On the Elven Mage's character sheet, there is an ability called Sculpt Spell. It says that you may choose a number of targets equal to the spell's level +1 and allow those targets to automatically succeed on a successful saving throw. Then it says, "they take no damage if the would normally take half from it". What does that mean exactly? At first I took it to mean that if you were a Rogue with an evasion like ability that allowed you to take half damage automatically, then you take no damage... but then I started wondering if what that line meant was: if you normally save and take half damage, now you automatically save and you also take no damage now...
So which is it?
Also, if you scale up a spell, will this affect the amount of people you can select. Like, if you scale Fireball up to 5th level, do you get to then select 6 people to grant the auto save to instead of the normal 4 (since it is at base a 3rd level spell)?
Booya, first REAL question in the forum, that I actually had a bout a rule, not some cheesey jokey post.... ANYWAY... I am curious about the above!
It means that if you'd normally take half damage on a successful save, you take no damage instead. Very much like the rogue's evasion ability.
pukunui wrote:
I'm not seeing what's so confusing about it. Sculpt Spell is worded in such a way that the PCs excluded still technically have to make a save, it's just that they also get to automatically succeed on that save. If the spell in question is, say, a fireball, they would normally take half the damage on a successful save, so Sculpt Spell is clarifying that in this instance, they don't.
It's basically granting the PCs caught in the spell the same benefit that a rogue gets from Evasion.
Yeah, well to me, "normally taking half damage" seemed like it could be applied as "you normally save and take half damage, therefore, now you autosave and take NO damage" because it doesn't specify the circumstances of taking half damage from evasion or whatever they call it now.
The purpose is to say "they don't take damage from the spell" but phrased in such a way as to not eliminate other possible effects if they are relevant (or may appear in some future spells).
As far as scaling up, I'll have to wait and check the basic rules tomorrow, but in the playtest when you cast a spell in a higher level spot it is a spell of that higher level. So unless they have changed that rule, then yes, the ability becomes more powerful when you scale up a spell. You can exclude 6 people from a fireball if you cast it in a 5th level spell slot.
Sands666 wrote:
Sands666 wrote:
Aladar wrote:
pukunui wrote:
Sands666 wrote:
Sands666 wrote:
Sands666 wrote:
I like this ability on the evoker, but it definitely makes the evoker alot more dangerous. In the campaign I'm planning on running, one player is thinking of being an evoker, so I will definitely factor that in when building encounters; I think I will be less afraid of out-numbering the PCs.
Ooh! Sculpt Spell only protects the individuals now, not their "spaces" or "squares."
So you can now nuke attached stirges and other threats that are in your allies' spaces without harming your allies.
Sounds pretty sweet.
... in my opinion.
Wyckedemus wrote:
Wyckedemus wrote:
Sands666 wrote:
I believe the idea is that, for example, if I cast Fireball into my friends and remove my friends from the area, they take no damage. Fireball normally deals half damage on a save; they are treated as successfully saving and take no damage if that would make them take half damage.
On the other hand, if I cast Area Finger of Death and exclude my allies, they are treated as if they successfully saved. However, Finger of Death does not do half damage on a successful save. Therefore, the allies would take the full secondary effect of 'some damage', but not die, becuase they are treated as having saved.
WotC_Mearls wrote:
pukunui wrote:
There's that too. LOL.
Also keep in mind that this class feature works on any area of effect for Evocation-classed spells. Burning Hand's cone, Lightning Bolt's line, etc.
So in the starter set the 1st-level Wizard can stand right behind those two Fighters and cast Burning Hands through them to hit any opponents on their other side!
E-Tallitnics wrote:
WotC_Mearls wrote:
WotC_Mearls wrote:
WotC_Mearls wrote:
Ooh, maybe the first obnoxious rules lawyer question:
Say your ally is vulnerable to fire for whatever reason. You cast fireball and sculp the spell around him. He automatically saves, and would take half damage per the spell, but that would normally be doubled due to vulnerability. (Assuming vulnerability is like it was in the playtest.) So would the 'no damage' effect apply?
Surely it would, IMO. But it is kind of an interesting question 
Yes. If the creature would take only half damage, it takes none, which doesn't trigger its vulnerability 
pukunui wrote:
But you don't get the abiltiy until 2nd level, IIRC.
An alternative answer to Plaguescarred's: Yes. You apply the vulnerability, save to reduce the damage by half (to the amount actually rolled), and then take zero damage just the same - no matter which order you do things in, the save is still causing a reduction of the damage to "half", so the sculpt spell ability makes it 0 damage.
AaronOfBarbaria wrote:
jaelis wrote:
jaelis wrote:
IMO you resolve it in this order
1. Cast Spell
2. Sculpt effect to affect target's saving throw and determine how damage is dealt
3. Deal damage
4. Apply Vulnerability if applicable
Its like having vulnerabilty to acid damage doesn't trigger if you successfully save againt Acid Splash since it doesn\'t deal damage if you do.
All this does make me wonder why the ability wasn't just phrased 'choose X targets to be unaffected by the spell'...
thespaceinvader wrote:
I'm actually kinda bummed that sculp spell made it in the final cut. I felt it was way OP. It will be my first house rule to elminate or change it. One of the best parts about beast AoE spells was the risks associated with dropping said nuke, and the tactics necessary to get the most out of it, with as little downside as possible.
I think a better phrasing would be: "The chosen creatures automatically succeed on their saving throws against the spell, and if the spell normally does half damage on a successful save, the creatures instead take no damage."
I agree with jaelis
mbeacom wrote: