A few misc. questions with Light spell and Shatter...

[RigaMortus2]

If you cast Light on a stick, then break the stick, is the light spell gone or is it on both halves of the stick?

Can you cast Light on things like water or grains of sand? Any specific rules address what happens if you do this?

What happens if you cast Light on a Tanglefoot Bag and then throw it?

Can you shatter specific parts of an object, or must you target the whole object? Example would be a door. Can you target the hinges and/or doorknob or must you shatter the whole door?

 

[RigaMortus2]

No one?

 

[moritheil]

No one?

The rules don't seem to go into it. Everyone can chime in with their own "I would rule this," but what it boils down to is, do as you please if you're the DM.

I would probably not allow the breaking of sticks in half to get two light sources out of one spell; that seems designed to cheat the system. Essentially one of the halves of the stick is lit, the one with the exact point from which the light emanates. Keep breaking the stick down, and you wind up with one particle of sawdust from which light emanates - weird, but workable.

If you cast light on a grain of sand, sure, that will work provided you get close enough to see the individual grain of sand - but a little bit of shifting and the grain could get covered by the rest of the sand. Uhoh, no more light for you.

 

[shilsen]

moritheil covered pretty much everything I was going to say.

 

[Patryn of Elvenshae]

Here's my guesses!

1. The light spell continues to affect only one part of the stick. For flavor purposes, I'd probably describe the other part of the stick as glimmering faintly (and providing no useable light).

2. You could cast light in water, just the same as you could cast it on a point in the air. That is to say, not at all. As to casting it on a piece of sand, sure. What happens to it? Well, sand blows away pretty easily, and it might be hard to touch the exact grain of sand you want to cast it on, but go ahead.

3. The tanglefoot bag breaks open, and goo sprays everywhere. The bag - goopy though it may be - continues to shed light as a torch. The goop does not.

4. Sure, go ahead, shatter specific parts of an object within reason. It's not really any different from this part of the Disable Device skill:

OTHER WAYS TO BEAT A TRAP
It’s possible to ruin many traps without making a Disable Device check.
Ranged Attack Traps: Once a trap’s location is known, the obvious way to ruin it is to smash the mechanism—assuming the mechanism can be accessed. Failing that, it’s possible to plug up the holes from which the projectiles emerge. Doing this prevents the trap from firing unless its ammunition does enough damage to break through the plugs.
Melee Attack Traps: These devices can be thwarted by smashing the mechanism or blocking the weapons, as noted above. Alternatively, if a character studies the trap as it triggers, he might be able to time his dodges just right to avoid damage. A character who is doing nothing but studying a trap when it first goes off gains a +4 dodge bonus against its attacks if it is triggered again within the next minute.
Pits: Disabling a pit trap generally ruins only the trapdoor, making it an uncovered pit. Filling in the pit or building a makeshift bridge across it is an application of manual labor, not the Disable Device skill. Characters could neutralize any spikes at the bottom of a pit by attacking them—they break just as daggers do.
Magic Traps: Dispel magic helps here. Someone who succeeds on a caster level check against the level of the trap’s creator suppresses the trap for 1d4 rounds. This works only with a targeted dispel magic, not the area version (see the spell description).

 

[Rodrigo Istalindir]

I'd rule that the spell ceases. From a metaphysical point of view, the stick that was the target of the spell no longer exists.

 

[RigaMortus2]

4. Sure, go ahead, shatter specific parts of an object within reason. It's not really any different from this part of the Disable Device skill:

Well some spells target "an object" and it is hard to decipher if multiple parts of "an object" are considered objects themselves. A door is an object, but is the doorknob and hinges? A sword is an object, but is just the blade or hilt considered an object?

 

[Patryn of Elvenshae]

Well some spells target "an object" and it is hard to decipher if multiple parts of "an object" are considered objects themselves. A door is an object, but is the doorknob and hinges? A sword is an object, but is just the blade or hilt considered an object?

I don't think the rules consider them to be separate objects, so no.

Especially given:

Make Whole
Transmutation
Level: Clr 2
Casting Time: 1 standard action
Range: Close (25 ft. + 5 ft./2 levels)
Target: One object of up to 10 cu. ft./ level
This spell functions like mending, except that make whole completely repairs an object made of any substance, even one with multiple breaks, to be as strong as new. The spell does not restore the magical abilities of a broken magic item made whole, and it cannot mend broken magic rods, staffs, or wands. The spell does not repair items that have been warped, burned, disintegrated, ground to powder, melted, or vaporized, nor does it affect creatures (including constructs).

 

[Pielorinho]

I'd rule that the spell ceases. From a metaphysical point of view, the stick that was the target of the spell no longer exists.

That's my take on it as well: you've destroyed the object.

One of my favorite tactical ideas is to throw a tanglefoot bag at someone (coating them in sticky glue) and then slap a handful of metal ball-bearings onto them. One of the ball-bearings has had Silence cast on it. Good luck trying to figure out which one, buddy!

Daniel