Ray Spells vs Energy Missile

[Li Shenron]

What's the difference? In Tome & Blood there are interesting guidelines about the possibility of applying combat feats to spells which require an attack roll, and for this purpose those spells are divided into three categories: Rays, Energy Missiles and Touch Spells. So a spellcaster could take Weapon Focus on one of the 3, or Weapon Finesse (Touch), or apply Point Blank Shot and Precise Shot to all spells which require a ranged attack.

Anyway Rays are by definition spells that require a ranged touch attack; energy missiles are said in Tome & Blood to be spells that create some form of energy to attack from far away (which is the same) and specifically quote Melf's Acid Arrow and Produce Flame as example. But these 2 spells also require ranged touch attacks, so the difference cannot be in the "touch".

Ultimately, how do I know when a spell is a Ray and when it's an Energy Missile? There is no "Ray" type in the spell description block, and I don't think it could be just having the word Ray in the spell's name, since Ray of Frost and Ray of Enfeeblement would be the one and only PHB damaging spell eligible IIRC, while there are many other spells that require a ranged touch attack.

 

[Caliban]

If it says "Effect: Ray" in the spell description block, it's a Ray.

If it doesn't say "Effect: Ray" and it requires a ranged touch attack, then it's an energy missile.

If you want a more general definition, if it shoots a "beam" of some sort and requires an attack roll, it's a ray. If it shoots individual, discrete missiles, balls, orbs, arrows, etc. that require an attack roll, it's an energy. But the technical definition is the first one I gave you.

 

[Zhure]

T&B, page 37

"Ray: such spells produce a ray effect and require a ranged touch attack (see Aiming a Spell on page 148 of the Player's Handbook).
Energy Missile: The spell creates something physical as a projectile or that the caster can hurl, such as Melf's Acid Arrow or Produce Flame."

Page 149 (continued from page 148), PHB,

"Ray: Some effects are rays, such as in the spell ray of enfeeblement. You aim a ray as if using a ranged weapon, though typically you make a ranged touch attack rather than a normal ranged attack."

There are no instances of "energy missile" in the PHB, so this distinction is apparently one made by T&B.

Rays
- Dimensional Anchor
- Disintegrate
- Disrupt Undead
- Energy Drain
- Enervation
- Otiluke's Freezing Sphere (one of the applications)
- Ray of Enfeeblement
- Ray of Frost
- Searing Light


So I conclude (tentatively) that an "Energy Missile" is any ranged-touch spell effect not specifically identified as a ray, which hopefully coincides with the T&B description. I can't think of any exceptions off the top of my head.

The few "Energy Missiles" I could locate in the PHB based on that criteria:
- Fireball (when trying to put it through a small opening)
- Flame Arrow
- Melf's Acid Arrow
- Produce Flame


It's a very small list and hardly worth the feat expenditure.

Addendum: The PHB Weapon Focus lists "ray" as an acceptable choice, but that probably doesn't include the spells listed under "Energy Missile" above because they aren't really rays per se, even though they have a similar mechanic. I presume that T&B attempted to address this oversight but didn't bother to explain it in sufficient depth.

Hope that helps,
Greg

 

[Lord Pendragon]

I believe all the Orb and Lesser Orb spells from Tome and Blood also count as energy missiles...

 

[Li Shenron]

Thanks! Is there any other relevant technical difference beside this and the Split Ray feat? I mean, what was the reason to specify in the stat "Effect: Ray" before Tome & Blood? Clearly, it implies that a ranged touch attack is needed, but not the other way around... so I wonder why Produce Flame for example was not a Effect: Ray since the start.

 

[Zhure]

Probably a holdover from prior editions. OR it could be that energy missiles have a unique duration characteristic. They tend to differ from rays because they often continue to harm the target after the Instant part of the effect is over.

Greg

 

[kigmatzomat]

Thanks! Is there any other relevant technical difference beside this and the Split Ray feat? I mean, what was the reason to specify in the stat "Effect: Ray" before Tome & Blood?

The one other difference between a ray and energy missle is that all energy missles are blocked by transparent, solid objects (i.e. glass) but not all rays are. Ray of Enfeeblement shouldn't be affected by glass but disintigrate would.

 

[Zhure]

I'm not certain about that rule call. Line of effect doesn't differentiate between rays and other spells:

PHB, page 150,
"Line of Effect: A line of effect is a straight, unblocked path that
indicates what a spell can affect. A line of effect is canceled by a solid barrier. It’s like line of sight for ranged weapons, except it’s not blocked by fog, darkness, and other factors that limit normal sight. You must have a clear line of effect to any target that you cast a spell on or to any space in which you wish to create an effect (such as conjuring a monster). You must have a clear line of effect to the point of origin of any spell you cast, such as the central point of a fireball. For bursts, cones, cylinders, and emanating spells, the spell only affects areas, creatures, or objects to which it has line of effect from its origin (a burst’s point, a cone’s starting point, a cylinder’s circle, or an emanating spell’s point of origin).
An otherwise solid barrier with a hole of at least 1 square foot through it does not block a spell’s line of effect. Such an opening makes a 5-foot length of wall no longer considered a barrier for purposes of a spell’s line of effect (though the rest of the wall from the hole can still block the spell)."

This seems to indicate a glass barrier would stop any spell (though there are exceptions found in the rules, like spells with the teleport descriptor). Spells that do damage in an area, like Cone of Cold, would blow through the wall of glass; a fireball pellet would burst when it hit the glass, changing the location of the epicenter of the burst; a disintegrate would disintegrate the glass, but I see no rule about rays ignoring glass.

Greg

 

[Caliban]

Thanks! Is there any other relevant technical difference beside this and the Split Ray feat? I mean, what was the reason to specify in the stat "Effect: Ray" before Tome & Blood? Clearly, it implies that a ranged touch attack is needed, but not the other way around... so I wonder why Produce Flame for example was not a Effect: Ray since the start.

Because you throw discrete balls of flame, you don't shoot a ray of fire out of your hand.

Thus, t's an Energy Missile, not a Ray.

 

[Li Shenron]

Because you throw discrete balls of flame, you don't shoot a ray of fire out of your hand.

Thus, t's an Energy Missile, not a Ray.

Yes, I can picture that. Well, I am not totally keen on having two different types ("Ray" and "Energy Missile" that is) for the purpose of feats, they are not too different after all and with so few energy missiles around it would have been just as balanced if the feats applied to both, but no big deal...

edit: well, now that I think... to stay strict to a spell's visual description spoils a little some of my player's fun in personalizing visual effects. One had a Sorcerer whose Ray of Frost actually shoot snowballs.