"Bypass damage reduction N/Epic"

[Chaos]

Your very first mythic feat is "bypass damage reduction N/Epic". This damage reduction is N/- and the description says "your mythic powers allows you to bypass damage reduction N/Epic".

The feat itself doesn't do anything. If it suggesting at some point in the future your mythic powers will allow you to take feats to bypass N/- then why is it even there? It just makes no sense to me as there are specific feats like "ascended elements" that allow elements to affect monsters but not bypass DR. The only way to bypass DR afaik is matching the specific tag with a spell/weapon etc.

There are too many layers of garbage preventing spells like fireball from doing damage to enemies. First a bare minimum of 17 spell resistance to overcome, then reflex save which is a 100% certainty for half damage with 35 reflex, then 15 DR N/Good with 10 fire resistance minimum. So a 60 damage roll on a fireball from a level 10 sorcerer would have a 15% chance to overcome SR then overcome a 35 reflex then -25 from the total DR/resistance. So there is a teeny weeny chance of doing a WHOPPING 5 damage with an empowered (maxed) fireball.

I am aware of how to overcome this but that isn't the issue. Many spells, in fact most spells are utterly pointless as the saves on normal difficulties are too high.

Swarms have 0 reflex saves to AoE and take double damage from fire but have the same blanket DR N/Epic and 10 fire resistance. Mmmmm righhht lol.

These balance issues should be the NUMBER 1 priority. Too many...game bending? Bugs and oversights are frustrating me with the game.

[kirill-busidow]

Originally posted by Chaos:

I am aware of how to overcome this but that isn't the issue. Many spells, in fact most spells are utterly pointless as the saves on normal difficulties are too high.

If the saves on normal difficulties are too high, how many people solo with mages on Hard/Unfair?

[Chaos]

Touch attacks with spell penetration.... I solved the mystery of unfair, you're welcome.

Find a video of a solo melee character on unfair, in fact I would be very impressed by a solo melee character on core. A character unable to cast spells is a melee character btw.

[corisai]

Originally posted by Chaos:

Find a video of a solo melee character on unfair

In Act 5? Easy ;)

[WuTaNiSt]

A few points:

• DR N/Epic is not (quite) the same as DR N/-. DR epic requires magic weapons of +6 or greater to penetrate. Given how rare that level of enchantment is but us getting a bypass, that effectively just means DR N/anyone but us. It's there just to make us special, not as a true mechanic for us to play with.
  
• That's not how SR works. It's a caster level check using caster level + modifiers. A lvl 10 caster only needs to roll a 7 to beat SR 17 (matching counts as a success) so a 70% chance. Also if you're not stacking modifiers on top of this (Spell pen feats etc) then you're not building your caster properly.
  
• What are you fighting at level 10 that has a +35 reflex save and why aren't you targeting its fort or will saves instead? Hell, if you need damage that badly just plink it with good old no-save, force damage, magic missile
  
• DR & energy resistance do not stack. DR is for physical attacks & energy resistance is for energy. Force, divine & unholy damage (such as the aforementioned MM) is generally not resisted by much at all

So actually your sorcerer has a minimum 70% chance to breach SR, will only be dealing with energy resistance and only then if you haven't taken ascendant element. You might still be facing a reflex save for half, but again why are you targeting such a high save rather than doing something else? Hell, just cast haste & have your martial characters go to town on them

[kirill-busidow]

Originally posted by Chaos:

Touch attacks with spell penetration.... I solved the mystery of unfair, you're welcome.

Find a video of a solo melee character on unfair, in fact I would be very impressed by a solo melee character on core. A character unable to cast spells is a melee character btw.

You underestimate players, some are really good and high skilled so plenty of such videos

[darkholyPL]

Originally posted by Chaos:

A character unable to cast spells is a melee character btw.

That is incorrect. That is a non-caster.
And even then you can make it work. Scrolls and potions are a thing.
But why on earth would you not buff your melee guy with spell buffs? Doesn't make any sense, also doesn't work well in Pathfinder. If you have 'em, cast 'em.

[Ghost]

it works a lot better if you think of Mythic Spell Penetration and Ascendant Element as required talents for any direct damage caster in this game

[Homer Morisson]

Originally posted by WuTaNiSt:

A few points:

• DR N/Epic is not (quite) the same as DR N/-. DR epic requires magic weapons of +6 or greater to penetrate. Given how rare that level of enchantment is but us getting a bypass, that effectively just means DR N/anyone but us. It's there just to make us special, not as a true mechanic for us to play with.

Exactly right, all it means is that due to our Mythic Powers, we no longer require +6 weapons to even be able to damage enemies that have N/Epic.

Anyone non-mythic would still need a +6 magic weapon to even be able to cause any damage at all to any demon with the aforementioned DR.

[Homer Morisson]

Originally posted by Ghost:

it works a lot better if you think of Mythic Spell Penetration and Ascendant Element as required talents for any direct damage caster in this game

Yeah, those two are gamechangers!
Especially Ascended Element is an absolute must have, as it utterly negates enemies' resistance AND immunities towards the selected type of energy.

For example on my Lich, Ascended Element (Negative Energy) meant that now every single Necromancy Spell from the Lich list, which all use Negative Energy, now were treated as doing full damage, even when an enemy had Negative Energy Immunity.