Chain Lightning and objects.

[Aquillion]

Chain Lightning can target objects.

Does this mean that I can cast Chain Lightning on a character, then have it arc over their equipment and obliterate it one item at a time?

[Juntao112]

I do believe so.

[sleepyphoenixx]

You can. It's effectiveness will be limited though since electricity damage is halved, reduced by hardness and the objects get the wielders save since they are attended.
You'll also need line of effect.

Armor and weapons are probably too tough to destroy since they'll likely be magical and/or made of special materials by the time you get Chain Lightning.
Most wondrous items should be destroyable though, depending on material.
Elemental resistance applies to worn items though and since the damage is reduced so much even a relatively minor amount will make the tactic fail.

[Twilightwyrm]

Now, I know there are more efficient ways to do this, but this gives me an idea: could one target this at a section of, wall for instance, and (with a sufficiently powerful chain lightning, or better yet, energy substituted sonic/acid version) basically atomize the surface of whatever you target?

[Urpriest]

Now, I know there are more efficient ways to do this, but this gives me an idea: could one target this at a section of, wall for instance, and (with a sufficiently powerful chain lightning, or better yet, energy substituted sonic/acid version) basically atomize the surface of whatever you target?

You can do this with pretty much any damaging spell that can target objects, Chain Lightning is probably one of the worse choices for that.

[sleepyphoenixx]

Now, I know there are more efficient ways to do this, but this gives me an idea: could one target this at a section of, wall for instance, and (with a sufficiently powerful chain lightning, or better yet, energy substituted sonic/acid version) basically atomize the surface of whatever you target?

You can. The problem is that all but wooden walls usually have at least 90hp. Some stone walls have several hundred hp.
Add hardness on top of that and it makes direct damage spells a very ineffective and costly method to break them.

[Qwertystop]

So all in all, yes, but there's much better spells for the job and much better uses for Chain Lightning than trying to mimic them.

[Biffoniacus_Furiou]

You can do this with pretty much any damaging spell that can target objects, Chain Lightning is probably one of the worse choices for that.

Energy Missile (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/psionic/powers/energyMissile.htm) (Sonic) says hi.

[Aquillion]

Hmm. An Archmage with Mastery of Elements could also turn Chain Lightning into Chain Sonic, which would make it far more effective at obliterating everything the target is carrying.

[Phelix-Mu]

Hehe, I thought the use under discussion would be to use the objects (any object) to get around the distance separating targets. I hadn't noticed that objects were targetable. This makes the spell slightly more effective in working with irregularly arranged or spread out targets, though you obviously waste targets.