Hey folks, I started running Ruins of Azlant for a group and have been trying to wrap my head around the aquatic combat rules that are presented in both the CRB and Aquatic Adventures.
I made a flowchart to try to get them to be as black and white as possible. Even with Aquatic Adventures supplementing the CRB, there were still some things that struck me as grey. I'd love other people's thoughts on this, if I missed anything, or if it seems like I got something wrong.
I'm trying to pick spells for an unlettered arcanist in a Carrion Crown campaign. We just started Ashes at Dawn, so there's going to be lots of vampires. I'm using the Witch spells based on my archetype, and I'm trying to vet them to make sure they work on undead (a lot of them seem like they would at first blush, but then for some reason won't either due to needing to target a living creature, spell wording, or some undead immunity that I forget about [like polymorph]).
Anywho, I believe that the general consensus on the forums about light spells harming vampires is that the spell needs to specifically call out that it has an extra effect for creatures harmed by light, but the spell "Unbreable Brightness" seems ambiguous to me because it does call out an extra effect for creatures sensitive to bright light, and it does counter magical darkness, but it doesn't specifically mention damage anywhere (probably because it isn't a damaging spell, normally).
Quote:
Unbearable Brightness Description:
School evocation [light]; Level alchemist 4, sorcerer/wizard 4, witch 4
CASTING
Casting Time 1 standard action
Components V, S
EFFECT
Range personal and 30 ft. (see text)
Area 30-ft.-radius emanation centered on you
Duration 1 round/level
Saving Throw none and Reflex partial (see text); Spell Resistance no and yes (see text)
DESCRIPTION
Your body glows with a terrible light. Creatures within 30 feet of you that can see you are dazzled (no saving throw). Creatures with light sensitivity must succeed at a Reflex saving throw or be blinded. This light counts as daylight for the purpose of affecting darkness effects (and vice versa). If the emanation enters an area under the effect of magical darkness (or vice versa), both effects are temporarily negated so that the otherwise prevailing light conditions exist in the overlapping areas of effect. Dazzled and blinded conditions from your light end when the spell ends or when the creature is out of line of sight.
So, if you flipped this spell on around some vampires, it seems clear it would blind them if they failed their save, but would it harm them like sunlight would?
I'm leaning towards an interpretation of no based on what is written, but then I think about the fact that it counters magical darkness and the fact that the spell first appeared in the Undead Slayer's Handbook, and I start to think that maybe it was intended to count as sunlight for these sorts of purposes.
So, first question: What do you all think about this spell?
Second question: Any confirmed anti-vampire spells on the witch spell list that you can think of up to level 6 that I should look into that might let me kill vampires without trailing them back to their coffins? The only one I have come up so far with is Banish Seeming to force them back into corporeal form once they are reduced to zero hitpoints, which, I think, will then allow me to season it (aka stuff garlic in its mouth), stake it, and decapitate, which should do the trick. But it'd be nice to have a less labor-intensive option, since Banish Seeming will only keep it in solid form for about a minute.
Hi folks, I searched the forums for this and... I don't think it's been discussed before, but I just noticed something about the spell Stormbolts that I'm surprised has never come up.
Spell Description:
School evocation [electricity]; Level cleric/oracle 8, druid 8, shaman 8, sorcerer/wizard 8, witch 8; Elemental School air 8, metal 8
CASTING
Casting Time 1 standard action
Components V, S, M/DF (a copper rod)
EFFECT
Range 30 ft.
Area a 30-ft.-radius spread, centered on you
Duration instantaneous
Saving Throw Fortitude partial; Spell Resistance yes
DESCRIPTION
When you cast this spell, lightning spills forth from your body in all directions. The bolts do not harm natural vegetation or creatures in the area you wish to exclude from damage. Any other creatures within the area take 1d8 points of electricity damage per caster level (maximum 20d8) and are stunned for 1 round. A successful Saving Throw halves the damage and negates the stun effect.
It requires a fortitude save for half damage and to negate its stun effect. This is cool, because it is a blasting spell that doesn't rely on reflex.
However, read as written, doesn't that mean that undead are immune to it? Or at least that they necessarily take half damage from it, since they are immune to effects that require fortitude saves?
Undead Creature Type:
Traits: An undead creature possesses the following traits (unless otherwise noted in a creature’s entry).
No Constitution score. Undead use their Charisma score in place of their Constitution score when calculating hit points, Fortitude saves, and any special ability that relies on Constitution(such as when calculating a breath weapon’s DC).
Darkvision 60 feet.
Immunity to all mind-affecting effects (charms, compulsions, morale effects, patterns, and phantasms).
Immunity to bleed, death effects, disease, paralysis, poison, sleep effects, and stunning.
Not subject to nonlethal damage, ability drain, or energy drain. Immune to damage to its physical ability scores (Constitution, Dexterity, and Strength), as well as to exhaustion and fatigue effects.
Cannot heal damage on its own if it has no Intelligence score, although it can be healed. Negative energy (such as an inflict spell) can heal undead creatures. The fast healing special quality works regardless of the creature’s Intelligence score.
Immunity to any effect that requires a Fortitude save (unless the effect also works on objects or is harmless).
Aggressive Thundercloud has two saves: one for the stun effect (fort) and one for the damage (ref), but since Stormbolts relies both on fort... That's got me scratching my head, because it makes no sense in regards to what kind of spell it is (an evocation blasting spell) that its damage would be ineffective against undead.
Thoughts? Has this ever come up to anyone's knowledge? How do you think it was intended? How have you played it?
