Color spray (or, for the Brits, colour spray)

[Dannyalcatraz]

Reread some rules today.

1) I missed that Color Spray was a "Cone shaped burst" and not merely a "Cone-shaped area"- this matters- a burst spell simply affects anything in its area of effect, omnidirectionally. However, within the rules for burst spells is language that states that burst effects don't affect creatures "with total cover from its point of origin (in other words, its effects don't extend around corners)." A creature hiding behind a wall or tower shield within the area of Color Spray wouldn't be affected assuming his shield is facing the spell's point of origin. I can see a rational argument supporting the position that facing away from the point of origin for a spell dependent upon a target's visual perception should offer some form of mitigating effect.

2) 3.5 doesn't have hard & fast facing rules, but if you use minis or flanking rules of any kind, you're still using a "rules light" version of facing.

 

[Primitive Screwhead]

Hm,... so maybe combining this aweful mess of a rule with another aweful mess of a rule you can get:

As a free action a character may choose to ignore enemies in a direction. They are considered blind to attacks from this sector. {the in-famous 'can I ignore a fighter to negate a rogues sneak attack' rule..sorry, don't have a link handy to those threads...}

The freindly fighter could then declare he was 'turning his back' on the mage, becoming effectively blinded and sightless for the purposes of that 90 degree arc...and thereby immune to the color spray. He could also not respond to anything occuring behind him that relies on sight and would not benefit from Dex if some bad guy happened to be able to attack him from that direction.

However, the fighter could also be providing soft cover to the mage's real targets and granting them a bonus to thier saves.


Since the act of ignoring someone has to be done on the fighters turn..and can't be undone until his/her next turn there has to be some level of communication. There is also the hazard of one of the BugBear Rogues rushing into the Fighters blindspot and SA'ing away...it should be obvious to the Bug Bears that the fighter is protecting his face from the Mage...


Yup, not having facing rules does cause some oddities here and there, but nothing to really get wrapped up in.

 

[IcyCool]

There isn't really facing in 3.5, so the proposed "tactic" wouldn't work, IMO.

 

[Hypersmurf]

I can see a rational argument supporting the position that facing away from the point of origin for a spell dependent upon a target's visual perception should offer some form of mitigating effect.

Except a creature only provides soft cover, not total cover.

-Hyp.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

True, but I'm not talking about total cover or partial cover derived from creatures.

I'm talking about burst effects not wrapping around the sides of things- their effects go in straight lines- unlike emanations or spreads which do wrap around.

While not facing a spell's point of origin is not cover in any sense, it still presents a problem for that "going around corners" restriction. For a burst effect to be able to affect the visual organs of (most) creatures not facing the spell's point of origin would require the spell to wrap around the creature's head...which it cannot do because it is a burst and not an emanation or spread.

 

[Plane Sailing]

True, but I'm not talking about total cover or partial cover derived from creatures.

I'm talking about burst effects not wrapping around the sides of things- their effects go in straight lines- unlike emanations or spreads which do wrap around.

While not facing a spell's point of origin is not cover in any sense, it still presents a problem for that "going around corners" restriction. For a burst effect to be able to affect the visual organs of (most) creatures not facing the spell's point of origin would require the spell to wrap around the creature's head...which it cannot do because it is a burst and not an emanation or spread.

It doesn't have to burst into his eyes for them to see it though - if a target is standing within the cone shaped burst, and it whizzes past the back of his head, he can still see clashing colours and whatnot streaming past him and colliding with the foes ahead of him.

If someone let off a giant party popper behind your head, streamers would whoosh past you too, and you would see those streamers. In Colour Spray land being within the cone shaped burst means you have to attempt the save.

 

[Nail]

If I face away for a fireball burst, do I provide cover for myself?

Sweet!

 

[Hypersmurf]

While not facing a spell's point of origin is not cover in any sense, it still presents a problem for that "going around corners" restriction. For a burst effect to be able to affect the visual organs of (most) creatures not facing the spell's point of origin would require the spell to wrap around the creature's head...which it cannot do because it is a burst and not an emanation or spread.

I can't provide cover to myself, though! I'm a creature within the area, and I'm not sightless.

-Hyp.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

If I face away for a fireball burst, do I provide cover for myself?

Nope- Fireball is a "spread" attack- its effect can go around corners.

It doesn't have to burst into his eyes for them to see it though - if a target is standing within the cone shaped burst, and it whizzes past the back of his head, he can still see clashing colours and whatnot streaming past him and colliding with the foes ahead of him.

The same argument could be said of the person within the area behind a shield, or a person
outside of the spell's area looking into it- both can see the clashing colors affecting foes, etc.

I can't provide cover to myself, though! I'm a creature within the area, and I'm not sightless.

Again, its not cover- its a facing issue.

Color Spray works a lot like the PHASR (http://www.newscientist.com/article.ns?id=dn8275 ), and it doesn't affect targets that cannot percieve the rays.

PHASR uses real light, which reflects, Color Spray does not. PHASR can affect targets not facing it if they catch the reflection, and its effective area of effect is quite large. Color Spray casts no reflections and set boundaries. Because it is a burst and not an emanation or spread, its effects cannot wrap around objects, and as far as I'm concerned, its effects can't wrap around a creature's head to its eyes, affecting targets not facing the point of origin.

Hypnotic Pattern, while similar, is a spread, and has no such limitation.

 

[Hypersmurf]

The same argument could be said of the person within the area behind a shield, or a person
outside of the spell's area looking into it- both can see the clashing colors affecting foes, etc.

But neither of them are in the area of the spell, while the person in the Color Spray is.

-Hyp.