Rallying Anthem

[The Total Package]

The spell states:

Your song moves allies to protect themselves more effectively. You and all allies in the area gain a +1 status bonus to AC and saving throws, as well as resistance equal to half the spell's rank to physical damage.

At level 16 how much resistance would this spell provide?

[yellowpete]

It's automatically heightened to 8th rank at that point, so it provides 4 resistance to physical damage.

[Finoan]

Most things, when halved, are rounded down. I thought there was a general rule for that, but I am having difficulty finding it. I am only finding the reminder text in Halving Damage. Converting level to spell Rank is the primary exception. The conversion formula specifically says to round up in both Cantrips and Focus Spells.

So for any level, Rallying Anthem's bonus will be: half level rounded up, then half that result rounded down.

A cherry picked example: level 13. Half of that is 6.5 and it gets rounded up to 7. Then half of that is 3.5 and it gets rounded down to 3. So at level 13 Rallying Anthem provides Resistance 3 to physical damage.

[HammerJack]

Finoan wrote:

Most things, when halved, are rounded down. I thought there was a general rule for that, but I am having difficulty finding it. I am only finding the reminder text in Halving Damage. Converting level to spell Rank is the primary exception. The conversion formula specifically says to round up in both Cantrips and Focus Spells.

So for any level, Rallying Anthem's bonus will be: half level rounded up, then half that result rounded down.

A cherry picked example: level 13. Half of that is 6.5 and it gets rounded up to 7. Then half of that is 3.5 and it gets rounded down to 3. So at level 13 Rallying Anthem provides Resistance 3 to physical damage.

What you're looking for is in Player Core 1 page 399, under Game Conventions;

"Rounding
You may need to calculate a fraction of a value, like halving damage. Always round down unless otherwise specified. For example, if a spell deals 7 damage and a creature takes half damage from it, that creature takes 3 damage."

[Finoan]

HammerJack wrote:

What you're looking for is in Player Core 1 page 399, under Game Conventions;

There it is. Thanks.

[The Total Package]

That resistance is peanuts, thanks guys!

[Finoan]

The Total Package wrote:

That resistance is peanuts, thanks guys!

*shrugs* Sorry it isn't giving you the sticker shock you were hoping for.

For a 1-action cantrip that affects you and every ally in 60 feet and also applies a +1 bonus to every defensive stat for every attack that they are subjected to for an entire round, I'm not sure that the damage resistance only being a bit less than half of what a Champion can give to one ally against one attack is something to complain about.

[Squark]

The bonus to AC and saves are the main attraction. The damage resistance is just a small additional bonus (although it is quite helpful against chip damage like bleed or swarms)

[NorrKnekten]

Its physical damage too, Just flat out physical damage mitigation is kinda nuts if we consider that it can apply to multiple damagetypes in the same attack if we want to go with what the clarifications from Mark Seifter.

Same reason as to why Champion gets better if an attack deals multiple types of damage but can only do it against a single effect. But this time its until your next turn. Or you can be a muse and extend it for what essentially is the rest of the encounter.

Its honestly insane how much it negates despite being a single action cantrip.

[Finoan]

Yeah, as far as damage typing, the Resist All of Champion and Amulet Thaumaturge is better, and the temporary HP of Flamekeeper Witch is usually worse (unless dealing with enemies doing solely energy damage).

But the total damage blocked by Rallying Anthem can get to silly levels of better in comparison to any of those once you have a combat involving more than one enemy ... or even one enemy making multiple attacks per round or that have AoE attacks.