I have a question (2024 rules) about the operationalization of empowered spell metamagic with chromatic orb. The description for empowered spell says the following:
Empowered Spell
Cost: 1 Sorcery Point
When you roll damage for a spell, you can spend 1 Sorcery Point to reroll a number of the damage dice up to your Charisma modifier (minimum of one), and you must use the new rolls.
You can use Empowered Spell even if you’ve already used a different Metamagic option during the casting of the spell.
I would think that this implies the separate expenditure of a sorcery point for each damage roll and that any die rerolls would be limited to the damage roll for which the sorcery point is spent. (Whether >1 sorcery points could be spent to empower the damage rolls for multiple chromatic orbs is a separate issue.) However, there is a confusing (for me) Sage Advice on the use of empowered spell metamagic with scorching ray, which says:
Can Empowered Spell affect all the rays of a scorching ray spell, or just one? A sorcerer’s Empowered Spell could affect more than one ray of a scorching ray, abiding by the feature’s die limit. For instance, if you create three rays with the spell and you have a +3 Charisma modifier, you could reroll one of the damage dice for each ray, or two of the damage dice for one ray and one of the damage dice for another one.
This makes little sense to me given that scorching ray (and chromatic orb) encompass multiple damage rolls. However, if the die rerolls provided by empowered spell can be split between the damage rolls for multiple attacks, then this suggests the same logic would apply to chromatic orb. It is well established that damage is rolled independently for each ray of scorching ray and each orb of chromatic orb. Further, the rules for making an attack indicate that damage for these two spells is not simultaneous as attack rolls are adjudicated sequentially.
Can anyone confirm how empowered spell should be handled when combined with chromatic orb? Should the sage advice be applied, and if so, what is the logic for doing so?
[...] This makes little sense to me given that scorching ray (and chromatic orb) encompass multiple damage rolls. However, if the die rerolls provided by empowered spell can be split between the damage rolls for multiple attacks, then this suggests the same logic would apply to chromatic orb. It is well established that damage is rolled independently for each ray of scorching ray and each orb of chromatic orb. Further, the rules for making an attack indicate that damage for these two spells is not simultaneous as attack rolls are adjudicated sequentially.
Can anyone confirm how empowered spell should be handled when combined with chromatic orb? Should the sage advice be applied, and if so, what is the logic for doing so?
I'd say your reasoning is valid, and that entry in SAC applies to Chromatic Orb the same way it does to Scorching Ray.
If you use empowered spell with a charisma modifier of +3 after casting Chromatic Orb and hitting multiple enemies, you can reroll up to 3 dice total, split between the dice for all the enemies hit however you like, be it all 3 on one hit, or 1 die each on 3 enemies.
When you roll damage for a spell, you can spend 1 Sorcery Point to reroll a number of the damage dice up to your Charisma modifier (minimum of one), and you must use the new rolls.
You can use Empowered Spell even if you’ve already used a different Metamagic option during the casting of the spell.
The Empowered spell feature applies to the damage rolls for a spell; not the damage rolls for an attack. While there maybe multiple attack rolls to hit, a creature only casts Chromatic Orb or Scorching Ray once, therefore they can uses the Empowered spell to reroll any damage die resulting from that casting. Furthermore, the character can only use Empowered spell once per casting.
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I have a question (2024 rules) about the operationalization of empowered spell metamagic with chromatic orb. The description for empowered spell says the following:
Empowered Spell
Cost: 1 Sorcery Point
When you roll damage for a spell, you can spend 1 Sorcery Point to reroll a number of the damage dice up to your Charisma modifier (minimum of one), and you must use the new rolls.
You can use Empowered Spell even if you’ve already used a different Metamagic option during the casting of the spell.
I would think that this implies the separate expenditure of a sorcery point for each damage roll and that any die rerolls would be limited to the damage roll for which the sorcery point is spent. (Whether >1 sorcery points could be spent to empower the damage rolls for multiple chromatic orbs is a separate issue.) However, there is a confusing (for me) Sage Advice on the use of empowered spell metamagic with scorching ray, which says:
Can Empowered Spell affect all the rays of a scorching ray spell, or just one? A sorcerer’s Empowered Spell could affect more than one ray of a scorching ray, abiding by the feature’s die limit. For instance, if you create three rays with the spell and you have a +3 Charisma modifier, you could reroll one of the damage dice for each ray, or two of the damage dice for one ray and one of the damage dice for another one.
This makes little sense to me given that scorching ray (and chromatic orb) encompass multiple damage rolls. However, if the die rerolls provided by empowered spell can be split between the damage rolls for multiple attacks, then this suggests the same logic would apply to chromatic orb. It is well established that damage is rolled independently for each ray of scorching ray and each orb of chromatic orb. Further, the rules for making an attack indicate that damage for these two spells is not simultaneous as attack rolls are adjudicated sequentially.
Can anyone confirm how empowered spell should be handled when combined with chromatic orb? Should the sage advice be applied, and if so, what is the logic for doing so?
I'd say your reasoning is valid, and that entry in SAC applies to Chromatic Orb the same way it does to Scorching Ray.
If you use empowered spell with a charisma modifier of +3 after casting Chromatic Orb and hitting multiple enemies, you can reroll up to 3 dice total, split between the dice for all the enemies hit however you like, be it all 3 on one hit, or 1 die each on 3 enemies.
Thanks. I've been working on a simulation of chromatic orb's damage. This complicates things, but better to understand now than later.
If it helps for your simulation: Chromatic Orb stats - Rules & Game Mechanics
The Empowered spell feature applies to the damage rolls for a spell; not the damage rolls for an attack. While there maybe multiple attack rolls to hit, a creature only casts Chromatic Orb or Scorching Ray once, therefore they can uses the Empowered spell to reroll any damage die resulting from that casting. Furthermore, the character can only use Empowered spell once per casting.