Question on Flame Blade...

[RigaMortus]

Flame Blade
Evocation [Fire]
Level: Drd 2
Components: V, S, DF
Casting Time: 1 standard action
Range: 0 ft.
Effect: Sword-like beam
Duration: 1 min./level (D)
Saving Throw: None
Spell Resistance: Yes
A 3-foot-long, blazing beam of red-hot fire springs forth from your hand. You wield this bladelike beam as if it were a scimitar. Attacks with the flame blade are melee touch attacks. The blade deals 1d8 points of fire damage +1 point per two caster levels (maximum +10). Since the blade is immaterial, your Strength modifier does not apply to the damage. A flame blade can ignite combustible materials such as parchment, straw, dry sticks, and cloth.
The spell does not function underwater.

1) If this spell were to be maximized, would you do an automatic 8 points of damage per hit (+1 for every 2 caster levels)?

2) Can you create and maintain more than 1 flame blade at a time?

3) Can you give the flame blade to someone else? It doesn't say one way or the other. There is no "Target: You" or "Target: Personal" specificed, so it makes me think you can...

4) In order to maximize this spell, you need to be able to cast level 6 spells right? Does this mean your caster level is 6? I forget how you rank caster level atm, heh...

5) Is it treated in all ways like a scimitar? If so, if you maximized it and made a crit, would that be 33 points of damage?

I calculate it like so: ((8 + 3) x 3)
8 for being maximized
3 since the caster level is 6, divided by 2
x3 for the crit of a scimitar

 

[DarkMaster]

1) If this spell were to be maximized, would you do an automatic 8 points of damage per hit (+1 for every 2 caster levels)?

2) Can you create and maintain more than 1 flame blade at a time?

3) Can you give the flame blade to someone else? It doesn't say one way or the other. There is no "Target: You" or "Target: Personal" specificed, so it makes me think you can...

4) In order to maximize this spell, you need to be able to cast level 6 spells right? Does this mean your caster level is 6? I forget how you rank caster level atm, heh...

5) Is it treated in all ways like a scimitar? If so, if you maximized it and made a crit, would that be 33 points of damage?

I calculate it like so: ((8 + 3) x 3)
8 for being maximized
3 since the caster level is 6, divided by 2
x3 for the crit of a scimitar

Actually to cast 6th level spell you need to be 11th druid apart from that I would allow everything else you mention in this post except 3 it mention "A 3-foot-long, blazing beam of red-hot fire springs forth from your hand" so no you can't pass it.

 

[James McMurray]

1) If this spell were to be maximized, would you do an automatic 8 points of damage per hit (+1 for every 2 caster levels)?

Yes.

2) Can you create and maintain more than 1 flame blade at a time?

Although it doesn't state, I would assume the answer is no, simply for baance reasons.

3) Can you give the flame blade to someone else? It doesn't say one way or the other. There is no "Target: You" or "Target: Personal" specificed, so it makes me think you can...

The spell constantly refers to "you" and never makes any mention of another creature being able to wield the weapon. Couple with the fact that the blade "springs forth from your hand" instead of "appearing in your hand" I would think the answer is no.

4) In order to maximize this spell, you need to be able to cast level 6 spells right? Does this mean your caster level is 6? I forget how you rank caster level atm, heh...

Caster level 9 minimum. A maximized 2nd level spell takes a 5th level slot, which requires a 9th level druid.

5) Is it treated in all ways like a scimitar? If so, if you maximized it and made a crit, would that be 33 points of damage?

It would be (8 + 5) x 2 = 26 damage. Scimitars crit multiplier is x2, not x3. You do get to crit on a 18-20 though.

 

[RigaMortus]

Yeah, I know... So if the spell is level 2, and you want to Maximize it, that would cost you a level 6 spell slot. So you'd need to be a level 11 Druid. But does that mean your caster level is 6 (since you can cast level 6 spells), or does that make your caster level 11 (since you are a level 11 Druid)?

If it's the first one, the bonus damage would be +3. If it's the latter, the bonus damage would be +6.

I know that it says it springs forth from your hands, but that is just how it manifests. In all other ways, you treat it like a scimitar, right? You can normally give someone a scimitar, can't you?

 

[James McMurray]

Your caster level is your class level. Note though that a maximized flame blade is a 5th level spell slot, not 6th, so you'd be a 9th level druid, with caster level 9.

 

[DarkMaster]

It would be (8 + 5) x 2 = 26 damage. Scimitars crit multiplier is x2, not x3. You do get to crit on a 18-20 though.

I should have read the scimitar description

 

[Black Knight Irios]

1) Yes, the the damage would be maximized indeed, it would be 8 +1 per 2 caster level.

2) You can cast Flame Blade twice if you like, but only the one with the best effect would work at any given time

3) No, you can't. Range:0ft. and the description tells you that it is your hand.

4) For a 5th Level Spell you have to be a 9th Level Druid to cast that spell, so the bonus damage would be +4.

5) Yes, the spell would behave like a scimitar for critcial hits, 18-20/x2, so if you cause a threat and confirm that threat not too dificult with an touch attack, the damage would be in your example (8 the maximized base damage of a scimitar +4 the bonus damage for caster level 9) x2 the critical mutiplier of a scimitar = 24 damage.

EDIT: corrected damage rating

 

[Mathew_Freeman]

Yeah, I know... So if the spell is level 2, and you want to Maximize it, that would cost you a level 6 spell slot. So you'd need to be a level 11 Druid. But does that mean your caster level is 6 (since you can cast level 6 spells), or does that make your caster level 11 (since you are a level 11 Druid)?

If it's the first one, the bonus damage would be +3. If it's the latter, the bonus damage would be +6.

I know that it says it springs forth from your hands, but that is just how it manifests. In all other ways, you treat it like a scimitar, right? You can normally give someone a scimitar, can't you?

Maximize is +3 levels, not +4. So a maximised Flame Blade would take a 5th level slot. To cast 5th level spells you need to be a Ninth level Druid, but your caster level is also 9.

Caster level is based on character level, by class. So a Druid 9/Wizard 6 would have a caster level of 9 when casting druid spells, and a caster level of 6 when casting Wizard spells (eg a fireball would do 6d6 damage, but a flame strike would do 9d6). This is a good reason not to multiclass spellcasting characters, of course.

If the scimitar springs forth from your hand, it keeps on doing that all the way through the spell. It is attached to you, and can't be passed on.

However, I would say that you could manifest a second one if you really wanted to, but you'd take all the usual two weapon penalties if you actually used them both at the same time.

Why are you so keen on maximising this, anyway? Seems a pretty poor spell for a 5th level slot.

 

[DarkMaster]

2) You can cast Flame Blade twice if you like, but only the one with the best effect would work at any given time

EDIT: corrected damage rating

Why not? The effect here are not stacking and this is not a touch spell

 

[Black Knight Irios]

It would only make any sense if your Druid would like to join melee battles often, then you might consider a maximized empowered flame blade dealing 21 damage on a normal hit, would be pretty good sometimes.