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I am a blaster sorcerer(most of the time). I like chain lightning cause i think its pretty OP able at max to hit 20 guys =400d6 spread out I believe. Is it one of the better spells? I also have draconic bloodline arcana that gives +1 damage per dice on electricity spells, so this spell(im pretty sure) will murder bad later on. What is your opinion on this spell, and should i get it at lvl 12? Also is it worth getting elemental spell to change stuff like fireball to lightning ball for that +1 damage per dice?
:P
Primus
Generally speaking, when blasting, it's usually better to use a lower level blasting spell(Fireball is the mainstay because it's harder to hit a bunch of enemies with a lightning bolt) beefed to high heck with metamagics(which gets even better with a certain trait) instead of having a higher level one taking up a spell known at that level. Not only do you save a spell known you can use for utility, but it also does more damage overall. That said, I am a fan of Chain Lightning's targeting.
If you're willing to consider using a feat on it and your GM will allow you to do so, Words of Power allow you to get a lightning effect in numerous variations of pattern. That said, they can be a bit complex to understand. There's a pretty good guide on them around here somewhere.
Also, I could be wrong, but I don't think the draconic bloodline's arcana applies when you use elemental spell to change a spell's type, since it does not gain the descriptor, only the damage type. It's kinda silly, but that's sadly how it is. On the plus side, your Elemental(Acidic) Lightning Bolt still benefits from your bloodline.
There are options for changing a damage type and descriptor, but that isn't one of them.
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400d6 spread out sounds a lot better than it is. What you have is a crowd control spell good for wiping out hordes of critters, or doing moderate damage at the level to a single target. Elemental Spell is a useful feat because it allows you to bypass enemy resistances, not necessarily for the bonus damage, but the two aren't mutually exclusive.
Short Answer: Sure. Chain Lightning is fine. Have fun.
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Ah so elemental spell is pretty much only useful for bypassing DR to say fire or soemthing.... that sucks.. Im not really a fan of spells like fireball because i always feel like there will be that one guy on my team who will get hurt when i send a fireball to hit 3 enemies. And by the way i just read what you said davor, can you send multiple lightning bolts at one guy? That sounds like it could make sense, but sounds ridiculously overpowered. Also, is burning arc a good spell to get? low level and seems fairly useful to me.
Primus
If you build to Spell Perfection: Chain Lightning and use Dazing Spell, you can have a pretty good stun-lock.
Or you could do Spell Perfection: Ball Lightning, and stack Persistent on top of your Dazing. Doesn't look as damaging, but when you have a really hard save that keeps the enemy from acting and continually getting damaged, it's a pretty good killer.
The chain lighting version is a great setup for the rest of your party though. Keeping up to 20 enemies from acting for 6 rounds is a death sentence for them.
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Hahaha i wouldnt say im a beggar. I just want it for the fun. What about Enemy Hammer? It sounds amazing just the name, but its also a fair attack. Although of course there are better things. I dont care crap for Illusion or Enchantment.. Let me know about any spells that are really useful to have.
Thanks Primus
Let me know about any spells that are really useful to have.
If you're looking to blast, Cold Ice Strike is a fairly useful 6th level spell, since it's a swift action cast. It's like a cold damage version of lightning bolt with Intensify and Quicken already attached(which should make it level 8), though it does have a shorter range to balance it out a bit.
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Let me know about any spells that are really useful to have.If you're looking to blast, Cold Ice Strike is a fairly useful 6th level spell, since it's a swift action cast. It's like a cold damage version of lightning bolt with Intensify and Quicken already attached(which should make it level 8), though it does have a shorter range to balance it out a bit.
What book is that in?
What book is that in?Let me know about any spells that are really useful to have.If you're looking to blast, Cold Ice Strike is a fairly useful 6th level spell, since it's a swift action cast. It's like a cold damage version of lightning bolt with Intensify and Quicken already attached(which should make it level 8), though it does have a shorter range to balance it out a bit.
Ultimate Magic.
And chain ligthning is fine. If you blast ligthning you want it.|
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hm yeah.Ive got toughness and imp. initiative and at lvl 2.. probably going for imp. familiar at lvl 3. wow dang Cold Ice Strike is awesome.. probably worth intensified(i think thats the one) to add 5d6 later on. So what should my feat plan be? My bloodline feats are
Bonus Feats: Blind-Fight, Great Fortitude, Improved Initiative, Power Attack, Quicken Spell, Skill Focus (Fly), Skill Focus (Knowledge [arcana]), Toughness.
Maybe i should ditch imp initiative and toughness and get em as bloodline feats later... although tattooed sorcerer loses 7th level bloodline feat... probably should drop toughness but idk?
At mid levels a lower level metamagicked spell will produce more damage. Once you hit 15 and spell perfection comes on line then chain lightning starts to pull ahead.
Intensified + Empowered + Maximized(Spell Perfection) Fireball: 75 + 1/2x15d6 for an average of 101.25 before saves
Maximized(Spell Perfection) + Empowered(Metamagic Rod) Chain Lightning: 75 + 1/2x15d6 for an average of 101.25 before saves
It is a little higher due to a higher save DC(and in the OP's case, the Bloodline ability kicks in), but when you start considering things like having the ability to throw out a second IEM fireball using a quickened rod, that pulls ahead when you're really wanting to burst. And if you add in a trait, you can do it with fifth level spell slots, which is nice.
Edit: Forgot to apply the 1/2 when multiplying the empowered. That's what I get for posting when I first wake up. Corrected.
hm yeah.Ive got toughness and imp. initiative and at lvl 2.. probably going for imp. familiar at lvl 3. wow dang Cold Ice Strike is awesome.. probably worth intensified(i think thats the one) to add 5d6 later on. So what should my feat plan be? My bloodline feats are
Bonus Feats: Blind-Fight, Great Fortitude, Improved Initiative, Power Attack, Quicken Spell, Skill Focus (Fly), Skill Focus (Knowledge [arcana]), Toughness.
Maybe i should ditch imp initiative and toughness and get em as bloodline feats later... although tattooed sorcerer loses 7th level bloodline feat... probably should drop toughness but idk?
I would go through this guide and look at what he has to say about feats. It's designed with a blasting Wizard in mind, but the feats section should still prove fairly useful to you.
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Yeah i thought about that. Hm i had gifted adept for burning arc though for +1 caster level on it... and some other one that gives +1 for a lvl 1 spell and +1 for a 0 lvl spell. I cant believe theres a spell called chains of fire=chain lightning for fire people.... Is it really worth having magical lineage and not have it be helpful till level 18 or more though?
Primus
The DC difference is a big issue, especially if you start adding in Dazing instead of Maximise. Chain Lightning also discriminates between targets which Fireball does not allowing the rest of your group to mix things up with the enemy. Electricity is also a less common resistance than fire.
If you want to make significant use of chain lightning then obviously you want Magical Lineage with it so that you can also quicken it.
While I certainly agree that it can be a bit of an issue, if you're building for it, the +4 for Spell Perfected Greater Spell Focus and your already high caster stat should probably have most foes saving no more than a quarter to a third of the time. Since you can Dazing AND Quicken a third level spell w/ Magical Lineage, that means they get to save twice. And if you're really wanting to conserve, you could do it in a third level and fifth level slot.
Chain Lightning's effectively built in Selective and Intensify(when compared to a Fireball), is nice, though.
I'm assuming the link loaded, right? They start on page 6 of 18 and continue on to page 9.
Everything listed as blue: Spell Focus, Spell Specialization, Greater Spell Focus, Intensified Spell, Quicken Spell, Dazing Spell, Spell Perfection, Improved Initiative, Improved Familiar, Toughness, Spell Penetration, Greater Spell Penetration, Additional Traits.
Listed as Green: Sicken Spell, Empower Spell, Maximize Spell
Listed as Yellow: Persistent Spell, Rime Spell, Quick Draw
Some of them change in value as certain situations change. For instance, Additional Traits is blue only if it's your only way to get a specific trait. Each of them on the list comes with a great explanation as to why he thinks you should get them. You should really read those in order to decide if his reasoning for each is pertinent in your situation.
If you're planning to truly focus on a particular element, then adding in elemental focus and greater elemental focus can further boost your save DCs. They're not mentioned in the guide because he advocates against focusing, but if you're making a draconic lightning blaster, you might find them useful.