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Cold Ice Strike (page 211): What are the components for this spell? Is its casting time 1 swift action?
The Components should be: V, S, M (a small crystal or glass rod).
The casting time is correct.
The Range should be 30 ft. and the Area should be a 30-ft. line. All references to "cone" in the spell description should be "line."
Update: Page 211, cold ice strike, after Casting Time, add a line with "Components V, S, M (a small crystal or glass rod)." Change Range to "30 ft." Change Area to "30-ft. line." Change two references in the spell description from "cone" to "line."—Sean K Reynolds, yesterday
So cold ice strike is now the functional equivalent of a Quickened level 2 spell which does 1d6 damage/level in a 30ft line, Reflex save for half... that actually sounds about right... but then it also has a damage cap of 15d6 - too high for a level 2 spell equivalent?
The damage cap chart on page 130 of Ultimate Magic suggests a level 2 arcane spell should be doing a maximum of 10 dice to a single target, and only 5 dice to an area. Granted, a 'line' area is often borderline 'single target', especially at only 6 grid spaces long, but even if the 10d6 cap was used that would make cold ice strike the equivalent of an Intensified Quickened level 2 spell, which should work out at level 7. If we're a little more stringent in our interpretation and use the 'mutliple targets' column of the damage cap table it's the equivalent of an Intensified Quickened level 3 spell - or a level 8 spell.
Of course, being its own level 6 spell (and not a metamagiced up level 2 or 3 spell) also makes the thing harder to save against.
So cold ice strike gives some serious bang for its buck... enough that I'd call it a 'must have' for any blaster mage, and many other casters too (swift action casting time for offensive spells is just that good).
So... is a 'stealth fix' for a perceived lack in the blasting magic field, or simply over-powered, or does it nicely fill a niche?
Thoughts?
considering blast spells are sub par by default i see nothing wrong with it.
considering blast spells are sub par by default i see nothing wrong with it.
I saw nothing wrong with it before the fix. I still maintain that Cone of Cold should be level 4, not 5, and that blasting is simply inefficient most of the time. The old version simply made the spell worth memorizing in case you had swift actions to spare, or maybe to make a blaster Sorc particularly viable once you got to level 12.
I think the spell is a better fit at level 7, compared to a quickened cone of cold, but judging it a bit weak for a 5th level spell, making it level 8 reduce the area some and level 7 seems a good fit..
I do not agree with this being a cleric spell though, it sets a bad precedent, at least have the decency to make it a level higher for clerics if you have to give it to them, but I do not see a spell dealing elemental damage to be a cleric type spell, druid maybe..
My only complaint is that it has the same spell level each for wizards&sorcerers as for clerics&oracles...
EDIT: I view this as an Ok spell, while it has great damage and casting time, it remains only a line, indeed a short line. You're not going to hit as many targets with it, as it is the general purpose of an evocation spell, but still too good as a divine spell...
The damage cap chart on page 130 of Ultimate Magic suggests...
Those damage charts are weird. According to the chart Burning Hands is over powered.
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Those damage charts are weird. According to the chart Burning Hands is over powered.
Oh, I agree - and also realise that the whole spell-designing thing is 'as much art as science' and all that.
Cold ice strike is a level 6 spell for Sorcerers / Wizards and (gods forbid) Clerics. A level 11 Wizard can take this, and all level 11 Clerics now know it automatically. At that level your suggested Wealth by Level is 82,000gp. A Lesser Metamagic Rod of Quicken costs 35,000gp, and a normal Metamagic Rod of Quicken costs a whopping 75,500gp - and those seem the only other way to reasonably approach the action economy / damage output combination of this spell.
I guess the question is: does the relatively low range and area mitigate the high damage / high save / swift action combo which the spell otherwise produces? That, in turn, seems to boil down to the question: does a relatively low range and area cancel out the usual 4-level bump a Quickened spell requires? Enlarge Spell + Widen Spell, although not an exact corrolation (since they don't really work that way with line-based areas), are a 4-level bump too, so maybe they do cancel out?
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I agree I dont have a problem with it for wizards/sorcerers but got to boggle at the cleric thing.
Every cold ice strike a cleric prepares is a slot she doesn't prepare heal. I think the intention was to throw water oracles a bone.
I don't think there is any brokenness here. The Quicken Spell feat is much more versatile. Also, by the time 6th level spells are on the table, direct damage options are becoming rather meh.
Spontaneous casters can't metamagic cold ice strike without ruining the casting time.
I guess the question is: does the relatively low range and area mitigate the high damage / high save / swift action combo which the spell otherwise produces?
I've never been all that concerned with evocation spells. Often times to have competitive damage you need to focus on a single element, which leaves you extremely vulnerable to elemental resistance or immunity. Resist Energy is a level 2 spell and at level 11 negates 40 points of damage. At level 11, this spell averages 38.5 damage without any special bonuses. If you roll max damage, 66, a successful save will take no damage with Resist Energy up.
I agree I dont have a problem with it for wizards/sorcerers but got to boggle at the cleric thing.Every cold ice strike a cleric prepares is a slot she doesn't prepare heal. I think the intention was to throw water oracles a bone.
I don't think there is any brokenness here. The Quicken Spell feat is much more versatile. Also, by the time 6th level spells are on the table, direct damage options are becoming rather meh.
Spontaneous casters can't metamagic cold ice strike without ruining the casting time.
I see no brokenness, only lose in flavour (swift blasting spell to clerics).
I see the point of water oracle, but in this case just add it to HIS spell list.
Nothing so wrong, I admit. Perhaps elemental themed clerics are more suitable now, which is good. Odd there is not an archetype helping this (but there are domains).
