Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 supreme_slayer May 07, 2015 12:45:13	Grim Harvest from the Necromancer specifically states that once per turn you gain temp HP equal to 2x the spell level (or 3x if it's Necromancy) when once of your level 1+ spell kills one or more creatures. A smite spell says that it gives additional damage to an attack.   I was talking with a friend of mine about this, and while I can obviously see how since the spell only increases weapon damage and technically does not deal damage itself, by the description of how the spells cause the damaging force to erupt from your weapon all at once as opposed to just the weapon doing the killing, it seems like a spell is dealing damage.   It would seem that if special cases were made in regards to "what is dealing damage" though that a lot of spells would not activate Grim Harvest. If your Catapult spell kills something, was it the spell or was it the object that hit them and therefore you should not heal? Would a conjured fireball technically not be a spell killing something, since you only put the fire there and the fire killed it? But on the other hand, what about causing a chasm to be created underneath someone. Would the fall damage killing them count as your spell killing them?   To narrow it down a few questions here: 1. Do you think that by the wording of the Smite spells (not the general Divine Smite ability, which is not casting a spell) that Grim Harvest should activate? 2. If no, is it because the "weapon itself" is dealing the damage? 3. What about for an effect such as Searing Smite, which deals additional damage over time? Would those count for Grim Harvest? 4. And this one is more of a question for DMs. If ultimately Grim Harvest does not work with Smites, would there be a balance issue with enabling it to? Especially comparing a Necromancer Wizard 2+/Paladin X to a Fiend PactWarlock 2+/Paladin X.
#2 AaronOfBarbaria May 07, 2015 13:04:27	I go with this, but I'm not sure it is the intended interpretation: if damage that only happened because you spent a spell slot is part of the damage that reduces a monster to 0 hit points, it counts for grim harvest.
#3 mellored May 07, 2015 13:25:15	1: Yes. 2: IMO, both are dealing damage. 3: Yes. 4: Not that is see.  Smites are on par with any other spell of the level, including the weapon damage. i.e. 2d8 smite (+1d8+str sword) = 3d10 inflict wounds.
#4 Danny_Montanny May 07, 2015 13:16:11	So long as damage from your spell was part of what killed the creature, Grim Harvest should work. If you're a Blade Warlock/Necromancer and have Hex running, any time you killed a creature with your weapon you'd get the temp HP. If some of the damage is from a Necromancy spell and some from a different spell school, I'd still give them the x3 of the Necromancy spell level of it was higher.   As for Smites from Divine Smite, though you're not casting a spell, you're looking at 8 temp HP for using your 4th-level Smite. Not exactly game breaking at that level. They're temp HP after all, they don't stack, and Grim Harvest has plenty of chance of not working while you're front line melee fighters mop up mobs you've been softening up.