Pathfinder 2e Spells Optimization – Why Prepare or Cast Seal Fate?

optimizationpathfinder-2espells

Seal Fate is a 4th level spell, which gives the target weakness 2 for one type of damage. The save determines the duration:

  • Critical Success The target is unaffected.
  • Success The target gains weakness 2 to the chosen damage type until the end of your next turn.
  • Failure As success, but the duration is 1 minute. If the creature is reduced to 0 HP by the chosen damage and its level is 7 or less, it dies.
  • Critical Failure As failure, but the duration is unlimited.

Compare this to a heightened Vampiric Touch, as it has the same school, traditions, range, target and saving throw:

  • Critical Success The target is unaffected.
  • Success the target takes 4d6 damage (14 on average)
  • Failure the target takes 8d6 damage (28 on average)
  • Critical Failure the target takes 16d6 damage (56 on average)

If you use Seal Fate, on a Success you need 7 damage instances in a round just to break even, which is beyond unlikely, unless you build for it1, or the enemy actively cooperates, like attacking you while you have Fire Shield up.
On a Failure, you have more time to get the 14 damage instances, but in my experience, no creature tends to live longer than 3 rounds.
And then we have not even mentioned the useful temporary HP you get from Vampiric Touch

So why/when would I use Seal Fate?

  1. it could work with splash damage, when every party member uses the 3rd action to toss an Acid Flask, and trigger the weakness even on a miss, but it still has a huge opportunity cost, like keeping a hand free

Best Answer

You would not

Seal Fate is a curse, and curses are rather plot devices than combat equipment. They are meant to be used on, not by PCs. Quite a lot of them never end on a Critical Failure, and as you wrote, monsters tend to die in a minute at most.

For the PCs, if they have to live with it for years, or at least until a Remove Curse, it cannot be crippling.

Basically, beside Blood Vendetta and probably Bloodspray Curse, they are not really competitive with other spells on the same level. I would rather cast a 3rd level Vampiric Touch than Seal Fate.

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