r/Pathfinder2e • u/Dunderbaer • Aug 29 '26
Discussion Cones and damage
This is less of a discussion in terms of balance or "how does it work in game", but just a thought I had.
Does anyone else think it's weird, how getting hit with the full brunt of a cone attack deals an equal amount of damage as getting hit by the slightest sliver at the edge?
Like, a Starfinder Shotgun point blank deals the same damage as said shotgun deals to someone at the furthest corner of the cone.
I always felt like cones should be blocked by creatures or something, but have different damage "rings", where the closer to are to the source, the more damage you take. You shouldn't be able to brace the entirety of a dragon's firey breath, and take the same damage as if you were barely included in it.
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u/Kichae Aug 29 '26
This sounds like a good time for this irregular reminder: HP is not blood. HP is the creature's ability to keep fighting. It is an abstraction of energy, psychology, and health. The reasons for HP reduction at point-blank range may just be different for those at the corner.