[4e Paragon Path] - Solve all your problems with Fire! (Patent pending)

[Shadow_Elf]

Pyromancer

“Kill it with fire”
Prerequisites: Any arcane class, at least three arcane powers with the fire keyword

You are fire incarnate. You can burn anything - houses, livestock, dragons, water, efreets - everything burns under the heat of your arcane fires. You’ve become so adept at manipulating fire and burning things that fire is a part of your very being. You’re almost uncomfortable without it. Fire is your love, your passion and the spiritual heat that fuels you. Of course you should solve your problems with fire. You can solve every problem with fire.

Pyromancer Features:
Flaming Ace (Level 11): Select one of your arcane at-will powers. That power deals fire damage in addition to existing damage types, deals additional damage equal to the highest of your Intelligence, Charisma or Constitution modifiers, and, if it is a ranged or melee attack, you can use it as a basic attack. Ranged at-will powers affected by this feature qualify for the feat Reaper’s Touch (Dragon Magazine). If you retrain the at-will power affected by this feature, you may assign this feature to a new power.
Overchannel (Level 11): When you spend an action point to make an arcane attack with the fire keyword, that attack does +1d8 fire damage.
Power Overwhelming (level 16): Your arcane powers ignore any resistance or immunity to fire your targets possess.

Pyromancer Attacks:

Sun Scorch
“You let loose a bolt of burning radiant energy, searing a foe and temporarily blinding them.”
Encounter * Arcane, Fire, Radiant, Implement
Standard Action Ranged 10
Target: One creature in range
Attack: Intelligence, Constitution or Charisma vs. Reflex
Hit: 2d6 + intelligence, constitution or charisma modifier fire and radiant damage and the target takes ongoing 10 fire damage (save ends) and is blinded until the end of your next turn.

Contagious Immolation
“You wreathe yourself in arcane flames. The flames cannot burn you, but they are very real to the enemies that approach you and spread like the proverbial wildfire”
Daily * Arcane, Fire
Minor Action Personal
Effect: Until the end of the encounter, enemies that enter a square adjacent to you or start their turn adjacent to you take ongoing 5 fire damage and are immolated (save ends both). While immolated, enemies of yours that enter or start their turn in a square adjacent to an immolated creature take ongoing 5 fire damage and are immolated (save ends both).

Flaming Crescendo
“You curse your foe with what seems like an eternity of flaming agony, thoroughly roasting them with a cascade of hellish fire”
Daily * Arcane, Fire, Implement
Standard Action Ranged 10
Target: One creature in range
Attack: Intelligence +3, Constitution +3 or Charisma +3 vs. Reflex
Hit: 1d8 + intelligence, constitution or charisma modifier damage. Make a secondary attack against the same target.
Secondary Attack: Intelligence +2, Constitution +2 or Charisma +2 vs. Reflex
Hit: 2d8 + intelligence, constitution or charisma modifier damage. Make a tertiary attack against the same target.
Tertiary Attack: Intelligence +1, Constitution +1 or Charisma +1 vs. Reflex
Hit: 3d8 + intelligence, constitution or charisma modifier damage. Make a fourth attack against the same target.
Fourth Attack: Intelligence, Constitution or Charisma vs. Reflex
Hit: 4d8 + intelligence, constitution or charisma modifier damage.

One of several paragon paths I made over the course of the Vote Up a Campaign Setting project to get the creative juices flowing on days when I had homebrewer's block. PEACH as always, and expect a few more of these creative experiments to pop up in the next while as I look back over the random stuff I've done in between homebrewing sprees.

EDIT: Changed Flaming Ace to add additional damage, changed Overchannel to +1d8 instead of +1[W]/+1 die, because many casters have powers with multiple d4s of damage, especially the wizard, and it was unfair to them. Added damage to Sun Scorch, going from 1d8 to 2d6. Reversed the attack bonuses on Flaming Crescendo.

[Limos]

The damage on Sun scorch seems too low. Only 1d8, though 10 ongoing damage is very strong as well.

Contagious Immolation seems very overpowered. It lasts the entire encounter and you can start it as a minor action? No attack roll necessary for 5 ongoing, and it spreads to anyone adjacent to them? Not just that, but anyone that moves next to you gets immolated, so melee fighters are going to get immolated no matter what. They will then probably re-immolate one another until they all burn to death.

Flaming Crescendo also seems odd. It gets easier to hit them as you go on? And the damage increases the further you go? I would think if you choose to increase damage with each step then you would make the roll harder each time rather than easier.

10d8 damage max seems a little excessive as well.

Also I think I see some serious cheese when combining Overchannel with Flaming Crescendo. If you use an action point to cast it then damage gets an extra die. So instead of 10d8 max it would be 14d8 max. Each hit going up 1 die.

[Sir Homeslice]

Flaming Ace shoulve give a bonus to the at-will you choose fire up.

Overchannel's bonus should at the very least specify if it adds dice to any multiattacks, whether they're on a single target or multiple.

Sun Scorch should definately have a significant damage boost. I'm sorry, but despite the save penalties you can stack on, 1d8+static fire damage and ongoing 10 fire doesn't cut anything. Blind can stay though.

I love Contagious Immolation. It's so...fun! Also, Hellocks would love it to pieces, especially with a Fey dualpact.

Ah, Flaming Crescendo...A bit of quick math, on a Hellock. At level 22, a Dwarf Hellock/Wizard/Pyromancer/Demigod would have a +9 to Constitution, a +5 Staff of Ruin, with a Siberys Shard of the Fiery Depth, Dual Implement Spellcaster, Staff Fightinig, and Weapon Focus. He'd have... 9 Constitution, 5 Enhancement, 5 Item, 5 Dual Implement Spellcaster, 3 Siberys Shard of the Fiery Depth, and 3 Weapon Focus, for a total of +30 to damage rolls. For fun, we can throw in Rune-Scribed Scroll for another +9 to damage, and +1 to attack rolls. Also, +28 to attack rolls (11 half level, 9 con, 5 enhance, 2 expertise, 1 siberys shard), 29 after Rune-Scribed Soul.

We're looking at a Flaming Crescendo of +29 vs Reflex, 1d8+39 damage. Then +30 vs Reflex, 2d8+39. Then +31 vs Reflex, 3d8+39. Then, +32 vs Reflex, 4d8+39. Assuming all of them hit, an average damage of 201. As a daily at level 22. Also, you should list that Flaming Crescendo deals Fire damage, because currently it doesn't. Also same with Sun Scorch.

Pointless math wankery aside, I like the Pyromancer. The features are solid for a Fire focused PP (though admittedly they could use flash) and the powers (Sun Scorch aside) are good.

P.S: I think I owe you something but I have no idea what.

[Shadow_Elf]

Flaming Ace shoulve give a bonus to the at-will you choose fire up.

Like What?


Overchannel's bonus should at the very least specify if it adds dice to any multiattacks, whether they're on a single target or multiple.

Well, it has the exact same wording, oddly enough, of a feature of a paragon path released in Dragon this month, except that feature was for weapon powers. I'll think about it.


Sun Scorch should definately have a significant damage boost. I'm sorry, but despite the save penalties you can stack on, 1d8+static fire damage and ongoing 10 fire doesn't cut anything. Blind can stay though.

I've heard that from others, too, so I'll probably up it to d10 or d12.


I love Contagious Immolation. It's so...fun! Also, Hellocks would love it to pieces, especially with a Fey dualpact.

Glad you like it. I May drop the ongoing damage to 3 though, since as written it could do a lot of damage. However, enemies will also soon figure out that they're on fire and lighting other people on fire and spread themselves out, so its potential damage > its practical damage, I think.


Ah, Flaming Crescendo...A bit of quick math, on a Hellock. At level 22, a Dwarf Hellock/Wizard/Pyromancer/Demigod would have a +9 to Constitution, a +5 Staff of Ruin, with a Siberys Shard of the Fiery Depth, Dual Implement Spellcaster, Staff Fightinig, and Weapon Focus. He'd have... 9 Constitution, 5 Enhancement, 5 Item, 5 Dual Implement Spellcaster, 3 Siberys Shard of the Fiery Depth, and 3 Weapon Focus, for a total of +30 to damage rolls. For fun, we can throw in Rune-Scribed Scroll for another +9 to damage, and +1 to attack rolls. Also, +28 to attack rolls (11 half level, 9 con, 5 enhance, 2 expertise, 1 siberys shard), 29 after Rune-Scribed Soul.

We're looking at a Flaming Crescendo of +29 vs Reflex, 1d8+39 damage. Then +30 vs Reflex, 2d8+39. Then +31 vs Reflex, 3d8+39. Then, +32 vs Reflex, 4d8+39. Assuming all of them hit, an average damage of 201. As a daily at level 22. Also, you should list that Flaming Crescendo deals Fire damage, because currently it doesn't. Also same with Sun Scorch.

It is based off of Blade Cascade, balanced around a Ranger wielding Bastard Swords. Differences:
Blade Cascade has:
Higher Damage Die
One More Attack
Is available 5 levels earlier
Is not restricted by choice of paragon path

Flaming Crescendo has:
Escalating to-hit bonuses
Is a ranged attack
Uses more dice in later attacks

So, also based on the fact that Blade Cascade is considered rather overpowered, I thought I hit the mark pretty well, balance-wise, since its probably about as good as Blade Cascade, but is five levels higher and restricted by paragon path.


Pointless math wankery aside, I like the Pyromancer. The features are solid for a Fire focused PP (though admittedly they could use flash) and the powers (Sun Scorch aside) are good.

Glad you like it. I wanted the classic burnination evoker to be a valid choice again, so the fire resist ignoring was really key. Wand Wizards of the world can expect another mini-project, the paragon path "Sharpshooter Magus", in the near future.


P.S: I think I owe you something but I have no idea what.

Vote Up a Campaign Setting Call for Review. I sent you two Epic Destinies (rather late, I must admit and apologize), but I never got a reply from you about them.

[Sir Homeslice]

Like What?
I dunno, a dice of damage? Additional fire damage equal to your something or another mod?


Glad you like it. I May drop the ongoing damage to 3 though, since as written it could do a lot of damage. However, enemies will also soon figure out that they're on fire and lighting other people on fire and spread themselves out, so its potential damage > its practical damage, I think.
It may be because I roll around with higher powered games and I make crazy awesome homebrew (=P), but I think automatic ongoing 5 is perfectly fine for a level 12 daily utility.

[Ziegander]

Pretty nice. Having read the thread and replies my advice is this:

1) Have Flaming Ace add extra fire damage to the at-will equal to your Int/Con/Cha modifier.

2) Change the wording of +1 dice on Overchannel to +1d8. It's cleaner and less ambiguous.

3) Increase the base damage of Sun Scorch to 2d6.

4) Keep Contagious Immolation as is. It's awesome.

5) You might want to lose the attack bonuses on Flaming Crescendo. Alternatively, reverse the bonuses so that the primary attack has a +3 to hit, and so on.