Thinking about getting this for my cloistered cleric. Please let me know if my understanding of this focus spell is correct. At level 7 it will deal 4D6 + spell mod and you will be able to produce 4 dragons? So each round the dragon attacks it is gone? So effectively this spell will last about 4 rounds? On the first round you merely spend 2 actions to create the dragons, then you can spend your third action to attack with it?
For a level 7 character, the spell would be heightened to spell level 4, so yes - 4d6 + spellcasting ability modifier is the correct amount of damage, and 4 dragons is the correct number of dragons created.
With 4 dragons, the spell will last for 4 attacks, or for 1 minute. You can cast the spell for 2 actions and then attack with one of the dragons using your 3rd action. On subsequent rounds, or if you are under the effects of Haste or similar effects that give you additional actions that can be used for Strike, you can attack with the dragons multiple times in one round - though additional attacks in the same round will be subject to Multiple Attack Penalty.
Yup, sounds like you understand. Its one of the few quadratic scaling spells in the game ( N dragons doing Nd6, so ultimate N^2d6 damage), but spread over multiple rounds and costing 2+N total actions. And the first two actions don't do any damage, just get the dragons ready for future use.
You almost never want to attack with two dragons in a turn due to your lower than martial proficiency, so around level 7, you might not get all the dragons used up in a fight/waste some.
Its a great round 1 spell, before anyone needs any healing, and gets a strong 1 action ability ready for you on later rounds.
Wow, it is a ranged Strike, hadn't caught that before.
In later levels (or at levels when your spell proficiency spikes), you'll want to shoot 2/round, if only to use them up. When Heightened Haste hits the table (and True Target) this spell will only improve.
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Regardless of it being a ranged Strike, it's not the Strike action, which is the only thing you can do with Hasted action beside Stride and Strike. The only guidance as to which type of action it is to use the dragons is "by using a single action, which has the concentrate trait."
It being a Strike is relevant to other rules, such as reactions, spells, and armor and shield traits.
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Well, it does also say that the action is a Strike, not just that it behaves like one.
So it would be a single Strike action with the added Concentrate trait.
I can see it not being allowed under strict reading, but I don't think it is overpowering to allow it either.
Let spellcasters use Haste for more than just running away.
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You shape energy into one incorporeal tiny dragon (or serpentine creature) that flits around you. The specific dragon is random; roll 1d6 on the table below for each dragon evoked to determine which type of dragon you create. While the spell persists, you can command one of your dragons to spit a missile of energy at a creature within 60 feet by using a single action, which has the concentrate trait. This is a ranged Strike that uses your spell attack bonus and deals 1d6 damage plus your spellcasting ability modifier, with the damage type depending on the dragon. A dragon’s breath Strike uses and contributes to your multiple attack penalty. Once a dragon has used its breath Strike, it winks out of existence; when you have no dragons remaining, the spell ends.
You are commanding the dragons to Strike. The attack is explicitly a Ranged Strike, and it's the dragon making it, not you. Even though you aren't the one Striking, the Strikes still contribute to and use your MAP.
At no point does it say "You Strike", all you do is command the dragons to Strike.
Have to agree with Cordell. So no Sneak Attack, etc., either. :-(
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So you spend an action to make a strike.
But you're not making a strike.
Intuitive and conversational rules indeed. IDK how much I buy it.
So you spend an action to make a strike.
But you're not making a strike.
Intuitive and conversational rules indeed. IDK how much I buy it.
You aren't making the Strike; you're commanding a magical incarnation to make a Strike. It's explicit in the rules Cordell quoted. I doubt it would share any bonuses to your ranged Strikes you have other than those that also add to your Spell Attack Bonus.
Would this spell attack roll not benefit from flat footed if the target was prone for example?
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Would this spell attack roll not benefit from flat footed if the target was prone for example?
It would benefit. Regardless of who is making the strike, it is still a ranged spell attack roll with all the rules of one.
How would the Clerics Feat Deitys Protection interact with this spell? Would it apply after each time you decided to fire with a dragon? Or just once when the spell is cast?
From my experience, it's a great focus spell. The cleric in my AoA game is a kobold cleric of Apsu, and uses it all the time. It's a really cool, flexible, and effective spell.
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It's basically the same as commanding a Familiar, which also doesn't have a specific action tied to commanding, but still takes an action to do.So you spend an action to make a strike.
But you're not making a strike.
Intuitive and conversational rules indeed. IDK how much I buy it.
Familiars can't make Strikes.
But the logic holds fine for Animal Companions and even better for summoned creature spells.
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I was comparing the actions not the results... Animal Companions use an explicit action, Command an Animal, and summoned creatures act when you Sustain a Spell. Familiars are commanded with a vague non-specific action that has no traits, similar to how you would have a dragon Strike with this spell; a vague non-specific action that has the concentrate trait. What happens after is not what I am focusing on, only the type of action used to produce the desired result.
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So you're saying spells like Spiritual Weapon, Spiritual Guardian, and Malicious Shadow, are all Strikes and the spells don't make anything (despite saying they do), so there's no actual floating weapon/guardian/shadow there when they strike?
All these spells function similarly to Draconic Barrage, the only difference being these are Sustained while Draconic Barrage is not, meaning if you don't want to Strike with Draconic Barrage for a round it doesn't go away like these ones will.
Please stop trying to argue something that is objectively wrong. You don't make a Strike with any of these spells, you make a Spell Attack roll. The spell is the one Striking, which only matters for reactions and resistances/weaknesses.
Those spells all have slightly different language, so there's room to interpret them differently.
So, just to make sure I've got this:
Spiritual Weapon: Sustain action (can't be used with quickened) to have the weapon Strike.
Spiritual Guardian: Sustain action (can't be used with quickened) to have it move or Strike.
Malicious Shadow: Sustain action (can't be used with quickened) to have it Strike.
Draconic Barrage: "..you can command one of your dragons to spit a missile of energy at a creature within 60 feet by using a single action, which has the concentrate trait. This is a ranged Strike that uses your spell attack bonus and deals 1d6 damage plus your spellcasting ability modifier"
The action used is pretty clearly described as commanding a dragon, and enough thought has gone into it being just a kind of generic action that they felt the need to tack on a trait.
The thing that is described as a ranged Strike is the dragon's spit.
If they truly meant it to be a regular Strike action they would have used wording along the lines of Produce Flames.
My opinion is that it's too wordy and convoluted if they meant it to be just a regular Strike. The way it's written also lines up fairly well with similar spells. While it's not exactly the end of the world to allow Quickened to apply, I don't think that's RAW or RAI.
Just like there are no dragon creatures when using Draconic Barrage, there are no animated word creatures when using Biting Words. The attack action isn't a Strike with that spell either either.
So it probably isn't allowed to work with Haste by RAW.
But it likely isn't overpowered to let it work anyway.
Haste is too limited a spell anyway. It would probably add fun to a table to expand what that extra action can do within reason.
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Spell Attacks aren't Strikes. I am using spells that make Strikes but use your Spell Attack as examples. You are only claiming I'm making a strawman argument because you have no actual claim here.
You Sustain the Spell or command the dragons, and then the spell makes a Strike. It uses your Spell Attack modifier to do so. How is this so difficult to understand?
Spell Attacks aren't Strikes. I am using spells that make Strikes but use your Spell Attack as examples. You are only claiming I'm making a strawman argument because you have no actual claim here.
You Sustain the Spell or command the dragons, and then the spell makes a Strike. It uses your Spell Attack modifier to do so. How is this so difficult to understand?
Draconic Barrage is not sustained. It has a fixed duration of one minute.