Unsimplified Fractions -- why?

[Jeph]

Looking through the Spell Compendium, I see some weird cases of level-dependent bonuses to rolls, damage, and so on that just seem... odd. For instance, in the Energy Spheres spell, each orb of energy deals 5 points of damage per 5 caster levels. Why not just one point of damage per level? The Ice Knife spell requires an attack roll with a +2 bonus per two caster levels. Why not just +1 per level?

What's the rationale behind this stuff?

 

[Nifft]

I'm guessing there were a few effects that grant a bonus of +X for every +Y levels, and only by coincidence did X == Y (after much testing).

But that's just a guess. (There might have been very little testing...)

-- N

 

[arscott]

Looking through the Spell Compendium, I see some weird cases of level-dependent bonuses to rolls, damage, and so on that just seem... odd. For instance, in the Energy Spheres spell, each orb of energy deals 5 points of damage per 5 caster levels. Why not just one point of damage per level? The Ice Knife spell requires an attack roll with a +2 bonus per two caster levels. Why not just +1 per level?

What's the rationale behind this stuff?

Scorching ray, from the PHB, works the same way. The reason it does this, as far as I can tell, is that it's more powerful than it should be at the level you get it.

The general guideline for energy damage-dealing spells is that they do 1d6/caster level. But a 3rd level wizard can do 4d6 w/ a scorching ray. Every four levels, they get an additional ray, So they're ahead of the 1d6 guideline at 3rd, 7th, and 11th, on par with the guideline at 4th, 8th, and 12th, and behind everywhere else.

Are the spells you mentioned more powerful enough that the awkward scaling is part of the spell balance?

 

[Victim]

Spells that gain their power in big steps are generally weaker than other spells. Sure, for a few "sweet spot" levels, the effects work out. But at other levels, the spell is weaker. Energy Spheres at 19th level does 15 per sphere, so it's a whole 20 points weaker than if it scaled smoothly.

Energy Spheres can deal 100 single target damage as a 4th level spell. Granted, the action cost is a bit weird and energy resistance screws it, but when it works, it dishes out damage far more effectively than other 4th level damaging spells.

Another thought is that not all spells will be designed by the same people. A 7th level caster researching a 4th level spell will either want the effect largely fixed (Enervation) or smooth scaling since he probably plans on becoming better. A high level caster researching a spell well below his max probably doesn't care about how it scales since he'll already be maxing it out.

 

[reanjr]

Various reasons I can think of are:

Easy to remember what your bonus is if it's always divisible by 5 (or 2 or whatever)
Breakpoints in power designed so that you have to wait for a while before the spell gets significantly more powerful
per 2 levels could be so that you get bonuses on even levels, while wizards/clerics gets new spells on odd levels. A sort of advancement-balancing factor
The spell is related to others that are per 5 levels, and this one just happens to be +5 while others might be +3/5 levels, etc.

 

[Mercule]

I always simplify the fractions. That stuff annoys me.

 

[Storyteller01]

Bigger bang and a goal for the caster.

'I'm 10th level!! That spell I've been using for +5 damage last levl is now +10! Woo Hoo!"

Not much, but it keeps players intersted.

 

[I'm A Banana]

I think the "delayed gratification" angle has a lot to do with it.

If you only get +2 every 2 caster levels, it makes you more likely to take 2 caster levels than just one, which doesn't get you anything. It keeps you in the class, and gives you a payoff for not multiclassing (unless you class into a full caster advancement style class, o'course).

 

[AdmundfortGeographer]

If you only get +2 every 2 caster levels, it makes you more likely to take 2 caster levels than just one, which doesn't get you anything. It keeps you in the class, and gives you a payoff for not multiclassing (unless you class into a full caster advancement style class, o'course).

I believe the quoted above is the biggest reason. And I'm okay with it even though it bugs me when I could gain a benefit were it otherwise. I'm more bothered by dipping into a class or PrC for a level or two.

 

[3catcircus]

I always simplify the fractions. That stuff annoys me.

This *isn't* a fraction (e.g. 5/5) that can be simplified (e.g. 5/5 = 1/1 = 1). For the example used, it is 5 points per every 5 levels. That means 5 pts at levels 1-5, 10 pts at level 6-10, 15 pts at levels 11-15, etc. A 3rd level caster does the same damage as a 5th level caster and a 7th level caster does the same damage as a 10th level caster.

You'd prefer fractions like: 5/1, 5/2, 5/3, 5/4, 5/5?