| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| Dracandos the Spellsage |
Posted - 03 Jun 2005 : 17:38:32
As some of the older scribes may remember from when I posted quite often, my interpretation of the Realms lies largely in the view of how things would actually be if the Realms actually existed. Most of my questions seek answers in this perspective and the following questions are no different.
1. When you have 100% resistance to fire (by any means; naturally, a Robe of Fire Resistance, a Ring of Fire Resistance, whatever), so fire literally has no effect on you at all. If a clothed man would stand in the middle of flames, would all of his clothing be protected as well? As well as any items he may have on his body? His hair would not be burned off, correct? Also, you would be able to pick up red hot coals from a fire and toss them around in your hands like a mere stone as well correct? Would you be able to swim in a pit of lava with no ill effects?
2. A similar question to the first. When having 100% resistance to cold, obviously this would protect you from cold damage like from spells such as Cone of Cold. But when walking through a place in the winter when it was cold outside, and snow covered the land, where you would not be taking any damage but would simply be experiencing the cold weather, would this be like walking in noraml conditions because of the resistance?
3. Finally, when a priest becomes powerful enough to cast spells(lets just say 1st lvl), how exactly does this happen? In a game world, the explanation is "The knowledge of what spells are avaliable become instantly clear as soon as he advances in lvl." So 'in real life in the realms' the spells avaliable to the cleric suddenly become *known* to him as his diety bestows the magic upon him when he is powerful enough?
I seek mainly reassurance on these questions as this is how I would understand them to function. If I am wrong, I would gladly appreciate clarification. My thanks. |
| 13 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| KnightErrantJR |
Posted - 05 Jun 2005 : 17:59:00
I would think that if the fire or heat were enough to hurt you, you would feel a little warm, though perhaps not uncomfortably so. Same with cold. I would imagine with acid resistance that you might feel some tingling in the area that touches the acid, so you know that something is there, but it doesn't actually damage the flesh.
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| Dracandos the Spellsage |
Posted - 05 Jun 2005 : 17:49:44
quote:
Originally posted by Bendal
BTW, in severe winter weather, venturing outside for 10 minutes without adequate protection can kill you, or at the least result in severe frostbite. I'm talking well below zero and high winds, which can be common in arctic areas. There are historical examples of people's spit freezing as it leaves their lips due to the intense cold.
Obviously. Im not talking about walking outside in the worse winter conditions or in the arctic. Just simply walking outside during the winter time when its cold and theres snow on the ground. Not subzero temps, no blizzards, no extraordinary variables.
quote:
Originally posted by jebeddo
My belief is that any ring of energy resistance cannot prevent the character from actually "feeling" the element. A fire resistant character feels heat from the flames but doesn't get burned, an electricity resistant character feels shocks but doesn't get electricuted...etc (otherwise a fire-resistant character couldn't tell if something is hot and a cold-resistant character won't notice the difference between cooled drinks and warm drinks).
So I am to assume when you say they will feel the heat it is of a lesser extent than what the fire would actually be causing, correct? Because if you're near a large fire, you can feel the heat to a point where it is very uncomforitable without getting burned. Thats where I am a little confused. If you could simply tell that is was warm, then yes, but if you could feel the heat in the same amount, then it would still be quite uncomfortable. I also dont quite get how you could feel shocked, but not get electricuted. So would they feel the exact experience of the electricity and just not take any damage from it? |
| jebeddo |
Posted - 04 Jun 2005 : 23:01:56
Well, in my games I ruled that characters with cold resistance feels cold, but not to the extent that it causes any actual discomfort. So this means that when a character with a ring of cold resistance walks through winter "knows" that he is in a cold area and feels cool, but not the extent that it causes him to take damage.
My belief is that any ring of energy resistance cannot prevent the character from actually "feeling" the element. A fire resistant character feels heat from the flames but doesn't get burned, an electricity resistant character feels shocks but doesn't get electricuted...etc (otherwise a fire-resistant character couldn't tell if something is hot and a cold-resistant character won't notice the difference between cooled drinks and warm drinks).
quote:
3. Finally, when a priest becomes powerful enough to cast spells(lets just say 1st lvl), how exactly does this happen? In a game world, the explanation is "The knowledge of what spells are avaliable become instantly clear as soon as he advances in lvl." So 'in real life in the realms' the spells avaliable to the cleric suddenly become *known* to him as his diety bestows the magic upon him when he is powerful enough?
Well, this depends on your own interpetion of the Realms. I believe that when a cleric is strong enough in faith and devoted enough to her deity (at 1st level), the deity will make himself known to her in a vision, dream, or a fleeting whisper. There the god will welcome the cleric to his church and grant her the ability to cast spells in her god's name. |
| Bendal |
Posted - 04 Jun 2005 : 22:49:21
I suppose if you had "absolute immunity" to heat, the only danger lava would present to you would be suffocation. Think of it as viscous mud in that event.
BTW, in severe winter weather, venturing outside for 10 minutes without adequate protection can kill you, or at the least result in severe frostbite. I'm talking well below zero and high winds, which can be common in arctic areas. There are historical examples of people's spit freezing as it leaves their lips due to the intense cold. |
| Dracandos the Spellsage |
Posted - 04 Jun 2005 : 18:48:24
I didnt literally mean swim, but yeah come in contact with lava is basically what I want. |
| Hoondatha |
Posted - 04 Jun 2005 : 18:20:10
I can't speak for 3.x, but back in 2e some fire resistence items/spells made a distinction between "hot normal" fire (burning house), "extremely hot normal" fire (lava and, oddly enough, red dragon breath), and magical fire (fireball). So an item that would allow you to walk through a burning building would only provide -2 hit points/die against a fireball. I know this isn't exactly what your question asked, but I felt a distinction needed to be made.
However, if you have an item that allows absolute immunity (say, the golden dragon orb), then yeah, you can do pretty much anything you like to fire. I'm not sure if you could actually *swim* in lava, since it's resistence is a whole lot more than water, but you could definately float along down the current. You'd need rather a lot of strength enhancement before I'd rule you could swim. |
| Dracandos the Spellsage |
Posted - 04 Jun 2005 : 17:58:52
Aye with the whole, "taking cold damage" thats not what I'm talking about. Walking through a land in the winter, you wont be taking damage from just walking outside for ten minutes. What I'm asking is will the wearer feel any cold or not. I assumed with the protection, it would be as if walking in 'normal' comfortable conditions. |
| Forge |
Posted - 04 Jun 2005 : 17:20:43
Couple of thoughts, First, Drizzt's sword was a Frostbrand and granted immunity to normal fires, but less so when very hot fire is concerned. Personally I would say dousing yourself in oil and setting yourself on fire would be the latter, but that is for the illustrious Mr Salvatore to adjudicate and I will not rules-lawyer a wonderful and inspiring scene.
Now, I would wonder about how a person would feel towards the damage taken by something, for example: cold. Certain items, like Boots Of the Winterlands state that the wearer doesn't feel the cold "warm the wearer as if he were affected by an Endure Elements spell". However it doesnt contain a damage reduction component regarding damage from outside/exceptional sources.
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| Bendal |
Posted - 04 Jun 2005 : 13:35:34
Now that 3.5E rules use the 'resistance' method of determining protection by subtracting an amount from the potential damage (10, 20 or 30 pts), I think that the center of the sun would create more damage than that.
For that matter, I would probably rule in my game that lava would cause some damage if you were running around in it with one of those rings on.
A cold resistance ring, however, would be just the thing to wear in the North's long, cold winters. Even the minor version (10pts subtracted) would be enough to negate nearly all damage from even the worst storms. |
| LordAnki |
Posted - 04 Jun 2005 : 00:25:37
1. Yes, you would be able to touch anything that was extremely hot. You could prolly go to the centre of the sun and not be burned. Its like when Breunor was riding the back of Shimmergloom with drizzt's ice sword and was engulfed in flames. Anything that was on him was not burned. |
| Dracandos the Spellsage |
Posted - 03 Jun 2005 : 19:28:02
My thanks. It seems that my interpretations were accurate. |
| Kentinal |
Posted - 03 Jun 2005 : 18:09:45
1. " Each resistance ability is defined by what energy type it resists and how many points of damage are resisted. It doesn’t matter whether the damage has a mundane or magical source.
When resistance completely negates the damage from an energy attack, the attack does not disrupt a spell. This resistance does not stack with the resistance that a spell might provide."
All attended items are normally protected by resistance. So yes, unless specified differently in effect descriptopn all clothing would be protected from fire and hot embers can be picked up with no harm to hands. In the case of something like a forest fire there would be no damage from heat, however there would be effects from smoke (visability reduced and harder to breath for example) and any other indirect effects or a large fire. Swiming the lava apply swiming rules only (and drowing if unable to swim) there will be no heat damage.
2. The cold of winter will not be noticed, there though could also be secondary effects. Slipping on ice, movement slowed by deep snow etc.
3. This is more a matter of opinion then any official rule. I treat as the Priest is taught how to pray to request spell effects. Once reaching 1st level (completing training) the Priest feels the pray answered, a knowing that the pray was answered.
Side note, a quick look at 3.5 appears to indicate that energry resistance is most often expressed as amount of Hit point damage ignore as oposed to a percentage amount of damage that has no effect. That is to say I can not locate a Ring of Fire Resistance (100 percent) insteand are rings that ignore 10, 20 or 30 hit points.
Edit: typing, had one i where an o belonged and one o where an i belonged. |
| Wooly Rupert |
Posted - 03 Jun 2005 : 17:51:39
quote:
Originally posted by Dracandos the Spellsage
1. When you have 100% resistance to fire (by any means; naturally, a Robe of Fire Resistance, a Ring of Fire Resistance, whatever), so fire literally has no effect on you at all. If a clothed man would stand in the middle of flames, would all of his clothing be protected as well? As well as any items he may have on his body? His hair would not be burned off, correct? Also, you would be able to pick up red hot coals from a fire and toss them around in your hands like a mere stone as well correct? Would you be able to swim in a pit of lava with no ill effects?
I'd allow the items on his person to be protected by the magic.
It seems a bit much to me, but I can't think of any rule-specific reason why the protection wouldn't include lava.
quote:
Originally posted by Dracandos the Spellsage
2. A similar question to the first. When having 100% resistance to cold, obviously this would protect you from cold damage like from spells such as Cone of Cold. But when walking through a place in the winter when it was cold outside, and snow covered the land, where you would not be taking any damage but would simply be experiencing the cold weather, would this be like walking in noraml conditions because of the resistance?
I'd say that the person is effectively in temperatures that feel comfortable (or maybe cool enough to be noticable) to him or her.
quote:
Originally posted by Dracandos the Spellsage
3. Finally, when a priest becomes powerful enough to cast spells(lets just say 1st lvl), how exactly does this happen? In a game world, the explanation is "The knowledge of what spells are avaliable become instantly clear as soon as he advances in lvl." So 'in real life in the realms' the spells avaliable to the cleric suddenly become *known* to him as his diety bestows the magic upon him when he is powerful enough?
I would say that the priest prolly feels some sort of divine contact and an inrush of divine power. With this, they receive knowledge of the spells the deity commonly grants to followers, and can start praying for whichever ones.
Mind you, this is all going from my own feeling. Other than fire resistance covering clothing (when Arilyn stepped into the campfire in Elfshadow, she saw embers land on her clothing without igniting), most of this stuff has never really been explored. |
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