Passive builds

[Stryyke]

Are there any passive DOT builds that are viable?

[tyckspoon]

Assuming you're referring to 3.5 content, I hesitate to say 'No'.. because nearly everything is achievable somewhere in the warrens of 3.5 optimization, and the hive mind may put up some pretty good suggestions.. but I can't think of any. Most DOT effects that were written in the game have too small an effect dragged out over too long a period of time to be very relevant, especially if you're working in a party alongside people who are doing normal damage or even worse are burst-damage builds - things will tend to be dead long before your extended damage can stack up enough to show its worth. Might be some things you can do with a more solo-play focused plan where you ambush something, poison/curse/set on fire/whatever it, and then run away and come back when you expect it to be dead.

That said, Power Word Pain is a good place to start, although it's most notable for being most effective on things with low HP counts already. Which is to say, things you probably don't need help killing.

[JNAProductions]

Forcecage/Haboob is a good combo.

[Silva Stormrage]

Creeping cold and greater creeping cold are probably the best dot spells I know of.

It deals 1d6 damage on the first round, 2d6 on the second 3d6 on the third, etc. Creeping cold lasts for 3 rounds and Greater lasts for up to 6 depending on your CL.

The main synergy is casting extend on the spell allowing a 2nd level spell with a +1 Metamagic to deal 21d6 cold damage with a single spell slot.

Still it's over 6 rounds which is longer than most D&D combats tend to go. It's great for bosses though because it's still terrifying even if you kill the boss and half the party has extended creeping cold active on them.

[WhamBamSam]

I've heard Truenamer's Reversed Word of Nurturing mentioned as a DoT effect.

As mentioned, DoT effects tend to take too long to be practical in most encounters, so the play might be to use Violate Spell or Violate Spell-Like Ability to make the DoT do vile damage so that you can use guerrilla hit-and-run type tactics.

[Stryyke]

How about aura damage? A build where you can turtle up and have aura damage do the heavy lifting?

[WhamBamSam]

How about aura damage? A build where you can turtle up and have aura damage do the heavy lifting?Zaq, who incidentally was also probably my source regarding Reversed Word of Nurturing, made a build (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showsinglepost.php?p=21320003&postcount=96) based around gaze attacks for an Iron Chef a while back, which is similar. You can actually save the feat on Elemental Grafter, as you can bind Astaroth (http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/we/20070307a) and use his floating crafting feat, and still be able to self craft the Scorching Gaze graft, thus getting three passive gaze attacks just from Binder 8.

I also realized that I forgot about Clinging Breath and Lingering Breath, which also fit the bill of what you're looking for and are actually pretty decent in the right build.

[Ruethgar]

If you really want to stretch things, Ray Extention, Bursting, Persistent, Jolt gives you a 1d3 electric aura. Make it Elemalific for more, Three Thunders for some sonic, and side effects for a bit more on the front end.

You can technically get this from any source of 0 level SLAs or spells(have to remove Elemalific) that don’t specify spell slot. So Magical Training is out, but Magically Adept and Magical Affinity can get you there.

To complement that, you can get Thunderhead with all the metamagic. Chain, Persist, Elemalific and Side Effects to make it actually worth it.

Edit: Now I want to make a storm character again.

[DeTess]

Dragon shaman gets an aura that inflicts 2-10 points of damage to anyone striking them or an ally within range with a melee weapon.

[Uncle Pine]

Persisted fell drain cloud of knives (PHBII), with or without a Nasty Gentleman (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showsinglepost.php?p=19914243&postcount=42) setup.

[Anthrowhale]

Wounding Spell (+2 metamagic) provides potentially unlimited damage at 1 hp/round for opponents without access to cure/heal.

A Vile Wounding Searing Energy Substitution[Fire] Flash Frost Widened Enlarged Transdimensional Blizzard fumigates at the dungeon scale.

[Ashiel]

Are there any passive DOT builds that are viable?
Depending on allowed sources it's pretty easy to make minions that stack aura AoEs.

In Pathfinder, you can create burning skeletons and arm them with some brown mold (CR 2 IIRC). When the mold is exposed to fire/heat, instead of burning it spreads and inflicts 3d6 nonlethal cold damage in an AoE (the skeleton is immune 'cause undead), and the skeleton inflicts fire damage in an AoE around it. When the right source options, you can probably make the skeleton explode in negative energy if destroyed (the skeleton also explodes when destroyed for being a burning skeleton). So you can just sack a bunch of chickens (they're cheap and plentiful and would be terrifying to behold as flaming undead), smear brown mold on them, animate them en mass and point them in the direction of your enemy.

You could also create a humorous dazing spell build around the spell elemental aura (https://www.d20pfsrd.com/magic/all-spells/e/elemental-aura/).

[Zaq]

Zaq, who incidentally was also probably my source regarding Reversed Word of Nurturing, made a build (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showsinglepost.php?p=21320003&postcount=96) based around gaze attacks for an Iron Chef a while back, which is similar. You can actually save the feat on Elemental Grafter, as you can bind Astaroth (http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/we/20070307a) and use his floating crafting feat, and still be able to self craft the Scorching Gaze graft, thus getting three passive gaze attacks just from Binder 8.

I also realized that I forgot about Clinging Breath and Lingering Breath, which also fit the bill of what you're looking for and are actually pretty decent in the right build.

Thanks for the mention! Still love that build, to be honest. And yeah, I maintain that it’s one of the better ways to get automatic damage effects. When I was doing the write-up, I realized that I was having difficulty laying out what the character should spend their standard actions on, so this might be exactly what you’re looking for. If you’re not trying to specifically use Serene Guardian, you’ve got a bit more wiggle room in that build as well. I know you can burn a feat or two to get a gaze attack from the Fearsome Mask soulmeld, though it’s debuffing rather than damaging. Had to jettison that to make the Secret Ingredient tick, as I recall.

Anyone know the easiest way to turn into a swarm? Swarm damage is relatively automatic, especially if you have a way to keep things within your area. I’m pretty sure that there’s a way or two to turn into a swarm, but it’s been a while since I did any deep dives into Polymorph (or Wild Shape or whatever) shenanigans. Probably some easier things to turn into that have auras as well (WotC tends to like giving things heat auras, I’ve noticed).

I distinctly recall that the capstone of Incandescent Champion gets a damage aura. It’s limited in use and not very practical, but it does exist. (While we’re in Magic of Incarnum, isn’t there a bind or two that gives you a damaging aura with a relatively low radius? On mobile for right now; don’t have my books open.)

Half-remembered element that’s likely wrong in one or more particulars: I vaguely recall in either BoED or BoVD that there’s a long-duration spell that is like a granddaddy version of either Light or Darkness that deals damage to things of the “wrong” alignment in its radius, and I think it lasted a disturbingly long time and could maybe even be carried around on an object. I can try to remember to look it up when I’m near my books, but if anyone happens to know what it is offhand, shout it out.

I know there’s a spell or two that make the area next to you painful to stand in. Ring of Blades, I think, and I think Lightning Ring or something? I recall the former being in Complete Arcane and the latter being in Spell Compendium. Probably there are others as well. You can always do a Persistomancy thing.

[WhamBamSam]

Anyone know the easiest way to turn into a swarm? Swarm damage is relatively automatic, especially if you have a way to keep things within your area. I’m pretty sure that there’s a way or two to turn into a swarm, but it’s been a while since I did any deep dives into Polymorph (or Wild Shape or whatever) shenanigans. Probably some easier things to turn into that have auras as well (WotC tends to like giving things heat auras, I’ve noticed).Master of Flies has a Swarm Shape ability. Depending on how your DM rules on the discrepancy between the Savage Species and RoE versions of Quick Change you can get in without needing casting at LA+0 with a Changeling or Hengeyokai.


Half-remembered element that’s likely wrong in one or more particulars: I vaguely recall in either BoED or BoVD that there’s a long-duration spell that is like a granddaddy version of either Light or Darkness that deals damage to things of the “wrong” alignment in its radius, and I think it lasted a disturbingly long time and could maybe even be carried around on an object. I can try to remember to look it up when I’m near my books, but if anyone happens to know what it is offhand, shout it out.Looks like you're thinking of Curtain of Light, a 5th level Sanctified Spell from BoED. Wall of Fire and the psionic power Energy Wall work similarly in terms of doing damage each round to creatures that are nearby or trying to pass through.


I know there’s a spell or two that make the area next to you painful to stand in. Ring of Blades, I think, and I think Lightning Ring or something? I recall the former being in Complete Arcane and the latter being in Spell Compendium. Probably there are others as well. You can always do a Persistomancy thing.I think I actually messed around with Ring of Blades, along with the similar Corona of Cold, for my unsubmitted RKV build back in that Serene Guardian round.

Lightning Ring is an 8th level Sor/Wiz spell that deals damage to adjacent creatures and fires off a Lightning Bolt each round in a direction of your choice.

[Zaq]

Looked it up: I was actually thinking of celestial brilliance, which only deals 1d6/round and only to undead and to evil outsiders (okay, 2d6 to evil outsiders) but that lasts for 1 day/level, and damning darkness, which only lasts 10 min/level but that deals 2d6/round to anything Good and 1d6/round to anything Neutral on the G/E axis.

Both spells can be cast on objects and carted around.

[Anthrowhale]

A persistent Dirge looks like it would be an effective aura since it only targets enemies and does ability damage every round. This could be paired with a persistent Decomposition to do a little more damage.

[Ruethgar]

Ritually associate Tanar’ri as an outsider and Alter Self into a Jovoc with Assume Supernatural Ability for Aura of Retribution. Then snag some black sand and fast healing.

Edit: Or you know, Sarrukh for it.