[Ultimate Magic] Words of Power & Rays

[Draznar]

I am wondering about Words of Power and creating Ray spells.

The Word in question is for Target Word "Selected" and how it works in conjunction with certain effect words. Selected says if a wordspell does energy damage you can make it create a ray. For things like Corrosive Bolt Effect word (which gives no saving throw) it flows smoothly.

But what happens if I try to use the "Frost Fingers" or "Lightning Blast" words, both of which offer a saving throws for Reflex Half?

Would my Rays require a ranged touch attack, only to then allow my foe a saving throw?

Anyone have any insight to this?

[Maxximilius]

You create an unstable ray that explodes when approaching your target.
It's still a ray, but with a successful saving throw the target suffers only a part of your spell. :)

[Nosferatu]

I would think that this is due to badly written work; an elemental damage spell that is turned into a ray, through "Selected", OUGHT to no longer have a save for "half damage", but may retain a save for any secondary effects that come with the spell.

Selected merely reads:
Level 0
Range close (25 ft. + 5 ft./2 levels)
A wordspell with this target word affects a single target within range. If the wordspell deals energy damage, this word creates a ray that requires a ranged touch attack to hit, or it can be used as a melee touch attack with no range (decided by the wordcaster when the wordspell is cast). If it is used as a melee touch attack and the attack misses, the wordcaster can hold the charge and try again with subsequent attacks.

I don't see any meaningful benefit in using a ray spell to hit a target, and granting a save for half damage (except maybe hoping to score a critical hit), when an area spell can do the same trick, with potentially multiple targets. At the same time, it makes complete sense to me, for such a spell to offer saves that negate non-hit-point damaging effects, such as the effects of some standard ray spells like "Ray of Enfeeblement", and "Ray of Exhaustion", which offer the save after the ray makes contact. It is noted that "Polar Ray" offers no save for the ability damage, but is an 8th level spell, and can be compared to Word Effect "True Fire", as a special case of high arcana.

Added note, the duration of multi-word effects is the lowest listed, and some of the Acid spells have their durations switched (Corrosive Bolt and Acid Wave), but if you were to use Acid Wave (Duration 1 round/level) in conjunction with any instantaneous spell, such as Fire Blast, you would lose out on the sickened effect, as well as being able to bypass SR, BUT you'd have a spell that caps at 20d6, and deals [acid, fire]. In general, such versatile options also sacrifices the secondary effects of specific word spells, making it less meaningful to have a save for partial.