Is this right?

[GawainBS]

I found this on another board.

The Locate City Bomb-

1: Take Locate City, a spell with a range of ten miles per level (Races of Destiny, 1st level spell)
2: Apply Snowcasting (Frostburn) to it, making it a [Cold] spell
3: Apply Flash Frost (PHBII) to it, making it deal 2 cold damage to everything in the area
4:Apply Energy Substitution (CArc) to it, making it an electric spell
5: Apply Born of the Three Thunders to it, allowing a reflex save to avoid the damage and changing the damage type
6: Apply Explosive Spell to it, forcing a second Reflex save to avoid being blasted to the edge of the area and 1d6(?) per ten feet traveled

I'm wondering, if it is so great, how come I never heard of it during my time on 339, or here?

Thanks in advance!

[PhoenixInferno]

Old news.

I'm not sure it works though because doesn't Energy Substitution change the [Cold] type to [lightning]?  Ah well.

[GawainBS]

It figures it isn't original work, because the guy who posted it thinks 150 damage by a lvl 18 character over 2 rounds is "awesome sick".

[Negative Zero]

That's the jist of it, if I recall. Personally, I prefer the Apocalypse from the Sky bomb. Apocalypse from the Sky is a level 9 spell that does, 10d6 to everyone within 10 miles per caster level, in addition to the actual Explosive Spell effect. The big problem is that it needs an artifact as a material component, and corrupts you somewhat if your DM uses the corruption system.

Edit: I guess if you wanted to, you could go Dweomerkeeper and skip the material component. But if you're playing Dweomerkeeper, I doubt that you need more power.

[Arcane-surge]

PhoenixInferno, I think you're right about the energy substitution changing the type (and thus making it ineligible for the Flash Frost feat, but Energy Admixture would work just fine.

[AndyJames]

Wasn't it the rules that you apply metamagic feats in the best order for you (i.e., a Maximised Empowered 10d6 Fireball would do 90 damage instead of 60+ half of 10d6)? In that case, then the spell with the order of metamagic applied to it above will work.

[Bozwevial]

That's the jist of it, if I recall. Personally, I prefer the Apocalypse from the Sky bomb. Apocalypse from the Sky is a level 9 spell that does, 10d6 to everyone within 10 miles per caster level, in addition to the actual Explosive Spell effect. The big problem is that it needs an artifact as a material component, and corrupts you somewhat if your DM uses the corruption system.

Edit: I guess if you wanted to, you could go Dweomerkeeper and skip the material component. But if you're playing Dweomerkeeper, I doubt that you need more power.

The damage the LC bomb causes will probably kill it anyway--10d6 won't make that much of a difference, artifacts aren't exactly common, corruption isn't welcome, and Locate City is much lower in level.

[AndyJames]

Just out of curiousity, how is the caster avoiding that damage? Isn't Locate City centred on you?

[Bozwevial]

Extraordinary Spell Aim.

[Tshern]

Just out of curiousity, how is the caster avoiding that damage? Isn't Locate City centred on you?

You can always make it nonlethal and there are plenty of ways to become immune to that. You can also just succeed in the reflex save.

[Dictum Mortuum]

It may be just a house rule, but my group always plays "metamagic feats apply only on the original spell", so a maximized empowered fireball would do 100 + 5d6 at CL 10.

[Bozwevial]

Plus, there's really no nearest edge if you're at the center of the spell.

[AndyJames]

Boz, the blast starts at a corner of your square, so there will be a nearest edge

Extraordinary Spell Aim would work, though the DC 25 Spellcraft check might make it dicey for a good long while.

[Negative Zero]

Lolz, Dicey. Like a d20.

Anyway, benefits that don't have a set order of activation automatically activate in the order most beneficial, EXCEPT for Empower/Maximize and a few other specific instances. An Empowered Maximized Fireball that normally does 10d6 will do 60+5d6 damage. The new die are not maximized. This is specifically spelled out somewhere, but I can't recall where.

[Callix]

Boz, the blast starts at a corner of your square, so there will be a nearest edge

Extraordinary Spell Aim would work, though the DC 25 Spellcraft check might make it dicey for a good long while.

Have you counted the feats you need for this to work? You aren't doing this before at least level 15, at which point a +6 Int bonus will autosucceed on DC 25, and any wizard worth his salt has much more than a +6 Int at level 15. It's dicey while you can't do it.

[AndyJames]

Snowcating, Flash Frost, Born of 3T, Explosive Spell, Extraordinary Spell Aim, E Sub.

6 feats:
human bonus, level 1, level 3, wizard bonus, level 6, level 9

Did I get that right?

[Arcane-surge]

Yep. By then, assuming you have 12 ranks in Spellcraft and a +3 Int Modifier, just take 10 and you've got it. Big badaboom.

[AndyJames]

Can't Take 10 when under pressure, IIRC.

[Ubernoob]

Can't Take 10 when under pressure, IIRC.

Cheat and buy a wand of divine insight or something then.  It's not like it has to be cast in combat.

[AndyJames]

That would work. Might end up with you in the hospital with a DMG stuck pointy end first in your skull, but it would work.