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Given that blasting is weaksauce and this is still a single-target spell, which you've at this point invested 2 feats into (both Empower and Intensify), it bloody well better be more damaging than fireball or lightning bolt against a single target. (w.w)
I think what's really the problem is that Evocation needs more love. Damaging mage spells are fine. The problem is Evocation - the poster school for blasting - sucks at dealing damage and has to deal with both saves AND SR throughout its entire career, and takes the longest to hit any good spells (burning hands sucks forever for example).
What we need is options to increase the potency of Evocation. Conjuration has always been a great school (and more classically thematic than evokers, even in name), and Evocation has always been a terrible school. Unfortunately for Evocation, the biggest reason good damage spells end up in Conjuration is because Conjuration is an anti-Spell Resistance school (see Magic chapter).
Evocation is the most resistible school of magic 9/10 spells. If the save and spell resistance didn't drive your damage output into the ground, cheap energy resistances will (energy resistance 10 and a decent reflex save is near immunity to popular evocation spells throughout the low to mid levels). Then you have situational immunities (you like fireball!? What ya gonna do about Spike the Hell Hound?) making enemies outright ignore your effects.
This is one of the reasons why 3.5/Dreamscarred psionic blasters are somewhat viable. Being able to alter the energy type of their "spells" on the fly means that it's more difficult to simply ignore them. If you're fighting against a troll, switch to fire for Xd6+X, or cold for Spike the gargantuan hellhound, or sonic for Xd6-X for when you just need reliable damage or to break a door, or electricity for +2 to attack/save DCs if accuracy is an issue.
IMHO, the only thing that really makes the snowball spell somewhat concerning is the kicker effect (it's really good). I'll withhold final judgment until I've had more time to think about it, compare it to other rival spells, and how much effect it has on the game.
This was posted in The New "Orb" Spell thread.
I wanted to see if others would be interested in posting their ideas and thoughts on how to improve the evocation school/spells. That way we may be able to make them "better" though some would argue that there isn't anything wrong with it in the first place.
If we can get a good deal of ideas and balance them I'd be happy to type up a pdf and post it on here like I did with the Sorcerer Aid Project: Sigils & Talents.
Please keep this constructive and polite. If you have nothing to add and/or only have nonconstructive thoughts please refrain from doing so. Thanks.
There are ways to change the element of spells, even on the fly. But most spells need a way to be resisted, whether time to move out of the way (ooh... idea A), a save, or a to hit.
A: A spell that will cause an effect at the beginning of your next turn (think a fire field) That has a visible (possibly removable through feat/metamagic/class ability) and then it does its damage/effect. Makes synergy a viable option with someone entangling or immobilizing the enemy, so allies can get away.
ie:
Inferno (no S,V, no save, Dismissable): A visible sigil appears on the ground in an area up to 5+ 5ft/lvl. At the beginning of your next turn, does 2d6+lvl fire damage to all creatures still in the area. Lasts 1 round + 1/2 level.
While it poses other issues, i can see a feat/metamagic that instead of increasing Spell Level, raises its 'to hit' whether touch, dc, etc, but costs extra std actions (so basically a mega spell that you have to charge a certain amt of time). Target chosen at finish as normal, but can be interuppted. and easier to spot without quiet, still etc... That could be fun too... Maybe potentially increasing dice, too, or CL, too.
ie:
Magic Missile, 2 std actions (so multiple turns) breaks shield spell if >1 hit, 3: +1 missile
Burning Hands 2 std, +2 DC, 3 std: d6's
just random ideas...
Some time ago a poster (don't remember who, sorry) give the idea that make the blasting spells not subject to Spell Resistance; a Fireball will be affected by Fire Resistance, but not to Spell Resistance. The reasoning can be that the fire (or ice, or electricity...) itself is not magic, so it's not affected by the magic resist. Of course, any effect of the spell that is not directly damage is still affected.
Have not use the house rule yet, but probably will do on the future.
School/bloodline/metamagic abilities has solved the problem of immunities.
I honestly don't think evocation is as bad as it is made out to be.
While blasting is frowned upon by "God"-wizard fans, it can be built rather effectively, dealing significant damage.
Where damage dealing abilities go, I think it is more important to compare it to damage dealing martial classes, than other crazy wizard stuff.
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Spells that take a long time to power up, that take many actions - that's not really making Evocation better, given how precious actions are.
But how about "getting into a rhythm"? Each successive evocation you cast hits harder (DC, to-hit, damage, SR, something...), as long as you don't break the rhythm. The first round you do normal damage, the second you start getting bonuses, the third round the pain really comes.
If done right, it's a nice tension-builder: can the PC wizard build up the tempo during the combat or can the enemies interrupt him for a round? The BBEG's normal evocations, the party can deal with; they're not SoD by any means. But if he builds up for three rounds then it's different.
That way, you don't have a SoD spell as a combat-opening action (which many people dislike), but rather a buildup which everyone is trying to prevent or enable.
Glad to have had a good thought starter. And I imagine most evokers, or dabblers, aren't filled with save/die spells, and focus on damage, maybe an archtype that can only take dmg spells?
Bump
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A good balancing act that I've been using is the addition of damage per die rolled. Elemental and Draconic sorcs have access to +1 damage per die rolled. I'm using a PrC that gives me +1 at 1st, 2 at 3rd, and 3 at 5th, for a total of +4 per die rolled at CL 11. So far I feel as though it's made my character completely viable. The ONLY problem i'm beginning to run into is SR, and it's starting to take me out of the game, which is frustrating. As if limited spells, elemental resistance, overcoming touch AC/saves weren't enough, now my entire spells are getting negated :(
Not that my current DM would change anything, but I am interested in finding a solution for my home games. I'm interested in trying out the whole SR doesn't apply against evocation blasters. One issue with that is evocation spells which include an additional affect (dazed for one round, deafened for one round, burning for one round, etc). I suppose catching on fire could be explained as the natural result of getting hit with a stream of flames (burning hands) and being dazed the result of not resisting a loud noise (ear-piercing scream)
is why conj spells dont bother with SR, is cause it isnt the magic, technically hitting, but what the magic created...
see if you can create your spells...
1) Evocation spells should simply deal more damage than equivalent level conjuration spells. That solves the problem nicely. Upgrading die types is probably sufficient (though I'm not sure if it should be one or two steps).
2) Evocation spells should have interesting riders and tactical benefits. Why can't burning hands actually set the enemy on fire? Fireball could, too. Or maybe the force of it might knock everyone down (like in Dragon Age). Lightning Bolt could bounce again, so it does more damage if it hits twice. Scorching Ray could debuff something--maybe reducing AC or something from the scorching part? That kind of stuff.
3) More force damage spells, as well as more spells like Dragon's Breath, will fix the Resistance issue.
fireball and burning hands, potentially can do extra damage, to the objects on a fumbled save. And I would say there are metamagic feats for the extra effects, that is only marginally useful.
and dont evo spells do more than similar conj?
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But how about "getting into a rhythm"? Each successive evocation you cast hits harder (DC, to-hit, damage, SR, something...), as long as you don't break the rhythm. The first round you do normal damage, the second you start getting bonuses, the third round the pain really comes.
If done right, it's a nice tension-builder: can the PC wizard build up the tempo during the combat or can the enemies interrupt him for a round? The BBEG's normal evocations, the party can deal with; they're not SoD by any means. But if he builds up for three rounds then it's different.
That way, you don't have a SoD spell as a combat-opening action (which many people dislike), but rather a buildup which everyone is trying to prevent or enable.
Fanning the Flames (Metamagic):
Prerequisites: Ability to cast a 0th, 1st, and 2nd level Evocation spell that deals damageBenefit: A foe damaged by an Evocation spell enhanced by Fanning the Flames becomes susceptible to further Evocation spells you cast against them for 1 minute. This initial spell is called the rider spell. For each subsequent Evocation spell you cast against that target following the rider spell, select one of the following effects:
*The spell's save DC increases by +1 against that foe. This is a cumulative effect.
*The spell's damage per die increases by +1 against that foe. This is a cumulative effect.
*Your effective caster level for penetrating spell resistance increases by +1 against that foe. This is a cumulative effect.
Fanning the Flames uses up a spell slot one level higher than the spell which it modifies. A single foe may be subject to it's effects singularly; bonuses may not be stacked with subsequent rider spells within the same duration.
dot
Just going to chime in and say that evocation is far broader than just blasting. The school has lots of other goodies that aren't (just) about dealing direct damage.
I do like the idea of making blast spells unaffected by spell resistance, though. Narrowly focused on the less powerful/versatile spells, gives spellcasters more options against SR enemies, and very simple and straightforward.
I like the ideas of damage dealing evocations having secondary effects. I also like the idea of evocations not competing with conjurarions for amount of damage.
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What I am doing for my rewrite of the game is what mplindustries suggested - putting rider effects on the energy types based on spell level tiers.
Since my re-write of 3rd/PF will have lower hp all around increasing the hp isn't an option for me - but it’s a simple and viable option for people sticking to PF as a houserule.
So here are some sample rider effects based on energy type + level (as influenced by Gamma World 3rd edition (1985 ed)
Level 1 Fire - Impair initiative (1 round)
Level 2 Fire - Impair initiative, ignite
Level 3 Fire - Impair initiative, ignite + damage sustained over round(s)
Level 4 Fire - Impair initiative, ignite + damage sustained over rounds, plus impair ability (short term ability damage)
Level 5 Fire - Impair initiative, ignite + damage sustained over rounds, plus impair ability (permanent ability damage),
Level 6 Fire - Impair initiative, ignite + damage sustained over rounds, plus impair ability (permanent ability damage), Fear/panic effect
Level 7 Fire - Impair initiative, ignite + damage sustained over rounds, plus impair ability (permanent ability damage), Fear/panic effect, Impair actions (think Disabled Conditions)
Level 8 Fire - Death effect, etc, etc
I assigned the condition values quickly here for the sake of argument (haven't tackled this section yet in my game) and providing an example, I will be balancing out these effects in my write up.
Another easy and simple way would be to assign already established conditions in the system, making them progressively worse based on spell level being used - level 1 Fire - Dazed, level 2 Fire - Sickened 1 round.
Remember, the rider condition effects do not have to translate to the wording used to describe the condition. I.e. - sickened does not mean that the flames made the target nauseas, just the negative effects of being burnt, on fire, etc - depending on the level of the effect. I am just using the mechanical function of the conditions to create a desired effect/associated with level.
As Alaryth and a few others suggested - removing SR from energy spells might work, may be a bit much (imo). I would seriously consider removing SR from creatures that have Vulnerability: energy type, when that energy type is used against them. Ex - Wyrm White Dragon has SR, but vs Fire he doesn't - unless he cast a specific spell to protect himself from fire. Wholesale removal - might be a bit too powerful of a swing, but considering the fact that Evo doesn't scale well in damage it could be a fix for some people.
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Things that I currently do:
-Elemental Spell is no longer a feat. Instead, a spellcaster may change the type of damage on a spell as he casts it by making a Spellcraft check with a DC equal to 15 + spell level. Failure means the spell is cast normally.
-Damage-dealing energy spells are not subject to SR.
-Crit fumbles on saving throws/critical hits with touch attacks have a special effect based on the energy type.
Fire: catches fire
Cold: 1d5 Dex damage
Electric: Stunned for 1 rounds
Acid: Reduced armor bonus to AC, ongoing damage if no armor.
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Breach Blast (Metamagic)
Prerequisite: Greater Spell Focus (Evocation), Greater Spell Penetration
Benefit: A foe damaged by an Evocation spell enhanced by Breach Blast becomes susceptible to further Evocation spells you cast against them for 1 minute. This initial spell is called the rider spell. For each subsequent Evocation spell you cast against that target following the rider spell, you may ignore your targets Spell Resistance.
Breach Blast uses up a spell slot two levels higher than the spell which it modifies.
Heh, make a whole branch of rider spells... and make it so they stack durations with each other. makes synergy much more fun...
removing SR wholesale is a bad idea. some mobs should be nigh immune to magic.
definitely think (maybe another rider) a secondary effect should be able to be added... Maybe just a debuff in the evoker ability trees (bloodline, school, etc).
Set Up (Su): (spell stat)/day As a swift action, set up synergic combos with your evocations for 1 round/2 levels (min 1 level). Target creature is effected by a secondary effect. This counts as 'Rider' effect.
Creatures immune to the element are immune to the secondary effects.
Fire - coughing
Light - dazzle
force - stagger?
etc...
Then perhaps as a free feat:
Rider Spellcraft (Metamagic, Rider): Changes a spell to allow chains of spells cast on the target to be more effective.
+0 level
and/or
Rider Spells: gain bonus effects when casting multiple spells in succession. Duration 1 round/2 levels. After successfully casting a spell extends the duration to the next turn.
on the breaching, dont drop SR, just lower it per spell cast, ie: -1 or -5 per ride.
removing SR wholesale is a bad idea. some mobs should be nigh immune to magic.
on the breaching, dont drop SR, just lower it per spell cast, ie: -1 or -5 per ride.
Some mobs are outright "immune to magic" and a vast number have elemental resistence. I don't think anyone is suggesting SR be totally removed from the game (which is a bad idea), simply that evocation is not subject to it as Conjuration isn't.
Being totally unaffected by burning hands and then getting set aflame by a bottle alchemist's fire doesn't make much sense.
well, saw somewhere the reasoning was what causes the damage. taking acid orb & ray of frost again:
The spell Acid Orb, doesn't damage the creature, it just summons an orb of acid, which you then throw (ala alchy fire).
Ray of Frost, the spell itself does the damage.
iirc, evo has much more boom spells than conj.
And there should be something that allows players and mobs alike to just shrug off spells, other than just saves.
Thinking on the SR score, are no good answers, i think if they just nix it for evokers, then it swings too far the other way.
I made a feat for my homebrew campaign called "Penetrating Evocation". If any target has resistance to the spells element damage type then the PE deals an additional d6 of damage for every 5 points of resistance. Immunity means the spell deals 1/4 damage. This way a fireball could actually hurt certain enemies.
I do like the tempo idea. That should inspire something.
Some of these ideas aren't bad but would be too complex or rule bloating to use effectively. Feats would just be an invoker tax or become a must have.
Evocation has lost its luster due to the increase in everything's HP and the increase in abilities that reduce energy based direct damage.
I think the simplest fix is to boost the base dice of the Evocation spells. Boost burning hands from d4 to d6, Fireball from d6 to d8 etc.
Conjured Evocations (Metamagic)
Prerequisite: Spell Focus (Evocation), Spell Focus(Conjuration)
Benefit: You know how to make evocation spells create their energy, then direct that energy into the target. This allows your evocations to ignore spell resistance. Applying this to an evocation spell increases the spell level by 1. This metamagic can only be applied to evocations that have a fire, cold, electricity, or sonic descriptor.
Some of these ideas aren't bad but would be too complex or rule bloating to use effectively. Feats would just be an invoker tax or become a must have.
Evocation has lost its luster due to the increase in everything's HP and the increase in abilities that reduce energy based direct damage.I think the simplest fix is to boost the base dice of the Evocation spells. Boost burning hands from d4 to d6, Fireball from d6 to d8 etc.
Is weapon focus and weapon specialization just a fighter damage tax?
Martial classes have to take certain feats if they want to be good at dealing damage. I don't think a wizard should be any different. If you want to excel at blasting damage, I don't think that requiring a few feats is unreasonable.
God wizards are already pretty good(come people think they are over powered). Boosting damage of all wizards for free would make then even better.
I don't want to drag this thread down into a martial vs caster debate Charender. There are enough of those already.
This isn't a question of taking feats to make things better.
It's a question of, is the 2 handed sword of spell casting, doing enough base damage .
I don't want to drag this thread down into a martial vs caster debate Charender. There are enough of those already.
This isn't a question of taking feats to make things better.
It's a question of, is the 2 handed sword of spell casting, doing enough base damage .
At level 10:
Fireball does 10d6 damage 35 damage average with no modifications. 17 damage on a save. A greatsword at level 10 with no modifications does 7 damage, and crits 10% of the time for double damage giving you a 7.7 damage on average. Even on a successful save the fireball outdamages the greatsword and can hit multiple target, so yes the 2 handed sword of spell casting is doing enough base damage. /sarcasm I know that is a gross oversimplification that ignores so much, so please don't take it seriously.You avoided my real question. Why should blaster wizard be exempt from having to spend feats to specialize?
The primary thing your fireball example ignores is that it is a limited resource. It should do more damage then the Greatsword because a base spellcaster(without any modification) can only cast a few per day. While the melee with a Greatsword can swing it every 6 seconds.
But this isn't a question of melee vs spell damage. Or even of specialist Invokers. Or about spending feats if you wanted to specialize in Evocation. You can already do that, just like you can specialize in the other schools of magic, or in the greatsword to squeeze out more damage.
The OP's question I believe is how to improve evocation spells by themselves. There is a reason evocation is considered a weaker choice for casters, any caster. It's not across the board all evocation spells, or because there are feats lacking, but because the majority of direct damage spells are considered poor.
To put it in melee terms it's like this:
2 Handed weapons are supposed to be the heavy hitters. You pick up a greatsword because you want to deal DAMAGE.
1 Handed weapons are supposed to be moderate damage and allow you to do something else (wield another weapon, a shield, an item etc)
This correlates to spells in that
Evocation spells are supposed to be the heavy hitters. You cast an Evocation blasting spell because you want to deal DAMAGE.
You cast a conjuration spell because you want to do a moderate damage and a secondary effect.
What has happened to spells is that the 1 handed version is now doing better damage then the 2 Handed ones.
Fireballs have been doing a max of 10d6 since 2nd edition, if not 1st(i can't recall). Everything else in the game has scaled up in HP, damage dealing, resistances etc.
So I offered the idea of scaling the evocation spells that have fallen behind back up to where they should be. And the easiest way to do, with minimal rule disruption, is just bump up the base dice. IMHO
The primary thing your fireball example ignores is that it is a limited resource. It should do more damage then the Greatsword because a base spellcaster(without any modification) can only cast a few per day. While the melee with a Greatsword can swing it every 6 seconds.
You missed my comment about not taking that seriously didn't you?
But this isn't a question of melee vs spell damage. Or even of specialist Invokers. Or about spending feats if you wanted to specialize in Evocation. You can already do that, just like you can specialize in the other schools of magic, or in the greatsword to squeeze out more damage.
I think that is where we disagree. Ok, you picked up your magic greatsword, now what are your options for amping damage as a caster?
Evocation school special ability or certain sorcerer bloodlines and?
Spell Focus - doesn't really amp damage, but makes the damage more reliable
Greater Spell Focus, Spell Penetration, Greater Spell Penetration - Same as Spell Focus
These are all the same as something that gives a martial a bonus to hit like weapon focus.
Now lets look at metamagic
Intensify Spell, Maximize Spell, Empower Spell, Burning Spell - These all lower your DC to increase damage. Lower chance to hit for more damage.... Hmm sounds like power attack.
Then there is
Elemental Spell - Change damage type to avoid known resistances, but doesn't really up damage and lowers the DC.
Quicken spell - allows you to fire off another weaker spell with a lower save DC.
Lets look at a level 20 caster with 30 int
Empowered maximized intenisified fireball with the magical lineage uses a level 9 spell slot, and does 90 + 7d6 = 114.5 average damage with a DC of 23
OR
Meteor Swarm 24d6 = 84 damage + 4 touch attacks for 2d6 damage each, and a hit causes a -4 to the targets save for another 28 damage on average. 112 potential damage with a save DC of 29.
Yay, I burned 3 feats and a trait to increase my average damage potential by 2.5 while lowering my save DC by 6.
The problem as I see it, is that casters do not have enough decent options for actually increasing their damage with feats. Almost all of options are tradeoffs. More raw damage in exchange for a lower save DC, which sucks when you could just go with a stronger spell. There are not a whole lot of feats or options that actually increase spell damage.
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evocation spells work just fine, with the damage dice and caps they have, when the opponent has only a saving throw to resist.
i thought the issue here was with Spell Resistance. and to a lesser extent Energy Resistance. these defenses oughtn't be cheapened.
so the idea that an invoker must invest in feats to persevere against enemies with those defenses seems fair. the spells work fine. feats exist to either heighten specialization or broaden general effectivity, and this is good. so is the structural trade-offs that metamagic offers.
to me, the question is "how many raised slots" for a given counter-counter.
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-Crit fumbles on saving throws/critical hits with touch attacks have a special effect based on the energy type.
Fire: catches fire
Cold: 1d5 Dex damage
Electric: Stunned for 1 rounds
Acid: Reduced armor bonus to AC, ongoing damage if no armor.
Interesting. Here's my modification of this. I think that the effects become of little to no use at higher levels. The only reason I do this is because I really like the concept and would probably house rule this. Please feel free to improve upon this for balance purposes.
1-3
Fire: Target catches fire (1d6 fire damage/round until put out)
Cold: Target suffers 1d3 Dex damage
Electric: Target is staggered for 1 round
Acid: Target suffers a -2 penalty to armor bonus (minimum of 0, only applicable to physical armor), 1d2 Con damage if no armor.
4-6
Fire: Target catches fire (2d8 fire damage/round until put out)
Cold: Target suffers 2d4 Dex damage
Electric: Target is dazed for 2 rounds
Acid: Target suffers a -4 penalty to armor bonus (minimum of 0, only applicable to physical armor), 2d2 Con damage if no armor.
7-9
Fire: Target catches fire (3d10 fire damage/round until put out)
Cold: Target suffers 3d6 Dex damage
Electric: Target is stunned for 3 rounds
Acid: Target suffers a -6 penalty to armor bonus (minimum of 0, only applicable to physical armor), 3d3 Con damage if no armor.
-Crit fumbles on saving throws/critical hits with touch attacks have a special effect based on the energy type.
Fire: catches fire
Cold: 1d5 Dex damage
Electric: Stunned for 1 rounds
Acid: Reduced armor bonus to AC, ongoing damage if no armor.Interesting. Here's my modification of this. I think that the effects become of little to no use at higher levels. The only reason I do this is because I really like the concept and would probably house rule this. Please feel free to improve upon this for balance purposes.
1-3
Fire: Target catches fire (1d6 fire damage/round until put out)
Cold: Target suffers 1d3 Dex damage
Electric: Target is staggered for 1 round
Acid: Target suffers a -2 penalty to armor bonus (minimum of 0, only applicable to physical armor), 1d2 Con damage if no armor.4-6
Fire: Target catches fire (2d8 fire damage/round until put out)
Cold: Target suffers 2d4 Dex damage
Electric: Target is dazed for 2 rounds
Acid: Target suffers a -4 penalty to armor bonus (minimum of 0, only applicable to physical armor), 2d2 Con damage if no armor.7-9
Fire: Target catches fire (3d10 fire damage/round until put out)
Cold: Target suffers 3d6 Dex damage
Electric: Target is stunned for 3 rounds
Acid: Target suffers a -6 penalty to armor bonus (minimum of 0, only applicable to physical armor), 3d3 Con damage if no armor.
Valid concerns. I generally don't run games at very high levels (my groups usually only advance 3 levels at most before the semester/summer ends, at which point the players may change and we start over with a new story and party. The highest I've run so far is 5th), so the balance problem is less of an issue for me, but when/if I do run a group at higher levels I'll encorporate some sort of scaling.
These are some high level spells we use to make evocation better; we feel evocation needs more love starting around 6th level spells and higher rather than across the board.
Unleash Evocations
Transmutation
Level: Sor/Wis 6th
Components: V, S
Casting Time: 1 standard action
Range: Personal
Duration: 1 round per level.
You tap into primal universal energies destabilizing the area around you, accessing a font of raw energy. While this area is unstable, all evocations you call upon double the damage they deal. Each evocation you cast reduces the available energy. You can use one evocation for every 5 caster levels you posses before the rift seals, which happens as part of the casting of the last evocation or its duration runs out, whichever happens first.
Elemental Soul
Evocation (variable)
Level: Sor/Wis 9th
Components: V, S
Casting Time: 1 full round action
Range: Personal
Duration: 1 round per 2 levels.
Saving Throw: See below.
Spell Resistance: See below.
You tap into your very soul, that of a powerful mage whose had a lifetime of elemental forces at his command. Doing this grants you the ability to create one elemental effect each turn as a swift action. This effect duplicates one of the following spells:
chain lightning, cone of cold, fireball, flame strike, lightning bolt, Wall of fire
The effect however differs in several ways:
The effect has a damage cap of 50 caster levels. Each effect is under the equivalent of the Empowered Spell Feat, Enlarge Spell Feat, Silent Spell Feat, Still Spell Feat, Widen Spell Feat.
If you choose to replicate a Wall of fire, the time increases by one step to a move action.
You choose what element the effect has from among acid, cold, electricity, fire, or sonic. You may instead choose positive or negative energy, but this turns the effect into a move action. You may instead choose a force effect, but this turns the effect into a standard action.
If the effect uses cold, electricity, or fire, it is a reflex save and deals 1.5 damage. If the effect uses acid, sonic, or force, it is a fortitude save and bypasses spell resistance. If the effect uses positive or negative energy, it is a will save and its area is doubled.
The effects DCs are as a 9th level spell. You can choose to make the area smaller if you desire.
From Within
Evocation (variable)
Level: Sor/Wis 9th
Components: V, S
Casting Time: 1 full round action
Range: Long
Duration: Instantaneous
Saving Throw: Fortitude Partial. Reflex half.
Spell Resistance: No and Yes. See below.
You pick a target in your line of sight, who's body liquids begin to be replaced into whatever element(s) you choose, his body wracking in pain, stunning them for one round. The target receives a fortitude save for half damage and to negate the stun, but Spell resistance does not apply. This effect deals 2d6+ int modifier + caster level, this is the base damage. This number is multiplied by 1d4+1 for the target.
At the beginning of your next turn, the target's body violently explodes in either a 40 ft. radius burst dealing the base damage multiplied by 1d6, 80 ft. radius burst dealing the base damage multiplied by 1d4, or 300 ft. radius burst dealing the base damage multiplied by 1d2. A reflex save for half is provided, which also allows spell resistance. The original target receives this damage as well.