orb of X + elven spell lore

[Darth Stabber]

So elven spell lore lets you prepare a chosen damage spell with different damage type than the spell normally does. This isn't bad even if you discount weird abuses like vile damage. The orb spells are considered the cream of the damage spell crop, and the elemental ones have nice little rider effects to help thwart retribution for the pain (save or suck). Orb of force has no rider, but force is nearly unresisted. Elven spell lore only effects a single spell chosen at the time you take the feat. Which of the orbs would you take since the damage type is now irrelevant:

Acid: sickened
cold: blinded
lightning: entangled (metal armor wearers only)
fire: dazed
sonic: deafened

The damage types allowed are: fire, lightning, cold, acid, sonic, force, bludgeoning, piercing, slashing, untyped non-lethal (I am the gm, this is my ruling, I ask this question on behalf of a player).

[Kane0]

Dazed is usually what most people would take since its among the rarer conditions things are immune to.

After that I'd go with Blinded, then entangled (metal only).

Edit: I just realized the two most common elemental damage types carry the two 'best' rider effects. What a blond moment.

[eggynack]

Dazed is usually what most people would take since its among the rarer conditions things are immune to.

After that I'd go with Blinded, then entangled.
I'm in agreement. I think that orb of fire is often used, even without searing spell, due to the awesomeness of the daze rider effect. Orb of fire's awesome rider effect is balanced by it being made of fire, so when you get rid of it being made of fire, fire is the clear victor.

[Darth Stabber]

I'm in agreement. I think that orb of fire is often used, even without searing spell, due to the awesomeness of the daze rider effect. Orb of fire's awesome rider effect is balanced by it being made of fire, so when you get rid of it being made of fire, fire is the clear victor.

That was what I thought, but I wanted to check since it wasn't my character. Dazed it is (blindness would probably not the choice of the player since last session a glitterdust'd troglodyte assassin still managed to crit her with a crossbow, and paralyze her with str poison (and she has the highest str in the party: 10)). Blindness does have advantages in a party with 2 sneak attackers (swordsage and rogue), but dazing is better in a vacuum, and in this scenario it could go either way. The character in question is mostly BC focused, so she just needed a spell to close out fights.

[Chronos]

In addition to being uncommon and seldom resisted, keeping an enemy continually Dazed will guarantee victory, while the others will merely make victory a lot easier. Unable to take any actions at all is unquestionably more severe than being able to take actions at a penalty.

[Careless]

That kind of makes sense, though. Your element is more likely to be resisted? Well, here's a slightly better rider! Probably not intended, but its nice.

Ninja-d so hard. This is what I get for not reloading pages after they're open for a long time.

[Spuddles]

Are there any orbs that don't use a fort partial? Daze still fails vs. undead & constructs.

[eggynack]

Are there any orbs that don't use a fort partial? Daze still fails vs. undead & constructs.
Na, it looks like all fortitude all the time. They also have the same duration, so that's a non-factor as well. Daze seems like the superior option in nearly every situation.

[Spuddles]

Na, it looks like all fortitude all the time. They also have the same duration, so that's a non-factor as well. Daze seems like the superior option in nearly every situation.

Yeah, pretty much hands down better than the other ones. Funny, too, how baller orb of fire gets with Searing Spell.

[Darth Stabber]

Na, it looks like all fortitude all the time. They also have the same duration, so that's a non-factor as well. Daze seems like the superior option in nearly every situation.

As stated earlier it becomes arguable if you have sneak attackers or sudden strikers, as dazing activates neither, but blindness activates both. Now the fact that the target can't attack makes flanking easier (even the caster cn do it), but that doesn't help sudden strikers. Blindness also gives the opportunity to hide. Even with all those daze is still probably better, but it gets semi-arguable when stealthy precision damage folk come into play.