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<blockquote data-quote="jgsugden" data-source="post: 9636864" data-attributes="member: 2629">Mostly true, but there is another aspect to be considered beyond average damage - maximum damage.What are the chances of getting 21 damage on a non-crit 2d10 firebolt?&nbsp; 0%.&nbsp; What are the chances on a Sorcerous Burst?&nbsp; Low, but possible .&nbsp; Why does that matter?&nbsp; If your foe has 21 hps, it matters.&nbsp; If you're trying to break concentration, it can matter.&nbsp; When you have empowered spell to allow you to reroll selectively once you see the damage dice it can matter as well - but the math there is a bit convoluted to go into and you likely want to spend that sorcery point empowering a true spell.&nbsp; D&amp;D is a threshold game.&nbsp; With a small exception for bloodying a creature, the main threshold in terms of health that matters is dead (0 hps).&nbsp; When it comes to taking an enemy down before they take you down, sometimes very unlikely is better than impossible.Additionally, crossing 22, 24, 26, 28, etc... raises the DC on concentration checks.&nbsp; If all that matters is stopping that spell, I'd rather give up a few points of damage to get that increased chance to break the spell.&nbsp; This really starts to matter at level 11+.&nbsp;&nbsp; Additionally, the ability to choose damage type to avoid resistance (or capitalize upon vulnerability - awakened plants, mephits, mummies, twig blights, treants, flumphs, earth elementals, fire snakes, etc...&nbsp; ) matters a lot.&nbsp; Also note that this cantrip damages objects.&nbsp; So does firebolt, but many other cantrips do not.&nbsp; Finally - I believe we'll see the Hex treatment for Sorcerous Burst in this edition and see feats, subclass abilities, and magic items that interact with this cantrip to give it a boost.&nbsp; Honestly, when I read about it, I immediately assumed they'd be in the core books.&nbsp; Imagine if they add a way for you to add your Charisma to each die you roll for Sorcerous Burst - similar to the bonus we get on each die of Eldritch Blast as a Warlock - but with the potential for more due to the exploding dice?&nbsp; That would make Sorcerous Burst the bomb.&nbsp; When I heard that there was a UA with Spellfire in it, I thought this might be where that subclass would go.&nbsp; We may get the ability to apply certain metamagics to cantrips at 0 cost ... and an empowered Sorcerous Burst is a different story.&nbsp; Regardless, when and if we get these enhancements, this cantrip might be massively more powerful.&nbsp; Right now, this is best as a &quot;second damage&quot; cantrip on a class that gets a lot of cantrips - but it could become the best cantrip in the game if we get the right magic item, feat or subclass.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="jgsugden, post: 9636864, member: 2629"] Mostly true, but there is another aspect to be considered beyond average damage - maximum damage. What are the chances of getting 21 damage on a non-crit 2d10 firebolt? 0%. What are the chances on a Sorcerous Burst? Low, but possible . Why does that matter? If your foe has 21 hps, it matters. If you're trying to break concentration, it can matter. When you have empowered spell to allow you to reroll selectively once you see the damage dice it can matter as well - but the math there is a bit convoluted to go into and you likely want to spend that sorcery point empowering a true spell. D&D is a threshold game. With a small exception for bloodying a creature, the main threshold in terms of health that matters is dead (0 hps). When it comes to taking an enemy down before they take you down, sometimes very unlikely is better than impossible. Additionally, crossing 22, 24, 26, 28, etc... raises the DC on concentration checks. If all that matters is stopping that spell, I'd rather give up a few points of damage to get that increased chance to break the spell. This really starts to matter at level 11+. Additionally, the ability to choose damage type to avoid resistance (or capitalize upon vulnerability - awakened plants, mephits, mummies, twig blights, treants, flumphs, earth elementals, fire snakes, etc... ) matters a lot. Also note that this cantrip damages objects. So does firebolt, but many other cantrips do not. Finally - I believe we'll see the Hex treatment for Sorcerous Burst in this edition and see feats, subclass abilities, and magic items that interact with this cantrip to give it a boost. Honestly, when I read about it, I immediately assumed they'd be in the core books. Imagine if they add a way for you to add your Charisma to [I]each die[/I] you roll for Sorcerous Burst - similar to the bonus we get on each die of Eldritch Blast as a Warlock - but with the potential for more due to the exploding dice? That would make Sorcerous Burst the bomb. When I heard that there was a UA with Spellfire in it, I thought this might be where that subclass would go. We may get the ability to apply certain metamagics to cantrips at 0 cost ... and an empowered Sorcerous Burst is a different story. Regardless, when and if we get these enhancements, this cantrip might be massively more powerful. Right now, this is best as a "second damage" cantrip on a class that gets a lot of cantrips - but it could become the best cantrip in the game if we get the right magic item, feat or subclass. [/QUOTE]

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