clearly overpowered is with the Elemental Savant prestige class: though this is more the fault of the Savant than the feat itself (and note that you cannot get [Sonic] savants...)
To summarise, it is a powerful feat. But feats are both handy and limited and some more power is meant to be derived from it. Even the dreaded [Sonic] is easy to defend against with bards, Silence or appropriate Energy Resistance spells. It's good, but not too good.
Similar Threads
