Features with multiple damage types

[Easy_Lee]

The spell chromatic orb allows wizards to select from several damage types. The fiend patron level 6 ability allows the user to select from several damage types and gain resistance to it. There are similar spells and features.

How do you weight the tactical value of being able to select from multiple damage types? How do you weight the tactical value of resistance to those types?

[Specter]

Depends on a) how well you know what you're facing beforehand and b) how your DM feels about the """metagame""" matter of vulnerabilities.

a) if you're in a situation where you have to prepare for the damage (e.g. Warlock), your ability is a decent one if you have no idea, and a goldmine if you do (like walking into a dragon's lair).

b) Some DMs get needlessly annoyed if a player exploits some enemy vulnerability (e.g. using fire on trolls), but I think that's pettiness and that we could do away with these DMs entirely.

[Lord Il Palazzo]

The spell chromatic orb allows wizards to select from several damage types. The fiend patron level 6 ability allows the user to select from several damage types and gain resistance to it. There are similar spells and features.

How do you weight the tactical value of being able to select from multiple damage types? How do you weight the tactical value of resistance to those types?Being able to switch to different resistances is usually a lot more valuable than being able to vary the damage type on a spell like Chromatic Orb. Monsters with weaknesses to specific damage types do exist, but they're not extremely common and it's often a vulnerability to a fairly common damage type (like fire shutting down a troll's regeneration) that you are likely to have access to without Chromatic Orb. (And as Specter points out, that's assuming you know the vulnerabilities of whatever you're fighting in-game.) More often than not, one damage type is just as good as another.

Being able to plan for resistance can be a life saver any time you have some idea what sorts of enemies are on the way (or you can go with piercing or slashing or something else common to be more likely to get some kind of value out of it.)

[JackPhoenix]

Being able to switch to different resistances is usually a lot more valuable than being able to vary the damage type on a spell like Chromatic Orb. Monsters with weaknesses to specific damage types do exist, but they're not extremely common and it's often a vulnerability to a fairly common damage type (like fire shutting down a troll's regeneration) that you are likely to have access to without Chromatic Orb. (And as Specter points out, that's assuming you know the vulnerabilities of whatever you're fighting in-game.) More often than not, one damage type is just as good as another.

Being able to plan for resistance can be a life saver any time you have some idea what sorts of enemies are on the way (or you can go with piercing or slashing or something else common to be more likely to get some kind of value out of it.)

It's not that some creatures are vulnerable... it's more that many creatures are resistant or immune to one or more energy types. Devils are immune to fire and resistant to cold, but lightning or acid does full damage, demons have resistance to fire, cold and lightning, but acid still works. It's less of a problem for a wizard (who does have enough spells prepared to choose any type of energy) or warlocks (who don't get Chromatic Orb, but would be spamming Eldritch Blast anyway, so no big loss there) than for sorcerers (who are generally stuck with one type, especially if dragon origin)