Glitterdust is a great spell!
BUT... with Use Magic Device (UMD) my understanding is that it's possible to buy a spell that is similar in function fairly cheaply while freeing up a Known Spell Slot for other purposes - i.e. a Wand of Faerie Fire for 750GP (50 charges)
I'm looking for a strong advocate of Glitterdust to convince me to take it over a Wand of Faerie Fire.
I'm aware that UMD is not a guarantee.
I'm aware that Glitterdust has no Spell Resistance
I'm aware that Glitterdust can Blind on a failed Will Save,.. but frankly,.. I'm not convinced it's *that much* stronger than Faerie Fire.
Alternatively, I'm looking for Faerie Fire fan-boys/girls to be proponents of my choice.
As it stands now, Faerie Fire looks to be a better choice until such time as Spell Resistance opponents become more frequent (Level 15+) - in which case I might swap out a spell for Glitterdust or use the Human Favored Class ability to add-on Glitterdust instead of taking another Hit Point.
Thoughts?
Glitterdust affects a 10 ft radius and imposes a -40 Stealth penalty. Faerie Fire affects a 5 ft radius and imposes a -20 penalty. GD also bypasses SR.
If the goal is to reveal an invisible foe (and you don't have See Invisibility), I think Glitterdust is the better choice.
If the goal is to negate miss chance from blur, darkness, displacement, or invisibility, I'd choose Faerie Fire.
Glitterdust affects a 10 ft radius and imposes a -40 Stealth penalty. Faerie Fire affects a 5 ft radius and imposes a -20 penalty. GD also bypasses SR.
If the goal is to reveal an invisible foe (and you don't have See Invisibility), I think Glitterdust is the better choice.
If the goal is to negate miss chance from blur, darkness, displacement, or invisibility, I'd choose Faerie Fire.
I like how you accentuated the difference between the two spells - each focused on a different goal with some overlap between the two.
Great point on radius, Marius. For some reason I erroneously thought Glitterdust targeted 4 squares whereas Faerie Fire targeted a 5 ft radius - effectively the same thing, but with different wording. My bad.
To your point...
As per Faerie Fire:
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Area creatures and objects within a 5-ft.-radius burst
As per Glitterdust:
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Area creatures and objects within 10-ft.-radius spread.
I'm an old school 3.5 player just starting Pathfinder.
Does this hold true?
5' radius = 4 squares
10'radius = 8 squares
http://rpg.stackexchange.com/questions/19400/what-is-a-radius-on-a-square-g rid
Also should be noted, one is a burst (is blocked by corners) while the other is a spread (rounds corners).
It should be noted...
Glitterdust lasts rounds/lvl whereas Faerie Fire lasts minutes/lvl.
IF I were invisible and targeted by a Glitterdust, THEN I'd run away for a few rounds until the GD duration ended (assuming I made my save vs. blindness). I would argue it'd be harder for me to escape if I had been targeted by a Faerie Fire seeing as the duration is as long as it is.
I don't know how common invisible creatures are in Pathfinder. This having been said, I already have one of my old favorite feats - Blindfight- at the ready.