CAn you ride your own tensors floating disk?

[Meowzebub]

The latest Dragon Magazine had a collection of force spells. One in particular was a disc that could be ridden and directed to move. Don't have it in front of me, but I remember it being a higher level spell than the standard Tensor's disc. THis would suggest that they were trying to accomodate a desire that people had to be able to fly around on their discs

 

[Tilla the Hun (work)]

How to bypass the issue and still ride the disc:

Requires 2 'disc casting magic-users...

Hop on each others discs. One directs his disc to stay 4' ahead, the other 4' behind. The lead mage then moves on the disc, causing his disc to move, causing the other disc to move, causing a rapid (your base move) movement of the discs in the direction the lead mage has moved.

Too confusing? Try this...

Mage A (MA) cast's his 'disc (DA)
Mage B (MB) cast's his 'disc (DB)
MA directs his disc to precede him at 5'
MB directs his disc to follow him at 5'
MB hops onto DA
MA hops ont DB
MB moves forward on his disc. DB moves to follow him. As DB moves to stay 5' behind MB, DA moves to stay 5' in front of MA.

You can even turn, etc. by shifting in a direction on the lead disc.

At moderate levels, you could even have a chain of paired wizards on discs parading around.

Hmm.

I think I'll have to use that

This use is 100% consistent with the RAW with no interp required, right?

 

[Lamoni]

The latest Dragon Magazine had a collection of force spells. One in particular was a disc that could be ridden and directed to move. Don't have it in front of me, but I remember it being a higher level spell than the standard Tensor's disc. THis would suggest that they were trying to accomodate a desire that people had to be able to fly around on their discs

I don't get dragon magazine, but do these disks have a faster speed? Can they travel more than 3' above a surface (and therefore cross a pit)? And can they carry more than 100 lbs/level? If the disc has more abilities, it is hard to compare it too much with tensor's floating disc. Tensor's floating disk doesn't help you get out of range of melee guys, help you travel fast, or help you get out of or over a pit.

 

[Bladesong]

This probably is not the reply anyone is looking for, but just create a new spell that will allow the caster to ride it. I would probably recommend it be one level higher unless it is restricted to just the caster riding it and removing the ability to carry other items independently.

 

[Meowzebub]

I don't get dragon magazine, but do these disks have a faster speed? Can they travel more than 3' above a surface (and therefore cross a pit)? And can they carry more than 100 lbs/level? If the disc has more abilities, it is hard to compare it too much with tensor's floating disc. Tensor's floating disk doesn't help you get out of range of melee guys, help you travel fast, or help you get out of or over a pit.

unfortunately I will not be back home until late tonight to check the reference, but perhpas someone else has seen this also. If not, I will post the details here tomorrow

 

[Matafuego]

I've always allowed my players to "irde" it... Gues I'll have to chat a little with them after reading this...

 

[Rel]

For the sake of completeness in this conversation, I'll point out something that I've pointed out in previous renditions of the topic:

By using the Share Spells ability of the caster's familiar, one might cast TFD and have it follow the familiar around. So long as the familiar does not move more than 5 feet from the caster that is. Thus is born the "Toad Drawn Invisible Chariot".

I think it takes a pretty narrow reading of the rules to disallow this but that is simply my opinion. I will say that if the caster had a particularly fast familiar (like a hawk for example), I would still restrict the rate of movement to that of the caster as he is the one that actually cast the spell in the first place. Although I might also enjoy having the player make balance checks each round as the hawk drags the caster along at 40 miles an hour.

 

[babomb]

From Dragon 323:

Tenser's Floating Disk, Greater
Evocation[Force]
Level: Sor/Wiz 4

This spell functions exactly like Tenser's Floating Disk, except that the created disk does not need to stay within 3 feet of the surface beneath it. However, the disk must remain within 15 feet of the caster at all times. The caster can concentrate (as a standard action) on the disk to make it move with a fly speed of 20 feet (perfect). This allows the caster to sit on the disk and command it to carry him about.
Material Component: A drop of mercury.

That implies that the official interpretation is that Tenser's Floating Disk cannot carry the caster.

 

[Scion]

and dragon is never wrong

as I have said before, I see no reason to disallow it from carrying the caster. After all, even if you read it as not being able to carry the caster it can 'still' carry anyone else. So where is the problem?

Even with that though, there is the mount spell. It is also level 1, it summons a light horse or pony, the light horse can carry 174lbs and still be in light load, it lasts twice as long, it moves up to 10x the speed of the disk, it has scent, and it has attacks.

The only thing that the disk has going for it is that it can carry more weight, but that is only true as levels increase, not even from the start.

So really, where is the problem with letting the caster ride the disk?

 

[Nail]

Even with that though, there is the mount spell.

This really peaked my interest (slow day!), so I thought I'd compare the two. Only differences are listed:

                  [b][u]Mount[/u]                       [u]Floating Disk[/u][/b]
School:          Conjuration (Summoning)     Evocation [Force]
Casting Time:    1 round                     1 standard action
Effect:          1 light horse               3-ft.-diameter disk of force
Duration:        2 hours/level(D)            1 hour/level

Can Carry:       Max 301–450 pounds.         Max 100 lbs/lvl
Speed:           60 ft                       Varies, usually 30ft, can't run
Combat:          AC 13, hp 19                Can't be damaged
Attacks:         -1/-1 (1d6+1)               None
Special:         needs food and water?       Can carry liquids! :)

I dunno.....looking at it that way, I'm not sure sitting on your own Floating Disk is "misusing/munchkinizing" a 1st level spell. I mean: whoop-dee-dee.