Hellball

This article is about the epic spell; for the prerequisite feat, see Epic spell: hellball.

Spell level: cleric epic; druid epic; sorcerer/wizard epic

Innate level: 10
Components: verbal, somatic
Range: medium (20 meters)
Area of effect: super-colossal (20 meter radius)
Duration: instant
Save: reflex 1/2
Spell resistance: no

Description: The caster creates a ball of energy that does 10d6 points of acid, fire, electrical and sonic damage to all targets in its blast radius.

Special: Epic spells are not affected by arcane spell failure from armor, nor can they be interrupted, countered, or dispelled.
Spellcraft prerequisite: 32

Notes

• Requires Hordes of the Underdark.
• The DC of the saving throw is 20 plus the highest ability modifier from a potential casting stat (intelligence, wisdom, and charisma). This is not affected by the spell focus line of feats.
• Evasion does not apply to this spell.
• The caster is subject to the damage from the spell if caught in the blast.
• If the spell would do more than 50 damage to a target before immunities and damage resistance are considered, then the target will be knocked prone for 3 seconds. Though possibly intended as a variable effect, the chance of avoiding this knockdown is negligible (well under 1%), even if the save is made.
• As this spell has no descriptor, bonuses to particular types of saving throws (such as versus acid, fire, electricity, or sonic) do not apply.
• Normally, casting this spell produces a projectile that circles the target for a few seconds before the spell goes off. Targeting this spell on the caster will skip the projectile, causing the spell to go off immediately.
• The caster takes 10d6 negative energy damage upon casting if the switch MODULE_SWITCH_EPIC_SPELLS_HURT_CASTER has been enabled by the module builder. Undead casters will be harmed by this damage. (This damage does not count towards determining whether the caster is knocked prone.)
• Some feel this spell has limited use by the time it is acquired, since its damage is dealt across the different elements. For example, the level 5 spell energy buffer is capable of completely absorbing the average damage from a hellball even with a failed save, while a standard ring of elemental resistance is capable of absorbing most of the average damage — excluding sonic — with a successful save. Similarly, a creature such as a vrock (CR 10) can resist all but the sonic damage with a successful save.

See also: greater ruin (the other epic attack spell)

Custom content notes

• script: X2_S2_Hellball