Silence spell vs. a closed door

[lior_shapira]

This was the situation: The cleric wanted to cast a silence spell at the foot of 2 guards standing in front of a door leading into a building. Right behind the door are 2 other guards sitting on some chairs. The guards inside the house are within the 20' radius but behind a door. Are they affected by the spell? if not, then when the door opens are they then affected by the spell?

 

[Infiniti2000]

This was the situation: The cleric wanted to cast a silence spell at the foot of 2 guards standing in front of a door leading into a building. Right behind the door are 2 other guards sitting on some chairs. The guards inside the house are within the 20' radius but behind a door. Are they affected by the spell?

No. Emanations do not go through full cover and do not go around corners.

if not, then when the door opens are they then affected by the spell?

Yes.

 

[lior_shapira]

Quicker than opening the SRD

thanks Infiniti2000

lior

 

[Patryn of Elvenshae]

Well, to be honest, it depends on the door.

If it's a solid door, then it blocks line of effect, and therefore the silence wouldn't penetrate it.

If, however, it had a 1' square hole in it (like, an open doggy door), it would no longer block line of effect.

 

[Infiniti2000]

Well, to be honest, it depends on the door.

Too true. I admit I assumed a solid door on the same plane as the guards.

If, however, it had a 1' square hole in it (like, an open doggy door), it would no longer block line of effect.

Actually, for an emanation, it would. The guards' ankles, if the guards were standing in front of the open doggy door, would be silenced, but the guards' ears would not be silenced. But, that also assumes the doggy door is for a normal dog and not, say, a yeth hound. A yeth hound doggy door might very well be head-high on the guards.

 

[Patryn of Elvenshae]

Actually, for an emanation, it would. The guards' ankles, if the guards were standing in front of the open doggy door, would be silenced, but the guards' ears would not be silenced.

... depending on where you targeted the Silence spell.

If you targeted it right at the base of the door (and directly in front of the doggy door), then the doggy door wouldn't really protect the people on the other side.

The farther away from the base of the door the spell was targeted, the less useful to theoretical doggy door is.

And, just for kicks and grins, I'm going to write it one more time: doggy door. There, I've now probably set some kind of record.

 

[Infiniti2000]

A yeth hound doggy door would be an interesting feature for a door, though. Just imagine the fun you'd have watching the players try and figure that one out.

 

[Jarrod]

Well, I would assume that if the guy building the door had a yeth hound, he'd also be hiring yeth-men...

<ba dum bum!>

 

[Hypersmurf]

Actually, for an emanation, it would.

No, it wouldn't.

A burst, cone, cylinder, or emanation spell affects only an area, creatures, or objects to which it has line of effect from its origin (a spherical burst’s center point, a cone-shaped burst’s starting point, a cylinder’s circle, or an emanation’s point of origin).

An otherwise solid barrier with a hole of at least 1 square foot through it does not block a spell’s line of effect. Such an opening means that the 5-foot length of wall containing the hole is no longer considered a barrier for purposes of a spell’s line of effect.

A doggy door causes the 5-foot length of wall (and door) to not be considered a barrier for the purpose of a spell's line of effect. It doesn't emanate 'through the doggy door'; it emanates through the 5-foot length of wall (and door) containing the doggy door. Their ears are silenced just fine.

-Hyp.

 

[Taloras]

What happens if you center the spell on the ground under the door? Most doors have about a half inch of space under them so they dont scrape on the ground. Couldnt you center it directly under the door so it emanates from that spot on both sides? Target is the point in space directly under the door.