Best Spell to Maximize

[Magic Rub]

You referrenced it in the first place. Look...

I mean your referrence to the Screaming weapon from the FRCS. My spell example was to illustrate the [sonic] discriptor being countered by the silience spell

 

[Magic Rub]

I liked Caliban's interepation on sonic weapons working. Sound waves require a medium to transmit their energy and the silence is stopping it from moving through the air. However, the weapon itself would probably be vibrating and that would be the cause of the extra damage (like Vibroswords out of Shadowrun)

IceBear

I can agree with this. The weapon says that it's not effected by silience.

 

[Magic Rub]

I mean your referrence to the Screaming weapon from the FRCS. My spell example was to illustrate the [sonic] discriptor being countered by the silience spell

as it had come into question that the [sonic] discriptor wouldn't be stopped by the silience spell. Not in referrence to the weapon.

Crap I think I've just confused myself...

 

[Jalon Odessa]

Just a couple of quick questions for those of you interpreting Silence to prevent sonic damage (the logical conclusion of which being that 'sound' and 'sonic damage' are interchangeable) -

- Would casting Protection from Elements[Sonic] on a character render them deaf?

- Given that your interpretation effectively transforms Silence into 'Negate Sonics in a 15 Foot Radius', would you allow energy substitution (or a researched spell) to create 'Negate Electricity in a 15 Foot Radius', or 'Negate Cold in a 15 Foot Radius', at second level?

[/devil's advocate]

(Negate cold - I like that concept. Remember kids: D&D physics is wonky, especially when magic enters the equation. Using real-world physics to explain invisibilty or silence gives inadequate results.)

Another question - if I cast invisibility on a door, could I see what was on the other side?

(No, please, don't answer that - I'm not ready for another thousand post-long thread....)

 

[Caliban]

Just a couple of quick questions for those of you interpreting Silence to prevent sonic damage (the logical conclusion of which being that 'sound' and 'sonic damage' are interchangeable) -

- Would casting Protection from Elements[Sonic] on a character render them deaf?

Of course not. It only protects against damage, it doesn't prevent you from feeling it. Protection from elements (Fire) doesn't prevent you from noticing fire or heat, it just prevents you from taking damage from them.

Protection from elements (cold) won't prevent snow from accumulating on you if you stand still in a blizzard, but it will allow you to be completely covered by snow while naked without taking any cold damage.

- Given that your interpretation effectively transforms Silence into 'Negate Sonics in a 15 Foot Radius', would you allow energy substitution (or a researched spell) to create 'Negate Electricity in a 15 Foot Radius', or 'Negate Cold in a 15 Foot Radius', at second level?

The Silence spell doesn't have an energy discriptor, so energy substitution wouldn't work.

I could see researched versions of the other spells, but they would need to be at least 3rd or 4th level, because they don't have the obvious drawbacks that Silence does. (It is hard to see how they would affect your spellcasting, so it would be much easier to cast them on yourself and still cast spells.)

Another question - if I cast invisibility on a door, could I see what was on the other side?

If you could cast invisibility on a door, then yes.

 

[S'mon]

I agree. But we aren't talking about a wizard making himself immune to sonic energy and allowing him to hurl sonicballs out of the field. We are talking about a 3rd level wizard negating a much higher level spell cast from even a 20th level wizard. It just makes Silence seem too overpowered, and the way I always understood areas of magical silence functioned was this: Elemental energy sonic attacks still hurt like hell, but the silenced area cancels out any secondary effects, such as deafness, etc.

We can agree to disagree, K - BTW I appreciate that you are polite to people you disagree with, unlike others I could mention.

Energy-substitution sonicballs haven't come up in my game yet, but when they do, after reading this thread I've decided that Silence will protect against them (and against Screaming weapons) in my game. Back in 1e I always loved the trick of casting silence 15' radius on a stone and throwing it into the enemy spellcaster's Globe of Invulnerability, forcing them to leave the globe or be unable to cast spells (as the globe only prevents spell effects ingressing from outside). I like the idea that sometimes simple spells and strategies can defeat high-powered magic, very Leiberesque.

 

[Black Omega]

And since invisibility can be cast on objects, it seems legal. Though of course, anyone on the other side will also see you. I wonder if you opewned the door hard and slammed it into someone, if that would count as the door attacking.

Actually..this could be fun. you are running from an ogre. you close the door, turn it invisible and watch the orge run face first into it.

 

[Jalon Odessa]

Sorry, the invisibility/door thing was a joke.

The last time that question was asked on rgfd, the resulting thread was enormous - which was especially amusing, given the seemingly obvious answer.

 

[kreynolds]

BTW I appreciate that you are polite to people you disagree with

That isn't always the case, so don't give me any more credit than I deserve, and when it comes to whether or not I'm polite, I'm afraid I shift from one to the other far too often to deserve any credit at all. I appreciate the gesture though.

 

[hong]

That isn't always the case, so don't give me any more credit than I deserve, and when it comes to whether or not I'm polite, I'm afraid I shift from one to the other far too often to deserve any credit at all. I appreciate the gesture though.

You can have the angry hat back now, K. I'm done with it.