Knowledge devotion and spells

[Yogibear41]

If I have knowledge devotion and use a spell like magic missile or scorching ray that has multiple rays or missiles if you will does the bonus to damage apply to each missile or ray ability? Or is it just 1 bonus all together?

[nedz]

Knowledge Devotion gives bonuses for weapons. Weapon like spells should qualify (read the relevant section in CArc) which means that Scorching Ray should be good. Magic Missile is not a weapon like spell and so Knowledge Devotion will not apply. Weapon like spells are basically those with a to hit roll.

[Yogibear41]

No where in the feat does it say it applies only to weapons it just says damage rolls, is there an errata?

[molten_dragon]

It would really be up to DM interpretation. The feat says you get an insight bonus to attack rolls and damage rolls. It doesn't state outright that you only get the bonus if you make an attack roll, but it implies it at least.

That's the way my groups have always ruled it, you get the damage bonus any time you make an attack roll, whether with a weapon or a spell.

[Thrice Dead Cat]

It would really be up to DM interpretation. The feat says you get an insight bonus to attack rolls and damage rolls. It doesn't state outright that you only get the bonus if you make an attack roll, but it implies it at least.

No, it doesn't. All it says is a bonus to attack and damage rolls, making no indication that one requires the other for the feat to work, anything else is a house rule.

[Diarmuid]

If you are going to rule that the bonus damage is applied to spells like Magic Missle then you would likely just treat it like the Warmage's edge. You have to pick which missle to apply it to.

[molten_dragon]

No, it doesn't. All it says is a bonus to attack and damage rolls, making no indication that one requires the other for the feat to work, anything else is a house rule.

By that logic, wielding a masterwork weapon provides a +1 enhancement bonus on all attack rolls, since the description of masterwork weapon doesn't specify the bonus applies only to that weapon.

Not everything in the rules is explicitly spelled out in exacting detail. In a lot of cases, human interpretation is required. The ruling here could go either way. No, it doesn't explicitly limit the bonus on damage rolls to things that require an attack roll, but the way they're included together like that makes it a plausible explanation.

[JungleChicken]

Thematically I would agree with Nedz

You don't aim a magic missile it unerringly hits a target all on its own. With a ray you are physically aiming your finger at the monster that you have this useful knowledge on how to hit it where it hurts

[Vortenger]

If I recall, when C.Champ. first came out, there was nothing to indicate that it didn't work on ability damage as well. Thankfully the RC cleared that right up and was the next printed book. I could be mis-remembering that.

Ray of Stupidity for 1d4+6 Int damage was fun for a couple months.

[Yogibear41]

Where in the rules compendium does it say that?

[Vortenger]

Book has been loaned, cannot check. Believe it was in the damage section, incidentally.