Surviving a Mythic Meteor Swarm + path powers


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So, I've been looking at the numbers for a (greater) Mythic Meteor Swarm and I'm wondering how likely it is for anyone to survive being hit with one of these if the caster puts everything he has into it.

Yes, I know that this is something that takes about a level 17-18 sorcerer or wizard at tier 10 archmage. I'm just not sure if even someone of the same level/tier can survive it.

So, a Greater Mythic Meteor Swarm costs three mythic power and fires off four meteors. Each meteor explosion will do 10d10 damage, and anyone who is in the line leading to where the meteors explode will take 2d10 bludgening and an additional 4d10 fire per meteor. That's 14d10 x4 + 2d10 to any poor person if you aim the meteors directly behind him so he takes both the line and explosion damage. That's 58d10 damage total. Btw, this spell ignores immunity and resistance to fire.

On top of that, the caster can combine this with the Channeled Power and Metamastery path powers. Channeled power increases the damage by 50%, and you can use metamastery to get a free Maximize on the spell. Suddenly, the poor person being hit by the full force of this spell is going to take 870 damage that ignores fire resistance and immunity, though it did cost the caster an additional 2 points of mythic power (total 5). Btw, just in case the original spell didn't ignore energy immunity, Channel Power just ensured that it does now.

Even assuming that the character manages to save for half damage (435 total), how likely is it that a character will survive this? Keep in mind too that certain sorcerers could boost this damage even higher with their bloodline arcanas, and a metamagic rod could make boost the damage by another 50%. Sure, it cost a huge amount of mythic power to do, but wow. Unless I'm mistaken, having mythic tiers doesn't add on quite that many hit points.

There is a possibility of counterspelling it, but if the caster has Resilient Arcana then good luck with that. I suppose there is a chance that spell resistance will save the day, and rogues are going to be *very* happy with their improved evasion, but is there anything else that will help here? Are there some defensive abilities that mythic characters get that I'm missing?

Liberty's Edge

Pathfinder Adventure, Adventure Path, Lost Omens, Rulebook, Starfinder Roleplaying Game Subscriber

Pretty sure a barbarian guardian of the same tier could probably handle it (DR/- and Absorb Blow coming into play.)
Let me crunch some numbers with an 18th lvl Barbarian with 10 tiers of Guardian...


Hah, so a purely defensive built barbarian might handle the nuclear explosion.

If that's what it takes though, this spell combo might need at least a slight nerf. Maybe make it so that creatures in the explosion itself don't take damage from the fiery 'path' of the meteors? That would decrease the damage to 10d10 x4 + 2d10.


Matrix Dragon wrote:
Hah, so a purely defensive built barbarian might handle the nuclear explosion.

Yeah, well, it's about time those uppity martials were reminded of their place.

Liberty's Edge

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Pathfinder Adventure, Adventure Path, Lost Omens, Rulebook, Starfinder Roleplaying Game Subscriber

Cheat Code: Superstitious, Eater of Magic,

Eater of Magic (Su):

Spoiler:
Once per rage, when a barbarian fails a saving throw against a spell, supernatural ability, or spell-like ability, she can reroll the saving throw against the effect (this is not an action). If she succeeds at the second saving throw, she is not affected by the spell, supernatural ability, or spell-like ability and gains a number of temporary hit points equal to the effect's caster level (in the case of spell or spell-like abilities) or the CR of the effect's creator (in the case of supernatural abilities). These temporary hit points last until damage is applied to them or 1 minute, whichever occurs first. A barbarian must have the superstition rage power and be at least 10th level before selecting this rage power.

So you voluntarily fail the first save and then "reroll" to eat the spell. "*Burp* That the best you can do, bub?"


Reckless wrote:

Cheat Code: Superstitious, Eater of Magic,

Eater of Magic (Su):** spoiler omitted **

So you voluntarily fail the first save and then "reroll" to eat the spell. "*Burp* That the best you can do, bub?"

Lol! It would be hilarious to see that happen in an actual game.


I like this though. This is the Dragon Slave cast with power enhancer bracers.


Nice idea Reckless but can't be done by RAW: superstitious forces the Barbarian to make the saving throw - he can't voluntarily fail save against spell.

Quote:
While raging, the barbarian cannot be a willing target of any spell and must make saving throws to resist all spells, even those cast by allies.


Even if the Barbarian COULD survive it, I really doubt any other class is gonna be able to pull anything similar, and the folks with classes that aren't really designed to go through the Guardian path might as well just throw up their hands and roll a new character.

Is that damage output utterly hilarious? You bet! But I can't really think of anything that can survive that outside of divine intervention (hell, I think even that True Tarrasque is gonna get ripped to shreds by that.


Remember that mythic spells have a+2 bonus on their saves DC, and Channelled power impose an additional -2 against mythic foes. Also, the normal rules of the spells still applies, witch states that any enemy directly hitted by the meteors takes a -4 on his save. So we are loking at a save rolled at -6 with +2 to DC and a +10 to the main stat of the caster.
With a starting 18 including racial, +5 for level increases, +5 intrisec, +6 enhanced and +10 mythic the sum is 46, for a modifier of +18. Added to the base 19 of a 9th level spell we get a 37. +2 for being mythic 39. And a -6 to the save. Pretty nasty.
The damage should be 10d10 for the explosion, 4d10 for the fire trail and 2d10 for the boulder. Times four. that makes it 40+16+8=64d10. Maximized 640, average 352, maximized and channelled makes it 640+352/2=816 damage.
Oh and BTW mythic saves won't help you in the least.

Grand Lodge

It does not say in the playtest but do targets "in the line" get a reflex save or do they fall under the ranged touch? For the normal version of the spell only direct targets do not get a save VS the damage. If targets in the line get a reflex save then a 2nd level rogue "could" evade all the damage.


Crispy3ed wrote:
It does not say in the playtest but do targets "in the line" get a reflex save or do they fall under the ranged touch? For the normal version of the spell only direct targets do not get a save VS the damage. If targets in the line get a reflex save then a 2nd level rogue "could" evade all the damage.

Nope. The trail effects does not require a reflex save, but a fort one. And a succes only affect the knockback, not the damage.


Well, it seems to me that the spell Seamantle would block this attack. A wall of supression would work as well. (but what's the point?) And a Contigency spell could either teleport you out of harm's way or put up a globe of force. That's about all I got atm besides what has already been mentioned.


Miracle spell, duplicates contingency. Then set it to trigger raise dead.


Dekalinder wrote:

The damage should be 10d10 for the explosion, 4d10 for the fire trail and 2d10 for the boulder. Times four. that makes it 40+16+8=64d10. Maximized 640, average 352, maximized and channelled makes it 640+352/2=816 damage.

Yea, I didn't multiply the boulder damage because as written it seemed that you could only take that damage once no matter how many 'lines' you were hit by.

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