Questions about Horrid Wilting

[LordAO]

If the meteor hits a target before exploding (and you can hit four individual targets with 24d6 meteors), then it does 24d6 points of damage to a single target (no save). Horrid Wilting has a save.

I thought that any creature in the straight line path is truck by each one and takes 24 d6 damage. Now I'm confused. Does the metoer not explode if it hits a target? Or can it hit targets in a line when flying to its destination, dealing 24d6 to each one (like lightning bolt)? It says if the meteors reach their destination they explode. Does striking a target mean that they didnt reach their destination? Or does it go through them? I thought it meant it wouldnt reach its destination if blocked by a wall of forces, etc.

 

[HEL Pit Fiend]

1) If the meteor hits a target before exploding (and you can hit four individual targets with 24d6 meteors), then it does 24d6 points of damage to a single target (no save). Horrid Wilting has a save.

This is the only reason I would take Meteor Swarm, to take out those pesky rogues and monks.

2) As mentioned above, Horrid Wilting is subject to Spell Turning whereas Meteor Swarm is not.

Another good point, although a GM may rule that anyone caught in a straight line path of those meteors could subject those meteors to Spell Turning, unless those meteors burst at that instant, before reaching their destination. The spell has not been witten well, this goes back to 1978. Someone will just have to ask Gary what he really intended I guess.

4) With Horrid Wilting, your enemies must be relatively close together, whereas Meteor Swarm can cover a much larger area.

The areas of Horrid Wilting and Meteor Swarm are about the same. Horrid Wilting works in a 60 foot diameter, Meteor Swarm works roughly in a square pattern, 50 foot to a side.

5) If you have an Energy Substitution feat you can tailor the damage of the Meteor Swarm. Running up against some Half-Fiend Fire Giants with 10 levels of Barbarain? Give' four of 'em a [Cold] Meteor Swarm. That's 24d6x2 of cold damage w/o a save (That's 154 hp of damage a pop!).

When you said "Give' four of 'em a [Cold] Meteor Swarm." you meant four spheres hitting one giant, right? This would be good if one of those giants was really nasty and you wanted to drop him fast. Chances are the other 3 giants will be subject to 6d6 (x2) damage with a chance for half damage, don't forget that all half-fiends get cold resistance 20, so even on a missed save at 12d6 damage (minus 20 cold resistance), thats about 22 (42-20)points of damage and 1 (21-20) point of damage on a sucessful save.

I'd much rather Wilt them doing 25d8 to all, thats 112, or 66 on a missed save.

 

[Jeremy]

This is the only reason I would take Meteor Swarm, to take out those pesky rogues and monks.

Horrid Wilting has a fortitude save. Rogues and Monks cannot use evasion against it as it is not a reflex save.

 

[HEL Pit Fiend]

Horrid Wilting has a fortitude save. Rogues and Monks cannot use evasion against it as it is not a reflex save.

Eeeww, good point. How bout I amend that to say I'd use Meteor Swarm to get those pesky Templars (read "Mettle" ability).

 

[Jeremy]

But what about the pesky min/max'd templars with the vests of resistance, cloaks of charisma, armor of command, and rings of evasion?

For the min/max imagination disadvantaged, that's saves of +20 to +30 with evasion to all reflex, fortitude, and will saves.

Them's the one's you use reverse gravity, forcecage, or otiluke's freezing sphere on.

 

[LordAO]

Sorry guys, I'm even more confused now. I thought any creature in the straight line path is hit by each one and takes 24d6 damage (no save). Doesn't this mean that they are automatically hit by all the meteors and the 24d6 is TOTAL? If so, why are you multiplying the damage by 4 (one for each meteor)? Also, doesn't the creature in the center get hit by all the explosions too (for 48 d6 damage, save for 3/4)? Also, don't the meteors travel in a straight line and hit everyone in their path before exploding (like Lightning Bolt)?

For example, let's say I have a line of guys in front of me, and I target the guy at the end to be the center of the spell's area. Thus all of the guys in the line get hit for 24d6 damage and get no saving throw (they are in the straight line path of the meteors). Once the meteors reach the last guy, they explode in bursts, and since the guy at the end is at the center, he takes ANOTHER 24d6 damage (with a save for half this time). Also, any of the other guys who are in the blast area are also exposed to blasts (but for much less damage).

Is this interpretation correct? I really wish this spell were better written.

 

[Marshall]

Its 24d6 total.

In the line example they hit the first guy in line for 24d6(no save) and all explode with the radii centered on the guy they hit. Anyone in the 7.5' to 15' blast radius gets to make either 4 or 8 ref saves to have the dam from the fireballs.

Its a really weak spell and might be worth a weak 8th or strong 7th level spell slot, as written.

 

[Uller]

Its 24d6 total.

In the line example they hit the first guy in line for 24d6(no save) and all explode with the radii centered on the guy they hit.

Not quite. They only 'splode if they reach their destination. From the SRD:

Meteor swarm is a very powerful and spectacular spell that is similar to fireball in many aspects. When the character casts it, either four large spheres (2-foot-diameter) or eight small spheres (1-foot-diameter) spring from the character's outstretched hand and streak in a straight line to the spot the character selects. The meteor spheres leave a fiery trail of sparks.

Any creature in the straight-line path of these spheres is struck by each one and takes 24d6 points of fire damage (no save).

If the spheres reach their destination, each bursts like a fireball in a spread.

Each large sphere deals 6d6 points of fire damage. The four spheres explode with their points of origin forming a diamond or box pattern around the spell’s central point of origin, which the character designates upon casting. Each large sphere has a 15-foot-radius spread, and each blast is 20 feet apart along the sides of the pattern, creating overlapping areas of the spell’s effect and exposing the center to all four blasts.

The smaller spheres each have a 7 1/2-foot-radius spread, and each deals 3d6 points of fire damage. They explode with their points of origin forming a pattern around the spell’s central point of origin (which the character designated upon casting) of a box within a diamond or vice versa, with each of the outer sides measuring 20 feet long. The center has four areas of overlapping effect, and numerous peripheral areas have two or three overlapping areas of the spell’s effect.

Creatures caught in a blast can attempt Reflex saves for half damage. Creatures struck by multiple blasts save against each blast separately.