[Quick!] Need help, what is the max distance one falls in a round?

[Lela]

... with the problem being that by the time you get pulled back down, that same gravity that slowed you down has sped you back up to... well, pretty much the exact speed you were originally falling at, just in time to hit the ground...

-Hyp.

Well, not quite. Gravity will absorb most of the momentom and, though I don't have my book to look it up, I'd guess that you'd only go up about half the distance you'd fallen. Perhaps some of the physics guys could help me out here?

 

[kramis]

Some physics

Well, not quite. Gravity will absorb most of the momentom and, though I don't have my book to look it up, I'd guess that you'd only go up about half the distance you'd fallen. Perhaps some of the physics guys could help me out here?

Sorry Lela, but gravity doesn't "absorb" momentum. Hypersmurph was essentially right (if you ignore air resistance). And it's not really momentum that's the issue, it's your kinetic energy.

All gravity does is accelerate you towards the center of the earth. When you are moving up we call this deceleration (though it's really still acceleration, just in a different direction than you are currently moving). When your speed up is reduced to zero you should then be high enough that your potential energy is equal to the kinetic energy you had when you started (again ignoring resistance and other effeciency draining effects), you will then increase speed back down and when you reach the ground your potential energy will go back down to zero and your kinetic energy will be back up to where it started (you just switch back and forth between kinetic and potential energy), which means you will be moving at the same speed when you reach the ground, at which point all of your kinetic energy is rapidly converted into "ouch" energy.

Anyway, that's some real world physics for those of you who were intersted in knowing it.

Otherwise I liked Azul's ideas ... I think this is, at least for me, is a good reference point for making ruling in D&D in general ... the idea of perceived physics[\B]. This sort of fits in well with the whole field of medieval alchemy which has more reality in D&D anyway (like science based on the element ... there are actual elemental effects and even planes of exitance in D&D). I think it retains a lot of the flavor of a fantasay game. But again, since it magic, rule how you feel happy ruling, anything is equally reasonable as anything else.

Hell, since it magic and fantasy, you can rule that your world is flat and rests on the back of a giant turtle which is standing on a giant elephant and that the sun is a god riding a chariot through the sky. Who gives a hoot about coreolis effects and such when you can sail off the end of the planet.

 

[Destil]

The reletive inerta idea is great for DMs who don't like partys teleporting across the world like it's nothing... you'd need to work out inertial damage for various distances, but it's a fun loop-hole. Of course a series of short hops would still work, but that would require many more castings, and if you don't have a safe point to hop to (uncrossable oceans, anyone?)...

 

[Hypersmurf]

Re: Some physics

Hypersmurph was essentially right (if you ignore air resistance).

That's where the "pretty much" comes from

-Hyp.

 

[Darklone]

Who's pretty?

 

[0-hr]

The fact that there is already a Feather Fall spell convinces me that momentum should carry through. As a DM, it also gives me an excuse to let it carry though (since it gives the players a way to port-and-pause if they need too). Too me, this is the simplest (no-physics) way of dealing with the problem.

I just can't buy including a free first level spell in a 4th level spell without any mention of it in the text. But that's just me...

 

[Jeremy]

Could you continually dimension door into water or some other viscous, non-damaging substance to kill your momentum? Not above the water mind you, no need to go splat, but in the water so you are falling through it instead of air until your momentum is arrested?

Silly question. No need to answer.

 

[drnuncheon]

And I understand that completely. I understood what Auraseer was saying. My only objection was what seemed to me something akin to being called a liar.

Hey, if you think I told you to "shut up" then I'm very sorry you took it that way, because that's not how I meant it.

I can't find anything in my post that says "shut up" to me. I said that you should present opinions as opinions. Anything more than that, you read into it yourself.

J

 

[Ysgarran]

In the Serpent Amphora series the lastest module has this trick with Dimension Door. Does anyone know how this was ruled
in that module?

later,
Ysgarran.

 

[totoro]

Re: Re: Some physics

That's where the "pretty much" comes from

-Hyp.

Way off topic now, so you'll probably want to ignore this.

I thought it was "pretty much" at first, too. However, if you fall through air resistance 20', then fall "up" through the same air resistance 20', you will be exactly (colloquial usage) where you started from. When you come back down you will go through the same air resistance again, so you will be going just as fast as before the teleport. So air resistance doesn't really slow you down when you reverse your momentum.

I guess a blink dog could invent a perpetual motion machine using dimension door.