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Hello! Sorry for the double post, but it's been a month or two and I wasn't sure if "bumping" is allowed.
I want to use Eldritch Conduit with Detonate to cause the explosion to emanate from an ally or--if they fail a will save--an enemy.
Now, I know that I can cause Detonate to explode from the subject of Eldritch Conduit per Page 214 of the Player's Handbook which states that "The default shape for a burst is a sphere." This means that bursts, spreads, and emanations count as spheres unless noted otherwise, and can be used with Eldritch Conduit.
My question is, who takes the automatic half damage? Me or the subject of Eldritch Conduit? The rules state that I take the half damage, but it's implied I take half damage because the spell is exploding from me. If the spell is exploding from someone else would they take the half damage instead?
Excerpts:
"One round after completing the casting of the spell, the energy explodes from your body."
"You automatically take half damage from the explosion."
So it "explodes from my body" and I "take half damage from the explosion."
Well with Eldritch Conduit the explosion is not coming from me and I am not in it (ideally), so how can I take the half damage? The rules don't exactly cover this scenario and so I was hoping for a ruling that I can use in PFS play.
Since I am doing a module this weekend that will put me at only 1 level away from being able to do this, I would really appreciate an official ruling on this that I can show to my GMs in PFS. Pretty please! :)
Lastly, I would really like to stress how not-broken this is even if I can avoid the half damage. The spell would only average one more damage per die, and to pull this off I either need a willing subject or a target that fails a will save, and I have to spend two rounds casting a level 2 spell then a level 4 spell and wait for the third round for the explosion to happen.
No dice. Detonate's effect is a spread. The Effect line of the spell description must be "cone", "cylinder", "line", "sphere". The shape of the spread is, sadly, irrelevant.
But ignoring that and supposing the GM is on board with your interpretation: Eldritch conduit only changes the point of origin of the spell. You are still the caster. Just as the spell uses your caster level and so forth when determining the parameters of the spell, it uses you, the caster, for any references to "you" in the spell.
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No dice. Detonate's effect is a spread. The Effect line of the spell description must be "cone", "cylinder", "line", "sphere". The shape of the spread is, sadly, irrelevant.
But ignoring that and supposing the GM is on board with your interpretation: Eldritch conduit only changes the point of origin of the spell. You are still the caster. Just as the spell uses your caster level and so forth when determining the parameters of the spell, it uses you, the caster, for any references to "you" in the spell.
A burst is a sphere by default. It counts as a sphere unless the spell says otherwise. That *is* the shape of the spell. It's right on page 214 of the Player's Handbook.
Sorry for being a little firm on this but the rules are very clear about the shape, you just have to read everything about bursts, spreads, and emanations. There isn't a single spell that actually lists itself as "sphere" that would make sense for Eldritch Conduit because every spell written as such has a range already.
I'm trying to get a ruling on the other bit.
EDIT: Sorry, you are right about it being a spread. If you read all of page 214, spreads and emanations are "as bursts except..." and since burst is a sphere, so are spreads and emanations.
EDIT 2: Also, further evidence that all bursts, emanations, and spreads do count as "sphere-shaped" by default. No spell anywhere says "sphere-shaped burst" because "sphere" is the default shape. It's assumed to be a sphere unless noted otherwise. Sphere isn't just the geometry of the burst, it is the game-rules "shape" of the spell.
Sounds like you've already made up your mind, then.
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Sounds like you've already made up your mind, then.
It's less that I've made up my mind and more than I've already received rulings from GMs in person on the shape of detonate. But, I am totally open to what you said hypothetically about detonate still dealing damage to the caster.
I'm frustrated because each time I try to ask this question it gets derailed by the "shape" discussion which is already resolved.
As before I would really appreciate an official ruling on the automatic half damage, but until then I'll just assume I take the half damage as that is the most likely interpretation of the rules. I do appreciate your input on that bit and I am sorry for being so short. You didn't know that I've had that particular discussion ad nauseum.
Excerpts:
"One round after completing the casting of the spell, the energy explodes from your body."
"You automatically take half damage from the explosion."
So it "explodes from my body" and I "take half damage from the explosion."
Bolded for emphasis.
It seems to me that the intent is for the caster to automatically pass the save for half damage. The game's default assumption is that you are in your own body at the time you cast - in the event that you aren't in your own body, I fail to see how you'd take damage "from the explosion".
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It seems to me that the intent is for the caster to automatically pass the save for half damage. The game's default assumption is that you are in your own body at the time you cast - in the event that you aren't in your own body, I fail to see how you'd take damage "from the explosion".
Yeah that's kind of why I was hoping for an official ruling. The RAW, clunky as they are, still state I somehow take damage from the explosion even if I am not in it. But, I was hoping for an official ruling I could quote during a PFS game saying otherwise. Until then I'll just have to ask each individual GM how they want to do it. :/
Yeah that's kind of why I was hoping for an official ruling. The RAW, clunky as they are, still state I somehow take damage from the explosion even if I am not in it. But, I was hoping for an official ruling I could quote during a PFS game saying otherwise. Until then I'll just have to ask each individual GM how they want to do it. :/
It seems to me that the intent is for the caster to automatically pass the save for half damage. The game's default assumption is that you are in your own body at the time you cast - in the event that you aren't in your own body, I fail to see how you'd take damage "from the explosion".
Double-checked for you and there's no FAQ for it. Looks like RAI is on your side, though, so good luck with that.
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Double-checked for you and there's no FAQ for it. Looks like RAI is on your side, though, so good luck with that.Yeah that's kind of why I was hoping for an official ruling. The RAW, clunky as they are, still state I somehow take damage from the explosion even if I am not in it. But, I was hoping for an official ruling I could quote during a PFS game saying otherwise. Until then I'll just have to ask each individual GM how they want to do it. :/
It seems to me that the intent is for the caster to automatically pass the save for half damage. The game's default assumption is that you are in your own body at the time you cast - in the event that you aren't in your own body, I fail to see how you'd take damage "from the explosion".
Do PFS GMs tend to go for RAW or RAI? lol