Spell Death Beam

[las]

Death Beam

Necromancy [Death]

Level: Sor/Wiz 9

Components: V, S, XP

Casting Time: 1 action

Range: Close (25 ft. + 5 ft./2 levels)

Area: Rectangle 5 feet wide and up to close range long

Duration: Instantaneous

Saving Throw: Fortitude partial

Spell Resistance: Yes

A black beam comes out of you outstretched hand. All living targets in the area must make a Fortitude save or die. If they are successful, they instead sustain 6d6 points of damage +2 points per caster level. Of course they all might die from damage even if they succeed at their saving throws.

XP Cost: 300 XP

What do you think

 

[Bean 2.0]

its really not that strong maybe ditch the exp cost

 

[the Jester]

Hmm, I'd ditch the xp cost and cap the damage on a successful save at 6d6+40.

 

[las]

the XP makes up for that. This is just a biger finger of death (that can keep going).

 

[Fade]

Given that it does allow spell resistance I think this spell is fine. Perhaps a little weak even. With the uncapped damage I can see it becoming pretty nasty on even a successful save, but you're epic level by then. If you don't have some form of SR it's your own fault.

 

[the Jester]

Definitely cap the damage. If you don't it can deal hundreds of points of damage on a successful save if the caster's high enough level. Compare this to something like power word kill: if you have enough hp you're immune.

 

[las]

as the person said above you its not that bad and when it could realy start to kick they best have some form of protechen.

 

[the Jester]

The problem is that even if they MIGHT resist (via SR) they still probably won't (figure epic spell penetration) and so they'll still get hammered on damage. You end up with a spell that, at high levels, is better than any other 9th-level instant kill OR damage spell. Too much, imho.

 

[las]

finger of death is the same it would just take longer for the damage to get that high.

 

[Bean 2.0]

finger of death you can cast again and again and again

even an epic caster wouldn't cast this spell every time he could becaus eof the exp cost it starts to ad up after a while