Lightning Blade spell

[Falcos]

Looking at the spell Lightning Blade, belonging to Wu Jen, it seems to me like it has real potential, but I can't quite nail down how it would be used well.

How would you all optimize a build centered around Lightning Blade? Or is it too impractical for whatever reason, and I'm just mistaken?

[Darrin]

Looking at the spell Lightning Blade, belonging to Wu Jen, it seems to me like it has real potential, but I can't quite nail down how it would be used well.

How would you all optimize a build centered around Lightning Blade? Or is it too impractical for whatever reason, and I'm just mistaken?

Well, the first problem is the 10 minute casting time, but there are several ways around that. For example, Spell-storing weapons, Glyph Seals, channel spell shenanigans, and so forth.

It has the [electricity] descriptor, so that brings to mind Born of Three Thunders (if you can wait 10 minutes to cast it, spending another round dazed shouldn't be a problem). After that, adding Lyric Thaumaturge's Sonic Might could be quite nifty, adding +2d6 sonic damage to whatever you choose to discharge, or Heighten it for more sonic damage.

If you've circumvented the casting time, then the "blast" option seems best: RTA up to 30', Xd6 damage without a save, and coming out of a 2nd level spell slot.

And if you want to crack the planet in half... maybe try adding Reach Spell, Persistent Spell, and Reserves of Strength. The damage is still set by your caster level, but you can go beyond the 10d6 max. I can't recall any caster level shenanigans to get a caster level of 14400, but it's probably something Tippy can do six times before breakfast.

[Falcos]

Complete Arcane's version of it has a standard action cast time.

I have no idea how to boost caster level like that, and I'm so glad I came here with the problem, as it's already moved beyond the ken of what I was thinking.

Here I was thinking of using it as a melee weapon. Silly me.

[Kazyan]

Here I was thinking of using it as a melee weapon. Silly me.

The Wu Jen handbook points out that it's a melee touch attack and that Power Attack exists. I'd also stack some of the "if the enemy takes damage, bad things happen" metamagic effects onto it.

[Darrin]

Complete Arcane's version of it has a standard action cast time.


Huh. I thought I checked that book... sorry about that. Ok, casting time is no longer a problem.

The spell description doesn't say what happens when you use up all the damage but the duration hasn't expired yet. Or rather, it doesn't say that the blade disappears when you use up all the available damage. So you could add some additional effects to ride out the rest of the duration, such as Fell Drain (Libris Mortis). Actually, my first thought was Flash Frost (PHBII) but it's not an area spell. Lyric Thaumaturge's Sonic Might + Born of Three Thunders would still function... so Reach/Persist/Heighten to 9th, and you could do 9d6 sonic damage as a touch attack all day.

[Sian]

it has duration: 1 minute OR until discharged ... and you can attack for up to max 10d6 damage with it, over however many attacks you want to.

I said that fairly clearly states that it disappear when you've used up all the dices it have in it

[WhamBamSam]

Well, the first problem is the 10 minute casting time, but there are several ways around that. For example, Spell-storing weapons, Glyph Seals, channel spell shenanigans, and so forth.

It has the [electricity] descriptor, so that brings to mind Born of Three Thunders (if you can wait 10 minutes to cast it, spending another round dazed shouldn't be a problem). After that, adding Lyric Thaumaturge's Sonic Might could be quite nifty, adding +2d6 sonic damage to whatever you choose to discharge, or Heighten it for more sonic damage.

If you've circumvented the casting time, then the "blast" option seems best: RTA up to 30', Xd6 damage without a save, and coming out of a 2nd level spell slot.

And if you want to crack the planet in half... maybe try adding Reach Spell, Persistent Spell, and Reserves of Strength. The damage is still set by your caster level, but you can go beyond the 10d6 max. I can't recall any caster level shenanigans to get a caster level of 14400, but it's probably something Tippy can do six times before breakfast.Born of the Three Thunders is sort of confusing with spells like that. It depends how you parse the spell "concluding" with the thunderclap that does all the fancy stunning and such.

But yeah, I'd still agree with the use of Born of the Three Thunders (throw on Mark of the Dauntless, because yeah), and the Fell X metamagics that Kayzan alluded to.

Ultimately if you want a spell like this, you might be better off with a cleric rocking a DMM Persisted Ice Axe with some of the same metamagics.

[Rebel7284]

I like Lightning Blade a lot less than many other weaponlike spells.

Ice Axe - Great base damage, touch attacks
Darkfire - Touch, 120 range
Thunderlance - 20 foot reach(!!!), Dispels force effects.
Moon Blade - Scrambles magic! Any spells cast after being hit require additional concentration check.