Still Not Done With PF1: Fire Sling Spell (Patreon)

I've always loved the spell flame blade. I've built entire characters around it, including a dual-flame blade-wielding shaman, and a Samsaran cleric of [Redacted-but she's the goddess with the Fire, Glory, Good, Healing, and Sun domains] with mystic past life. (All clerics of that deity can prepare it as a 3rd-level spell, but this gave it to my guy at 2nd level, which was much more useful).

But I have always thought there should be a ranged equivalent. For a long time, I allowed elven druids have a flame bow spell, since they were proficient with bows, but that never really felt right. For some reason it never occurred to me that druids are proficient with sling, and that could be the basis of a ranged spell inspired by flame blade.

Until this morning, over my first cup of coffee.

Fire Sling

School evocation [fire]; Level druid 2, shaman 2
Casting Time 1 standard action
Components V, S, DF
Range self
Effect sword-like beam
Duration 1 min./level
Saving Throw none; Spell Resistance yes

A 3-foot-long, looped blazing coil of red-hot fire springs forth from your hand. You wield this sling-like beam as if it were a sling that produced its own fire sling stones when used to attack (this not requiring any action, or a second hand, to reload). Attacks with the fire sling are ranged touch attacks using a sling's normal range increments, with a maximum attack range equal to 10 range increments. The fiery sling stones deal 1d4 points of fire damage + 1 point per two caster levels (maximum +10). Since the stones are immaterial, your Strength modifier does not apply to the damage. A fire sling can ignite easily combustible materials such as parchment, straw, dry sticks, and cloth.

Since you wield a fire sling as a sling, any feats or abilities that you have that apply to slings (such as Precise Shot, Rapid Fire, or Weapon Focus [sling]) also apply to attacks made with the fire sling. If you can make multiple attacks per round with a sling, you may also do so with a fire sling.