Question - Spell - Fireball's Spread?

[Ragmon]

So last night we were debating the Fireball's Area of effect. And 3 out of 4 of us remembered that the fireball was sort of a disc-like-explosion with no real height....but we checked the rules anyway and it did not say anything about the height of the spell meaning its a ball like explosion.

So my question is: Is it a ball (as per the reading of the spell), or is it disc like (as in 5 feet tall) as per something we remembered from somewhere?

 

[Dandu]

Burst, Emanation, or Spread
Most spells that affect an area function as a burst, an emanation, or a spread. In each case, you select the spell’s point of origin and measure its effect from that point.

A burst spell affects whatever it catches in its area, even including creatures that you can’t see. It can’t affect creatures with total cover from its point of origin (in other words, its effects don’t extend around corners). The default shape for a burst effect is a sphere, but some burst spells are specifically described as cone-shaped. A burst’s area defines how far from the point of origin the spell’s effect extends.
...
A spread spell spreads out like a burst but can turn corners. You select the point of origin, and the spell spreads out a given distance in all directions. Figure the area the spell effect fills by taking into account any turns the spell effect takes.

 

[Ragmon]

Burst, Emanation, or Spread
Most spells that affect an area function as a burst, an emanation, or a spread. In each case, you select the spell’s point of origin and measure its effect from that point.

A burst spell affects whatever it catches in its area, even including creatures that you can’t see. It can’t affect creatures with total cover from its point of origin (in other words, its effects don’t extend around corners). The default shape for a burst effect is a sphere, but some burst spells are specifically described as cone-shaped. A burst’s area defines how far from the point of origin the spell’s effect extends.
...
A spread spell spreads out like a burst but can turn corners. You select the point of origin, and the spell spreads out a given distance in all directions. Figure the area the spell effect fills by taking into account any turns the spell effect takes.

I see you did not bother to even read what I wrote, that and you did not even take the time to write a humane like reply...tho I appreciate that you were nice enough to try to help. (Sorry for the chastising).

Yea we read the rules, tho we cannot remember where we got the disc like explosion idea from.

 

[RUMBLETiGER]

Fireball Spell.

You read the description of the spell (which says 20' radius Spread) and then use [MENTION=85158]Dandu[/MENTION]'s information. It says the word "Burst" in the descriptive text, but I understand that to refer to the fact that it explodes outward in all directions (including hight), not that the effect is definied as a burst.

How are any of us suposed to know where specifically you and yours got an idea of a disc spread from?

Or, is your question more specifically, "Is there another simmilar spell that specifically states a disc-like range?" My answer to that question would be "Not that I know if in anything in 3rd edition that has to do with fire."

 

[Luce]

Ragmon you did not specify the edition.

In 3.X according to the SDR d20 Fireball is a spread, meaning 20 foot in every direction- a half sphere with radius 20.

In 2e similar except "The burst of the fireball
creates little pressure and generally conforms to the shape of the
area in which it occurs. The fireball fills an area equal to its normal
spherical volume (roughly 33,000 cubic ~ thirty-three 10 foot x
10 foot x 10-foot cubes) " hence the stories of casting in a not-tall enough room and getting a backblast. EX: If you are casting in a 30 X 30 room with 10 foot ceiling you better be 30 (or more) feet away from the door in that standard 10 foot tall corridor or you are getting caught in your own fireball.

 

[Grogg of the North]

My 3.5 groups have always just worked on the assumption that is a sphere with a radius of 20 feet. It's always worked for us; YMMV.

 

[Empirate]

I see you did not bother to even read what I wrote, that and you did not even take the time to write a humane like reply...tho I appreciate that you were nice enough to try to help. (Sorry for the chastising).

Yea we read the rules, tho we cannot remember where we got the disc like explosion idea from.

Dandu likes to limit his posts to the minimum amount of words to confer the maximum amount of relevant information. Though not without creating a tone of certain snarkiness, this method leads to short, pertinent posts. Dandu also knows his rules stuff very well indeed. You would therefore do well to just ignore any sarcasm from him (or laugh about it), pick up what information you can get (usually a lot more than is obvious at first glance), and run with it. He's not really being mean actually.

In the case of your question, the simple unaccompanied rules text quotation basically covered all you wanted to know: Fireballs are spherical, no doubt about it. Where your group got the notion of flat FireBALLS from is anyone's guess, but the rules are clear.

 

[Greenfield]

I've been playing D&D pretty much since there was a D&D.

Fireball has never been a disk.

In 1st and 2nd edition, spells like Burning Hands were a "Fan" rather than the cone effect they established in 3.*, so that used to be a flat effect.

But Fireball has always been a ball. Says so right on the label.

 

[Sekhmet]

Fluff the color/shape/minor details of your spells however you'd like, just don't change their mechanic.
If you want a flat Fireball, cast flat Fireballs. If you want little skulls representing your Magic Missile, have little skulls.

Assuming you meant the shape of the explosion, you might have a remnant of an old D&D video game in your head. Fireball's always been 3d.

 

[Greenfield]

The problem is that the shape of a spells area is mechanics, not fluff.

Want your Fireball to be a signature blue in color? Go for it.

Want it to leave a smell of sulfur in the air? Cool.

Want it to echo for a few seconds after detonation? Knock yourself out.

Want to change the shape, so a flying caster can drop it at point blank range and still be out of the area? That's mechanical. It changes not only the way the spell looks, but the way it works.

If you want a Fire-Cylinder spell, invent it and add it to the spell list. But make it a separate spell.

If a caster wants to change the shape of a spell, use the Sculpt Spell feat.