Witchflame Bolt Range?


Rules Questions

RPG Superstar 2009 Top 32

6 people marked this as FAQ candidate. Answered in the errata.

In the Beastiary 2 there is a creature called witchfire.

It has a witchflame bolt attack listed as ranged.

What is the range of it? Line of sight?!?!?

Is it a range touch? Or does the target get its full AC against the attack?

Beastiary 2-Witchfire wrote:
Ranged witchflame bolt +13 (8d6 fire plus witchflame)

I have the pdf and searching for witchflame bolt comes up with nothing explaining range or if it is a touch attack or not.


Sins of the Saviors where the monster first appeared doesn't have a range listed either.

RPG Superstar 2009 Top 32

Until we can get an official answer I guess I will have to go with either short medium or long range as per spells. Targeting full AC.

Being 9th level casters:
Short: 25 + 5*4 = 45'
Medium: 100 + 10*9 = 190'
Long: 400 + 40*9 = 760'

I cannot find any other incorporeal creature with a ranged attack to compare against either. Other incorporeal that do things at range are capped at 30' (ghost powers, banshees wail, etc.)

Do you think it should be 30', 45', 190', 760', or LoS?


since it doesn't say it is a touch attack, another option would be to give it a range increment like a thrown or projectile weapon (although for obviously magical effects I tend to be more in favor of finite range limits).


The first supernatural ranged attack that comes to my mind (which didn't make it to PF due to copyrights) had 150 feet of range, with no range increments. Except those were rays and thus ranged touch attacks. Still the witchbolt seems to be that kind of ranged attack that could be ray/ranged touch attack - energy damage would match it more than normal ranged attack.


Archive of Nethys entry for Witchfire now lists the range as 60 feet with no range increment. It doesn't yet describe whether the bolt is versus Touch AC or normal AC.

There is an Obsidian Portal Wiki for the Reign of Winter AP that adds text that says the bolt is a ranged touch attack, but this may just be a house rule.

I suspect RAI the bolt is ranged touch to match the melee incorporeal touch.

FWIW: most spells with the word bolt that require an attack roll are listed as ranged touch. Also rays generally require a ranged touch attack and the bolt resembles a ray in concept.


Protip: many folks will call you out for restarting a convo that died twelve years ago.


1 person marked this as a favorite.

I'm calling you out for restarting a convo that died twelve years ago.

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