Disco inferno!

[LordMelquiades]

Well, actually, a forest fire, not a nightclub fire, but it still makes me say "Burn baby burn!".

Okay so it's early summer, the party are in a dense, deciduous temperate forest. The party really wizard really wants to get that incorporeal dude, so blasts off his fireball. So now I have fire.

Does the whole area go up in flames? Unattended items always fail their saving throws, and trees are unattended.

How fast does the burn area spread? Wood has a hardness of 5, and 5 hit points per inch of thickness. The entertaining forest fire section of the SRD says "The leading edge of a fire (the downwind side) can advance faster than a human can run (assume 120 feet per round for winds of moderate strength)." If there's no wind, what's the spread? Five feet (one square) in all directions each round, like a burning web?

Thanks!

PS: he failed his 50/50 roll for affecting the manifested but incorporeal creature, so it was all in vain anyway. Chuckle.

 

[trancejeremy]

The song refers to neither, it's more a metaphysical one about the spiritual aspects of dance music (which is somewhat related to shamanism)

"I wonder if you understand what I'm talking about? I'm not talking about burning down a building - it's coming from the soul. ... I'm burning in the soul" (from the monologue about 6 minutes into the song, though I guess they don't play the 11 minute version on radio much)

Really, I doubt a fireball would set off a forest fire. Unless it's really really dry. Based on my experience with fireworks, the only thing that really starts a fire is the long buring ones

 

[The Shaman]

What is the climate of the area? Most deciduous forests get summer rain so fuels remain moist, reducing the rate of spread.

What is the terrain? A fire will move faster upslope than down.

Where is the fire? A surface fire (that is, one burning dead wood and small shrubs on the ground) in a woodland spreads more slowly than a crown fire (that is, a fire that spreads from treetop to treetop).

Is the forest managed? If there are foresters who harvest wood, they may remove branches close to the ground (called ladder fuels) to prevent a surface fire from becoming a crown fire.

When was the last fire? If the last fire was a long time ago, there will be more shrubs and down-dead woody material than if the forest last burned more recently, providing more fuel and a faster rate spread.

What is the time of day? Fires spread faster in the afternoon than in the morning as the fuels have had time to warm up over the course of the day.

How dense is the forest? If the tops of the trees (called the canopy) grow together (interlock), the rate of spread will be faster.

Is the forest close to a water source like a stream or pond? Riparian forests tend to burn more slowly, if they ignite at all.

If the ground is flat, the climate is humid, there's no wind, and the forest isn't too dense, the rate of spread could be as little as five feet per hour. Start adding in hillsides, a breeze, a dry spell, lots of woody debris, and five feet per round isn't unreasonable. Add wind and a steep slope, and anyone at the head of the fire better have some powerful protective magic.

Hope this helps.

 

[kanithardm]

i read a thread on this before and one of the important people that we all know the username of and is always right (i don't remember exactly who) said that a fireball wont light things on fire. Instead it creates instantaneous heat that won't light things on fire.

I disagreed but i dont know much so go with that answer its easier than figuring out how the fire would work.

 

[The Shaman]

"The fireball sets fire to combustibles and damages objects in the area. It can melt metals with low melting points, such as lead, gold, copper, silver, and bronze."

Yes, you can start a wildland fire with a fireball.

 

[LordMelquiades]

Trancej: I defer to your trancey wisdom my friend...

Based on my experience with fireworks, the only thing that really starts a fire is the long buring ones

Yeah but it's MAGICAL FIRE man. It's got much more guts than a firework! From the SRD:

The fireball sets fire to combustibles and damages objects in the area. It can melt metals with low melting points, such as lead, gold, copper, silver, and bronze. If the damage caused to an interposing barrier shatters or breaks through it, the fireball may continue beyond the barrier if the area permits; otherwise it stops at the barrier just as any other spell effect does.

It melts metals!

Shaman: the ground is flat; the climate is temperate; there is a light breeze; the forest isn't managed; the last fire was ages ago; the fire is focused on the surface, up to about 25 feet; it's the afternoon; the forest is dense; and lastly it's not very close to water.

Whaddya reckon?

Kanithardm: you know it all man, believe...

 

[The Shaman]

Shaman: the ground is flat; the climate is temperate; there is a light breeze; the forest isn't managed; the last fire was ages ago; the fire is focused on the surface, up to about 25 feet; it's the afternoon; the forest is dense; and lastly it's not very close to water.

Whaddya reckon?

Lots of fuel to carry the fire front, then. Five feet per 2-7 (1d6+1) rounds in the direction the breeze is blowing, five feet per 10 rounds along the flanks and at the back.

What's interesting about that is that as the flanks spread, the head of the fire gets wider and begins to extend faster, and at different rates - if the characters aren't careful, they could be trapped...

 

[LordMelquiades]

Thanks. The SRD says it travels at wind speed, 120 feet per round in a moderate wind. Your rates are much kinder to poor PCs...

What's interesting about that is that as the flanks spread, the head of the fire gets wider and begins to extend faster, and at different rates - if the characters aren't careful, they could be trapped...

That's funny...

 

[Agent Oracle]

Another funny thing, Forest fires drive out any and al wildlife in an area, as the animals instinctively run for their lives from the sudden flame. During these moments of panic, there are records of such unlikely occurances as bears sharing safe spaces with deer, mountain lions fleeing alongside wolves, hawks resting besides small game animals... the whole food chain goes out the window when Mutually Assured Destruction is involved. Imagine a few scenes where the PC's are fleeing for their lives only to be passed by some fantastic creatures... Ankhegs, Aranea, Centaurs, Chuuls, heck i'm not even past the first three letters of the alphabet, allready i have some good "encounters" for you. Just consider encounters with those and many other unlikely allies in times of terror.

 

[LordMelquiades]

Heh, cool. The forest the party are in has been seriously de-populated, for scenario and atmosphere reasons, but one or two seriously tough and general loner-like beasties running like the clappers would be entertaining. Thanks.