Is Lightning a "tight-beam burning attack"?

[Nikolai]

Originally Posted by sir_pudding

So all missile spells are not TBBA; even Sunbolt? I always thought Sunbolt was like a magic laser; shouldn't it be a TBBA?

Well, I would also say that this is an exception to the exception that missile spells aren't TBBAs. I assume that Kromm just hadn't thought about that specific spell when he posted his reply.
But I'd be interested in his answer if you ask him. ;-) (I have decided to only bother him with personal emails/pms anymore if I have questions that are really important to me... ;-) In this case I would just decide that Sunbolt is a TBBA because it mentions that it "burns like a laser light".)

[CharlesGriswold]

I think that a good common-sense rule-of-thumb is that if it seems like it ought to be a TBBA, then it probably is; otherwise, it probably isn't. And as Kromm said earlier, changing a TTBA attack to be non-TBBA - or vice-versa - is a +0% modifier, so game-balance-wise it shouldn't make much difference either way. It's just a matter of what's more realistic for a given attack.

[Nikolai]

Originally Posted by Nikolai

In this case I would just decide that Sunbolt is a TBBA because it mentions that it "burns like a laser light".)

I have reconsidered that.
Since Sunbolt says that it isn't a burning but an impaling attack, it is not a TBBA. But you can use it similarly to target the eyes and vitals (you can do that with impaling attacks). But it doesn't start fires at all.
At least that seems to be what the rules as written say, although one might argue that a Sunbolt should be able to start a fire as a TBBA.

[Kromm]

Originally Posted by CharlesGriswold

And as Kromm said earlier, changing a TTBA attack to be non-TBBA - or vice-versa - is a +0% modifier, so game-balance-wise it shouldn't make much difference either way.

Correct. What do you want to do -- set fires or shoot people in the eyes and vital organs? The former has the potential for continuing damage . . . if you ignite your opponent's clothes or equipment. The latter can be really deadly . . . if you're skilled enough to hit. I wouldn't say that one is clearly superior to the other, though. A laser isn't as good as a fireball when you want to set thatch afire, and a fireball isn't as good as a laser when you have one, well-aimed shot that has to take out the bad guy.

[CharlesGriswold]

Originally Posted by Nikolai

I have reconsidered that.
Since Sunbolt says that it isn't a burning but an impaling attack [. . .]

It does? <checks> Yes, it does. I've submitted that as an erratum. It should say that it does burning damage.

[Kromm]

Originally Posted by Nikolai

I have reconsidered that.
Since Sunbolt says that it isn't a burning but an impaling attack, it is not a TBBA. But you can use it similarly to target the eyes and vitals (you can do that with impaling attacks). But it doesn't start fires at all.
At least that seems to be what the rules as written say, although one might argue that a Sunbolt should be able to start a fire as a TBBA.

Sunbolt is a "generic fantasy bolt of Purity, Light, and Goodness" kind of thing, for blasting all those zombies and demons of Darkness who have Vulnerability (Light). IMO, it shouldn't set fires -- that's reading too much science into what's clearly a fantasy concept. Fires are for Fire spells. Light spells do something else. In this case, the special effects are potential blinding and the ability to take bounce shots. Wizards who want incendiary effects on top of impaling damage, trick shots, and blinding can learn spells from the Munchkin college.

[roguebfl]

Originally Posted by Kromm

In this case, the special effects are potential blinding and the ability to take bounce shots. Wizards who want incendiary effects on top of impaling damage, trick shots, and blinding can learn spells from the Munchkin college.

What about Innate attack (imp) (incendiary +10%, Trick Shots +50%, mana dependent -10%) [12/level] + Affliction (blinding +50%, Followup +50%, mana dependent -10%) [19/level]

;)

[Nikolai]

Originally Posted by Kromm

Wizards who want incendiary effects on top of impaling damage, trick shots, and blinding can learn spells from the Munchkin college.

Well, I wouln't say that it's that much of a game-balance issue. In order to be of any use to set fires as a TBBA in combat, the spell would need to do at least 30 points of damage (unless you want to use it to set fire to some highly flammable substance like paper with 10 points of damage at a distance, which shouldn't be the case very often). A spell that powerful (30+ points of damage) that hits its target is likely to kill or at least disable it anyway, so it doesn't matter that much if it also sets part of the target's clothing on fire.

But I have no problem with Sunbolt being an impaling attack.

[Anthony]

Originally Posted by Kromm

Wizards who want incendiary effects on top of impaling damage, trick shots, and blinding can learn spells from the Munchkin college.

Of course, one could retcon Sunbolt into a TBBA, since it's not at all obvious why it does Impaling damage in the first place (probably a leftover from 3rd edition, in which lasers did Impaling damage).