Spell Storing Arrows

[Decoy Lockbox]

Last year I had quite a bit of fun playing my archer, Khaldrash the Mage Slayer, a fighter 4 / ranger 1 / mageslayer 6 (homebrew occult slayer). Towards the end of the campaign, our cleric of pelor had the initiate of the sun feat, which gave him scorching ray as a 2nd level cleric spell (among other things). I realized that I could cash in on this by buying some spell storing arrows, as they are very cheap for 11th level. At the end of each day, I would have the cleric cast any scorching rays he had left into the arrows.

This caused some problems however -- my archer was fairly well optimized, and I would get 4 shots a round using rapid shot (5 shots with our warlock's haste scrolls) at decently high bonuses. During one difficult fight I decided to protect our frontline melee fighters by downing a threat about to attack them. I employed my spell storing arrows, and it was then that I realized how powerful spell storing arrows are. My bow shots would do about 1d8+1d6+10 per shot, and then if the spell storing arrow hit, it would unleash a triple-ray scorching ray (from the cleric's caster level of 11), 3 rays of 4d6 fire dmg using my ranged touch attack bonus, which was very high due to me being an archer.

Essentially this meant that if all four of my attacks and subsequent rays hit, which was surprisingly likely, my average damage would be 240. Per round, at a range of up to 110 ft without taking a penalty.

Both I and my DM found this a little absurd. It would have been even more powerful if I had been using spells like hold person or touch of idiocy in the arrows. One of the players had a look in the DMG and found that, while it did not say under the spell storing enhancement whether or not you could apply this to ammunition, spell storing was only listed under melee weapons on the random qualities generator table. We were very suspicious, and I decided to not use them any more in order to preserve game balance.

So my question: can you apply the spell storing quality to ranged weapons and/or ammunition?

Does anyone have an official ruling on this? I would like to see rules citations rather than conjecture, but whatever you have will do.

[Zeful]

Dmg pg 225

Spell Storing: A spell storing weapon allows a spell-caster to store a single targeted spell of up to 3^rd level in the weapon. (The spell must have a casting time of 1 standard action.) Any time the weapon strikes a creature and the creature takes damage from it, the weapon can immeadiatly cast the spell on the creature as a free action if the wielder desires. (This special ability is an exception to the general rule that casting a spell from an item takes at least as long as casting that spell normally.) Once the spell has been cast from the weapon, a spell-caster can cast any other targeted spell of up to third level into it. The weapon magically imparts the name of the spell currently stored within. A randomly rolled spell storing weapon has a 50% chance to have a spell stored in it already.

according to the description there's no restriction, but on the table of Ranged weapon special abilities, spell storing doesn't show up meaning it can't be applied to arrows.

[PinkysBrain]

Depends on if you think an arrow is wielded after it's fired.

[Kyace]

There is a thread somewhere about using spell storing arrows to load up on cure x wounds and using them for healing. Hypodermic needles, they called them.

Re Zeful: Is there a ruling that something has to be able to be rolled randomly before the players make/buy it?

[Lord Lorac Silvanos]

Depends on if you think an arrow is wielded after it's fired.

Easy solution: you use a very large bow and fire the halfling holding the spellstoring arrow.

[Starsinger]

Easy solution: you use a very large bow and fire the halfling holding the spellstoring arrow.

Or a Ballista... put those ranks in knowledge (siege weapons) to use!

[The Prince of Cats]

Well, the Arcane Archer, for all its flaws, can do something like a cut-down version of arrows of spell-storing. That is only for spells they cast, which must be cast and fired in one round. If you use that spell-storing trick, you must admit that it makes (even more of) a mockery of the Arcane Archer PrC.

Personally, I have a (straight) ranger who (with his composite longbow of range) can drop enemies of a CR meant for a six-person party of his level (7 last time he pulled off that trick) in the time it takes them to reach him. It is not that hard; 220ft range on the bow, 3 attacks a round with rapid shot, MW arrows and 14 strength. We are talking about ideal conditions here - aware of them at 220ft, fighting his main favoured enemy, winning initiative and having the bard singing for him. Averaging 78 damage if all of the arrows hit if they are running at him for two rounds. That is at 220 ft, though he could technically start shooting at 440ft (if he could see that far) and take only a -2 penalty.

[Citizen Joe]

Something about the rays coming out of an arrow strikes me as wrong. It seems like the arrow becomes more of a grenade. I'd be much happier limiting it to touch spells. I could see the bow being enchanted with scorching ray, much like Hank's Bow from the animated series.

[lord_khaine]

well thats not a issue, because you cant put spell storing on arrow, else imagine the horror of shivering touch in arrows!!!

[namo]

Shivering touch is always horrible, arrows or not.

Whether projectile can be made Spell Storing is controversial, but storing a Scorching Ray spell is illegal. Scorching Ray is not a targeted spell (which is not the same as saying it doesn't have targets !). Read the Magic Overview part of the SRD. Ray spells have an Effect line, with no Target line - they are not targeted spells.

[Lord Lorac Silvanos]

Whether projectile can be made Spell Storing is controversial

I think PinkysBrain summed it up nicely. There is no need for any drama.

[Zeful]

Re Zeful: Is there a ruling that something has to be able to be rolled randomly before the players make/buy it?

Not that I know of, but it's generally assumed that if it's not on the table for random rolling than it's not a legal magic item.

[Sornjss Lichdom]

just make your ranged weapon a spell storing weapon, so that you use it less often, there by making it less powerful.

Save the attack for the BBEG

[Decoy Lockbox]

I've been out of town for a while and havn't had a chance to read this thread. The point about scorching ray not being a targeted spell clears that up, but it still seems too powerful and cheap (in terms of cost) to let an archer essentially attack and cast multiple spells in one round.

If the bow itself was spell storing, you would have to physically strike someone with the bow itself (as an improvised weapon) in order to unleash the spell.

[Lord Lorac Silvanos]

... but it still seems too powerful and cheap (in terms of cost) to let an archer essentially attack and cast multiple spells in one round.

Then it is very fortunate that it is not possible using the RAW.

A melee fighter could do it with a bunch of Spell Storing weapons and Quick Draw though.

[tannish2]

master thrower dagger cheese part 2: combust, fireball, and wracking touch for those with sneak attack.... to every DM anywhere: sorry

spell storing should be limited to melee weapons, if it essentially makes all casters just buffing machines, even the evokation specialist the kineticist and the duskblade, then it would totally tip the balance of the game, or, since arrows only work onece, rule that it can be but, but each one has to be enchated seperately...