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View Full Version : Energy Missile, overpowerful?



Eloel
2008-12-24, 02:50 PM
Think of a level 20 Kineticist Psion with +14 Int modifier (a reasonable guess I think)
With Maximize Power

Now, fully augment the energy missile.
If enemy doesn't have Electricity Resistance or Improved Evasion, use Electricity
If enemy has Improved Evasion, but not Cold Resistance, use Cold
If enemy has Cold Resistance, use something they don't have resistance to.

108 (empowered 18d6) damage to 5 targets with a 42 for save.

If you use Psicrystal Containment and Twin Spell, it gets more ridiculous damage-wise.
72 (empowered 12d6) damage to 10 targets with a 36 for save. Cold deals +12 damage per missile, or 120 total. It also makes the save a Fort save, rendering Evasion useless.

840 damage against 36 to save? Surely hard. A good progression and having dex and con (I'd say +10 for both, you need both to save against this), and a +4 item gives you +26, which means you still need to roll a 10. And even then, how many characters DO have both dex and con at +10?


Edit: You can't get all 5 to hit same person, my bad on that, my case still stands.

Tengu_temp
2008-12-24, 02:53 PM
You cannot hit the same target multiple times with the same manifestation of this power.

Also, it's been errata'ed to improve the DC by 1 per each two power points you spend. It's not imba.

Eloel
2008-12-24, 02:55 PM
Also, it's been errata'ed to improve the DC by 1 per each two power points you spend. It's not imba.

the Errata is not seen on d20srd... My bad if it has been.

Fax Celestis
2008-12-24, 02:56 PM
Upon manifesting this power, you choose cold, electricity, fire, or sonic. You release a powerful missile of energy of the chosen type at your foe. The missile deals 3d6 points of damage to each creature or object you target, to the maximum of five targets. You cannot hit the same target multiple times with the same manifestation of this power.

Sorry, no dice.

EDIT: BAH! Psychic ninja!

Biffoniacus_Furiou
2008-12-24, 03:30 PM
It wasn't errated, it was reprinted in Complete Psionic. They gave Energy Stun the same DC fix.

The "best" use of this power is to use Sonic damage, and target your opponent, his weapon, his shield, his armor, and his pants. He's left hurt, unarmed, unarmored, and embarrassingly pantsless.

Fax Celestis
2008-12-24, 03:31 PM
It wasn't errated, it was reprinted in Complete Psionic. They gave Energy Stun the same DC fix.

The "best" use of this power is to use Sonic damage, and target your opponent, his weapon, his shield, his armor, and his pants. He's left hurt, unarmed, unarmored, and embarrassingly pantsless.

But then you must face the deadly wrath of the One-Eyed Trouser Snake!

NEO|Phyte
2008-12-24, 03:35 PM
But then you must face the deadly wrath of the One-Eyed Trouser Snake!

That's what the NEXT batch of missiles is for.

Glimbur
2008-12-24, 03:38 PM
But who takes Ranged Sunder?

Skjaldbakka
2008-12-24, 04:19 PM
I don't think thats valid, but I don't have access to srd at work to check.

I would never let that fly in one of my games though.

Yukitsu
2008-12-24, 04:27 PM
It's pretty balanced on the whole. It's the reason that psions can manage blaster roles better than a wizard can. Take that away, and they drop even further below casters.

Flickerdart
2008-12-24, 04:41 PM
Even if it wasn't reprinted, wizards are significantly better at this. I remember Metamagicking up Orbs from the Conjuration school gave something like 3000 average damage, no save.

Biffoniacus_Furiou
2008-12-24, 05:10 PM
"Target: Up to five creatures or objects; no two targets can be more than 15 ft. apart." This has been a valid use of the power since its first printing in XPH.

The Ranged Sunder feat has absolutely no affect on this power, that feat only allows you to use bludgeoning, slashing, or piercing weapons to make sunder attempts at a distance. The power automatically hits its intended targets and they get a Reflex save for half, objects normally take half damage from energy sources but Sonic deals full damage.

Waspinator
2008-12-24, 05:59 PM
It's pretty balanced on the whole. It's the reason that psions can manage blaster roles better than a wizard can. Take that away, and they drop even further below casters.

Yeah, I say let the Psions have the blaster role. Even with said blasting power, it's not like they can match the cheese potential of the Wizard and Sorceror.

Tengu_temp
2008-12-24, 06:07 PM
Psions are what wizards were supposed to be: they're more balanced, perform the role Wizards expected them to, power points are much better than Vancian magic, and harnessing your inner potential through sheer intellect and willpower is much cooler than learning magic by mind-numbingly boring years of memorizing arcane incantantions and gestures.

Skjaldbakka
2008-12-24, 07:03 PM
"Target: Up to five creatures or objects; no two targets can be more than 15 ft. apart." This has been a valid use of the power since its first printing in XPH.

The Ranged Sunder feat has absolutely no affect on this power, that feat only allows you to use bludgeoning, slashing, or piercing weapons to make sunder attempts at a distance. The power automatically hits its intended targets and they get a Reflex save for half, objects normally take half damage from energy sources but Sonic deals full damage.

Ah, so purely a houserule on my part then. I have no problem utilizing the no stick in my games.

Jarawara
2008-12-24, 08:26 PM
But then you must face the deadly wrath of the One-Eyed Trouser Snake!

Oh thank the many gods there wasn't a link for that!!! :smallcool:

Jack_Simth
2008-12-24, 08:43 PM
It wasn't errated, it was reprinted in Complete Psionic. They gave Energy Stun the same DC fix.

The "best" use of this power is to use Sonic damage, and target your opponent, his weapon, his shield, his armor, and his pants. He's left hurt, unarmed, unarmored, and embarrassingly pantsless.
Yeah... unless you're running Vow of Poverty or some such, that's a bad idea for the same reason that Disjunction is a bad idea - destroys the loot.

Handy for the DM that needs to cut back on character wealth, though...

elfmanmagic
2008-12-24, 09:52 PM
http://kol.coldfront.net/thekolwiki/index.php/The_Trouser_Snake

Someone requested a link to a trouser snake?

Ramza00
2008-12-24, 10:25 PM
not really, you can do far more damage with arcane magic or a charger. One improper energy immunity that you didn't know about and all your damage goes to waste.

Now fire seeds and telekinesis (especially in combination), that is overpowered.

Yukitsu
2008-12-24, 11:07 PM
not really, you can do far more damage with arcane magic or a charger. One improper energy immunity that you didn't know about and all your damage goes to waste.


That hits arcane harder than psionics. Psions can switch hit their element every blast between all the basic options except acid, which IIRC warlocks get the best of. An arcane that prepares a ton of fire blasting spells can't really do anything against a fire elemental, but a psion's blasts are all elements at once, which is why arcanists never prepare for a single encounter type, and make poor blasters. Sorcerers with rapid metamagic and energy substitution also make decent blasters for the same reason psions do.

Aquillion
2008-12-25, 03:45 AM
Basically. The whole reason psions are better at wizards than blasting is because they can get access to nearly every flavor and type of blasting there is by taking a single power... it doesn't mean that blasting-oriented psions are "optimal", but it means you might as well grab Energy Missile / Energy Ray, since it's so many things rolled into one.

A caster who wanted all that would have to memorize/learn a ton of different spells, and without various other feats or abilities many of them would become useless under the wrong situations.

lord_khaine
2008-12-25, 05:12 AM
or he could just use force damage, and call it a day.

Zen Master
2008-12-25, 08:28 AM
Ah, so purely a houserule on my part then. I have no problem utilizing the no stick in my games.

I quite agree. My call would be that only unattended objects are targetable, and the mans equipment is part of the man.

Glimbur
2008-12-25, 10:07 AM
That's why you need Ranged Sunder. It's the same way you sever a hydra's heads.

Almn
2008-12-25, 07:03 PM
But then you must face the deadly wrath of the One-Eyed Trouser Snake!

He did say that he was targeting his "weapon"...