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Trixie
2008-08-07, 01:48 PM
So... the situation is: I need to give my friend advice. He wants to play a Conjurer, focused mainly on summoning stuff, but he also wants to have some offensive spells. Since he banned evocation we thought about Orbs of X, but he has only one or two slots in the spellbook.

So, what Orb has the most useful type of damage? Fire? Electricity? Acid? Cold?

Useful, as in having large number of enemies not immune to it, but also useful outside of combat (if it can be done, that is).

There is also Orb dealing sonic damage, but I'm a bit reluctant about it as it deals far less damage and we want him to be a themed wizard, with a nickname like Cold Emperor or Firebane, and sonic doesn't exactly fit into this.

Thoughts?

Frosty
2008-08-07, 01:50 PM
Orb of Fire has the best secondary effect. fort save or be STUNNED? Very cool. I'd tell him to get two orbs, or just take the feat Energy Substitution.

Lochar
2008-08-07, 01:52 PM
Orb of Acid, with the Energy Sub of your choice, but perferably Sonic.

That way you can be the 'Degenerator!' and then if he runs up against something acid immune, energy sub to sonic and go 'My acid rips melts the very sound barrier, dealing sonic damage!'

Emperor Tippy
2008-08-07, 01:52 PM
Orb of Fire has the best secondary effect. fort save or be STUNNED? Very cool. I'd tell him to get two orbs, or just take the feat Energy Substitution.

Dazed actually. And yeah, fire has the best secondary. But it is the most often resisted as well.

If he goes archmage that ceases to be a problem though.

The Rose Dragon
2008-08-07, 01:52 PM
Orb of Sonic, with the name Thunder Lord?

I dunno, I'm just throwing out ideas.

Frosty
2008-08-07, 01:56 PM
Dazed actually. And yeah, fire has the best secondary. But it is the most often resisted as well.

If he goes archmage that ceases to be a problem though.

I almost always carry around a meta rod of substitution (cold) for that very reason. Only 10k, and very few things are immune to Fire and Cold at once.

Trixie
2008-08-07, 02:25 PM
Orb of Sonic, with the name Thunder Lord?

I dunno, I'm just throwing out ideas.

You know, if we tried that we would hear endless jokes about thunders...

Just not that thunders, if you get my drift. :smallsigh:

Trixie
2008-08-07, 02:27 PM
Okay, so far the proposition is fire. But I remembered our GM likes to use undead - would that change anything?

I also remembered about Orb of Force - but there must be something wrong with if as I remember we turned it down. Is it really that bad??

EDIT: No secondary damage, less primary damage... the only saving grace would be damage type, but...

Bayar
2008-08-07, 02:29 PM
Orb of sonic. because not much things are immune to sonic...

valadil
2008-08-07, 02:36 PM
I like force. It lacks an effect and the damage is a little less, but there isn't much that resists force. It even hits ethereal critters. I use it as more of a back up that works in any situation (unlike magic missile, orb of force bypasses SR) than a primary damage effect though.

Burley
2008-08-07, 03:16 PM
Okay, Orb of Sonic does less damage, and, while few things are immune to it, even fewer things are vulnerable to it.
Also, (IIRC) Energy Substitution only lists four energy types: Fire, Cold, Electric, and Acid. If I recall correctly, Sonic is not on the list, nor is force. You need to talk to your DM before taking a (sonic) substitution feat.

Besides all of that, he's a wizard, yeah? Why not carve all of those spells into his book? Substitution isn't gonna be all that useful anyways, because you have to prepare the spell with the Sub feat on it each day, so, he can save a higher spell slot and just prepare the appropriate spell.

Now, to actually answer your question:
Orb of Electricity entangles the enemy as a side effect, which lowers their AC among other things that can help play a mild controller roll.
Orb of Cold will blind the target, which is amazing if you have a rogue in your party, because the rogue can sneak attack it and junk.


Orb of Force, being Magic Missle's stronger/less accurate bastard cousin, can hit ethereal creatures...like ghosts. Ghost are undead...isn't that what this campaign is?

IM@work
2008-08-07, 03:27 PM
While all these are great ideas, the only orb I've ever even bothered with is orb of fire for the secondary effects. If the problem is not dealing enough damage he should care less about direct damage spells and more about using his other spells to do damage, like the summoning for instance. Get something with an awesome grapple and go to town. Monstrous Centipedes work real well. Grapple, pin, and have the party kill/coup de grace.

Gorbash
2008-08-07, 03:37 PM
but he has only one or two slots in the spellbook.

Why doesn't he buy another one? They cost 15 gp.

Waspinator
2008-08-07, 07:37 PM
Why doesn't he buy another one? They cost 15 gp.

A very good question.

Collin152
2008-08-07, 07:57 PM
But spells cost a great deal more.
:P

Gorbash
2008-08-07, 08:05 PM
but he has only one or two slots in the spellbook

If you just read his post, you would have noticed that gold is not the issue, slots are. Additional spell slots in a spellbook are gained by buying an additional spellbook, which is dirt cheap.

insecure
2008-08-07, 08:36 PM
If you just read his post, you would have noticed that gold is not the issue, slots are. Additional spell slots in a spellbook are gained by buying an additional spellbook, which is dirt cheap.

He could have meant that the wizard only has two spell slots left?

Starsinger
2008-08-07, 08:56 PM
Okay, Orb of Sonic does less damage, and, while few things are immune to it, even fewer things are vulnerable to it.


I wasn't aware that 3.x actually had vulnerabilities.

Collin152
2008-08-07, 08:57 PM
If you just read his post, you would have noticed that gold is not the issue, slots are. Additional spell slots in a spellbook are gained by buying an additional spellbook, which is dirt cheap.

That doesn't nesecarily indicate space in the spellbook, but rather the amount of free spells with which the spellbook may be filled.
Also, you make it difficult to not end my post with a disgruntled insult.


I wasn't aware that 3.x actually had vulnerabilities.

See the Cold subtype.

Starsinger
2008-08-07, 09:10 PM
See the Cold subtype.

Heh... oh yeah.

Emperor Tippy
2008-08-07, 09:13 PM
Heh... oh yeah.

I want to know what happens when something has both Fire and Cold immunity.

Starsinger
2008-08-07, 09:15 PM
I want to know what happens when something has both Fire and Cold immunity.

0*2=0? I think

JeminiZero
2008-08-07, 09:29 PM
I want to know what happens when something has both Fire and Cold immunity.

A being with absolute power of temperature maybe?

fireinthedust
2008-08-07, 10:13 PM
I'm confused: is this a question about a 3.x game, or 4e game? I've been around for 3.x, and I don't recall orbs having anything to do with the game in any big way. Hrm...

If not: Orbs of dragonkind: they're really famous! Don't you want to be famous?

EDIT: wokka wokka! (old men: booo!)

Frosty
2008-08-07, 10:37 PM
A Red Dragon Skeleton is immune to both Cold and Fire.