NOW LIVE! Today's the day you meet your new best friend. You don’t have to leave Wolfy behind... In 'Pets & Sidekicks' your companions level up with you!

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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Treantmonklvl20" data-source="post: 7464351" data-attributes="member: 55582">Good catch, I'll make an edit.  I meant level 10.To some extent, it seems like a disagreement over which tastes worse, lima beans or liver.  They are both bad.  The reason I think Power Surge is a slight bit better is flexibility.  Potent Cantrip is only providing damage if we assume that: 1: You are casting a save or take damage cantrip in combat2: The enemy fails their save3: This happens multiple times per short restEven then, which battles are you casting cantrips?  I expect the easy battles.  These are the battles where that damage is less important.  When is the War Mage using power surge?  I imagine vs the big tough baddie, where more damage is important.  Also, as we go up from level 6, we would expect to use less and less cantrips in battle (eventually we use none, or near none).  Power surge on the other hand, will increase in damage as we go up in level, and we will always be able to use it.Still, they both are pretty bad.  Lima beans are worse though.I think Arcane Deflection is a great combat ability at low level.  I'm not using counterspell at that point, and if I can save a spell slot (that shield would use, or absorb elements would use) then that's quite valuable.  In addition, I might be out of spell slots entirely, in which case, this is a gift that keeps giving, with no downside at that point.As levels increase, I think it becomes more and more a non-combat ability.  Hit by a poison dart trap?  Arcane deflection for +4 to poison save.  That kind of thing.  My 20th level wizard would never use this in combat....I don't cast cantrips at that level much at all, and being restricted to cantrips is not worth it.</blockquote>

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