Buff Moonfire Spell

[Ravial]

Moonfire spell is a spell you can gain ONLY from Moon Domain. For a 9'th circle spell, it's pretty weak.

A cone of fiery white moonlight springs from your hand. Living creatures in the area feel an unnatural chill and take 1d8 points of damage per two caster levels, to a maximum of 10d8. Undead and shapechangers take double damage. This application of the spell allows a Reflex save for half damage. Disguised, shapechanged, or polymorphed creatures and objects in the spell's area at the time the spell is cast must make Will saves or immediately return to their normal forms.

Example: Burst of Glacial Wrath has 30d6 damage dealt to everything that is not immune to cold (unless one's a frostmage). On average, that's a higher dmg output than Moonfire does to undead already. Then, if you bonk non-undead and non-shapechangers with that spell, you deal half of that dmg. Thematic, I suppose, but it still leaves a 9'th circle spell largely underwhelming.

Reflex save: Evasion negates. Will Save: the majority of your polymorphers have high will saves. You'll have to be a DC mage of beyond a high calibre for it to work.

Can we consider a buff on that, please? For a spell that you can only access from a single domain- you'd think it should be useful and a good buy-in reason

[Steve]

Since it is Evocation, it does have some boost from Reignite Evocation feat.

But just a very, very small boost. It’s base dmg should be on par with other lvl 9 spells, especially if other lvl 9 spells have similar ranges and shapes (Moonfire is a cone shape so possible to dmg many mobs at one time…though it may also dmg party members as well? That’s not cool).

The spell as is is like PnP: https://dndtools.org/spells/spell-compe ... ire--4581/

But on BGTSCC, you don’t experience combat anywhere near like a PnP game.

[Ravial]

To add to that, a lot of evocation spells had their damage output increased over the PnP due to HP inflation of mobs on the server.

[Steve]

To add to that, a lot of evocation spells had their damage output increased over the PnP due to HP inflation of mobs on the server.

Yes. Any sort of DC Evocation mage or priest will have a terrible time, outside PvP.

The only rewarding DC caster play, imho, is save-or-die casters or controllers (summoners kinda okay).

I know, I know…there is the ONE method of haste grouping lots of mobs then one time casting some “big” dmg spell, but that’s not an argument in my book when only one style can be put to use in a game.

[Ravial]

Save or die and Summoner are top-shelf casters you can have for several years. Summons invalidate reasons for the need for partying up- you can easily solo without any gear thanks to Thaumaturge and conjuration spell focuses.

[DaloLorn]

I'm all for it. Of course, Nelee would probably use it anyway, and it might prove relatively convenient against shifters, but... even then, kinda underwhelming.

[Rhifox]

Only 20d8 for its main targets? Yeah, oof. I can look into it.

[YYA]

As for level 9 damage spells and their raised damages:

Burst of Glacial Wrath was raised from 25d6 to 30d6. The average of 87.5~ to 105~. A difference of about 17,5~ points on average. (Fortitude for half)

Meteor Swarm was raised from 34d6 to 40d6. The average of 119~ to 140~. A difference of about 21~ points on average. (No save for the single target 40d6, Reflex for half if AoE option is chosen)

So if Moonfire deals 10d8 damage; 44~ on average, and it is increased to 15d8; 67.5~ on average. A difference of about 23.5~ points on average. But when these numbers are doubled against Undead and Shapechangers -- you would look at a change from 88 to 135 points of damage; a difference of about 47~ points of damage on average. (Reflex for half)

[Rhifox]

Didn't have time to get to this for this update, sorry. Will try for next one.

[Deathgrowl]

Yes. Any sort of DC Evocation mage or priest will have a terrible time, outside PvP.

The only rewarding DC caster play, imho, is save-or-die casters or controllers (summoners kinda okay).

I know, I know…there is the ONE method of haste grouping lots of mobs then one time casting some “big” dmg spell, but that’s not an argument in my book when only one style can be put to use in a game.

As I play an evocation priest, I have to disagree! It's fine! Implosion is evocation, remember? And Hammer of the Gods is a great lower-level spell! He's most definitely a DC cleric, though, and I use Destruction and Slay Living (necromancy, both) to good effect, even without focuses.

[YYA]

Yes. Any sort of DC Evocation mage or priest will have a terrible time, outside PvP.

The only rewarding DC caster play, imho, is save-or-die casters or controllers (summoners kinda okay).

I know, I know…there is the ONE method of haste grouping lots of mobs then one time casting some “big” dmg spell, but that’s not an argument in my book when only one style can be put to use in a game.

As I play an evocation priest, I have to disagree! It's fine! Implosion is evocation, remember? And Hammer of the Gods is a great lower-level spell! He's most definitely a DC cleric, though, and I use Destruction and Slay Living (necromancy, both) to good effect, even without focuses.

And Implosion gets +3 to its DC, and if the random loot generator generates an item with Implosion Immunity, you can cast the Implosion on yourself even without Death Ward active. Had a high DC cleric once, and a ring with said immunity. It was fun, even though I still preferred Storm of Vengeance while gishing it out.

And if you gather a mob in a cave and run into a dead ened, you can throw a Quickened Wall of Stone/Ice/Thorns, and then cast a Blade Barrier on the the other side of your wall. And if the mobs lack evasion, that 15d6 still hurts, with or without Empower or Maximize Spell. Now, the downside is that you are now stuck behind a wall of whirling blades and have to wait for the spell to run out, or to use something like a Dimension Door to get on the other side.

[Ravial]

Didn't have time to get to this for this update, sorry. Will try for next one.

It's alright. Thank you for the willingness to look into it!

[Steve]

Yes. Any sort of DC Evocation mage or priest will have a terrible time, outside PvP.

The only rewarding DC caster play, imho, is save-or-die casters or controllers (summoners kinda okay).

I know, I know…there is the ONE method of haste grouping lots of mobs then one time casting some “big” dmg spell, but that’s not an argument in my book when only one style can be put to use in a game.

As I play an evocation priest, I have to disagree! It's fine! Implosion is evocation, remember? And Hammer of the Gods is a great lower-level spell! He's most definitely a DC cleric, though, and I use Destruction and Slay Living (necromancy, both) to good effect, even without focuses.

How does your Evocation cleric fair against Bosses, using said Evocation spells? Also, what is your method for dealing with mobs when gaining XP?

[Deathgrowl]

How does your Evocation cleric fair against Bosses, using said Evocation spells? Also, what is your method for dealing with mobs when gaining XP?

Depends on the boss. I don't bother soloing bosses I can't save vs death. Just don't have the damage output for it. But that's still epic lizards and frost giant king (actually haven't tried yet, but it should be fine) and Wormthrax off the top of my head. Same approach as a DC mage, really. Energy drain, energy drain, implosion.

Dealing with XP? Well, I didn't grind much, I'll be honest. That stuff is boring. I made the cleric with an RCR over two years ago (I think it was during a 100% RCR period, but I don't recall exactly) and when I came back this year, he was already level 24. He is now 30, and have been for a while, but largely leveled through RP XP, with some rather casual epic lizard loot runs.

Would I level this thing 1-30? Nah, probably not. It would be fine, and probably about as fine as a DC wizard, but somewhat slow. As Simian pointed out above, though, there is bladebarrier and a lot of other spells you can use to drag mobs across for the sort of AOE grinding wizards sometimes do. Not my kind of thing, to be honest, but it works.

[Steve]

Not my kind of thing, to be honest, but it works.

Yeah, I agree with you there—I could never do it myself.