Help! I don't understand spell damage

(double post)

Shadowbolt is the one bugged spell I know of... in this manner, at least.  It does not benefit from all the mage path, staff, robe, etc... spell power boosters. The tool tip displays the damage with the boosters, but when you fire, it does the basic damage.

My guess is that your caster has a lot of traits/items boosting her spell damage.

I think that the spell is hardcoded in a different way from other spells (it brings spell resistance down, if I recall correctly) and the developers failed to add the damage modifiers.  I hope it gets fixed.

A bolt of night strikes the victim doing 4 (+1 per level) damage and reducing their Spell Resistance by 5

        <GameModifier>

            <ModType>Unit</ModType>

            <Attribute>AdjustUnitStat</Attribute>

            <StrVal>UnitStat_MagicResist</StrVal>

            <DisplayName>Resist -5</DisplayName>

            <Duration>-1</Duration>

            <Value>-5</Value>

this part above looks straightforward

        </GameModifier>

        <GameModifier>

            <ModType>Unit</ModType>

            <Attribute>CurHealth</Attribute>

            <IsForFormattedDescription>1</IsForFormattedDescription>

            <Calculate InternalName="Calc" ValueOwner="CastingUnit">

                <Expression><![CDATA[[Unit_GetLevel] * -1]]></Expression>

            </Calculate>

            <Calculate InternalName="Value">

                <Expression><![CDATA[[Calc] - 4]]></Expression>

            </Calculate>

            <Calculate InternalName="ValueForFormattedDescription">

                <Expression><![CDATA[[Calc] - 4]]></Expression>

            </Calculate>

        </GameModifier>

Hmm, i'm just not reading the math on this one right. Remember it's a death 2 spell for minimum level of effect. (ie effective caster level)

spell damage  boosting effect will increase this number. (edit if tuidjy is saying the damge boosting effects are not working than i believe him lol)

I think it was made as a spell to effect the targets magic resist first.  Doesn't seem to be worded correct, the the function/effect of the spell is worth the mana cost though.  Dont not use it if it makes sense in the situation.  It's been handy for me.

But everyone is correct.  The damage is not what is told up front.  I think its an idea for a spell that didnt get finished.  Still a good one.

so it's only this spell that is bugged? 

that's a damn shame, considering it's the most versatile death spell there is the game has a drastic shortage of immediate damage spells, most of the damaging spells either have a 1-2 turn delay, or are melee range only. 

at least i've learned the fire equivilant too, which seems to be a heck of a lot more powerful anyway, even if shadowbolt wasn't bugged. so it's not a massive issue, but it is annoying.

As I mentioned in another topic, other spells are also bugged (like Horrific Wail and Sunder).

Yes, it seems that more of the 'specialist' spells are bugged.  The spells that have either special targets, apply special effects, etc...  Someone who uses more magic than I do should collect them all in a thread, and maybe the developers will be able to draw conclusions.

Oh, I see.

This is the problem.  It's not dealing damage, it's reducing health.  Not sure why the tool tip would 'work', however.  It shouldn't.

What they really ought to do with these death spells is create a new unitstat called something like UnitStat_Attack_Death.

This way they could use the DefendableDamage Attribute, which would correctly apply those insidious damage boni, and this damage type could only be resisted by DeathResist or defended by DeathDefense, for example.

Something more like this:

<GameModifier>
            <ModType>Unit</ModType>
            <Attribute>DefendableDamage</Attribute>
            <AttackStat>UnitStat_Attack_Death</AttackStat>
            <IsForFormattedDescription>1</IsForFormattedDescription>
            <Calculate InternalName="Calc" ValueOwner="CastingUnit">
                <Expression><![CDATA[[Unit_GetLevel] * 1]]></Expression>
            </Calculate>
            <Calculate InternalName="Value">
                <Expression><![CDATA[[Calc] + 4]]></Expression>
            </Calculate>
            <Calculate InternalName="ValueForFormattedDescription">
                <Expression><![CDATA[[Calc] + 4]]></Expression>
            </Calculate>
        </GameModifier>

Looks like they fixed this so that the damage buffs also apply to curhealth modifiers. 

Won't this make things wonky?  How is this going to affect modding?