Fireball vs Glittering Dust

[random user]

Disregard how one might know and just assume he does... if someone says "I ready an action to cast glittering dust in the path of a fireball that is about to be cast" what happens?

Fireball gets stopped if it hits anything solid. However, I assume some common sense needs to apply... for example, the ocassional gnat, fly, or mosquito is probably going to get in the fireball's way, and just gets destroyed without altering the impact point of the fireball.

Glittering dust creates "particles" but are these particles enough to cause the fireball to explode?

How would you feel about trying to cast a fireball through a hailstorm (or rain for that matter)?

 

[Timely Drought]

I hadn't considered the possibility of setting a fight in the rain and having the wizard's fireball detonate at point blank range...

But by the rules, line of effect isn't broken so it shouldn't intere with the spell.

 

[Ridley's Cohort]

To interupt that Fireball's trajectory, you must either break line of effect or have a barrier/object that provides cover. Glitterdust accomplishes neither. Nor does rain for that matter.

(As for cover, less that total cover has only a chance of stopping the Fireball...)

 

[angry monkey]

Shot through the heart, and you're too late

Personally, I'd say that glittering dust wouldn't work.

I guess there are three basic ways to justify this stance:

One: There's no mention of it working like this, since it's somewhat dubious, WoTC would have mentioned that it works if it was supposed to.

A.K.A. "If God had wanted Glitterdust to stop a fireball, he'd have told me."

Two: It throws off the game mechanics. A second level bard spell should not be able to negate a fireball. At least, not one that I can think of right now. Plus, if it works for fireballs, why wouldn't it have some effect on arrows, or movement, or rays, etc.

A.K.A. "It's just a frigging way to see invisible, you wanna-be-powergamer."

Three: The physics doesn't work. I hate to bring physics into DnD, because magic doesn't work, and a lot of the rules don't work (but we need them that way to make gameplay easier). That's why this rule is last. Glitterdust creates a cloud of particles. Sure, the particles have mass. So does the air. But they are not bonded together to form something "solid". You can't walk on them, or set your cup of mead on them, they don't stop people from running around a corner and kicking you in the pants, et al.

A.K.A. "glitterDUST. YOU CAN BREATHE DUST!"




Edit: looks like I'm beating a dead horse, as two people posted while I was writing my reply. Oh well, on to the next one.

 

[Darren]

Look at the Obscuring Mist spell description. It mentions the effects fireball has on it. Fireball simply burns it away if the mist is within fireball's area of effect. I think if the mist stopped fireball, they would have mentioned it. There really isn't much difference physically between mist and dust, so I would say glitterdust has no effect on fireball.

As for using it in storms, you already have to make a concentration check to successfully cast it, so I would say it's fine if you make the check. If it were truly a torrential downpour, I might require a spellcraft check in order to get it to "work" in wet conditions. (A spellcraft check of 23 is needed to use fireball underwater - see underwater combat section in DMG - so that doesn't seem too unreasonable.) If there was a lot of debris flying around, I might give some chance for it to strike an object using the concealment rules and roll percentile dice to see how far it makes it to its target if it strikes an object. That's one for the house rules folder though.

 

[Thanee]

Not sure, if you can do this (even with a Wall of Stone).

At least I would not allow to interrupt the spell between the time after casting and exploding, as it is instanteneous.

Bye
Thanee

 

[random user]

Thanks for the replies. I didn't think that fireball should be stopped by glittering dust, but lacked a way to explain it. The cover explanation is a good one for me.

Not sure, if you can do this (even with a Wall of Stone).

At least I would not allow to interrupt the spell between the time after casting and exploding, as it is instanteneous.

Bye
Thanee

Well, there is certainly some concept of casting something at the same time, or else counterspell wouldn't work, right? (ie, person says, "I'm going to cast a spell," readied wizard has the counterspell readied and starts casting. The original person can't then say, "Oh I make a spellcraft check to see that my enemy is casting a counterspell and I abort and do something else,")

If a person casting the wall of stone knew where the fireball was going to be directed and when it was going to be cast, you wouldn't allow him to ready an action to cast a wall of stone right before the fireball was cast?

I think the answer to that would have to be yes. The question would be whether or not you would allow the fireball caster to then change his mind and abort the fireball. Thoughts?

 

[shilsen]

Not sure, if you can do this (even with a Wall of Stone).

At least I would not allow to interrupt the spell between the time after casting and exploding, as it is instanteneous.

Bye
Thanee

This I would actually allow. But it's way more fun to just cast a wall of force two feet from the fireball caster and watch

 

[Thanee]

@random user: I just think the timing is a lot trickier, since you need to finish your spell exactly in the time between the other spell is finished and resolved, which is nothing more than an eyeblink, while with a counterspell you also have the whole spellcasting process to make your spell work.

@shilsen: Yeah, that would be an obvious choice.

Bye
Thanee

 

[BigTom]

This I would actually allow. But it's way more fun to just cast a wall of force two feet from the fireball caster and watch

It's even more fun when you have two mages trying to cast fireball at the same time.

"We both turn in unison and hurl our fireballs, surprising the enemy"
"You are both engulfed in flame as you realize there is a wall of force two feet behind you now"
"AAARRRRGHHH"
Thud.