Wed Oct 07, 2015 5:35 pm  
Meteor Swarm spell

I was looking for some clarification and pointers on DMing the Meteor Swarm spell, specifically the damage it can do against a single target or multiple targets. In the player's handbook it says the spell has two forms.
1. Large spheres (2-foot diameter) that inflict 10d4 points of damage, bursting in a diamond or box pattern. Each has a 30-foot diameter area of effect, and each sphere is 20 feet apart along the sides of the pattern, creating overlapping areas of effect and exposing the center to all four blasts. 2. Or smaller spheres (1-foot diameter) that each have a 15-foot diameter area of effect, and each inflicts 5d4 points of damage. They burst in a pattern of a box within a diamond or vice versa, with each of the outer sides 20 feet long.

From this description it's pretty easy to determine the damage from direct strikes, but the difficulty comes with determining the damage against creatures within the area of the blast. For example, The Wizard's Handbook mentions that a single Meteor Swarm can inflict up to 160 hit points of damage. To take that much damage I would think you'd have to be right in the middle of the blast zone, plus take direct strikes from the meteors, plus roll max damage, plus fail all your saves. Any advice on running combat with this spell would be appreciated.