Blight spell - 99% useless, 1% tactical nuclear strike

[Epic Meepo]

Blight is the worst spell in the game.

99% of the time, it is entirely worthless. In combat, a druid or wizard can use blight to deal 1d6/level damage to a single plant creature touched. Compare to flame strike (a druid spell of the same level) and cone of cold (a wizard spell of the same level); these deal the same damage to multiple creatures of all types at a range.

The other 1% of the time, it is earth-shatteringly powerful. For the purpose of this discussion, "the other 1% of the time" refers to times when player characters encounter a Sargasso that consists of a single humongous plant; an elven city built in boughs of an ancient tree; or a plane-spanning World Tree.

In these cases, blight becomes, "Ooh, my 4th-spell just destroyed that entire Sargasso/elven city/plane of existence!" That's what can happen when a spell causes a single plant of any size to automatically wither or die (no save).

[James Jacobs]

Agreed.

Blight is lame.

[Sharoth]

Blight is a blight to all spellcasters!

[Set]

Epic Meepo wrote:

The other 1% of the time, it is earth-shatteringly powerful. For the purpose of this discussion, "the other 1% of the time" refers to times when player characters encounter a Sargasso that consists of a single humongous plant; an elven city built in boughs of an ancient tree; or a plane-spanning World Tree.

Elven spelljammer ships were made from single living plants, even the 100 ton plus Armada. That would be a fun spell for an Scro Druid to have prepared!

"That's no moon..."

[KnightErrantJR]

Set wrote:

Elven spelljammer ships were made from single living plants, even the 100 ton plus Armada. That would be a fun spell for an Scro Druid to have prepared!

"That's no moon..."

Why do you think the Unhuman Wars went on as long as they did. ;)

[JoelF847]

I don't think blight is that bad - just specialized. It does typeless damage to plant creatures, which is something a druid should be good at fighting. Lots of the plant monsters out there have resistances to energy types, so a spell like blight is good vs. them.

I'd not prepare this spell in general, but if you know you're going to be fighting an evil druid or a corrupted forest, then prepare a bunch - you can always burn them for summoning.

[Ross Byers]

Perhaps, like disintegrate, it should have an upper limit to the amount of plant matter affected? So that city tree might lose a chunk, but you can't kill Yggdrassil with it.

[JoelF847]

You can also rule that something like the world tree, a magical sargasso, etc. are magical plants, and not affected by the spell the way a non-magical plant would be.

[Sueki Suezo]

Ross Byers wrote:

Perhaps, like disintegrate, it should have an upper limit to the amount of plant matter affected? So that city tree might lose a chunk, but you can't kill Yggdrassil with it.

I support this idea. Turning it into a "plants only" Disintegrate might be the best way to handle this spell.

[minkscooter]

JoelF847 wrote:

It does typeless damage to plant creatures, which is something a druid should be good at fighting.

Good point. I don't think plants are that uncommon an enemy type.

Some text limiting what is meant by "a plant that isn't a creature" seems like a good idea. Somehow I suspect that "plant of any size" was a simple failure to imagine plants of extraordinary size, hence the unanticipated tactical nuke.

Although it doesn't fit the strict definition of the word "blight", you could add fungus, allowing the spell to damage myconids and molds. That way the spell is effective underground, not just above-ground.