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A player is looking to design a 4th level spell for his summoner, and I wanted some advice on balance for it. Any thoughts and comments are welcome!
The intent of the spell is to allow the eidolon to deal electrical damage with the wing buffet evolution OR to allow the eidolon to throw lightning bolts down at a target. Both options to be included in the spell.
Here are my current thoughts:
It's an untypical spell for summoners, and it has two potential options built into it.
I'm thinking that the spell will be 1round/level in duration.
Damage for the wing buffets *since the evolution grants the eidolon two wing buffet attacks* would be 1d6+ 1 electrical damage every two caster levels.
For the bolt effect, the electrical damage would be 1d6/caster level, capped at 5d6.
Once cast, the eidolon would have the option each round of either using a bolt of lightning as a standard action, or attacking with the bonus on the wing buffet.
We're striving to find a good balanced effect for a 4th level summoner spell.
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Were you thinking a line effect lightning bolt or a single-target ranged touch attack 'ray of lightning' effect?
Typically, an effect that added energy damage to natural attacks (such as the evolution that does this) would just add +1d6 damage of that energy type, but, as this effect isn't affecting all of the eidolon's natural attacks, the extra damage is probably fine. (Edit: Watch as I completely change my mind on this by the end of this post. 'Cause I'm nothing if not inconsistent!)
The 1d6/level, max 5d6 seems like a moot point, since he's got to be 10th level to cast a 4th level Summoner spell, and so will never be casting it at CL 1, 2, 3 or 4 anyway. Either set the damage at 5d6, or perhaps use some other metric, like 1d6/2 levels (still 5d6 at 10th level) and raise the cap to 10d6 at 20th level (which still still only be 33 hp, on average, with a Reflex save for half...).
If the ranged lightning attack is a single-target ray, I'd definitely bump it to the 1d6/2 levels (max 10d6 at 20th). And, given that the eidolon appears to be a flier, I'd totally shy away from making it a line attack anyway, since adjudicating who is or is not affected a line attack arcing down from a flying creature can be a pain in the butt.
If it is a ray attack, and not a line effect, it will require a ranged touch attack to hit, and, like scorching ray, make sense not to allow a Reflex save to halve damage (since it's already got it's point of failure up-front, with the attack roll, and the usual energy resistance / spell resistance problems at the backend).
As you've detailed it, it will add up to +2d6+10 electrical damage at 10th level to the Eidolon's full attack routine, which might be far more relevant than a ranged attack that does, at 10th level, an average of 17.5 pts of electrical damage. If anything might benefit from being tweaked downwards, it might be the wing-buffets. Dropping them to the effect of a shocking weapon enhancement (a flat +1d6 electrical) might be better, and then add something back at 15th level or so, allowing it to use the shocking burst enhancement instead.
Alternately, if you don't want to just flat-out use the shocking burst 'extra damage on a crit' mechanic, perhaps the creature's electrified wing-buffets have a multiplicative effect if both hit in a single round, adding +1d10 electrical damage to the second hit, sort of like a 'lightning rend' option.
Bear in mind that, at some point, the Summoner will be able to spend evolution points on himself and give himself wings, and, if the spell isn't worded to exclude that, be able to cast this spell on himself.
That may or may not be a problem for you, but it's best to think of whether or not you want that to happen before he gets to the level to surprise you with it.
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Good points there. The lighting bolt thing is supposed to be a single target attack. Making it a ranged touch attack makes sense.
I was thinking that by capping the spell at 5d6, it would allow the caster to intensify it in order to knock it up to 10d6 if he's willing to pay the enhancement cost. You do make a good point about the level when he'd be casting it.
The wording will definitely exclude the summoner from casting it on himself.
The lightning "rend" effect is really interesting. I was actually concerned with the original version not buffing enough damage for a 4th level spell.
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Good points there. The lighting bolt thing is supposed to be a single target attack. Making it a ranged touch attack makes sense.
I was thinking that by capping the spell at 5d6, it would allow the caster to intensify it in order to knock it up to 10d6 if he's willing to pay the enhancement cost. You do make a good point about the level when he'd be casting it.
The wording will definitely exclude the summoner from casting it on himself.
The lightning "rend" effect is really interesting. I was actually concerned with the original version not buffing enough damage for a 4th level spell.
A potential pro/con (depending on which side of the GM's screen one is on) of your 1d6+1/2 levels damage for the wing-buffets is that something with electricity resistance 5 is still going to take 1d6 damage for the average 10th level user, whereas an unmodified 1d6 is pretty much negated by that small amount of energy resistance. If you are concerned with the attacks potentially not contributing, definitely stick to the +1 damage / 2 levels idea.
By limiting it to just the wing-buffets, and not shooting for the moon and having all five-ish of the Eidolon's natural weapon attacks enhanced, the player has already done a fine job of limiting it. Wing-buffets, IIRC, are also secondary attacks, making them less likely to hit than claw or bite attacks, and only likely to be used during a full attack action.
If the spell combined with a potentially insane number of armed attacks from a 'Kali' Eidolon, or a bunch of primary claw attacks from a six or eight legged pounce monstrosity, I'd be wary of this, but by explicitly linking the additional lightning damage to a secondary attack, I'd be inclined to be generous.
Make sure to decide beforehand whether or not this will stack with Energy Attacks Evolution. I don't see why it wouldn't, but you may want to look at the numbers and decide whether or not this alters your view of how effective this is going to be.