 | |
| Spell Information | |
| Spell level : | Innate level: 5, Sorcerer/Wizard: 5 |
|---|---|
| School : | Necromancy |
| Components : | Verbal and Somatic |
| Range : | Long |
| Target/Area : | Large |
| Duration : | 6 seconds / 2 Levels |
| Save : | Fortitude Special |
| Spell resistance : | Yes |
Description
A billowing cloud of noxious vapours settles over the area. Its effects vary according to the Hit Dice of the affected creatures:
- 1-3 HD: Instant death
- 4-6 HD: Fortitude save or death; 1d4 points of Constitution damage if save is successful
- Over 6 HD: 1d4 points of Constitution damage
Victims inside the spell's area suffer the effects each round. Undead creatures are immune to this spell.
Gameplay Notes
- There are no descriptors shown in game, yet if you have poison immunity you will be immune to this spells effects entirely, and if you are immune to death then the death effects will not apply. Saving throws against instant death are rolled vs death magic, ones against Constitution damage - vs poison.
- Funnily enough, it explicitly says Undead are immune, but only by virtue of them being immune to poison and ability score penalties. Other creatures have this too, such as Constructs.
- Even though this isn't mentioned anywhere, creatures with high HD still roll a fortitude save, and a successful save will halve constitution damage. This halving, as well as empowering code, performs integer division with rounding down. Thus the constitution damage taken becomes (1d4 = damage): (damage + damage/2(empower)) / 2 (if successful save). With all divide operations rounded down. This can lead to things like: when using Empowered Cloudkill, a creature rolls for constitution damage: 1 + 1/2 = 1 due to rounding. If save is made then we get (1 + 1/2) / 2 = 0. Thus the creature takes no constitution damage as a result.
| Average damage | Average Empowered damage | Average Maximized damage | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Without save | 2.5 CON | 3.5 CON | 4 CON |
| With save | 1 CON | 1.5 CON | 2 CON |
This demonstrates that when creatures are expected to make the fortitude save, the maximized version is worth the higher slot, because it doesn't have an issue with 2 roundings down like empowered has.
- The constitution damage is applied and stacks every round, to a minimum of 3 CON(-4). This reduces creature's fort save as well as HP(creature's level in HP for each 2 CON drained). This HP reduction doesn't appear as damage but it simply decreases the HP pool of the creature from the bottom. A level 20 creature with 80/100 HP getting drained of 4 CON will wind up with 40/60 for its HP. Creatures that get drained enough, that the damage they have taken is larger than their remaining HP pool will die. Mages(d4 creatures) without Toughness feat will die even if uninjured if reduced to 3 CON(-4 mod).
- This spell affects caster and his allies.
- If a target has 6HD or lower, the Fortitude save against death occurs only when the target enters the Cloudkill AoE (initial round). If they succeed on the saving throw, they will merely take CON damage as long as they stay inside the AoE. A renewed save against death will only occur if they exit and then re-enter the AoE.
- If a target with 4-6HD succeeds on the save against death, they actually take full CON damage (for targets with more than 6hd CON damage is halved).