Damage spells that scale, but not by getting more dice

[Zanos]

I'm playing a StP Erudite(booo) in a campaign, but do to the party dynamic have largely been trying to fill a blasting role. Since the enemies we face tend to have a lot of health, I'm looking for some efficient blasting. Based on the wording, a StP Erudite only has to spend more PP on converted spells that "deal a number of dice of damage based on caster level."

The optimization level here isn't insanely high, so I'm mostly looking for spells that can output a decent chunk of damage every round on the cheap, which will allow me to do something other than fire my crossbow when I'm trying to conserve PP.

[Bucky]

Telekinesis's damage dice scale by weight and the weight scales by caster level.
Similarly, Magic Missile gets extra missiles (not dice) for high caster levels.

[Inevitability]

Summoning scales in duration as you level, and with duration comes a larger damage output. Bonus points if you can fill a bathtub with Quintessence for them to wait between fights.

Flame Blade is also a damaging spell that deals damage based on level.

[Troacctid]

Chill Touch scales up the number of attacks you make instead of the number of dice, but you still get to make all the attacks in a single standard action, and it's uncapped by level, making it extremely efficient.

Corrosive Grasp is similar.

[nedz]

Rainbow Blast - SpC.

Always 5 dice - but the Dice size keeps getting larger.

5D12 eventually — you do have 5 D12s don't you ?

[nyjastul69]

The spell Streamers from Shining South has set damage dice per stream, but the number of streams scales with level.

[Zanos]

Telekinesis's damage dice scale by weight and the weight scales by caster level.
Similarly, Magic Missile gets extra missiles (not dice) for high caster levels.
Although technically spells like magic missile shouldn't be subject to that, since it's getting more missiles rather than directly getting more dice, the StP text calls out magic missile as a specific spell that needs to be augmented with more PP. Scorching Ray might work since it isn't specifically called out.

TK will be good as I hit higher levels. I only just hit 9th, so casting it at all is a full PP dump before my ML increases.


Summoning scales in duration as you level, and with duration comes a larger damage output. Bonus points if you can fill a bathtub with Quintessence for them to wait between fights.

Flame Blade is also a damaging spell that deals damage based on level.
Summoning suggestion is good, but we've already got an anthromorphic bat druid summoning ashbound greenbound augmented brown bears.

Flame Blade is nice, but my melee touch is horrendously bad. 8 str and noncombatant flaw.


Chill Touch scales up the number of attacks you make instead of the number of dice, but you still get to make all the attacks in a single standard action, and it's uncapped by level, making it extremely efficient.

Corrosive Grasp is similar.
I assume this is because of the instantaneous duration? Interesting, and not sure if I can get my DM to buy the RAW there. I'll give it a whirl though.


Rainbow Blast - SpC.

Always 5 dice - but the Dice size keeps getting larger.

5D12 eventually — you do have 5 D12s don't you ?
This is a roll20 game fortunately, so we don't have issues with that. Plenty of 1d43s to go around. :smallamused:

This spell should work fine, although hitting every energy resistance for 1d12 damage is kind of wimpy. I'll pick it up, though.

[you randomly]

avasculate from spell compendium is a ranged touch attack that just half you opponents current health while this may not be exactly what you were talking about it will be useful at all levels as long as the enemy has blood, also stuns on a failed fort save

[nedz]

Rainbow Blast - SpC.

Always 5 dice - but the Dice size keeps getting larger.

5D12 eventually — you do have 5 D12s don't you ?
This is a roll20 game fortunately, so we don't have issues with that. Plenty of 1d43s to go around. :smallamused:

This spell should work fine, although hitting every energy resistance for 1d12 damage is kind of wimpy. I'll pick it up, though.

It's marginally worse than Lightning Bolt in terms of the numbers, but slightly more fun and less likely to completely bounce.

[Troacctid]

I assume this is because of the instantaneous duration? Interesting, and not sure if I can get my DM to buy the RAW there. I'll give it a whirl though.
Correct. Here is the relevant quote, from Rules Compendium page 136.

If a spell allows its caster to make multiple attacks and has a casting time of 1 standard action, all those attacks occur during that standard action. The caster uses the highest applicable attack bonus for each attack in such a case.
This is the same rule that allows Scorching Ray to function.

[Elkad]

5D12 eventually — you do have 5 D12s don't you ?

Who doesn't?
I think I still have 5d12 from my Basic set days, definitely including the one that came in the big blue box, nevermind the rest of my dice.

Granted, my blue box D12 is the only one of the set that isn't all chipped up. The D20 looks like it accidentally spent 10 years in the Chessex die tumbler.

[nedz]

Who doesn't?
I think I still have 5d12 from my Basic set days, definitely including the one that came in the big blue box, nevermind the rest of my dice.

Many people - it's the least used die in 3.5

Your D12's - they are all different colours ?
This is very useful for this spell.

[Elkad]

Your D12's - they are all different colours ?
This is very useful for this spell.

ALL different? No. But I'm sure there are a couple dozen colors in solids, and gem and sparkle are probably similar.
Plus oddities like these.

http://pages.suddenlink.net/flowerdog/images/polythorns.jpg

[nyjastul69]

Correct. Here is the relevant quote, from Rules Compendium page 136.

This is the same rule that allows Scorching Ray to function.

Out of curiosity, does that rule exist outside of the Rule Compendium?

[Troacctid]

Out of curiosity, does that rule exist outside of the Rule Compendium?
IIRC, it's part of the weaponlike spell rules originally presented in Complete Arcane.

[Anthrowhale]

You might look at 'ice darts'. It's level 2, SR:No, Save:No, 1 dart/2 levels each doing 2d4 half damage on a ranged touch. Kind of like a magic missile that works through AMF, if necessary.

[Douglas]

Magic Missile is called out as an example of the general principle, not a special case, so anything that scales by gaining multiple simultaneous hits that each deal dice won't work. So no Scorching Ray, Streamers, or Ice Darts.

Spells that hit once per round for a duration and scale their duration could work, though. Cloud of Knives is a good low level arcane example.

[Zsaber0]

Try Shivering Touch and be aware of flying books!

[Extra Anchovies]

Bonus points if you can fill a bathtub with Quintessence for them to wait between fights.

This sounds really gross. If one of my friends was always hauling around a bin of goo-covered demons, I'd start making excuses not to spend time with them.

[Inevitability]

This sounds really gross. If one of my friends was always hauling around a bin of goo-covered demons, I'd start making excuses not to spend time with them.

What if those goo-covered demons save your life on a regular basis, though?

[Darrin]

Spells with fixed damage that scale up by caster level:

acid sheath (SC)
arrow of bone (SC)
bestow wound (BoVD)
blood creepers (PHBII)
cacophonic shield (SC)
cloud of knives (PHBII)
curtain of light (BoED)
Daltim's fiery tentacles (Shining South)
death's call (CMage)
ectoplasmic feedback (SC)
electric vengeance (PHBII)
emerald flame fist (SC)
energy vortex (SC)
escalating enfeeblement (CMage)
fires of purity (SC)
flame dagger (SC)
heartclutch (BoVD)
moon blade (SC)
radiant shield (BoED)
retributive enervation (CMage)
retributive image (CMage)
ring of blades (SC)
scimitar of sand (Sandstorm)
touch of Vecna (CMage)
wounding whispers (SC)
wracking touch (SC)

[Jormengand]

Technically, of course, all the inflict wounds spells scale without dice. Whether ICW for 4d8+CL on a touch is worth your 7 PP and an action is your decision, but harm also scales like that.

[Telok]

Consider Bestow Curse, if you want 'damage' penalize Con. Otherwise the 50% inaction curse is your first choice. Bonus: you can stack the spell using different curses and it's immune to Dispel Magic.

[Andreaz]

I assume this is because of the instantaneous duration? Interesting, and not sure if I can get my DM to buy the RAW there. I'll give it a whirl though.

Instantaneous touch spells hold the charge until you cast something else or touch something.
It doesn't let you do [level] touch attacks in a round however. If it's not specified, you're stuck with your normal attack routines after the cast round, that usually only grants one attack as part of the spell.

[Telonius]

Anything that deals Con damage effectively scales with level. Not because the Con damage increases, but because the number of hit dice in the things you're targeting increases. Bestow Curse was already mentioned; Cloudkill is another one.

[SangoProduction]

Magic Missile is called out as an example of the general principle, not a special case, so anything that scales by gaining multiple simultaneous hits that each deal dice won't work. So no Scorching Ray, Streamers, or Ice Darts.

Spells that hit once per round for a duration and scale their duration could work, though. Cloud of Knives is a good low level arcane example.

Thank you. I was just about to point that out.