Desiccate

[PoisonAlchemist]

I'm playing a sand-themed druid and browsing the druid handbook the spell desiccate is recommended:


Desiccate (Sand): d6/level (max 5d6) on a single target with a weird damage type that ignores DR and energy resistance. Can even cause dehydration (which is fatigue on steroids).

I have seen this repeated everywhere but when I actually go to look up the spell in both the text and the table of Sandstorm it is 1d6/2 lvls which goes from awesome to worthless at third level in the blink of an eye. I've read Sandstorm doesn't have official errata so where is this coming from?

[LTwerewolf]

I've never seen anyone quoting that. It does do 1d8/CL to plants and water elems.

[Feralventas]

So, let's take a look at this spell a bit more closely, shall we?

The 2d6 damage you'll do at 3rd level is hardly negligible at that level; that's 1 shot of a Warlock of the same.

Then you're dehydrating them on a failed save. This is Fatigue on its own, and that's not a bad debuff,

but you're Dehydrating them. If you're in the Sandstorm setting to Really use this, you have probably killed whatever failed that save, it just won't know it for a few hours, maybe a day.

The Dehydrated status turns the non-lethal damage from high-heat situations into Lethal damage.

Hit a group of humans, break their water reserves, and tap a few of them with this spell, and withdraw; the rest will kill each other to drink the blood of their allies in a few hours.

This spell looks more like something for DM's to use to challenge players in such a circumstance, rather than for players to use to wreck an enemy. 2d6+debuff isn't bad. You need the Desert to make this really work.

[HunterOfJello]

This spell looks more like something for DM's to use to challenge players in such a circumstance, rather than for players to use to wreck an enemy. 2d6+debuff isn't bad. You need the Desert to make this really work.

That would also be a cruel and highly effective spell to use in a seafaring campaign.

[Answerer]

That would also be a cruel and highly effective spell to use in a seafaring campaign.
The ocean is a desert with it's life underground,
And a perfect disguise above.