How does Dragon Sorc's Elemental Affinity interact with Elemental Weapon spell?

[Monster Manuel]

Hi, Playground.

Trying to wrap my head around how the Elemental Affinity feature of the Draconic sorcerer would work in relation to the Elemental Weapon spell.

Affinity lets you add your Cha modifier to one damage roll of a spell you cast that does elemental damage aligned with your dragon type. Elemental Weapon turns a weapon into a +1 weapon that does an additional 1d4 damage of a specific elemental type. Does that elemental damage qualify the spell for the bonus CHA damage from EA?

So, let's say that a Sorcerer (CHA 18) casts EW on a ranger's (DEX 18) bow. Should the final damage output be 1D8+4+1(magic bonus)+1d4(EW)+4(caster's CHA bonus)? Does that extra +4 apply to each damage roll? Just the first time it's used? Once per round?

Or, does the spell not technically do any damage, it enchants a weapon and then the weapon does the damage? In this case, it could be argued that it doesn't qualify for the Elemental Affinity bonus at all.

Thoughts?

[loki_ragnarock]

I'm sure there's an official answer that states that sorcerers can't have nice things, but I'd rule that it applies.

You cast a spell. Damage is rolled. You add your mod when the damage is rolled. The spell generates multiple damage rolls, you get to add your mod multiple times.

[ender241]

It definitely applies, but only to one damage roll. Because that's what it says - "you can add your Charisma modifier to one damage roll of that spell." If it was added to all damage rolls, it wouldn't have the modifier of "one damage roll".

Compare this to the Cleric's Potent Spellcasting feature which says "you add your Wisdom modifier to the damage you deal with any cleric cantrip". It doesn't specify any limit, so it can be added to multiple damage rolls. This doesn't make a difference for most Clerics, since their cantrips are mostly (maybe all?) a single roll. Arcana Cleric can abuse this though, since they can get BB/GFB as Cleric spells and then add their WIS mod to both the initial and the rider damage rolls.

It's also not once per turn, because it would say so if it was. Compare it to the Wild Magic Sorcerer's Spell Bombardment feature which says "When you roll damage for a spell and roll the highest number possible on any of the dice, choose one of those dice, roll it again and add that roll to the damage. You can use the feature only once per turn."

Features like Elemental Affinity are therefore best used with an AoE blast spell, like fireball, where you roll once for damage but it hits multiple enemies. It's not as impactful with spells that have multiple rolls over the duration of their casting.

[loki_ragnarock]

It definitely applies, but only to one damage roll. Because that's what it says - "you can add your Charisma modifier to one damage roll of that spell." If it was added to all damage rolls, it wouldn't have the modifier of "one damage roll".


They must have changed it through errata, the ultimate in "sorcerer's can't have nice things."

The version of the book I'm referencing has no reference to "one damage roll."

Mine reads:

Starting at 6th level, when you cast a spell that deals damage of the type associated with your draconic ancestry, add your Charisma modifier to that damage.

[ender241]

They must have changed it through errata, the ultimate in "sorcerer's can't have nice things."

The version of the book I'm referencing has no reference to "one damage roll."

Ah, must have. Here's the text verbatim from DDB:


Elemental Affinity
Starting at 6th level, when you cast a spell that deals damage of the type associated with your draconic ancestry, you can add your Charisma modifier to one damage roll of that spell. At the same time, you can spend 1 sorcery point to gain resistance to that damage type for 1 hour.

[JLandan]

I guess that it's not meant to apply to ongoing damage, just instantaneous. But the wording would allow it one time during an ongoing spell.

As a DM, I would apply it to all damage of that type. Otherwise, it's just cheese.

[P. G. Macer]

They must have changed it through errata, the ultimate in "sorcerer's can't have nice things."

The version of the book I'm referencing has no reference to "one damage roll."

Mine reads:

You are correct, there was an errata, one of the first in fact, as fire dragon sorcerers were back in the early days of 5e adding their CHA modifier to every damage roll of Scorching Ray.

[Dark.Revenant]

It does not interact. You're not dealing the damage "when you cast a spell", you're dealing it later: specifically, when you've hit them with a weapon attack.

[Monster Manuel]

Thanks for the comments, all. I found that the wording of EW is different enough from the specific examples called out in the errata that it was not 100% clear, but the general consensus seems to be that if you can't apply the bonus to multiple damage rolls from Scorching Ray, then the damage rolls of an elemental weapon don't apply either, which is fair.


It does not interact. You're not dealing the damage "when you cast a spell", you're dealing it later: specifically, when you've hit them with a weapon attack.

This is the key question, I think. It's not so clear-cut; you can make the argument that it doesn't say the damage has to happen right away. You've cast a spell that deals the right type of damage, so you get to apply a bonus to one roll of that damage whether it happens immediately, or if it's delayed for some reason. According to this reading, you would apply the bonus to a casting of explosive runes when they eventually go off.

Regardless, it looks like if it applies at all, it only applies to the first damage roll the elemental weapon makes. A +5 to one roll, max, over the course of the spell, is pretty trivial.