Can I make a really 'frilly' Wall of Force?

[Deset Gled]

Sharpness isn't really a property of the wall of force itself, but is simply how thin the edge of an object is: A wall of force is a 2-dimensional object, and as such, having no width, possesses infinite sharpness.

This is incorrect. Infinite sharpness would imply that the width of a wall of force is infinetly small, thus it places an infinite pressure on anything placed against it (pressure = force/area). The width is not infinetely small, it is nonexistant.

It's immovable. It's impenetrable, which means it's infinitely strong, because if it were not infinitely strong, then a finite force would be able to penetrate it, thereby meaning it's not impenetrable. It's infinitely hard, because it's completely immovable in all parts, and therefore perfectly rigid and cannot be bent, scratched, or chipped by anything. It's an immovable, impenetrable plane. Impenetrable planes, of course, happen to be the exact description of a perfect razor.

Again, these things do not mean that the wall is infinetly strong. If it were, in fact, infinetly strong, it would mean that the Disintegrate spell would have to provide a greater than infinite energy to destroy it. The physical implications of that are just ridiculus.

You can't use physics to explain a wall of force, because a wall of force does not exist. It is not made of matter or energy, it has no gravity, and no potentials associated with it. It's magic. Read the spell description, use the spell only as written, and live with it.

 

[Scion]

Although I dont usually agree with norfleet I think he mostly has the right of it on this one.

Looking over the spell description for both 3.0 and 3.5 the only line that really seems to matter is, "If its surface is broken by any object or creature, the spell fails." So if we assume that wall of force cannot cut (work with me here ), then anytime anything hits it from the side it would end the spell as the surface is broken.

This is not a real world object true, so one must assume strange things. A wall of force that cannot be broken or penetrated and must be continuous. When a persons finger is moved along its side there is nothing to stop it (nor anything to cut per se) so the finger is inside of the spell. In that area where the finger is then the wall of force is not continuous, in all likelyhood it is no longer even in existance there. This would cause the spell to fail and end.

If you want to get around this then make it a wall of force that curves around at the edges to make something like a large bubble. 1/2 inch thick should work, and then all of the problems go away

 

[MerakSpielman]

If you want to get around this then make it a wall of force that curves around at the edges to make something like a large bubble. 1/2 inch thick should work, and then all of the problems go away

Scion is trying to be reasonable. What should we do with him?

He probably have the right idea, though. I just looked at the SRD, and it does indeed state that the wall is formed as a "flat, vertical plane," implying no thickness. It doesn't go so far as to actually say that the wall is two dimensional. The description of the wall as a "plane" is probably intented to restrict it to a "wall" shape, instead of some brilliant player trying to make it into more solid geometric shapes. Ruling that a Wall of Force is less than an inch thick and the edges are rounded is a nice way to prevent the whole hooplah we're having so much fun with.

Now that that's out of the way...

If it states that a Wall of Force is invisible, then see invisibility should reveal it. Wall is invisible. See invisibility sees invisible things. Simple. I guess it would look like pure energy, like it's made of the same stuff magic missiles are made of.

Spider Climb the wall: Unlike flys, spiders don't stick as well to vertical surfaces. If you catch a spider in a tall glass, it can't climb out (at least, not the spiders in my house). So offhand I'd say NO.