Sculpt Spell: possibly problematic

[pawsplay]

Ok, please tell me there's some reason this can't be done. Sculpt spell (Complete Arcana) uses a spell slot of one level higher, and allows one of several new shapes to be chosen. One of those choices is four 10 foot cubes. Is there anything preventing me from using a sculpted 8th level fireball to hit a target or small group with four firecubes for 8d6 each? Precedent: meteor swam allows you to aim all of your missiles at one target.

8th level casters sacrificing -1 DC for quadruple damage --> DM feeling a bit woozy.

 

[Theo R Cwithin]

I think it's intended to be non-overlapping cubes.

But, yes, as written, it's.... well, I pity the DM with vindictive players

 

[aboyd]

Yeesh. I pity the players with a vindictive DM!

 

[StreamOfTheSky]

You can't overlap spell area to affect a creature more than once per casting (per round, if it's a lingering effect). For an evocation that provides an explicit statement of this, look at Explosive Cascade from Spell Compendium p. 85. There might be some core examples, but it was the first spell I thought of.

 

[pawsplay]

Why not? "The exception proves the rule" -- Explosive Cascade would not have to state it was not allowed it if it was already not allowed by some general rule. And the only core example I know of (Meteor Swarm) definitely can affect a target more than once. What rule are you referring to?

 

[Shin Okada]

In my understanding, no matter how you change the area of one spell, that is different from casting 4 spells simultaneously. That is still one cast of fireball and you just make one odd-shaped area for it. That odd shaped area is composed of 4 ten-foot cubes. Some of the part is being separated from other part or merging to the other cubes. Still, that is just ONE area for One spell as a whole.

Unless otherwise noted, an area spell affects a creature within it's area once and just once.

 

[frankthedm]

Precedent: meteor swam allows you to aim all of your missiles at one target.

Meteor Swarm calls itself out to multi effect a victim. Firestorm is a far better precedent in the core rules and Fireband [CA & SC] even had this issue addressed in the FAQ, FWIW.

 

[pawsplay]

Meteor Swarm calls itself out to multi effect a victim. Firestorm is a far better precedent in the core rules and Fireband [CA & SC] even had this issue addressed in the FAQ, FWIW.

The FAQ would be worth something. Got a link?

I do not see anything in the description of Firestorm that suggests one way or the other. It doesn't look like a better precedent, because it is silent. However, that does mean it is another effect that would need to be adjudicated.

In my understanding, no matter how you change the area of one spell, that is different from casting 4 spells simultaneously.

That sounds plausible, but it just does not appear to be grounded in the rules. One or more cubes appears to be an "Other" area as defined in the rules. The only thing vaguely helpful I have been able to find is:

(S) Shapeable
If an Area or Effect entry ends with "(S)," you can shape the spell. A shaped effect or area can have no dimension smaller than 10 feet. Many effects or areas are given as cubes to make it easy to model irregular shapes. Three-dimensional volumes are most often needed to define aerial or underwater effects and areas.

which implies mutiple cubes are just "irregular shapes."

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

And remember, kiddies- that 4-Cube area is really handy at a dungeon crossroads!

 

[Asha'man]

My immediate instinct is that this isn't an issue at all. Think of it this way: You have four 10-foot cubes made of fire. You can't "stack" them in the same area any more than you could stack metal cubes that way. Two three-dimensional objects can't simultaneously occupy the same three-dimensional space!

The case with Explosive Cascade, Firebrand etc is that their areas are 5-ft bursts, so it would be easy to expose large monsters to multiple bursts. That's why they need to state that you can't stack the bursts.
With 10-ft cubes, that comes up less often, but it applies to Sculpted fireball too. As Shin said, a spell that affects 4 cubes is not the same as casting 4 spells. They wouldn't deal stacked damage to a large creature any more than one would take more damage from a regular fireball for occupying more of the area.