Yes, Color spray is pretty powerful at the first few levels. As you've said, that will diminish greatly in a few levels. You'll probably want to swap that spell out when you get the chance at 4th level.
The reason for multiple conditions with the same duration is that some enemies are immune to things like stunning. So even if they are immune to the stunning, if they aren't immune to blinding, they still can't see. Also there are items like Smelling Salts, which give a target another save against Stunned or Unconscious, but wouldn't save them from the blinding.
Color Spray is a powerful spell at low levels, but since you need line of effect to the opponents you will probably die if they make the save.
Considering how much danger you put yourself in I think its effects are ok.
It's a very powerful spell. PF did a very spotty job of nerfing spells and despite what you may have heard is in no way better balanced than 3E was. There are still spells that win the fight on a failed save at every single spell level. Color Spray just stands out for being such low level.
Awesome first level spell. Our fey blood sorcerer in the game I am running keeps setting up the rest of the part to put the beat down on the enemies between this spell and the laughing touch ability.
1: Color Spray, Sleep, Hideous Laughter (bard)
2: Pyrotechnics, Blindness/Deafness, Hideous Laughter, Hold Person (cleric), Suggestion (bard)
3: Hold Person, Suggestion, Stinking Cloud
Just off the top of my head. If you use persistent spell and/or bouncing spell, glitterdust and others can become reliable instant win spells, too.
Doesn't affect blind people, either, so enemies who know what's coming and close their eyes are not affected. Of course, then they're vulnerable to other things...
Doesn't affect blind people, either, so enemies who know what's coming and close their eyes are not affected. Of course, then they're vulnerable to other things...I would rule that a character would have to state at the start of his turn whether his eyes are closed until the start of the next turn. If he wants to try shutting his eyes just as the wizard is casting his spell and keep them open while attacking himself, well, that's what the save is for.
That also applies to gaze attacks.
I agree, attacking yourself and then closing your eyes so you can't get color sprayd?
Ok you can do that on your turn, but then you're really blinded for the rest of the turn, and everyone hitting you treats you as blind, means you get no AOO, no dex to AC, another -2 to AC, rogues get auto sneak-attack on you, etc.Really, probably not a good idea.
To say "I close my eyes when he casts something" ... yes you can do that, if you ready an action for it. Also not sure if thats a good use of your action though.
Otherwise, that's what the save is for as Staffan said.
Even though unless the caster used Color spray before in that fight, I'd say readying an action for it is metagaming on the DM's part since normally the enemy shouldn't know that.
Also i'm sure by RAW "sightless" refers to creatures who are unable to see at all. Not those who decide to close their eyes. It's magic after all.
once your oracle heaven can cast the swift spell that allows you to maneuver around with no AOO to line up color spray it gets really powerful
BUT loads things either immune to illusion or mind affecting or the specific things the spell does, so it has its limits
Even then the Oracle is standing 15 ft from it's target, probably closer. and if one them saves they're going to be pissed. If it wasn't 15 ft but only 10, that means 5 ft step + full attack.
Even with Spell Focus and stuff, it will never have a 100% success rate.
Also even at higher levels the oracle can't keep it's charisma modifier high enough reduce the enemy to 2 HD or less.
A +7 at 9th level is not that unrealistic.
A +8 at 10th already requires a +4 headband, also still possible at that level.
A +9 at 11th? Hmm, now it's getting somewhat unlikely, but it's still in the 3-4 range, so still good.
+13 at level 15? I'd say that's pretty impossible, even the +11 to keep it in range for 3-4 will be very hard.
Sure, I admit that's as high as most campaigns go, I'm not saying the spell isn't pretty awesome, but you should definitely not concentrate only on it. One-trick-ponies become utterly useless once something (like an undead or construct) refuses to cooperate.
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Just because you can't rely on something as the only action you ever take in combat doesn't mean that it's not a powerful spell. There are certain spells that are sort of gold standards for offensive magic, and Color Spray is one of them. It's situational, but so powerful when it works for the period of time that it works that it's rightly considered a very powerful ability.
As wraithstrike said, Color Spray is very powerful for a 1st level spell, but it's also very risky.
It's a 15' cone, which means your squishy mage has to put himself on the front lines in order to use it. Anyone who does make their save is very likely to introduce your mage to a sharp piece of metal in short order.
Well mostly. If your a magus, then it isn't as big of a concern considering your mostly getting into combat anyways.
Why would a mage have to stand 15' from an enemy? Couldn't he cast it through his familiar? Is that how "shared spells" work? Please don't flame me, I'm still learning.
Why would a mage have to stand 15' from an enemy? Couldn't he cast it through his familiar? Is that how "shared spells" work? Please don't flame me, I'm still learning.
Familiars can only deliver "touch" range spells. Color spray is an Area of Effect spell, since it affects an area. A touch range spell would require physical contact between the caster, or his familiar, and the target.
Why would a mage have to stand 15' from an enemy? Couldn't he cast it through his familiar? Is that how "shared spells" work? Please don't flame me, I'm still learning.No, it definitely is not the way Share spells work:
"Share Spells: The wizard may cast a spell with a target of “You” on his familiar (as a touch spell) instead of on himself. A wizard may cast spells on his familiar even if the spells do not normally affect creatures of the familiar's type (magical beast)."
Right. I think he was mixing this with "Deliver Touch Spells".
The Share Spells ability is for casting things like Mage Armor on your familiar that can normally only be used on yourself.
It's a 15' cone, which means your squishy mage has to put himself on the front lines in order to use it.
Get a mount. Move into position, cast your spell, move back. Works well for gnome sorcerers (fey - sylvan for the animal companion).
Once you fly, grab the flyby attack feat if your DM allows "monster feats" to PC's.| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Welcome to 3e/PF magic, where everything's overpowered and martial characters don't matter.
Welcome to 3e/PF magic, where everything's overpowered and martial characters don't matter.Because some people might not realize exactly what it is that Zhayne means, allow me to point to the differences between Color Spray in Pathfinder, and the way it worked in AD&D:
Area: AD&D actually gave it a 20-foot cone
Saving Throw: Only allowed to creatures having more Hit Dice than the caster's level, or 6+ Hit Dice (and the way saves worked, higher level creatures saved successfully far more often than they do in Pathfinder against a caster that has improved their DCs where possible).
Number of creatures affected: 1d6 creatures within the area are affected in order of distance from the caster.
Actual Effects: 2d4 rounds of unconscious (nothing else) for those equal or lesser in level to the caster, 1d4 rounds blindness (nothing else) for those 1 or 2 levels higher than the caster, 1 round stunned for anything more potent.
The important details: random number of creatures affected; no multi-round duration of complete vulnerability unless the creatures attacked with the spell are already pretty non-threatening to the party.
I'm pretty sure it was mostly just a Whose Line (best improve comedy show) reference. But back on topic; this is the kind of thing that keeps anyone from playing a full caster at our table, just no fun winning 'cause the wizard prepared color spray and sleep.