Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 zombiegleemax Nov 21, 2003 15:50:20	There's a War Wizard (or War Mage or something like that) prestiege class in the Dragonlance setting and one of its abilities reads like 1 extra "hit point" per die of damage per level. What my friend is doing is taking 5 levels and adding 5 points of damage per die so his fireballs do 10d6+50. Now, I don't have the book, but I've read the ability. The way it's written almost seems like it gives you back hit points when you cast spells which isn't very wizard like, but it's not another 50 damage to a 10-60 damage spell either. Should it say 1 extra damage/class/die or should they be getting back life? That seems like an overbalancing ability for a class you can take at lvl 7. And why maximize a spell when you can just tac on an extra 50 points without a spell slot adjustment? If anyone knows what I'm talking about I'd really appreciate your help. edit: I did try the Dragonlance RPG forum link in one of the other threads, but it wouldn't work for me.
#2 cam_banks Nov 21, 2003 16:01:09	This is one of those thorny design issues that came up some time ago and which could do with a revisit when the book is reprinted, or at least some house rules suggested. The way it works is that you add either 1, 2 or 3 bonus points of damage per die of damage dealt by a spell you cast. So, if you're 10th level and cast a fireball, it does 10d6+10 (or +20, or +30, depending on your levels in war mage). One fix that I like right now is the following: The war mage adds his or her war mage level + Constitution modifier to the total of any damage caused by a spell he or she casts. In addition, once per day you can apply any metamagic feat you know to a damage-dealing spell without it affecting casting time or spell level. This increases to twice a day at 3rd level and 3 times a day at 5th level. So, a sorcerer 5/war mage 5 (caster level 10th) with 14 Constitution (+2 bonus) would cast a fireball that deals 10d6+7 points of damage, and three times a day he could make that fireball extended, maximized, empowered, etc. Another variant suggested on these boards has been limiting the bonus hp/die to a number of times per day equal to your war mage level + Con modifier, or just war mage level. Either way, it should balance things out a bit. Remember, empower spell doesn't multiply any fixed damage, so an empowered fireball cast by a sorc5/war mage 5 would do 15d6 (10d6 x 1.5) +30, not 15d6+45. Cheers, Cam
#3 zombiegleemax Nov 21, 2003 17:30:08	Originally posted by Cam Banks The way it works is that you add either 1, 2 or 3 bonus points of damage per die of damage dealt by a spell you cast. So, if you're 10th level and cast a fireball, it does 10d6+10 (or +20, or +30, depending on your levels in war mage). It's not equal to the War Mage lvl? Thanks for your help. I mostly just wanted to know if we were reading it correctly. If you have any adivce for our DM this is what's going to happen. Lesser Maximizing Rod 5th Lvl War Mage Empower Spell (or when we get higher Quicken x.x) = 120 fireballs and lightning bolts We all really like being able to do what we want to do, but my boyfriend's the DM and I don't want all his boss monsters to get sandblasted before they even get to take a turn. Are there any minor tweaks he could make? At least to the bigger bosses who know about us...
#4 cam_banks Nov 21, 2003 17:54:46	Originally posted by Reney It's not equal to the War Mage lvl? No, it's +1/die at 1st level, +2/die at 3rd, and +3/die at 5th level, so it's a little less than how you'd been reading it. We all really like being able to do what we want to do, but my boyfriend's the DM and I don't want all his boss monsters to get sandblasted before they even get to take a turn. Are there any minor tweaks he could make? At least to the bigger bosses who know about us... The best advice I can give DMs who feel that their players are overpowered is to choose challenges which can offset those imbalances. First of all, he's just as capable of using war mages as the players are! Secondly, the use of creatures with reach weapons or natural reach, or powers which can disrupt a spellcaster's casting, are helpful against war mages to some degree. And, lastly, there's nothing worse than being a war mage with fireball prepared and having the DM toss something at you that's immune to fire. See what variants work best for you and the DM, as suggested above, and remind him that he should look at your character sheets and know what you're capable of before he designs his encounters! Cheers, Cam
#5 zombiegleemax Nov 21, 2003 18:10:09	City of the Spider Queen - premade But thanks again ^-^