Damage for Elemental Ray?

I just rolled up a sorcerer and took the elemental Bloodline. I'm a little confused on the damage for elemental ray, lets say that I'm 4th level would I roll 1d6+3 or 3d6+1?
Thanks for any info to clear this up.

I just rolled up a sorcerer and took the elemental Bloodline. I'm a little confused on the damage for elemental ray, lets say that I'm 4th level would I roll 1d6+3 or 3d6+1?

Thanks for any info to clear this up.

It is 1d6+2. The formula is 1d6+(level/2)

Carpe Diem wrote:

I just rolled up a sorcerer and took the elemental Bloodline. I'm a little confused on the damage for elemental ray, lets say that I'm 4th level would I roll 1d6+3 or 3d6+1?

Thanks for any info to clear this up.

It is 1d6+2. The formula is 1d6+(level/2)

So a 4th level would be 1d6+3 correct, if it is +1 evey 2 level?

Nope, 1D6+2.

Here is how it reads. "This ray deals 1d6 points of damage of your energy type + 1 for every two sorcerer levels you possess." Nothing there about getting an additional +1 at the start. Essentially you get +1 on every even level.

The table would go as such.

1st level 1D6
2nd level 1D6+1
3rd level 1D6+1
4th level 1D6+2
5th level 1D6+2
etc...

:edit Oops, slight change to the table.

Aarrr!

No, it would be 1d6+2. It says "+1 for every 2 sorcerer levels you possess", which can be calculated by this formula: 1d6 + (sorcerer level divided by 2, rounded down). Therefore:

Lv1: 1d6+0
Lv2: 1d6+1
Lv3: 1d6+1
Lv4: 1d6+2
Lv5: 1d6+2
Lv6: 1d6+3
Lv7: 1d6+3
...etc.

{edit} argh! outposted while typing!
{edit again} don't forget to round down. Unless otherwise stated, always round down.

Thank you for clearing that up for me!
Now that I know that starting out at 1st level it's 1d6 not 1d6+1.

Hi,

I had the same question. Thanks for the info, but doesn't that make the ability fairly useless beyond, say, 5th level? Even if it were interpreted as "(1d6 points of damage of your energy type + 1) for every two sorcerer levels," which is what I originally assumed when I chose the bloodline, it's not terribly impressive. It doesn't even always hit! With my lousy BAB and -1 dex modifier, it only hits about a third of the time.

3d6+3 is still pretty lame damage for a 6th level character to be dishing out, and if it really is only 1d6+3 he's never going to use it. A magic missile at that level does 3d4+3, and always hits. If the ray were a swift action, then, at d6+3, it would seem reasonable. As a standard action it is just useless.

Compare this to the draconic bloodline, for instance, which gets +1 per die of damage ADDED to any spell using the right energy type. This means that my 5th level sorcerer is adding an extra +5 to his fireball (or the 1st level burning hands, or others), from his bloodline ability. Fireball is an area effect spell, so the +5 is potentially dishing out 15 or 25 or more extra points of damage overall. And this is IN ADDITION to his fireball, so it's the equivalent of a free action.

The pathetic little elemental sorcerer, on the other hand, gets to do less damage, and only to a single target, INSTEAD OF casting a spell.

Am I missing something? Did I just cripple myself by choosing a bloodline power based on role-playing instead of min-maxing?

It's not meant to be your signature ability. It's meant to replace your light crossbow. In other words, when you don't have anything better to do, you can still contribute with "magic" instead of a mundane weapon.

It's not meant to be your signature ability. It's meant to replace your light crossbow. In other words, when you don't have anything better to do, you can still contribute with "magic" instead of a mundane weapon.

Ahh. So, you're saying that it's something I'm intended never to use. Thanks for the info. I wonder if it isn't too late to convince my GM to let me change to a useful bloodline -- role-playing be darned.

Its useful at low level when you actually run out of spells.

Hi,

I had the same question. Thanks for the info, but doesn't that make the ability fairly useless beyond, say, 5th level? Even if it were interpreted as "(1d6 points of damage of your energy type + 1) for every two sorcerer levels," which is what I originally assumed when I chose the bloodline, it's not terribly impressive. It doesn't even always hit! With my lousy BAB and -1 dex modifier, it only hits about a third of the time.

3d6+3 is still pretty lame damage for a 6th level character to be dishing out, and if it really is only 1d6+3 he's never going to use it. A magic missile at that level does 3d4+3, and always hits. If the ray were a swift action, then, at d6+3, it would seem reasonable. As a standard action it is just useless.

Compare this to the draconic bloodline, for instance, which gets +1 per die of damage ADDED to any spell using the right energy type. This means that my 5th level sorcerer is adding an extra +5 to his fireball (or the 1st level burning hands, or others), from his bloodline ability. Fireball is an area effect spell, so the +5 is potentially dishing out 15 or 25 or more extra points of damage overall. And this is IN ADDITION to his fireball, so it's the equivalent of a free action.

The pathetic little elemental sorcerer, on the other hand, gets to do less damage, and only to a single target, INSTEAD OF casting a spell.

Am I missing something? Did I just cripple myself by choosing a bloodline power based on role-playing instead of min-maxing?

Don't compare abilities to arcanas.

The elemental sorceror gets to change any energy damage spell to his elemental bloodline type. So, a water elemental sorcerer can do iceballs or an air can do lightningballs. That's a lot more useful than +dice damage depending on what you encounter.

If you want to compare abilities, the pathetic draconic sorcerer gets to do 1d4 damage, has to be in melee to use it, and it's only to a single target (unless he has cleave) instead of casting an energy ray from up to 30ft away that does more damage and pierces DR.

Fair enough. I was comparing different categories. However, the draconic sorcerer does not do 1d4, he does 2d4, because he has two claws. I agree though that it is tougher to work with, because he has to be in melee, and is fighting the real AC, not the touch AC.

However, I don't see that the ability to change my fireball to be an iceball is anywhere near as useful as just adding +5 to its damage. There are very few things that take extra damage from cold -- I might meet two of them in a year. The +1/damage die affects against every single enemy the draconic sorcerer meets.

As an aside, is it appropriate to be adding the +1/damage die to burning hands, which is only a first level spell and only uses d4's not d6's?

Fair enough. I was comparing different categories. However, the draconic sorcerer does not do 1d4, he does 2d4, because he has two claws. I agree though that it is tougher to work with, because he has to be in melee, and is fighting the real AC, not the touch AC.

However, I don't see that the ability to change my fireball to be an iceball is anywhere near as useful as just adding +5 to its damage. There are very few things that take extra damage from cold -- I might meet two of them in a year. The +1/damage die affects against every single enemy the draconic sorcerer meets.

As an aside, is it appropriate to be adding the +1/damage die to burning hands, which is only a first level spell and only uses d4's not d6's?

But there are plenty of things you meet that might be resistant to fire...

Also with respect to the draconic bloodline you get two attacks (both harder to hit as you point out) but you're also easier to hit as they don't have to move to get you.

However, I don't see that the ability to change my fireball to be an iceball is anywhere near as useful as just adding +5 to its damage. There are very few things that take extra damage from cold -- I might meet two of them in a year. The +1/damage die affects against every single enemy the draconic sorcerer meets.

You never run into things with fire resistance? Like pretty much every outsider ever?

As an aside, is it appropriate to be adding the +1/damage die to burning hands, which is only a first level spell and only uses d4's not d6's?

Yes.

However, I don't see that the ability to change my fireball to be an iceball is anywhere near as useful as just adding +5 to its damage. There are very few things that take extra damage from cold -- I might meet two of them in a year. The +1/damage die affects against every single enemy the draconic sorcerer meets.

Well, it also let's you avoid fire resistance, which is by far the most common type. You also get the ability later (9th level I think) to do an AoE burst that gives the targets vulnerability to your type. So you use that on a group, follow it up with a quickened ice-burning hands or ice-fireball, then next tuen, you cast another two spells at them. Very little will survive that.