Disrupt Undead + Elemental Bloodline Sorcerer


Rules Questions


Disrupt Undead deals positive energy damage. So can it be used with the elemental bloodline sorcerer's bloodline arcana to be converted into that energy type?


Yes.


Description states that it generates a beam of positive energy (which would imply that it CAN be changed), but the 'damage' itself is untyped and not cited as being elemental nor having resists apply.

Also, the spell itself specifies that it only inflicts damage when done to an undead though... The arguement could be made that given the elemental bloodline power does not change the nature of the spell (as stupid as it sounds, a Fire version of 'Polar Midnight' still technically encases you in ice) that you are at best doing D6 fire damage vs an undead target and it does nothing vs living targets.

Liberty's Edge

Hmm.. might be good vs undead with vulnerabilities... such as fire vs frost skeletons.


Pathfinder Adventure Path Subscriber

There are several very unclear areas with sorcerer bloodlines changing energy types. Per se i would say it can only be applied to other such energy types, especially the four normal ones (fire/cold/acid/electricity).

But even then some real problems arise with some spells, like cold descriptor spells doing secondary effects like encasing you in ice. Would that be fire then? It really does make up for some weird things.

Going from the elemental bloodline description i think no, because it mentions the 4 elemental types usually used for arcane magic which are air, earth, fire, or water. Even force and sonic seem to be excluded.

Liberty's Edge

PRD wrote:
Bloodline Arcana: Whenever you cast a spell that deals energy damage, you can change the type of damage to match the type of your bloodline. This also changes the spell's type to match the type of your bloodline.

It does kinda say 'whenever' you cast a spell that deals 'energy' damage... in a very non-specific way.


Pathfinder Adventure Path Subscriber

Yeah i know, but some time ago i asked a similar or even the same question. I don´t remember the exact reasoning anymore, but it was something like positive energy is different from elemental energy and can therefore not be influenced. Even then there would be the hindrances Ecaterina Ducaird pointed out.


I would argue that positive and negative energy are not elements, therefore they cannot be influenced by the elemental sorcerer's bloodline arcana. However, an umbral dragon has a negative energy breath weapon. Then again, the umbral dragon is weird.

Liberty's Edge

There are positive and negative energy elementals actually... so I might counter that positive and negative energy ARE elements.

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