Author Topic: Dissecting Wall of Force  (Read 3041 times)

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CannibalSmith

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Dissecting Wall of Force
« on: November 16, 2008, 09:49:20 AM »

Omen of Peace

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Re: Dissecting Wall of Force
« Reply #1 on: November 16, 2008, 10:32:41 AM »
Quote
(1) and (4) yield that all light, including light spells, pass through. Heat is infrared light. Thus while the wall stops fireballs, it provides no protection from the heat from a tide of lava and such.
Except that most spells will require line of effect in some way or another, and the wall blocks LoE for spells.
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Breath weapons and spells cannot pass through the wall in either direction, although...

As for applying real-world physics to D&D... *shrug*
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Prime32

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Re: Dissecting Wall of Force
« Reply #2 on: November 16, 2008, 10:39:44 AM »
As for applying real-world physics to D&D... *shrug*
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CannibalSmith

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Re: Dissecting Wall of Force
« Reply #3 on: November 16, 2008, 11:02:54 AM »
But how can you answer all the tricky questions, such as..
What happens when you fall onto / run into the edge of a wall of force?
Will you suffocate if trapped inside a wall of force or a resilient sphere?
..without no physics at all?

Except that most spells will require line of effect in some way or another
Right, I forgot about the line of effect.

Runestar

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Re: Dissecting Wall of Force
« Reply #4 on: November 16, 2008, 11:11:50 AM »
Well, it is possible to squeeze through a wall of force with a high enough escape artist check...
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The_Mad_Linguist

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Re: Dissecting Wall of Force
« Reply #5 on: November 17, 2008, 02:00:11 AM »
(1) and (4) yield that all light, including light spells, pass through. Heat is infrared light. Thus while the wall stops fireballs, it provides no protection from the heat from a tide of lava and such.

No.  Just No.

By your logic, a thermos wouldn't work.  Given that they're still selling, your logic is flawed.

Heat is transmitted through three ways:
1) Conduction - IE: things touching each other.  This is the major way that heat is transferred
2) Convection - IE: things touching air that's been heated up by something else.  That's the second most prevalent manner of heat transfer
3) Radiation - Things get so hot they start glowing, emit photons, and send heat to something else.  In general this is the least effective manner of heat transport - although with something very hot (for example, the sun) it can still have an effect.

A wall of force completely cuts out conduction and convection, just as a vacuum would.  Radiation goes on through.  Although you'd no doubt feel some warmth due to the magma's thermal radiation, it would certainly be below the threshold of causing damage.

I believe precedent puts Walls of Force at 1 inch thickness.  I can't remember where I've seen it off the top of my head - Stronghold builder's guide? 
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ZeroSum

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Re: Dissecting Wall of Force
« Reply #6 on: November 17, 2008, 02:02:08 AM »
Also, who claims the wall of force is infinitely thin or infinitely hard.  It can be immovable but still plush.

JaronK

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Re: Dissecting Wall of Force
« Reply #7 on: November 17, 2008, 03:02:32 AM »
In the end, it's magic, and the DM will have to rule appropriately.  The fact that it seems to block air and water, and yet a human can pass through it with a high enough escape artist check... at that point you just have to say "eh, magic!" and be done with it.

But it does block line of effect, so spells do not pass through it whether they like it or not.

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CannibalSmith

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Re: Dissecting Wall of Force
« Reply #8 on: November 17, 2008, 03:33:21 AM »
Stronghold Builder's Guidebook on the thickness of Wall of Force: as spell. How unhelpful!

The_Mad_Linguist

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Re: Dissecting Wall of Force
« Reply #9 on: November 17, 2008, 04:11:19 PM »
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Optimator

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Re: Dissecting Wall of Force
« Reply #10 on: November 18, 2008, 09:16:38 PM »
Good find.  I had forgotten about that section.