Various Ranger Based Questions

[Nightraiderx]

All these questions involve the Champions of Ruin spells, skirmish and splitting property:

Question 1: If a ranger casts one of the swift action spells (let's say blackflame arrow for one) and then shoots it with a bow with the splitting property
does the split arrow retain the blackflame arrow's properties. (since blackflame arrow is a transmutation spell it changes the properties of the bolt prior to shooting).

Question 2: Shadow Arrow- it transforms an arrow into a ranged touch arrow that deals 1d6 strength damage instead of "normal damage" now my question here does skirmish affect the shadow arrow at all? does it add extra damage for strength damage?

Question 3: Skirmish and Splitting, do all extra arrows created by splitting also get skirmish damage?

[Planar]

These questions might be more suitable for the Q&A thread. Nevertheless I would say; Yes, No, No.

[Nightraiderx]

You have a point, I have moved the questions to the Q&A thread so this can be erased/removed.

[Xerlith]

Answer to 3rd would be "Yes", not "No". If it requires attack roll, it applies precision damage. The Splitting weapon property specifically calls for separate rolls. So yes, twice the Skirmish damage.

[Cloud]

3rd I think is ask your DM, because you have to make an attack roll for each arrow so perhaps yes, but you're aiming the arrow, fire, and then it splits, so it's not impossible to rule you only get precision once.

On the second this is probably no (but I don't have the spell to check), but still worth mentioning that things that add extra damage in general don't ever add to ability damage, in situations where they would apply, you just deal extra negative energy damage.

[nedz]

The answer to (2) is sort of. The additional damage is of the same type as the special type, but it is only HP damage not Ability damage. This is defined in CArc IIRC.

[Nightraiderx]

Ah I see, someone mentioned that there might be possible negative energy damage for a skirmished shadow arrow.
but I'm not sure where to look for it.

[Jeff the Green]

I think the answer to 3) depends on whether you're making a full attack or not. According to RC, you get precision damage a max of once if you're attacking as a standard action no matter how many times you actually hit. If you're attacking as a full-round action you can get it more than once.

[Cloud]

What nedz said is more accurate, I was just thinking about weapon-like spells and the such that do only ability damage with no type, those tend to default to negative energy. ...At least I think so but I can't actually find that rule for the life of me. >.<

Edit: Or I should check Complete Arcane, duh. >.>

"The exception is spells that deal energy drain or ability damage, which deal negative energy damage on a sneak attack, not extra negative levels or ability damage. For example, a 5th-level rogue/8th-level sorcerer who makes a successful enervation sneak attack bestows 1d4 negative levels and deals 3d6 points of negative energy damage."