Sigh- Yeah, Ray of Stupidity is pretty broken

[Wolfwood2]

I didn't ask for it. I didn't. When the DM came to me and said, "I want to add some supplemental spells to the Beguiler spell list from Spell Compendium," I told him, "Okay, but you want to be careful with that."

When I saw the spell list, I warned him specifically. I told him, "Hey, you know this spell will let me auto-coma anything with an animal intelligence, right?" He shrugged it off.

So today I'm playing my Beguiler, and the party barbarian gets grappled by some sort of uber-advanced tentacle monster. I tried not to use it, but the barbarian is pretty bad off and I feel like I have no choice. *Zap* and done.

Later that session, a Large Viper rises up out of the swamp and attacks. Friends, once you started down that dark path you don't look back. *Zap*. 1d4+1 intelligence damage. Snake down in the first round.

Ray of Stupidity is totally, awesomely broken. Woo-hoo! Bring on the Purple Worms.

 

[joshjurg]

Well - the good thing is he probably won't make that mistake again. Bad news is that it's just the campaign that suffers in flavor if he just stops throwing animals & such at you.

 

[Lopke_Quasath]

Now, and this may actually turn out to be a House-rule on my part, but I was under the impression that a target's Int couldn't be reduced below 1 by this spell.

I am aware that that distinction was not written in the text description, but compare it to other low-level ray spells, or other spells that drain mental stats (i.e. Touch of Idiocy) and they state a stat can't be reduced below 1.

Anyway, like I said that's the way I play it. It makes the spell a good tactic (esp. against arcane magic-users, as was the original intention I think), but not broken that way.

Cheers

 

[Hypersmurf]

I am aware that that distinction was not written in the text description, but compare it to other low-level ray spells, or other spells that drain mental stats (i.e. Touch of Idiocy) and they state a stat can't be reduced below 1.

That's the problem - when you compare it to those spells, they impose a penalty and the subject's score cannot drop below 1; Ray of Stupidity deals ability damage.

Not only does that mean it can be cast multiple times to have an increasing effect on a single opponent (since it is an instantaneous damage-dealing spell, not a penalty-inflicting spell with a duration), but it can also be used to sneak attack, and there is certainly no cannot-drop-below-1 restriction on it.

-Hyp.

 

[Aeric]

...it can also be used to sneak attack...

Exactly how does one justify the bonus damage while sneak-attacking with Ray of Stupidity? Hitting a more vulnerable part of the brain?

 

[Hypersmurf]

Exactly how does one justify the bonus damage while sneak-attacking with Ray of Stupidity? Hitting a more vulnerable part of the brain?

Well, I personally justify it with Weaponlike Spells and Sneak Attacks, Complete Arcane pp85-86.

-Hyp.

 

[cheshire_grin]

Exactly how does one justify the bonus damage while sneak-attacking with Ray of Stupidity? Hitting a more vulnerable part of the brain?

Aside from hypersmurf's answer, yes.

Imagine zapping the part of your brain responsible for language, vs. the part responsible for the autonomous nervous system (i.e. breathing, digesting, all that sort of thing).

The latter is going to do way more damage.

 

[darthkilmor]

Aside from hypersmurf's answer, yes.

Imagine zapping the part of your brain responsible for language, vs. the part responsible for the autonomous nervous system (i.e. breathing, digesting, all that sort of thing).

The latter is going to do way more damage.

Or you simply hit the head with the ray instead of the body. Less work for the ray to get to the brain == more dmg.

Or you hit the ray right in the spine and it shoots up to the brain quicker.

Plenty of ways to justify

 

[UltimaGabe]

In any case, Sneak Attacking with a Ray of Stupidity does NOT simply deal more Intelligence Damage, it deals Negative Energy damage equal to the Sneak Attack amount, plus the normal Intelligence Damage.

So by no means will you be one-shotting an Epic Wizard with this spell.

 

[mikebr99]

In any case, Sneak Attacking with a Ray of Stupidity does NOT simply deal more Intelligence Damage, it deals Negative Energy damage equal to the Sneak Attack amount, plus the normal Intelligence Damage.

So by no means will you be one-shotting an Epic Wizard with this spell.

Ultima's got it, as per C.Arc p:86.

Though an epic Wiz may be having a bad day if he/she were hit by a couple quickened/twinned/empowered RoSs... YMMV

I've removed this spell from my game by the way... Hydras needed the break.

Mike