It’s a combination of a tweaked Shatter and Fireball that can’t damage objects the way Shatter does, has the disadvantage of being heard for a wide area that Shatter has, and also has the disadvantage of being seen for a wide area. Those 3 limitations are my justification for keeping the damage at the same 8d6 that Fireball does instead of reducing the damage to 6d6.
Honestly, it seems perfectly fine to me. You've limited yourself to the damage output and range of an accepted 3rd Level Spell, but also added some interesting flavor and unique features to make it more than just a reskinned fireball that deals lightning damage.
Is the point of this spell to create an alternative nuke to Fireball using damage types less likely to be resisted? That's not a criticism, could be a handy option.
The point is actually for role playing reasons. I'm playing a wizard who hates fire because he's a librarian and fire burns books so he doesn't know a single spell other than Prestidigitation that causes fire. But the damage, area of effect, and range of Fireball is useful so I'm trying to create a balanced alternative to it.
The disadvantage of the spell being impossible to ignore from a distance was put in to counteract the fact that the designers made Fireball and Lightning Bolt more powerful than any other 3rd level spell so I put that in to weaken this spell a little bit similar to how Thunder Step is so loud that it's heard from 300 feet away. I made this 500 feet because it's a higher level spell and it does more damage. I also too out Shatter's ability to damage inanimate objects from the thunder damage part of the spell in order to balance it.
Because this spell does 2 different types of damage I figure some of it's is going to be resisted partially more often than Fireball is, not less. But the flip side of that is most of the time only half of it's damage will be resisted and the other half won't be resisted.
What feedback does anyone have on Lightning Sphere please?
It’s a combination of a tweaked Shatter and Fireball that can’t damage objects the way Shatter does, has the disadvantage of being heard for a wide area that Shatter has, and also has the disadvantage of being seen for a wide area. Those 3 limitations are my justification for keeping the damage at the same 8d6 that Fireball does instead of reducing the damage to 6d6.
Thanks!
Professional computer geek
Honestly, it seems perfectly fine to me. You've limited yourself to the damage output and range of an accepted 3rd Level Spell, but also added some interesting flavor and unique features to make it more than just a reskinned fireball that deals lightning damage.
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Professional computer geek
Is the point of this spell to create an alternative nuke to Fireball using damage types less likely to be resisted? That's not a criticism, could be a handy option.
The point is actually for role playing reasons. I'm playing a wizard who hates fire because he's a librarian and fire burns books so he doesn't know a single spell other than Prestidigitation that causes fire. But the damage, area of effect, and range of Fireball is useful so I'm trying to create a balanced alternative to it.
The disadvantage of the spell being impossible to ignore from a distance was put in to counteract the fact that the designers made Fireball and Lightning Bolt more powerful than any other 3rd level spell so I put that in to weaken this spell a little bit similar to how Thunder Step is so loud that it's heard from 300 feet away. I made this 500 feet because it's a higher level spell and it does more damage. I also too out Shatter's ability to damage inanimate objects from the thunder damage part of the spell in order to balance it.
Because this spell does 2 different types of damage I figure some of it's is going to be resisted partially more often than Fireball is, not less. But the flip side of that is most of the time only half of it's damage will be resisted and the other half won't be resisted.
Professional computer geek
Well, if you decide to create another nuke spell, use Radiant damage. Run that filter for resistance and immunity for monsters and see why.