Half-Orc Sorcerer's Bonus Damage - How does it really work?

[Tim Bürgers]

Hello there -

half-orcs get +1/2 point of damage on fire spells as their favored class bonus. With spells like fireball this works pretty simple: Each target taktes the bonus damage.

But what about scorching ray? What about snapdragon fireworks? What about wall of fire?

...and what about that Elemental Spell (Fire)-modified Ball Lightning? ...Acid Arrow?

Does the bonus apply only once? Otherwise, half-orcs could be the new DPR-champion out there...

Thanks for your help!

[Nipin]

I am pretty sure there is a FAQ concerning a similar topic. I'll try to find it, but I am half asleep . So, I might end up on a completely different site before I locate the FAQ entry.

[Nipin]

Half-Orc Sorcerer Favored Class Bonus (from d20pfsrd.com):

Add +1/2 point of fire damage to spells that deal fire damage cast by the sorcerer.

Surprise Spell Description(from d20pfsrd.com):

At 10th level, an arcane trickster can add her sneak attack damage to any spell that deals damage, if the targets are flat-footed. This additional damage only applies to spells that deal hit point damage, and the additional damage is of the same type as the spell. If the spell allows a saving throw to negate or halve the damage, it also negates or halves the sneak attack damage.

Arcane Trickster Surprise Spell FAQ:

Arcane Trickster: How does the Surprise Spells class feature (Core Rulebook, page 378) work with spells like magic missile and fireball?

The Surprise Spells class feature allows the Arcane Trickster to add his sneak attack dice to spells that deal damage that target flat-footed foes. This damage is only applied once per spell. In the case of fireball this means it affects all targets in the area, with each getting a save to halve the damage (including the sneak attack damage). In the case of magic missile, the extra damage is only added once to one missile, chosen by the caster when the spell is cast.

—Jason Bulmahn, 05/31/11

Since the favored class bonus is worded similarly ("Add +1/2 point of fire damage to spells that deal fire damage..." vs. "...add his sneak attack dice to spells that deal damage...") I would choose to go with the same ruling as the FAQ.

[Tim Bürgers]

That explains pretty much. Thanks for clarifying!

Okay, so only once for one ray/missile...

But what about "reusable" spells like Flaming Sphere or an (Elemental Spelled) Acid Arrow?

I guess, "once each round" wouldn´t be too imbalanced, would it?

[cartmanbeck]

Tim Bürgers wrote:

That explains pretty much. Thanks for clarifying!

Okay, so only once for one ray/missile...

But what about "reusable" spells like Flaming Sphere or an (Elemental Spelled) Acid Arrow?

I guess, "once each round" wouldn´t be too imbalanced, would it?

Nope, once each round is reasonable, though I don't know if i'd allow the sneak damage on Acid Arrow and similar spells since that is essentially "burning" damage, whereas Flaming Sphere at least has to be moved on top of someone to deal its damage each round. RAW, though, I think it would apply to both.

[Tim Bürgers]

Thank you all!

I summarize for everyone who happens to need this thread in the future:

The bonus damage applies once each round. Area spells do the extra damage to each target. Spells working with a certain number of rays or missiles get the bonus on one single ray or missile chosen by the caster. Spells doing damage each round apply the extra damage each round.

[sunbeam]

This has been asked several times with no answer. Do a search on these boards and you will find 4 or 5 threads asking the same question.