Author Topic: Mortal Bane - Drain Incarnum combo  (Read 1991 times)

Offline Mustakrakish

  • Lurker
  • *
  • Posts: 3
  • I'm new!
    • View Profile
Mortal Bane - Drain Incarnum combo
« on: December 22, 2019, 06:48:31 AM »
Drain Incarnum invocation [MoI, 107]: Fort save or creature take 1 point of essentia damage, or wisdom damage if it's not a meldshaper.
Mortal Bane feat [BoVD]: +2d6 damage 5/die on all your spell like abilities, half bonus damage vs outsiders, constructs and undead.
Do they work togheter?

Offline Stratovarius

  • Forum Host
  • Administrator
  • *****
  • Posts: 7691
  • Arhosan Emperor
    • View Profile
Re: Mortal Bane - Drain Incarnum combo
« Reply #1 on: December 22, 2019, 08:41:15 AM »
Generally, it's assumed that +Damage abilities only apply to hit point damage, although as you've pointed out, the wording isn't very clear. If you can find a lenient DM, perhaps you can get away with it, but prepare to be smacked with the Book of Venereal Disease once they figure out how strong the combination is.

Offline Mustakrakish

  • Lurker
  • *
  • Posts: 3
  • I'm new!
    • View Profile
Re: Mortal Bane - Drain Incarnum combo
« Reply #2 on: December 23, 2019, 06:39:07 AM »
Fair enough. What if we assumed that in this case +Damage abilities do apply to ability damage, but at half rate of HPs. Fort save or 1+1d6 Wis damage vs mortals, 1+1d6/2 vs immortals? I know this is houseruling territory, but is there a way to redeem this otherwise terrible invocation without homebrewing?

Offline Stratovarius

  • Forum Host
  • Administrator
  • *****
  • Posts: 7691
  • Arhosan Emperor
    • View Profile
Re: Mortal Bane - Drain Incarnum combo
« Reply #3 on: December 23, 2019, 11:27:46 AM »
Anything that does a lot of ability damage, especially an ability that a lot of monsters are lacking in, is going to do well.

Offline Jackinthegreen

  • DnD Handbook Writer
  • ****
  • Posts: 6176
  • I like green.
    • View Profile
Re: Mortal Bane - Drain Incarnum combo
« Reply #4 on: December 28, 2019, 03:40:31 PM »
To give an example of ability damage that is often seen as too powerful:

Shivering Touch from Frostburn page 104.  It's a 3rd level spell that does 3d6 Dex damage with no save, but SR does apply.  Classically used against dragons because the majority of them have 10 dex at all life stages, and 3d6 averages out to be 10.5, and a creature that has Dex 0 is paralyzed meaning it's helpless meaning it's subject to a coup de grace.

Mortalbane could redeem Drain Incarnum, but you would have to talk with your DM because taking anything down to 0 in an ability score means it's either helpless in some form or dead in the case of 0 Constitution.