|
Okay, so this has come up in my last two sessions. Our sorcerer casts Color Spray, the enemies fail their save, and suddenly instead of a combat encounter, the players walk around and coup de graux everyone. So I'm left wondering, does anyone else find that Color Spray is overpowered for a first level spell? Even the power gamers in my group think that it is overpowered.
In a level or two, the opponents your PCs face will be shrugging off this spell or merely lose a round due to stunning. Really, think of it as an insurance policy that'll get your low-level PCs to live a while.
Okay, so this has come up in my last two sessions. Our sorcerer casts Color Spray, the enemies fail their save, and suddenly instead of a combat encounter, the players walk around and coup de graux everyone. So I'm left wondering, does anyone else find that Color Spray is overpowered for a first level spell? Even the power gamers in my group think that it is overpowered.
At low levels the spell may be overpowered. However, in PFRPG and in SRD/3.x a stunned creature is generally not considered helpless. Coup de Grace may only be used against helpless creatures. Thus you would be unable to Coup de Grace a creature that failed a save versus color spray.
|
|
In a level or two, the opponents your PCs face will be shrugging off this spell or merely lose a round due to stunning. Really, think of it as an insurance policy that'll get your low-level PCs to live a while.
Indeed, color spray and sleep are both that way. I let my low level PC's enjoy them because they are useless after level 5, or so.
|
|
Okay, so this has come up in my last two sessions. Our sorcerer casts Color Spray, the enemies fail their save, and suddenly instead of a combat encounter, the players walk around and coup de graux everyone. So I'm left wondering, does anyone else find that Color Spray is overpowered for a first level spell? Even the power gamers in my group think that it is overpowered.At low levels the spell may be overpowered. However, in PFRPG and in SRD/3.x a stunned creature is generally not considered helpless. Coup de Grace may only be used against helpless creatures. Thus you would be unable to Coup de Grace a creature that failed a save versus color spray.
Except that two HD or under they are unconcious, blinded, and stunned initally. Yu can Coup de grace unconcious opponents.
Except that two HD or under they are unconcious, blinded, and stunned initally. Yu can Coup de grace unconcious opponents.Okay, so this has come up in my last two sessions. Our sorcerer casts Color Spray, the enemies fail their save, and suddenly instead of a combat encounter, the players walk around and coup de graux everyone. So I'm left wondering, does anyone else find that Color Spray is overpowered for a first level spell? Even the power gamers in my group think that it is overpowered.At low levels the spell may be overpowered. However, in PFRPG and in SRD/3.x a stunned creature is generally not considered helpless. Coup de Grace may only be used against helpless creatures. Thus you would be unable to Coup de Grace a creature that failed a save versus color spray.
Well, there's always the flip side, if a 1st level wizard/sorcerer PC can cast it, a first level wizard/sorcerer NPC can cast it too, so it's just as valuable a tool to the NPC's as it is to the PC's. If it was barred from one side or the other it may be a tad overpowered. But, if you really feel there's a problem with the spell, simply go the way of Sleep and put a HD cap on it, 4 (like sleep) or 6 or something and allow a 3rd level character to empower it and move the HD up by 1.5, all other rules would apply normally.
Color spray is pretty solid except for the fact that it's a cone effect. If the defenders make their saves the caster is usually pretty wide open. Which is why most casters opt for sleep.
It's actually pretty decent at mid levels against low will save enemies too but casters generally get even more danger averse at that point.
15 foot range blindness negates, illusion mind affecting, and HD dependant, with a save throw. Overall I go with a no on too powerful. There are many creature types that you will face at low levels that are straight immune to the spell (undead, animated objects, vermin, anything with blindsight). After about 4th level it becomes near useless.
When it works it is nice. When finger of death works it is nice, same with cloudkill.
Color spray is ok, if spells like this weren't available at low level I'd say spellcasters are extremely underpowered at low levels compared to melee classes.
The effects of Color Spray are good, but think of this way: If your low HD enemies were hit by a shocking grasp or burning hands cast by the same caster, how would they fare?
Really, Color Spray provides a nice non-damage alternative in low-level spells. Given the fact that low-level casters do not have many spells, and that the effect against higher HD opponents quickly scales back, I don't see much problem with it.
And, as always, if the PCs are abusing a loop-hole, use it against them. They'll quickly figure out a way to defeat it and, in doing so, show you a good defense.
The first time you encounter it used to its full effect you will think it is OP. Then you will learn as a DM and throw enemies at them that have immunity or have a good will save or a mob that aren't in cone formation.
The first encounter in the first campaign I ran way back when was ruined by this spell. It was a mob of goblins with the swarm fighting feat, which I thought would be a cool and unique way to introduce a rather standard D&D monster. One color spray and they were out like a light and mopped up by the other PCs. Only time it ever worked out that way though, in other multiple monster encounters they would be spread out or some would make their save making the spell useful but not an auto-win, which is just about right power-wise IMO.
Agreement with meatrace. Also remember most encounters shouldn't be a "do or Die" fight or even neccesarily hard for the characters. A "normal" fight should expend roughly 1/5 of the parties resources (sometimes more sometimes less) and you shouldn't blame the party for bad rolls on your behalf just like they shouldn't blame the DM for their own bad rolls.
At first level most wizards will only have 3~4 first level spells, if one of them takes out an encounter 1/4 of his first level spells are gone. That's about right.
It will be an odd situation where a wizard will get more than 3 opponents with color spray and if the wizard was bold enough to get up there and get 7 opponents in his cone, and they all fail their save, don't sweat it... there will be plenty of times he'll cast a spell against his enemies to no effect, and have the same frustration on his end as you just had.
there will be plenty of times he'll cast a spell against his enemies to no effect, and have the same frustration on his end as you just had.
Ain't that the truth! XD
Color spray is an amazing spell. I think it's close, but just shy of overpowered.
It's actually pretty balanced with sleep. The key element in sleep versus color spray is the medium range. Spell casters typically like to hide either inside party ranks or behind the party and blast things from a distance. Sleep lets you put things to sleep from over 100 ft away. The 1 round casting time is worse than color spray's standard action. But if you're fairly far away from the action or being well-guarded, who cares? Color spray is more of a reactive spell and sleep is a proactive spell.
I may be wrong, but I thought color spray was cone of 60 feet. That means if the enemy makes the save the player might get a brand new character sheet to use. I did not check the book.
I may be wrong, but I thought color spray was cone of 60 feet. That means if the enemy makes the save the player might get a brand new character sheet to use. I did not check the book.15 feet I believe.
Even worse, there is nobody in front to protect him because they would have been hit also.
Color spray is in about the same ballpark as Magic Missile. If there were "half" spell levels, they'd both be sitting at around 1.5.
It's a very good 1st level spell, at the time in your adventuring career where it's full use is available. It would be a pretty weak 2nd level spell.
If there wasn't an HD cap, or if you are playing in an E6 game (where a large portion of creatures in the world could feel the full effects of the spell), it might warrant a change.
Standard D&D gaming it should be fine.
|
|
Color spray is in about the same ballpark as Magic Missile. If there were "half" spell levels, they'd both be sitting at around 1.5.
It's a very good 1st level spell, at the time in your adventuring career where it's full use is available. It would be a pretty weak 2nd level spell.
If there wasn't an HD cap, or if you are playing in an E6 game (where a large portion of creatures in the world could feel the full effects of the spell), it might warrant a change.
Standard D&D gaming it should be fine.
Sleep has a HD cap. Color Spray does not. I know, I have checked repeatedly. In my mind that is the biggest thing that makes it potentially overpowered.
|
|
Color spray is pretty solid except for the fact that it's a cone effect. If the defenders make their saves the caster is usually pretty wide open. Which is why most casters opt for sleep.
It's actually pretty decent at mid levels against low will save enemies too but casters generally get even more danger averse at that point.
S
PO
I
L
E
R
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
We have been playing Bastards of Erabus. The Hellknights have pretty bad will saves, -1 to be exact. Even using point buy, the player running the sorcerer number monkeyed it so that the save DC is 15. Tht means that each Hellknight has to roll at least a 16 to save. The only spellcaser they have actually faced so far is a cleric of Asmodeus, and although he got off burning hands on the first round, the sorcerer and his bodyguard (yes, my players assign bodyguards to arcane spellcasters) both made their Ref saves and only took a point of damage each. Then the sorcerer got off Color Spray before any of the Hellknights got off the wagon and the whole encounter went down hill. They still had the cleric to deal with but the fighter and the druid did a pretty good job of handling him while the sorcerer and the monk freed the prisoner.
Sleep has a HD cap. Color Spray does not. I know, I have checked repeatedly. In my mind that is the biggest thing that makes it potentially overpowered.Color spray is in about the same ballpark as Magic Missile. If there were "half" spell levels, they'd both be sitting at around 1.5.
It's a very good 1st level spell, at the time in your adventuring career where it's full use is available. It would be a pretty weak 2nd level spell.
If there wasn't an HD cap, or if you are playing in an E6 game (where a large portion of creatures in the world could feel the full effects of the spell), it might warrant a change.
Standard D&D gaming it should be fine.
Well technically no, it doesnt have an HD cap. But it scales back considerably in effect. A 15 foot cone that stuns for one round is not a win button. So once enemies start having 5HD it becomes a pretty poor and mostly replacable spell. At low levels its a win button, but then again, most things are. One solid hit will drop a goblin. So why shouldn't 1 failed save do the same?
|
Okay, so this has come up in my last two sessions. Our sorcerer casts Color Spray, the enemies fail their save, and suddenly instead of a combat encounter, the players walk around and coup de graux everyone. So I'm left wondering, does anyone else find that Color Spray is overpowered for a first level spell? Even the power gamers in my group think that it is overpowered.
no.. its not overpowered when there is a pretty chance that it gets your own people, so its not very workable in meele
if you want to nerf it do it IN YOUR table, lets see how the wizard react.
dammit why there is alwayss omeone complaining about one spell or another?
i have seen it in work when it half incapacitated also the party but not 1 of the enemies... so it was still a tought encounter...
and yes color spray might not have a level cap... except the will save... which will go up... will the DC unless its an Enchanter won't really go up... and enchanters don't have to many offensive spells
Color spray is pretty solid except for the fact that it's a cone effect. If the defenders make their saves the caster is usually pretty wide open. Which is why most casters opt for sleep.
It's actually pretty decent at mid levels against low will save enemies too but casters generally get even more danger averse at that point.
S
P
O
I
L
E
R
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
We have been playing Bastards of Erabus. The Hellknights have pretty bad will saves, -1 to be exact. Even using point buy, the player running the sorcerer number monkeyed it so that the save DC is 15. Tht means that each Hellknight has to roll at least a 16 to save. The only spellcaser they have actually faced so far is a cleric of Asmodeus, and although he got off burning hands on the first round, the sorcerer and his bodyguard (yes, my players assign bodyguards to arcane spellcasters) both made their Ref saves and only took a point of damage each. Then the sorcerer got off Color Spray before any of the Hellknights got off the wagon and the whole encounter went down hill. They still had the cleric to deal with but the fighter and the druid did a pretty good job of handling him while the sorcerer and the monk freed the prisoner.
I recomend not lining your enemies up in neat little rows. If you spread them out a bit he cant take them all down with a single color spray. I also recommend the resistance spell or better yet, protection from x where x is whatever your party sorc is.
|
|
I recomend not lining your enemies up in neat little rows. If you spread them out a bit he cant take them all down with a single color spray. I also recommend the resistance spell or better yet, protection from x where x is whatever your party sorc is.Color spray is pretty solid except for the fact that it's a cone effect. If the defenders make their saves the caster is usually pretty wide open. Which is why most casters opt for sleep.
It's actually pretty decent at mid levels against low will save enemies too but casters generally get even more danger averse at that point.
S
P
O
I
L
E
R
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
We have been playing Bastards of Erabus. The Hellknights have pretty bad will saves, -1 to be exact. Even using point buy, the player running the sorcerer number monkeyed it so that the save DC is 15. Tht means that each Hellknight has to roll at least a 16 to save. The only spellcaser they have actually faced so far is a cleric of Asmodeus, and although he got off burning hands on the first round, the sorcerer and his bodyguard (yes, my players assign bodyguards to arcane spellcasters) both made their Ref saves and only took a point of damage each. Then the sorcerer got off Color Spray before any of the Hellknights got off the wagon and the whole encounter went down hill. They still had the cleric to deal with but the fighter and the druid did a pretty good job of handling him while the sorcerer and the monk freed the prisoner.
Well, in this particular scenario the adventure has the PCs ambushing a group of Hellknights on a prison wagon. It even describes where each Hellknight is when the encounter starts. The sorcerer got a better initative then the Hellknights, so they did not have the chance to move before they were hit. The othr encounter was with a group of goblins in the sewer.
if you want to nerf it do it IN YOUR table, lets see how the wizard react.
dammit why there is alwayss omeone complaining about one spell or another?
Well the simple answer is that if you don't like to read about people complaining about one spell or another, then don't read the thread. Ihave seen lots of things that I don't think people should be complaining about, but I try to just stay clear of those threads. Ignoring threads that discuss things you don't want to see talked about is a lot beter then popping in to troll them.
|
|
It will be an odd situation where a wizard will get more than 3 opponents with color spray and if the wizard was bold enough to get up there and get 7 opponents in his cone, and they all fail their save, don't sweat it...
Also, if the caster throws out that color spray while adjacent to any foes, they have to make a pretty scary concentration check to cast defensively, now. (DC 17 for 1d20+CL+casting ability modifier)
|
|
Well the simple answer is that if you don't like to read about people complaining about one spell or another, then don't read the thread. Ihave seen lots of things that I don't think people should be complaining about, but I try to just stay clear of those threads. Ignoring threads that discuss things you don't want to see talked about is a lot beter then popping in to troll them.if you want to nerf it do it IN YOUR table, lets see how the wizard react.
dammit why there is alwayss omeone complaining about one spell or another?
sorry David... but since one of the things that keeps getting me away from Pathfinder are the common Nerfs they do... some of them comming from threads like this I will continue "trolling" but as I saw you didn't read the rest of the message, your lose... again its your game, you could do what you prefer with it, please don't reuin it to everyone else
I don't believe that it is overpowered.
You can only affect a maximum of 6 medium creatures, all of whom are within 15' of you (meaning that even the heavy armored fighter or dwarf can reach the un-armored caster).
If you are in melee reach, you have a high DC for a low level caster to meet to cast defensively.
The spell is less effective as the caster goes up in levels (assuming that the opponents do as well).
Well, in this particular scenario the adventure has the PCs ambushing a group of Hellknights on a prison wagon. It even describes where each Hellknight is when the encounter starts. The sorcerer got a better initative then the Hellknights, so they did not have the chance to move before they were hit. The othr encounter was with a group of goblins in the sewer.
Published adventures are not written in stone, you can and should adjust it for your party and their tendancies. Even if ambushed, they could be in a defensive marching formation so to speak. I am unfamiliar with the particular encounter, but theres no reason to leave them bunched up if you know your sorc likes to throw out color sprays.
|
|
Well, there's always the flip side, if a 1st level wizard/sorcerer PC can cast it, a first level wizard/sorcerer NPC can cast it too, so it's just as valuable a tool to the NPC's as it is to the PC's.
That's actually my issue with it. Love it as a player, but as a DM, if I'm putting a 1st level Sorcerer in a group run up against the party, giving him Color Spray or Sleep is a great way to have a total party wipe, while giving him Magic Missile, Burning Hands or Ray of Enfeeblement is a great way to ensure that he annoys a single person before dying horribly...
A single target Sleep or Color Spray at 1st level might be a better choice (with scaling level / HD caps?). Taking out a single opponent wouldn't be nearly as encounter-nuking as possibly wiping out an entire encounter (or, as an NPC, TPK'ing the entire party!).
Well, there's always the flip side, if a 1st level wizard/sorcerer PC can cast it, a first level wizard/sorcerer NPC can cast it too, so it's just as valuable a tool to the NPC's as it is to the PC's.That's actually my issue with it. Love it as a player, but as a DM, if I'm putting a 1st level Sorcerer in a group run up against the party, giving him Color Spray or Sleep is a great way to have a total party wipe, while giving him Magic Missile, Burning Hands or Ray of Enfeeblement is a great way to ensure that he annoys a single person before dying horribly...
A single target Sleep or Color Spray at 1st level might be a better choice (with scaling level / HD caps?). Taking out a single opponent wouldn't be nearly as encounter-nuking as possibly wiping out an entire encounter (or, as an NPC, TPK'ing the entire party!).
Well, there are things you can put in play that will negate this 1st level party SoD scenario. The rest of my post suggested one, cap the spell like sleep allowing for up to 4 HD to be caught, that's 4 first level characters which could indeed be a TPK, but second level characters its only two, so your chances of a TPK went down by half.
In one of my own games 1st level characters would have at least 4 Action points to spend starting out. That's at least 1 reroll per character for a chance at a relatively low save. 1st level characters are fragile, they're almost commoners so sleep spell or color spray TPK is certainly mixed in the deck. If you absolutely want to avoid these possibilities either remove these iconic spells or start your parties at 3rd level.
Well, there's always the flip side, if a 1st level wizard/sorcerer PC can cast it, a first level wizard/sorcerer NPC can cast it too, so it's just as valuable a tool to the NPC's as it is to the PC's.That's actually my issue with it. Love it as a player, but as a DM, if I'm putting a 1st level Sorcerer in a group run up against the party, giving him Color Spray or Sleep is a great way to have a total party wipe, while giving him Magic Missile, Burning Hands or Ray of Enfeeblement is a great way to ensure that he annoys a single person before dying horribly...
A single target Sleep or Color Spray at 1st level might be a better choice (with scaling level / HD caps?). Taking out a single opponent wouldn't be nearly as encounter-nuking as possibly wiping out an entire encounter (or, as an NPC, TPK'ing the entire party!).
While I agree it can be a party wipe what is the party doing that it let itself get into a situation where they can all be hit with a color save and not a single one of them make the save throw? I mean at max it's going to be a DC 18 save... the dwarf cleric should make that! (Wis 18 = +4 +2 save bonus +2 dwarves are awesome bonus :p = +8) (for those of you with the spell cast, detect sarcasm tells you that a faint aura comes from this post)
While I agree it can be a party wipe what is the party doing that it let itself get into a situation where they can all be hit with a color save and not a single one of them make the save throw? I mean at max it's going to be a DC 18 save... the dwarf cleric should make that! (Wis 18 = +4 +2 save bonus +2 dwarves are awesome bonus :p = +8) (for those of you with the spell cast, detect sarcasm tells you that a faint aura comes from this post)
There's always the surprise round, or the alleyway, or the swinging bridge, or any number of other scenarios where the pc's are stuck in a clump with possible enemies coming in and the chance to get a spell off that would get 2-4 of them.
Larger parties also have safety in the fact that there's less chance of getting a TPK simply due to pc's being outside the AoE or just more will saves to be made. Our average party size is 6 these days as opposed to 4 (3 players running 2 pc's each) which keeps the chances of TPK's down.
ahh color spray. As the mayor of munchin gamers in the county and the land of O..oh wait wrong type of munchkin.
Seriously color spray is the best way for low level wizards to not die. Staying back a full 80ft and using your crossbow isnt always an option.
If you think color spray is bad now then hope you players didnt take sculpt spell feat at 1st. Then after only 1 spell lvl diffrence the color spray goes up from a 15ft cone to the aforemention 60ft cone or 20ft burst or a line effect.
Dont worry too much because the spell is self regulating nothing over 5 hd can be affected and the party will very quickly encounter higher hd monsters.
The ONLY time I ever use color spray after like 3rd or 4th level is if we KNOW were gonna be mook mobbed. 1 hd goblins arnt crap against a party of 10th lvl adventurers unless theirs 500 of them. The party lays waste to an entire tribe/village/region of them and gets no exp and expends a ton of resources doing it.
Hope this helps good gameing to you.
Dont worry too much because the spell is self regulating nothing over 5 hd can be affected and the party will very quickly encounter higher hd monsters.
Well, Actually.. It stuns creatures of 5 HD or more
from PRD
5 or more HD: The creature is stunned for 1 round.
Can still sometimes still work as an "Oh Bleep" spell, but generally after around 5th level Color Spray wears out it's usefulness. IMHO
Brian
Hello again.
I had to post to this thread again because just this weekend colorspray saved my parties collective hides.
I'm the party mage in this one and we were on a 12 day trip to another part of xendrick when we were attacked by shaugin(yea its misspelled but I dont know the correct spelling for the race)there was 4 of us,two above and two bellow deck, The creatures surrounded the ship by coming up 4 on each side. One color spray later and 3 of them were knocked out for 8 rounds(I rolled max)leaveing my wizard in the next round to jump from the platform above the main deck,slice open a shaugin with my two handed great axe, and land on my but from a failed dex check. Yea I failed the whole errol flinn manuver but I stopped our tank from being flanked. He dispatched two more. Then here come our warlock/cleric and spirit shaman. They heal the tank. 4 more jump up infront of the tank and directly to the side of my prone mage. I go before they do(from prone) my last color spray for the day and this time two of them actually make the save but thats two that wont hit the fighter.
Needless to say we mopped them up and color spray was the spell that helped us do it with out severe loses. It didnt do crap against the storm elemental that we fought next( well they fought I took 35 points of damage in the first round and dropped unconsious, the fighter fell next round he has 39 hp, so the warlock/cleric and spirit shaman had to melle because they couldnt reach us.)
My point to this story is simple the spells that you use if chosen wisley can make or break a party so dont depower the spells and expect the mage to still be able to do his job with in the party. We are all 4th level and took on 12 2hd creatures, yes we took our lumps but with out low level AoE's we would have died.
My two cents.
|
|
If you think color spray is bad now then hope you players didnt take sculpt spell feat at 1st. Then after only 1 spell lvl diffrence the color spray goes up from a 15ft cone to the aforemention 60ft cone or 20ft burst or a line effect.
Reminds me, need to make a Shape Spell metamagic for Pathfinder. :)
Instead of going the Sculpt Spell route, perhaps just use the spell diagrams on p 305-307 of the DMG to count up how many squares a spell affects, and allow the caster to to rearrange those squares as he sees fit, so long as he doesn't leave the spells maximum range, and all squares touch at least one other square. Using that diagram, a color spray fills six or seven squares, so a Shaped color spray could fill any six touching squares, starting adjacent to the caster (all squares around me! Six squares in a line!), while the forty-four square fireball could form a line forty-four squares long, or a 10 wide swatch twenty-two squares long, or whatever.
And, to be different (and since Shape Spell would be significantly less good than Scult Spell, which more than doubles the area of some spells!), the Shaped Spell doesn't require a higher caster level, it requires a Wizard to cast a standard action spell as a full-round action, as he has to guide the formation of the spell with his will. This wouldn't stack with the extra casting time for Sorcerers, which would make Sorcerers better than Wizards at off-the-cuff modifications of spells in this manner, which really kind of suits the already off-the-cuff nature of the Sorcerer.
Instead of going the Sculpt Spell route, perhaps just use the spell diagrams on p 305-307 of the DMG to count up how many squares a spell affects.
Perhaps page 215 of Pathfinder?
It's overpowering in the sense that it's a low-level save-or-suck/die. But then again, at 1st level all rolls (such as attack rolls and saving throws) are far more random, since modifiers are alot smaller.
A lucky hit from a great weapon can also potentially kill foes with a single round, a sneak attacking rogue can one-shot opponents in a surprise round. The spell can be quite powerful, but no more so than other actions for it's level. Looking at spells such as magic missile and burning hands - both are less fatal, but have the advantage that they work far more often at that level.
Playtesting new casting rules has made me think that color spray is THE low-level "win" button only if casters can move and cast in the same round, thus ensuring that they always get an optimal position and miss their friends. If the caster couldn't move AND cast it, but could only change the angle of the cone projection, the spell would instantly go from being a "must-have" to simply being "good at low level."
|
|
If the caster couldn't move AND cast it, but could only change the angle of the cone projection, the spell would instantly go from being a "must-have" to simply being "good at low level."
Making color spray yet another game element that would be improved by instituting a 'standard action spells require a full round action to cast' house rule, originally proposed to make spellcasting as dangerous as it was back in 1st and 2nd edition. :)
Making color spray yet another game element that would be improved by instituting a 'standard action spells require a full round action to cast' house rule, originally proposed to make spellcasting as dangerous as it was back in 1st and 2nd edition.
In our houserules we've made it a full-attack action, so you can still take a 5-ft. step, but you can't tumble all over the battlefield first.
|
Making color spray yet another game element that would be improved by instituting a 'standard action spells require a full round action to cast' house rule, originally proposed to make spellcasting as dangerous as it was back in 1st and 2nd edition.In our houserules we've made it a full-attack action, so you can still take a 5-ft. step, but you can't tumble all over the battlefield first.
Hurray! Let's champion this cause, seriously. Standard actions aren't just unfair, they're boring.
Now in my houserules, even though colour spray is save-or-die and would normally be a 1 round casting time, because it is area of effect I would say it is full-attack action.
|
|
Making color spray yet another game element that would be improved by instituting a 'standard action spells require a full round action to cast' house rule, originally proposed to make spellcasting as dangerous as it was back in 1st and 2nd edition.In our houserules we've made it a full-attack action, so you can still take a 5-ft. step, but you can't tumble all over the battlefield first.
Good point. I definitely intended for it to allow a 5 ft. step, just didn't remember the difference between full-attack and full-round.
I'm even a fan of the optional optional sub-rule that softens it up at higher levels, allowing a caster that has exceeded the level necessary to cast that spell by X to go back to casting it as a standard action. By the time a Wizard or Sorcerer can cast haste or slow (which will still be full-attack actions, since they are the new spells he's just learned and not fully 'mastered'), a standard action color spray or sleep isn't much to worry about.
Ooh, or, alternately, making Spell Mastery *relevant* by allowing a Wizard to cast a Mastered spell as a standard action instead of a full-attack action, could be neat... It's an expensive use of a Feat, but some spells you just want to be able to throw *fast* (in a world of slow-casting spells).
Ooh, or, alternately, making Spell Mastery *relevant* by allowing a Wizard to cast a Mastered spell as a standard action instead of a full-attack action, could be neat... It's an expensive use of a Feat, but some spells you just want to be able to throw *fast* (in a world of slow-casting spells).
WARNING: More houserules follow!