How do you guys describe spells like spikes, cones, beams, blades

Fire is easy, it leaves a burn. Ice you could have it freeze a chunk of flesh or impale the target like an arrow or spear would. Lightning could burn and/or partially paralyse.

Just think of the effect getting hit by electricity/extreme cold/extreme heat and scale it appropriately to how much damage they've taken from the hit.

>>52778157

Generally speaking I'll describe characters as having done something to negate the damage.

I mean, that's what a reflex save is, right? It's them trying to dodge or hold something up to mitigate the damage. Even if it's just an attack on their AC, AC still takes into account the fact that they're trying to not get hit. *Everybody* is dodging shit in a fight. A failure just means you didn't make it to adequate cover (maybe some of you is hanging out and got singed), or the piece of wood you shielded yourself with wasn't thick enough to entirely absorb it, or whatever.

Occasionally, if the bad guy is a badass, I'll just describe him as tanking it. Because that's tight as fuck.

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>>52778617
>He doesn't play a fighter who religiously disbelieves in dodging

For lightning, just spasm+sizzle. Fire could heat armor enough to hurt. For ice, if it's icicles just have it poke them in nonfatal areas (maybe an inch into the thighs/gut) or if cone of air, some skin and cause heat change so it bleeds.

Ray of Cold / Cone of Cold is just a fist made of ice that punches you

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>>52779639

>>52780911
Never

>>52778157
Oh boy its a thinly disguised attempt at restarting the HP meat points debate. Hoo-rah.

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>>52779639

>GM: "The mercenary attacks you, what's your AC?"
>Player: "It's X, but just use my flat-footed AC of Y."
>GM: "Why?
>Player: "Dodging's for pussies."

Lightning can damage with almost no visible mark. Which player is going to check if the giant has a burnmark in his soles?

In general the enemy can act in many ways if damaged or in pain. It can get an addrenaline burst and be more active, it can fight try to run. It can panic, slow down, bleed all around, lose parts and so on.

Combat can have other results besides killing one side so just do some appropriate reaction checks.

>your enemy reels in pain
>their skin reddens and blisters
>their lips and fingers turn blue for a moment and they grimace
>the ice spike shatters on impact, leaving only a few tiny slivers in their flesh
>their hair sizzles and stands on end
>a frost forms on them that they shake off with a grunt
>they jerk slightly as their muscles seize
>the blade cuts/burns a line here it grazes them

>>52778157
>How do you guys describe spells

I generally don't, until the last hit point disappears. Generally it's just "Ok he saves, how much damage does your fireball deal on a save? Ok 13, got it, that was his last, he falls over."

Then as the last HP is taken from the last man standing, some bad stuff might happen more descriptively.

>>52782384
What