Spells and ability damage

[kreynolds]

I was using the Damage Cap for Spells charts in the DMG last night, when it occurred to me how useful similar charts for other types of damage would be. For example, how much ability damage should a spell be able to inflict upon single and multiple targets per level? How about force damage? Negative energy damage? I figure that a lot of spells already out there can be used to benchmark such charts, but I thought a collection of charts like this would be really slick.

What do you folks think? Would it be worth it?

 

[the Jester]

I was using the Damage Cap for Spells charts in the DMG last night, when it occurred to me how useful similar charts for other types of damage would be. For example, how much ability damage should a spell be able to inflict upon single and multiple targets per level? How about force damage? Negative energy damage? I figure that a lot of spells already out there can be used to benchmark such charts, but I thought a collection of charts like this would be really slick.

What do you folks think? Would it be worth it?

Hm, you'll note that no core spells deal ability damage (except Poison). There was actually a big discussion not so long ago about spells that deal ability damage, and it seemed like the general attitude was that it was too hard to balance to lay down a rule of thumb.

What's your take on this?

 

[kreynolds]

Hm, you'll note that no core spells deal ability damage (except Poison).

That's true. Lots that heal ability ability damage, but none that deal (except the one).

There was actually a big discussion not so long ago about spells that deal ability damage, and it seemed like the general attitude was that it was too hard to balance to lay down a rule of thumb.

What's your take on this?

I don't really think that's the case. I think that spells which deal ability damage are simply a rarity, but only in the core rules. There are spells out there by other publishers, and other books by WotC, that deal ability damage. I think it's just been a neglected area.

Most spells bestow ability penalties, rather than inflict ability damage, but I don't think it should be impossible. Obviously, ability damage is a much greater effect than an ability penalty, so such spells would deal less/more respectively per level.

 

[John Q. Mayhem]

Don't forget Chill Touch and Bestow Curse! Also contagion, ray of enfeeblement, feeblemind... I'm sure there are others, but don't want to take the time to look. Sure, it's not that many, but it's a bloody lot more than one. Oh wait... most of those are penalties. *smacks forehead* stupid, stupid! Sorry, only Chill touch and cpntagion do damage, and contagion indirectly.

 

[Sanackranib]

shadow touch was always one of my personal favorites.

but I would also be interested in seeing a cap.

 

[kreynolds]

What book is shadow touch from?

 

[kreynolds]

For those that are curious, here's one of the reasons why I thought of this...

Take negative energy as an example. Now, as a 1st-level spell, the negative energy ray spell from T&B caps out at 5 dice, which coincides with the damage cap spell table. However, the negative energy burst spell, which is basically just a negative energy fireball, is stuck at 1d8+10 max. It's a shorter range than fireball (close, as opposed to long).

Now for an average damage comparison. Negative Energy Ray, at maximum effectiveness (i.e. 5d6) deals average damage of 17.5 points. Negative Energy Burst, at maximum effectiveness, deals average damage of 14.5 points. So, a 3rd-level spell deals 3 points less damage on average than a 1st-level spell. I realize that it affects multiple targets, but that simply doesn't make any sense to me.

Thus one of the reasons why I wanted to come up with some alternate damage type damage cap charts. I'll see if I can toss a few up to get this started.