Arcane Cannon Questions

[Create Mr. Pitt]

1. What kind of damage is done by the arcane cannon? Bludgeoning? Is it untyped damage?

2. Does DR apply to damage from arcane cannon? SR does not.

3. Bonus question: Since you are conjuring an actual item that ignores spell resistance why is this a transmutation, rather than a conjuration spell?

[Calth]

1.) Its untyped damage. The mythic version confirms it, since it lets you deal half untyped half typed explicitly.

2.) DR does not apply

3.) Its not conjuration because you don't conjour the cannon, you transmute the focus (which is a miniature cannon)

[Azten]

The spell type is probably wrong, since in the very first sentence of the spell it says you conjure a cannon...

[Dave Justus]

From my read, the arcane cannon is a cannon and deals damage like a cannon, so bludgeoning and piercing. (the mythic version of the spell changes this for a number of rounds after the conductive property is used.)

DR would apply to bludgeoning and piercing damage of the cannon.

In my opinion, it should be conjuration, not transmutation, even if you are transmuting your miniature cannon since you are definitely conjuring ammo which seems a bigger deal to me than transmuting the cannon. As to why the developers choose that particular school though, it is anyone's guess. The lines between the schools often blur quite a bit.

[Diego Rossi]

Dave Justus wrote:

As to why the developers choose that particular school though, it is anyone's guess. The lines between the schools often blur quite a bit.

Probably because they didn't wanted to give another damage dealing spell without SR and ST to the conjuration school.

[Create Mr. Pitt]

Yeah I mean the school isn't the critical question here. The DM and I agreed that it is a super poorly written spell. We compromised that it bypasses DR/magic, bludgeoning, and piercing. But the spell could really use a rewrite.

[Dave Justus]

I don't see any reason it would overcome DR/magic. Other spells that inflict regular damage typically don't as I recall.

If the arcane cannon was given an enhancement bonus from something, then it would overcome DR/magic.

[Create Mr. Pitt]

I think it either untyped or you're just making it up as you go along. So we agreed that because it's an arcane cannon and a seventh level spell that it also pierces DR/magic because we're not likely to get any further clarification and it seemed like a reasonable compromise.

I don't think there's any real argument basis for anything but untyped damage because the spell is just written badly.

[Dave Justus]

Create Mr. Pitt wrote:

I think it either untyped or you're just making it up as you go along. So we agreed that because it's an arcane cannon and a seventh level spell that it also pierces DR/magic because we're not likely to get any further clarification and it seemed like a reasonable compromise.

I don't think there's any real argument basis for anything but untyped damage because the spell is just written badly.

Ahh, well since you had it overcome DR/Bludgeoning and DR/Peircing I was assuming you were treating the arcane cannon as being a cannon, which does bludgeoning and piercing damage.

If you don't think that is the case, then I suppose anything would be justifiable, but I personally think it is a cannon, magically animated and using conjured powder and ammunition of course, but it does cannon damage, not magical or energy damage.

[Diego Rossi]

Create Mr. Pitt wrote:

I think it either untyped or you're just making it up as you go along. So we agreed that because it's an arcane cannon and a seventh level spell that it also pierces DR/magic because we're not likely to get any further clarification and it seemed like a reasonable compromise.

I don't think there's any real argument basis for anything but untyped damage because the spell is just written badly.

Quote:

Effect one magically animated cannon

What kind of damage you think a magically animated cannon would do? That of a cannon or untyped?

For me the reply is clear: that of the cannon. And it don't include magic, only piercing and bludgeoning.

[Create Mr. Pitt]

I think a lot of assumptions are being made about a magical cannon created as a seventh level spell. Usually spells specify the type of damage; actual cannons have different range increments and damage, so making guesses based on that is just that. On the other hand, I could make assumptions based on the word arcane.

Like I said we came to a compromise, but I definitely don't think this spell is as clear as some people seem to think; and should probably be a whole lot clearer.