Should Electricity damage burn away a Web

[Rel]

According to the SRD: "The strands of a web spell are flammable. A magic flaming sword can slash them away as easily as a hand brushes away cobwebs. Any fire can set the webs alight and burn away 5 square feet in 1 round."

I understand that fire and electricity are different things. I am on the fence about whether I should allow electrical attacks to burn through a Web. And if so then to what degree?

A PC Sorcerer in the game I'm currently running has Web and uses it fairly frequently. Last night he enwebbed a magical construct that could cast Lightning Bolt. So the question was whether the Lightning Bolt would set the Web on fire or at least burn it out of the squares through which the Bolt passed. This further raised the question of whether the Sorcerer's Shocking Grasp spell, used on an enemy within the Web would set it afire.

I have a feeling that there is no specific rule on this either way (though if there is I'd love it if you'd point me toward it) but I'm interested in other opinions.

 

[Lord Pendragon]

I have a feeling that there is no specific rule on this either way (though if there is I'd love it if you'd point me toward it) but I'm interested in other opinions.

I think you're right that there's no specific rule on it, beyond what you already quoted in your own post regarding fire burning the webs away.

Personally, I would rule that no, electricity doesn't set the webs alight. From a rules standpoint, Fire is a specific energy type, it was mentioned in the Web description and Electricity was not, so RAW I don't believe Electricity was meant to be effective against Web.

And from a flavor standpoint, I just don't see Electricity setting things on fire. Perhaps I might allow the effect of Call Lightning to do so, since it is ostensibly calling a real lightning bolt down from the sky, and such bolts can and do cause forest fires. But a wizard's Lightning Bolt? I see that more akin to the Emperor's lightning trick in the Star Wars movies, and not enough to actually set things on fire.

 

[darthkilmor]

I understand that fire and electricity are different things. I am on the fence about whether I should allow electrical attacks to burn through a Web. And if so then to what degree?

I have a feeling that there is no specific rule on this either way (though if there is I'd love it if you'd point me toward it) but I'm interested in other opinions.

If you let electricity set it on fire then the next thing will be cold dmg. Shouldnt cold make the web strands brittle and breakable?

Logically it makes sense that soemthing like a bolt of lightning would probably crispy up a Web, maybe 10+ pnts of dmg destroys it , seomthing reasonable.

 

[Patryn of Elvenshae]

The specific rule is that electricity is not fire. Anything that references fire means fire, and not electricity.

Accordingly, a lightning bolt would not burn through a web. Additionally, enough web between you and a target (20 feet) provides total cover, meaning that it could potentially block line of effect, as well.

If you dislike the implications of this, then consider that each square along the path of the lightning bolt has only cover - not total cover - from the previous square. Accordingly, the LB wouldn't be stopped by the web, but those inside the web would gain a +2 bonus on Reflex saves to avoid the LB's effects.

In any event, the LB does not get rid of webs along its path.

 

[Infiniti2000]

Electricity isn't fire, but "The lightning bolt sets fire to combustibles and damages objects in its path." Is web combustible? Yes, so therefore the web burns when hit with a lightning bolt. I believe this is correct per the RAW.

 

[Rel]

Electricity isn't fire, but "The lightning bolt sets fire to combustibles and damages objects in its path." Is web combustible? Yes, so therefore the web burns when hit with a lightning bolt. I believe this is correct per the RAW.

Well by golly I think there's the answer that I needed!

 

[the Jester]

I'd say no, with the exception of spells (like LB) that specify that they ignite things.

 

[Rel]

I'd say no, with the exception of spells (like LB) that specify that they ignite things.

I agree completely. I was trying to figure out how I could make a blanket ruling one way or the other without disallowing LB from igniting the Web (which seemed like it should work) or with allowing Shocking Grasp to ignite it (which seemed like it should not). The "combustables" clause in LB allows me to say, "It doesn't unless it says that it does."

 

[Krelios]

Just remember, whatever your decision, that it's only the Web spell that burns--real webs are actually very difficult to burn. They tend to melt under extreme heat without ever really combusting.

 

[Patryn of Elvenshae]

Electricity isn't fire, but "The lightning bolt sets fire to combustibles and damages objects in its path." Is web combustible? Yes, so therefore the web burns when hit with a lightning bolt. I believe this is correct per the RAW.

Huh. The funny thing is I was considering the effects of LB being able to do damage to the web and break through at the point it became total cover (as per the, "If the damage caused to an interposing barrier shatters or breaks through it, the bolt may continue beyond the barrier" clause), and I completely forgot to read the part about setting things on fire.

Good catch!