Vampiric Touch question

[Cranthis]

Ok, so this question might be really stupid.

Empower causes all numerical valuables of the spell by 50% or multiply the damage by 1.5. If you Empower Vampiric Touch, it does xd6 x1.5, but does it then also empower the temporary hitpoints?

Lets say you do 10 damage with the spell. Empowered it becomes 15. Does it then also empower the temporary hitpoints, to become (15 x 1.5) 22 temporary hitpoints?

[andromax]

You gain temporary hit points equal to the damage you deal. So yes.

[Gotterdammerung]

Ok, so this question might be really stupid.

Empower causes all numerical valuables of the spell by 50% or multiply the damage by 1.5. If you Empower Vampiric Touch, it does xd6 x1.5, but does it then also empower the temporary hitpoints?

Lets say you do 10 damage with the spell. Empowered it becomes 15. Does it then also empower the temporary hitpoints, to become (15 x 1.5) 22 temporary hitpoints?

Yep. Any damage the spell does becomes temp hit points for you. I just finished a campaign where I played a caster who would occasionally throw out an empowered vampiric touch with butt loads of sneak attack dice boosting the dmg. After 1 casting I could usually tank out the rest of the fight no problem.

[Cranthis]

Ok, so then just to be sure, empowering it would make the damage x1.5, and then that result would become x1.5 again for the hitpoints you get?

[JaronK]

No no, the amount you heal is equal to the damage dealt. Only the damage dealt is empowered.

JaronK

[Cranthis]

No no, the amount you heal is equal to the damage dealt. Only the damage dealt is empowered.

JaronK

Ok thanks. Thats what I thought, but I had to be sure.

[Gotterdammerung]

Ok thanks. Thats what I thought, but I had to be sure.

example: you have 5d6 dmg on your vampiric touch. You decide to empower it and roll a total of 20 on the dice. Empower makes the final dmg 30 points of dmg and so you gain 30 temp hit points.


Another example: A 20th lvl caster uses snowcasting to give vampiric touch an energy descriptor. He then uses energy substitution, energy admixture and maximize to cast a 20d6 vampiric touch that does fire dmg. He hits a white dragon with it (which has fire vulnerability). It does 180 fire dmg and he gains 180 temp hit points.

So basically it doesnt matter what you do to the dmg of the spell. Whatever the final dmg of the spell is, thats how many temp hit points you get.

[AttilaTheGeek]

I thought empower did (x*1.5)d6, as opposed to (xd6)*1.5?

[Cranthis]

I thought empower did (x*1.5)d6, as opposed to (xd6)*1.5?

No, it definitely empowers the result, not the amount of dice.

[LTwerewolf]

He's actually right, it increases the dice you roll. The evidence can be found in the maximize spell feat, where it specifies the extra damage dice from empower rolled are not maximized.

[Cranthis]

He's actually right, it increases the dice you roll. The evidence can be found in the maximize spell feat, where it specifies the extra damage dice from empower rolled are not maximized.

The PHB says that the result is is multiplied by 1.5.

[Ravens_cry]

You can also potentially crit with them, which can be even more tasty.

[Starbuck_II]

He's actually right, it increases the dice you roll. The evidence can be found in the maximize spell feat, where it specifies the extra damage dice from empower rolled are not maximized.

Because that is a special exception it says. It multipies the result of 1d4+1 of magic missle as an example.

[LTwerewolf]

All variable, numeric effects of an empowered spell are increased by one-half. The effect of the spell is say 10d6. That makes the effect of the spells 15d6. Rolling is done afterwards.

[Cranthis]

For example, an
empowered magic missile deals 1-1/2 times its normal damage (roll
1d4+1 and multiply the result by 1-1/2 for each missile).

Crack open the book.

[nedz]

The PHB says that the result is is multiplied by 1.5.

We had this debate in a thread a couple of weeks ago.
You are right — but it turns out that it doesn't matter.

[AttilaTheGeek]

We had this debate in a thread a couple of weeks ago.
You are right — but it turns out that it doesn't matter.

Actually, it does. If you have a spell that hits for 3d6, and you empower the number of dice, then it does 4d6 (3*1.5=4.5, rounding down to 4) and averaging 14 damage (4*3.5=14). However, if you roll 3d6, averaging 3*3.5=10.5, then multiply that by 1.5, it averages to 15.75 damage. Sure, it's less than two damage, but there is a difference, and if someone's spamming empowered spells for an entire campaign, doing two damage less on every roll adds up.

[ericgrau]

It's also a big deal on something that does 2d2+a bajillion.

[nedz]

Actually, it does. If you have a spell that hits for 3d6, and you empower the number of dice, then it does 4d6 (3*1.5=4.5, rounding down to 4) and averaging 14 damage (4*3.5=14). However, if you roll 3d6, averaging 3*3.5=10.5, then multiply that by 1.5, it averages to 15.75 damage. Sure, it's less than two damage, but there is a difference, and if someone's spamming empowered spells for an entire campaign, doing two damage less on every roll adds up.

The difference is in your rounding.

[Cranthis]

The point is, the Empower Spell feat specifically says the result is x1.5, not the dice. When used with maximize it has a special thing, but only then.

[Andezzar]

The difference is in your rounding.Rounding down however is the only RAW method of rounding (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/glossary&term=Glossary_dnd_rounding&alpha=R).

[TuggyNE]

We had this debate in a thread a couple of weeks ago.
You are right — but it turns out that it doesn't matter.

In great detail, no less.