Can Sharpshooter be used with a Net?

[FrogReaver]

No, it isn’t. Defining it that way is assigning a numerical value to something that does not exist, and causes problems like the one TaranTheWanderer pointed out with Darkness doing Int damage with Empowered Casting.

Just like apples exist even if not present, damage also exists even when not present.

 

[FrogReaver]

The spell darkness does no damage at all. Using your logic, it does 0 damage. Yet, Empowered casting from the evocation specialization allows you to do your INT modifier to the damage of all evocations. So, I could argue that my 10th level wizard can drop darkness on a group and hit everyone for damage. With one level of Druid, I can do the same with Faerie Fire.

Darkness also does 0 damage. If you believe it never does damage regardless of feature then it still does 0 damage. It just always does 0 damage. The whole f(x) = 0 thing.

 

[TaranTheWanderer]

Darkness also does 0 damage. If you believe it never does damage regardless of feature then it still does 0 damage. It just always does 0 damage. The whole f(x) = 0 thing.

So would you allow empowered casting to add damage to spells like fairy fire, darkness, gust of wind and guidance? Given your explanation, there is an argument for allowing it.

 

[FrogReaver]

So would you allow empowered casting to add damage to spells like fairy fire, darkness, gust of wind and guidance? Given your explanation, there is an argument for allowing it.

I would not. I think the best explanation is that darkness always does 0 damage.

My issue is the faulty math involved in others reasoning for why darkness doesn’t ever do damage

 

[Dausuul]

I would not. I think the best explanation is that darkness always does 0 damage.

So do you agree that Sharpshooter's -5/+10 does not cause a net attack to deal 10 damage?

If not, what's different?

 

[TaranTheWanderer]

I would not. I think the best explanation is that darkness always does 0 damage.

But 20 INT is 5 extra damage.

0+5 = 5

 

[Charlaquin]

Darkness also does 0 damage. If you believe it never does damage regardless of feature then it still does 0 damage. It just always does 0 damage. The whole f(x) = 0 thing.

That’s nonsense. This argument assumes all game elements do an amount of damage, which must be defined as f(x) = 0 in order to avoid having damage added to that amount if they are not meant to be used to do damage. Instead of just specifying an amount of damage when and only when an element is intended to be able to do damage. This is some absurd backbending you’re doing just to defend your faulty assertion that if something doesn’t do damage, it does 0 damage.

 

[FrogReaver]

But 20 INT is 5 extra damage.

0+5 = 5

Agreed. But if F(x) = 0 then it doesn't matter if x = 0 or x = 5 the function still outputs 0.

 

[lingual]

F(x) = null
G(x) = 0

Null and 0 can have equivalent effects in many cases. But they are not equal. 0 is an integer. Null does not have that type of classification. Some programming languages inherently consider them equivalent in many cases- but they are not equal.

If the net has no damage type, then it's damage type would also be "null". It's damage type is not 0.

 

[FrogReaver]

That’s nonsense. This argument assumes all game elements do an amount of damage, which must be defined as f(x) = 0 in order to avoid having damage added to that amount if they are not meant to be used to do damage. Instead of just specifying an amount of damage when and only when an element is intended to be able to do damage.

f(x) = 0 is the mathematical function that models the damage a spell like darkness does. That is, no matter what the input you return no damage.

Defining the damage of abilities that deal no damage as f(x) = 0 does leave only the intended damage dealing abilities as the only elements which are able to do damage.

This is some absurd backbending you’re doing just to defend your faulty assertion that if something doesn’t do damage, it does 0 damage.

It's not absurd backbending. It's likely the most basic mathematical concept ever presented on this site.