Empowered Heal

[Variable]

Since the Layo modified Heal does not heal the target completely could an empowered version of the spell be implemented.

[Dorganath]

Probably not.  We limited Heal for balance reasons.  Also, technically speaking, there's no die rolls with Heal, as it does straight healing or caster level-based healing.  Empowering only works with things that have die rolls to give a randomized result.

[Variable]

Ah, *nods* mechanically speaking though couldn't it multiply the healing based on your level by 1.5?

[Dorganath]

Yes, but that's not how Empowered works. This is a rule thing, not a "can we actually do it" thing....because we could, it just doesn't fit.

[Variable]

Ah, I wasn't under the impression that empowered spells were only spells that had Die rolls invovled.

[ZeroVega]

Ayep. And even then, only the die part of it gets affected. Negative Energy Burst does 1d8 Negative energy damage +1 per level to a maximum of +20. When I empower the spell it would then do 1d12 damage +1 per level to a maximum of +20. Doesn't affect the "+" just the die roll. (Doesn't affect DC either.)

[Talan Va'lash]

ZeroVega - 7/7/2006  4:20 PM  Ayep. And even then, only the die part of it gets affected. Negative Energy Burst does 1d8 Negative energy damage +1 per level to a maximum of +20. When I empower the spell it would then do 1d12 damage +1 per level to a maximum of +20. Doesn't affect the "+" just the die roll. (Doesn't affect DC either.)

 Acctually it will do ((1d8) * 1.5) + 1 per level to a maximum of 20
 
  Though I'm not 100% positive that it doesn't affect the whole sum in NWN. The above example is how it should work in PnP iirc.

[Reventage]

Actually Bioware hard coded the Empower effect into each spell and they were somewhat haphazard with the multiplier placement. So sometimes (I think more often than not) it's in the wrong place.


To use the aforementioned Negative Energy Burst as an example, the empowered spell should follow the following formula Talan already posted:
((1d8) * 1.5) + 1 per level to a maximum of 20

But instead, Bioware implemented as follows:
((1d8) + 1 per level to a maximum of 20) * 1.5

It shouldn't be too hard to see the difference in potential damage. The way it's implemented now Empower is often more powerful than Maximise.

This is a personal pet peeve of mine but it'd take too much manpower to fix each spell separately.

[SquareKnot]

You're correct in how it is supposed to work in PnP. And you're correct again about it not being by the book in NWN. Metamagic feats have to be coded for each spell, and often they aren't done right. Including for negative energy burst, where the code in fact does multiply the random damage AND the +1/lvl damage. Unless it's been changed for Layo, it's wrong.

EDIT: Drat, too slow. What Rev said. Yeah.