Lesser Firestorm
-
Besides the cool vfx, this spell absolutely sucks.
It's 1d6/level damage in a huge AoE (same as fireball) centred on myself and it hits blue PCs.
It'd be worse than Circle of Fire (3rd circle spell) if Circle of Fire's AoE radius wasn't broken, because the AoE is meant to be the same size, yet Circle of Fire doesn't harm allies.
I'm not sure how to fix this spell and make it worth picking. Maybe one of the below:
- Remove the reflex save and give it split damage like ice storm (divine, fire)
- Make it have a daze effect on a failed save
- Make it apply a fire vulnerability on a failed save
- Make it apply a low damage over time effect (2d6/round)
If it still hits allies, then making the spell more powerful like above would still make it a spell you can only use while alone, but it might still be worth picking in some cases.
-
This spell would be good if it was a 0 circle cantrip.
-
Before anyone takes me seriously that was a joke. It's still not even worth being 0 circle. Every other cantrip is overwhelmingly better especially since druids don't have any unlimited cantrips like other spellcaster classes. I think these are great suggestions. Alternatively just trash the lesser firestorm gimmick and drop it to third circle ranged. Some kind of call lightning equivalent, essentially, but fire. Do the effect and the visual but make it a long range. Like you are raining a storm of fire down on an area. Druid version of a fireball, which is fitting for a 4th circle spell doing the same thing everyone else does as a 3rd circle spell but worse, in typical druid fashion /sarcasm.
Or if we're keeping it a lesser firestorm make it firestorm, but lesser. Just take the firestorm spell, change the name (or keep it, it doesn't matter), and make it third circle spell slot. What you will get is an aoe evocation with a burst radius comparable to Call Lightning, except with the negative penalty of it being focused on the caster, so the caster is in clear and present harms way. Although it also does two saving throws instead of one... so it's still worse than just using call lightning, but it's cool. Also if you absorb half the damage from resistance potion or just partial immunity or Evasion the divine damage doesn't even happen, no saving throw, do not pass go... okay third circle is really high for how bad this is in lower level setting. This spell only works in high levels when you can abuse its lack of damage cap for DC 48 reflex save 57d6 bursts.
I dunno if COA has custom scripts for party damage but I tested normal firestorm on a hardcore setting server and it didn't harm my animal companion party member, so theoretically just making it a third circle spell would make it usable. Level is hard capped at level 10 anyway so it's not going above 10d6 damage.
