Cold and underwater?

[Taloras]

One more question....what happens if i cast a cold-substituted fireball underwater? Someone told me it would create a 40 ft wide sphere of ice....which would catch anything inside of it. I think this would make the spell a bit too powerful if used underwater....anyone else have thoughts on this? Also, Cone of Cold underwater....if it freezes the water solid....this could make mini-icebergs....wreaking havoc on shipping lanes.

Any thoughts?

 

[Veril]

Spells do what they say they do, no more, no less. Cone of Cold says it does cold damage in a cone, nothing about freezing things solid. Don't try to rationalise spell effects, just have them do what they say that do and no more, or no less.

Players will often try to gain extra effects on spells by coming up with these sorts of things. Don't let it happen.

 

[Kae'Yoss]

There are two ways to go here:

1. These are no natural effects, but magic spells. They don't work the same way as natural effects. So fireball won't set things afire, cone of cold won't freeze water. Things are as they are supposed to be by the RAW

2. Spells can have these effects - which means that the PC's have access to more power as they should - but so do their enemies. Get ready to be blinded by light spells and then sneak attacked, be ready to have your equipment obliterated by a fireball spell, and so on. After the first TPK, the players will agree to cut these effects out for the next campain.

 

[HeavyG]

To keep my mental sanity, I would at least describe little half-formed ice crystals in the water afterwards. You can always rule that an instantaneous spell does not have the time to generate a huge ice cube.

 

[Scion]

So fireball won't set things afire

The fireball sets fire to combustibles and damages objects in the area

But the rules say that it sets things on fire

 

[DreamChaser]

But the rules say that it sets things on fire

And since energy substitution only affects the damage, technically a cold fireball will set things on fire too. *shrug*

This is a basic problem with the sacred cow damage spells. The 3.x rules were set up with these great energy types but they weren't willing to actually apply them until psionics and then with the energy substitution feat, which just makes things more difficult rather than easier.

DC

 

[DreamChaser]

on the issue of a cold spell underwater, I would rule that the water begins to freeze instantaneously but then with the magic gone, the dominant temperature takes over again. The area might be slushy for a moment but that will float upward and melt very quickly, so no real benefit to the caster.

DC

 

[Kae'Yoss]

But the rules say that it sets things on fire

Yeah, my bad. Bad example, then.

 

[Ogrork the Mighty]

Stormwrack will probably (hopefully) have an answer for what happens to cold spells underwater.

 

[Taloras]

Seafarers handbook has some info, unfortunately, my copy is around 400 miles away(as are all my books except the three core ones)