Spell types and descriptors

[TheGreatXandini]

Does changing a spell's elemental damage type through a feat or feature also change it's descriptor? For instance would an acid spell that was made to do fire damage then have the fire descriptor?

[Zhayne]

By RAW, I don't think it does so unless the effect that changes it expressly said so.

Common sense says otherwise, but RAW and Common Sense often don't intersect.

[Dafydd]

Yes, changing the damage type of fireball for example changes it to whatever type of damage you choose.

Example, you have Spell Focus Evocation, Elemental Focus Cold and Elemental Metamagic. You prep 1 fireball as cold, another as normal. The cold fireball is a cold spell, the normal fireball is still fire.

[That Crazy Alchemist]

Dafydd wrote:

Yes, changing the damage type of fireball for example changes it to whatever type of damage you choose.

Example, you have Spell Focus Evocation, Elemental Focus Cold and Elemental Metamagic. You prep 1 fireball as cold, another as normal. The cold fireball is a cold spell, the normal fireball is still fire.

Dafydd you may be confused what a spell descriptor is. It is not synonymous with "damage type" they are two very different things.

While true that many feats or features in the game that allow you to change a spells damage type also changes it's descriptor, it is important to keep in mind that doing so does NOT change the descriptor unless it specifically says so.
To use the example of Elemental Metamagic Feat. That feat does not change the spell's descriptor in any way, just the spells damage type. So while a Cold Metamagic'd Fireball would do Cold damage, it does not actually gain the cold descriptor and would (oddly) be a fire spell that does cold damage.

[Dafydd]

Strange, it says it does in my APG. Has that been changed? (a lot of it has since its from the first few print runs)

[Jeff Merola]

Dafydd wrote:

Strange, it says it does in my APG. Has that been changed? (a lot of it has since its from the first few print runs)

The APG has been printed twice, and in both versions the feat's text is as follows:

Quote:

Benefit: Choose one energy type: acid, cold, electricity, or fire. You may replace a spell’s normal damage with that energy type or split the spell’s damage, so that half is of that energy type and half is of its normal type. An elemental spell uses up a spell slot one level higher than the spell’s actual level.

Special: You can gain this feat multiple times. Each time you must choose a different energy type.

Nothing about changing the descriptor in the feat.

Now, if you were thinking of the Admixture Wizard power, that does change the descriptor.

[That Crazy Alchemist]

Dafydd wrote:

Strange, it says it does in my APG. Has that been changed? (a lot of it has since its from the first few print runs)

Dunno, this is what mine says:

Elemental Spell:

Benefit: Choose one energy type: acid, cold, electricity, or fire. You may replace a spell’s normal damage with that energy type or split the spell’s damage, so that half is of that energy type and half is of its normal type.

Level Increase: +1 (an elemental spell uses up a spell slot one level higher than the spell’s actual level.)

Special: You can gain this feat multiple times. Each time you must choose a different energy type.

EDIT: Ninja'd

[That Crazy Alchemist]

Jeff Merola wrote:

Now, if you were thinking of the Admixture Wizard power, that does change the descriptor.

Aye, Elemental Bloodline will do it too. There are many effects in the game that do both, but they MUST say they do both.

[Dafydd]

Weird, d20pfsrd also is missing the text.

I will put a book mark with that into my book. All the other examples I can find that change the spell damage also change the type, so I never questioned the feat.