Hey Anubis, I know this is all over, but there were a couple of errors I wanted to point out to you just in case it comes up in a game.
Anubis said:
We'll use a Twice-Empowered Fireball and a Delayed Blast Fireball. This time we'll use a Level 20 Wizard.
Fireball [Empower x2]: 35 (3.5*10) + (3.5*10/2)*2 = 70 damage
Delayed Blast Fireball: 70 damage (3.5*20)
Seems they're equal again.
Actually, the DBF does (4.5*20) = 90 hp average - it does
1d8 per caster level, not 1d6 like a fireball.
Anubis said:
Wait a sec, lemme give a third example with much more stacking going on. We'll use a Thrice-Empowered Flame Arrow and compare it to Meteor Swarm. A Level 20 Wizard will cast these spells
Flame Arrow [Empower x3]: 70 (3.5*4*5) + (3.5*4*5/2)*3 = 175
Meteor Swarm: 84 (3.5*24) + 21 (3.5*6) + 21 (3.5*6) + 21 (3.5*6) + 21 (3.5*6) = 168
(I admit I still don't quite know how Meteor Swarm is supposed to work, the thing in the PH is very very poor at describing it. I'm not sure how a single person could be in the direct path of four meteors that go in different directions, honestly.)
Now stacking Empower Spell is starting to show its effects. This does offer proof that it seems to be balanced at low levels, not getting unbalanced until high levels.
Well...note that Flame Arrow is a single-target spell while Meteor Swarm is an area effect spell. I don't think they're comparable - a single target spell
should do more damage than an area effect spell of the same level, don't you think?
Also, Flame Arrow has a save. Meteor swarm does not, at least not for the 24d6 that you take for being in the path of the spheres. The save for the burst effects is also 7 higher than the save for the flame arrow, which should count for something.
As for how meteor swarm works: The meteors from meteor swarm must burst in one of the patterns detailed in the book - it's not like you get to toss 4 (or 8) separate meteors to completely separate areas of the battlefield. So they really all go down the same line.
It's probably easiest to picture the meteors as going in a straight line to the 'center' of the burst pattern and spreading out from there, like some kind of magical MIRV warhead. That's the simplest eway to picture it and it fits the spell's description. Draw a line from you to the spell's 'point of origin', and if anyone is on that line, they take the 24d6 damage.
The part that is unclear to me is that the spell says
if the spheres reach their destination they explode, which makes me wonder if they go away after hitting a single target and doing their 24d6 (no save).
