Touch someone...with heat damage! (PEACH)

[chaiyo]

Overheat
Transmutation [Fire]
Level: Cleric 3, Sor/Wiz 2, Warmage 2
Components: V, S, M
Casting Time: Standard Action
Range: Personal
Target: You
Duration: 2 Rounds/Level
Saving Throw: Reflex Half
Spell Resistance: Yes

When this spell is cast, your very anatomy is changed to have the potential to give off dangerous amounts of heat. During the duration of this spell, you may cause anything directly touching you to take 4d6 points of fire damage as an immediate action once per round, 2d6 if something like clothes or armor block a direct path to your opponent, but not an item with more hardness than damage to be dealt. You may make an unarmed melee touch attack to affect an opponent. You may make an armed attack instead, but it does not use the Touch AC and only deals 2d6 fire damage that turn.
After the duration runs out, you may choose to extend the duration as a free action. This is known as Overburn. However, at the beginning of each round during this extended duration, you must make a Fortitude save using your own DC or take 1d6 fire damage, which is reduced from the damage your opponent would take that turn.
Material Component: A vial of ashes, about a quarter of a pound in weight.

What do you think? The point, really, is to touch someone and scald them with heat. I plan to create a creature that can use this as a spell-like ability and does something with Overburn.

EDIT: Overburn now causes a Fort save each round.
EDIT: Unarmed and Armed attacks to put Overburn into effect are now clarified.
EDIT: Duration extended.

[Signmaker]

Sounds like a pokemon attack...

[chaiyo]

Yeah, I got inspiration from a little kid that hangs around these parts. Eventually, genius clicked after a few times of being told that I was on fire.

[Omniplex]

I think every turn they extend it they shoudl have to make a fort save, or burn. Also, 4d6 is alot for a 2nd level spell. maybe 1d6/2 levels, or something like that.

[chaiyo]

Hm...Omniplex, your first point is a very good one, but I think having to actually touch an opponent is reason enough to deal a large amount of damage. A Sorcerer or Wizard, upon gaining 2nd spell level, has an average of 10 or 11 HP without Con modifiers. I might go so far as to say the attack causes an attack of opportunity, though.

[Rigeld2]

I might go so far as to say the attack causes an attack of opportunity, though.

Unarmed melee attacks always do, unless you take Improved Unarmed Attack.

[AmoDman]

Unarmed melee attacks always do, unless you take Improved Unarmed Attack.

Not touch attacks. SRD -


Sometimes a character’s or creature’s unarmed attack counts as an armed attack. A monk, a character with the Improved Unarmed Strike feat, a spellcaster delivering a touch attack spell, and a creature with natural physical weapons all count as being armed.

Note that being armed counts for both offense and defense (the character can make attacks of opportunity).

[Jack Mann]

RAW, this would provoke an attack of opportunity. It's not a touch spell, but a spell granting a de facto touch attack. It does damage, but it doesn't specifically say you're armed.

[AmoDman]

RAW, this would provoke an attack of opportunity. It's not a touch spell, but a spell granting a de facto touch attack. It does damage, but it doesn't specifically say you're armed.

Nope, example spell -



Shocking Grasp
Evocation [Electricity]

Level: Sor/Wiz 1

Components: V, S

Casting Time: 1 standard action

Range: Touch

Target: Creature or object touched

Duration: Instantaneous

Saving Throw: None

Spell Resistance: Yes
Your successful melee touch attack deals 1d6 points of electricity damage per caster level (maximum 5d6). When delivering the jolt, you gain a +3 bonus on attack rolls if the opponent is wearing metal armor (or made out of metal, carrying a lot of metal, or the like).

None of them specifically say that you are considerd armed when using the spell (that I can recall, anyway). It is simply a given by the rules that as long as a spell effect says you can make a melee touch attack with it, you are considered armed, as per the rules.

[Jack Mann]

Slight difference. In the case of shocking grasp and other spells, you're delivering a spell with your touch. The description of touch attacks says that this counts as an armed attack.

The spell in question is not delivered by touch. Instead, it's cast on you. It gives you a de facto touch attack. It's not the same thing as delivering a touch spell, since you're not casting anything on the target.

Now, logically, it should be about the same. But RAW it isn't.

[Jothki]

Slight difference. In the case of shocking grasp and other spells, you're delivering a spell with your touch. The description of touch attacks says that this counts as an armed attack.

The spell in question is not delivered by touch. Instead, it's cast on you. It gives you a de facto touch attack. It's not the same thing as delivering a touch spell, since you're not casting anything on the target.

Now, logically, it should be about the same. But RAW it isn't.

You could set up the spell in MMORPG style. Whenever you touch a foe while Overheat is active, you use the touch-delivered ability Heated Touch (or whatever, the name doesn't matter) for 4d6 fire damage.

[Orion-the-G]

Well, reasonably this is one of the flaws of the spell, it does not define what counts as a touch. In fact, as written, you could not make an attack as part of the spell. You only deliver the damage AFTER touching someone as an immediate action.

This strikes me as needlessly complex. Especially because, as written, you can only burn one person a round. Even if multiple people touch you. Not to mention the fact that there are no rules for striking someone's skin as opposed to someone's armor or clothes. How would you adjucate this? what about natural armor or deflection bonuses? it's just too complicated.

I'd suggest a rewrite as follows:

"While the spell is in effect anyone grappling the caster suffers 4d6 fire damage every round they remain grappled. Anyone struck by the caster's unarmed attacks or natural attacks also takes an additional 4d6 heat damage in addition to the damage inflicted by the attack."

That's pretty powerful, but the only real option for abuse are creatures with natural attacks already (which become deadly as heck). You may want to lower the fire damage, but it's not so huge as to be unbalancing.

[chaiyo]

Well then, the only way out now is to give the damage section an overhaul. Thanks for eliminating potential confusion.

Just for the record, this spell isn't designed to power up natural attacks, and I don't think I'll let it. As Orion mentioned, natural weaponry with Overheat would be kind of cheesy. The real fluff behind it is that your veins or whatever temporarily run with fire. Being in direct contact with someone, with a little effort, causes the effects of intense fire.

EDIT: Turned out not to be so much of an overhaul.

EDIT: Also, I'm editing the duration, because you do need another action before actually using the spell, and Overburn is now too much of a risk with the current duration.