SUNRODS - Hot Or Not??

nathanmarcel · Feb 12, 2002

There was some contention during our last gaming session. ( The party had finally arrived at a town that supported special equipment items, sunrods, tanglefoot bags etc.) As we entered into the darkness of an orc lair, fired upon from across a great chasm (they had cut the rope bridge) our fearless Paladin drew a sunrod from his pack. When the Paladin wanted to stick the sunrod into his backpack, lit. The DM dissallowed the action, claiming that because the wording in PHB states that a sunrod "Burns out". That it is therefore too hot to use this way. We wasted time. I argued that there are no damage tables for sunrods and that they cannot light anything, therefore he should be allowed the action.
The Paladin ended up throwing the sunrod down into the chasm where the first member of our campaign fell to his death trying to foolishly, in a volley of arrows, cross hand over hand with all of his equipment, our str 16 half-orc ranger holding the other end of the grappled rope valiantly, as it slipped through his fingers.

Tsyr · Feb 12, 2002

I think in this case "burn out" is just borrowing a term from modern vocabulary to describe something.

Personaly, I would never have made that call, but that's just me.

Trevalon Moonleirion · Feb 12, 2002

My take on sunrods is that they are pretty much like a light spell in that they don't have any real heat generating properties....IMHO that is.

Phanboy · Feb 12, 2002

I third the notion.

Warrior Poet · Feb 12, 2002

Voting for not hot.

I support Tsyr's observation: think of sunrods as akin to flashlights. Batteries "burn out" in those, too, but don't generally start fires. Light without heat. Quite the nifty little item.

Warrior Poet

Lazybones · Feb 12, 2002

I'd have to disagree; it's an alchemical item, and is "struck" to light, so I've always thought of it as sort of like a long-lasting flare.

Of course, I'd have to go with the DM of whatever campaign I was playing in, and I certainly wouldn't interrupt a battle to argue something so minor.

LB

Eye Tyrant · Feb 12, 2002

Hmmmmm? I see your point and understand your dilemma.

(there are two sides to this upcoming "but"....)

But, I would rule in my game that since the Sunrod is not magical in nature, the way in which it produces light must come from some sort of alchemical catalyst.

I personally think of a Sunrod as being much like a roadside flare.

However, the fact that there are no damage charts for a Sunrod points me in the direction that maybe the alchemically produced light is more akin to a "glow-stick", or as we refer to them in the Navy, a "chem-light".

So, I guess what this means is that it is up to the DM. Be sure to make note of his/her ruling as either way it goes it can have it's advantages...

JacktheRabbit · Feb 12, 2002

I agree, a flare type item would make the most sense and at least seem realistic for an alchemy item.

Lazybones said:
I'd have to disagree; it's an alchemical item, and is "struck" to light, so I've always thought of it as sort of like a long-lasting flare.

Of course, I'd have to go with the DM of whatever campaign I was playing in, and I certainly wouldn't interrupt a battle to argue something so minor.

LB

CRGreathouse · Feb 12, 2002

Eye Tyrant said:
However, the fact that there are no damage charts for a Sunrod points me in the direction that maybe the alchemically produced light is more akin to a "glow-stick", or as we refer to them in the Navy, a "chem-light".

I've never seen a chem light brighter than a torch - the sunrod is 125% brighter.