Switching energy damage types, any items do it?

[TheHero0fCanton]

Hey there! So I know there are a few class abilities (and arcane feats?) that can change the energy type of a spell (lightning bolt to... firebolt?) but are there any items in 3 or 3.5 that can do the same. I coulda sworn I came across some gloves or something that did that but have had no luck finding anything.

Really any suggestions on how a cleric could change elemental damage type in general would help. I'm playing a 14th level cleric of Pelor speccing in sun, holy, and fire damage types and we're about to face down a Wyrm Red Dragon. Any ideas?

[Grod_The_Giant]

You're a cleric. Just prepare different spells. (Or is there some other ability going on that makes that a bad plan?)

[Zaq]

Well, you're a Cleric. You're stuck with your domains and your feats, but if you want to prep different spells for the day, there's nothing preventing you from doing that. (I'm assuming that you'll have at least one day before you're fighting this dragon, because it doesn't seem like you're going to be able to pick new magic items and then have to fight this guy without having any downtime.) You might find it thematically appropriate to stick with fire spells, but you have access to your entire spell list, so you can just pick non-fire spells and be done with it.

Anyway, as far as items go, your best bet is a Metamagic Rod of Substitution (MIC pg. 165). Three times per day, you can use it to swap the energy type of a spell you cast to the type the rod is keyed to (though the rod is keyed to a specific type when it's created). The cost will depend on what level of spell you want to be able to convert, since like most (all?) metamagic rods, they come in three grades.

[TheHero0fCanton]

You're a cleric. Just prepare different spells. (Or is there some other ability going on that makes that a bad plan?)

I think I misspoke, I remembered an item that could change damage types in general, including items etc. most of which of mine, are fire based. In hindsight it may very well have been 4th edition as I think I had it as a backup for my FrostCheese ranger build.

[TheHero0fCanton]

Well, you're a Cleric. You're stuck with your domains and your feats, but if you want to prep different spells for the day, there's nothing preventing you from doing that. (I'm assuming that you'll have at least one day before you're fighting this dragon, because it doesn't seem like you're going to be able to pick new magic items and then have to fight this guy without having any downtime.) You might find it thematically appropriate to stick with fire spells, but you have access to your entire spell list, so you can just pick non-fire spells and be done with it.

Anyway, as far as items go, your best bet is a Metamagic Rod of Substitution (MIC pg. 165). Three times per day, you can use it to swap the energy type of a spell you cast to the type the rod is keyed to (though the rod is keyed to a specific type when it's created). The cost will depend on what level of spell you want to be able to convert, since like most (all?) metamagic rods, they come in three grades.

Thanks for the suggestion! It'll be handy to have a way to swap out types on the fly. My plan so far is a Shivering Touch spell and a couple self damaging Energy Vortexes coupled with the Mantle of the Icy Soul.

[Zaq]

Shivering Touch is an edge case. It doesn't actually do cold damage. The spell states that targets who are immune to cold are immune to it, but that doesn't actually mean that it's doing cold damage. I know it has the [Cold] keyword, but that doesn't mean that it's actually doing cold damage.

It's a weird spell, but using Energy Substitution on it won't do you a bit of good, RAW.

[Svata]

Yeah, shivering touch specifies that thigs immune to [Cold] aee innune to it so changing the energy type doesn't help. For anything else, there's a Rod of Energy Substitution [Whatever energy type].

[Darrin]

I coulda sworn I came across some gloves or something that did that but have had no luck finding anything.


Gauntlets of Energy Transformation, MIC page 102.

Then there's stuff like Searing Spell and Piercing Cold, which are all like, "Oh, so you have energy resistance? Yeah, about that..."

[TheHero0fCanton]

Shivering Touch is an edge case. It doesn't actually do cold damage. The spell states that targets who are immune to cold are immune to it, but that doesn't actually mean that it's doing cold damage. I know it has the [Cold] keyword, but that doesn't mean that it's actually doing cold damage.

It's a weird spell, but using Energy Substitution on it won't do you a bit of good, RAW.

Dind't specify, apologies. I meant my plan for hopefully taking out the Red Wyrm involved shivering touch and energy vortexes as freakin huge red dragons have a pretty low dex to begin with so the shivering touch could incapacitate it, assuming I can get past it's SR :/

[TheHero0fCanton]

Gauntlets of Energy Transformation, MIC page 102.

Then there's stuff like Searing Spell and Piercing Cold, which are all like, "Oh, so you have energy resistance? Yeah, about that..."

Yeah, I think that was it, thanks! I think searing spell might be my feat at next level... or touch of Golden Ice, totally counter intuituve for my character but just so lovely :smallbiggrin: