Spellstrike: Weapon damage or spell damage first?

[Firengineer]

When I deliver a spell through my weapon as a Magus, is the spell damage or the weapon damage resolved first?

The main reason I ask is because of the spell Vampiric Touch. I would prefer that the damage resolve first, in case my melee attack brings them down to low health, making it harder to steal more health.

Thanks!

[Bigtuna]

Spellstrike wrote:

" If successful, this melee attack deals its normal damage as well as the effects of the spell."

You shold add the damage - one does not come before the other. You can't deal the spell damage without hitting with the sword, so the target most take the weapon dam, and since the weapon hits the spell is discharged - you can't choose to not have the spelldischarge...

If the two events happens at the same time would should be able to choose vam touch dam first.

-IMHO

[LazarX]

Firengineer wrote:

When I deliver a spell through my weapon as a Magus, is the spell damage or the weapon damage resolved first?

The main reason I ask is because of the spell Vampiric Touch. I would prefer that the damage resolve first, in case my melee attack brings them down to low health, making it harder to steal more health.

Thanks!

It's simultaneous, you count it as one lump of damage. Part of it may be subject to different defenses or resistances, but it's still one lump. Which can be very important in invoking the sudden death rule.

[Xyllen]

If you are worried about your gm not giving you full vampiric touch hp on an over kill hit then may I suggest a 1st level spell called "weapon wand". Have fun with it.

[Kazaan]

If you deal 4d6 with vamp touch and 1d8 with a longsword, you do a total of 4d6 + 1d8 damage. Whatever you roll on the 1d8 is what you absorb. If this value is greater than the max you can absorb, you default to the max. It isn't done "first" or "second", it's just part of the total. If you had another ability, for the sake of example, that allowed you to absorb the damage you deal with your melee weapon as you would with vamp touch, that would be a completely separate effect. Say, for the sake of example, you rolled max on both and do 24 vamp touch damage and 8 longsword. Say the target has 7 con and 18 HP. Their HP + con = 25 so you'll get the full vamp touch effect, absorbing 24 HP. Your hypothetical longsword effect (that works the same as vamp touch) is a separate consideration so it's still basing the assumption on 18 current HP. It will also take effect. It would still gets its 8 HP absorbed for a total of 32 between the two effects.