Control winds moves with caster?

[Mr. Patient]

Does the area of effect for control winds move with the caster? Here's the spell, for reference:

Control Winds
Transmutation [Air]
Level: Air 5, Drd 5
Components: V, S
Casting Time: 1 standard action
Range: 40 ft./level
Area: 40 ft./level radius cylinder 40 ft. high
Duration: 10 min./level
Saving Throw: Fortitude negates
Spell Resistance: No
You alter wind force in the area surrounding you. You can make the wind blow in a certain direction or manner, increase its strength, or decrease its strength. The new wind direction and strength persist until the spell ends or until you choose to alter your handiwork, which requires concentration. You may create an “eye” of calm air up to 80 feet in diameter at the center of the area if you so desire, and you may choose to limit the area to any cylindrical area less than your full limit.

Wind Direction
You may choose one of four basic wind patterns to function over the spell’s area.

A downdraft blows from the center outward in equal strength in all directions.
An updraft blows from the outer edges in toward the center in equal strength from all directions, veering upward before impinging on the eye in the center.
A rotation causes the winds to circle the center in clockwise or counterclockwise fashion.
A blast simply causes the winds to blow in one direction across the entire area from one side to the other.
Wind Strength
For every three caster levels, you can increase or decrease wind strength by one level. Each round on your turn, a creature in the wind must make a Fortitude save or suffer the effect of being in the windy area.

Strong winds (21+ mph) make sailing difficult.

A severe wind (31+ mph) causes minor ship and building damage.

A windstorm (51+ mph) drives most flying creatures from the skies, uproots small trees, knocks down light wooden structures, tears off roofs, and endangers ships.

Hurricane force winds (75+ mph) destroy wooden buildings, sometimes uproot even large trees, and cause most ships to founder.

A tornado (175+ mph) destroys all nonfortified buildings and often uproots large trees.

The case for moving with the caster is based on the first sentence of the text: "You alter wind force in the area surrounding you." Arguably, if you move, so does the area surrounding you. Given that it's a long-duration spell (minimum 90 minutes), the area surrounding you can be expected to change quite a lot.

Arguing against the spell's area moving with the caster, we have a) the fact that the spell does not explicitly state that it is mobile, unlike, say, antilife shell; and b) this bit from the SRD, under the Magic Overview:

If the spell affects an area then the spell stays with that area for its duration.

Spells that affect an area and which clearly do move tend to have Areas like "10 ft.. emanation, centered on you," which control winds does not.

Weighing all the above, I'm inclined to say that control winds doesn't move with the caster, but I'd like to hear some other opinions.

Thanks in advance.

 

[Mr. Patient]

Anyone?

 

[RangerWickett]

When I've run it, it's been centered on the caster.

One NPC villain went 'Mythic Greece' on the party, flying in on a pegasus, with a lance that could cast control winds. Tore the party to pieces. He'd sweep in with a forward blast that knocked the heroes out of his way, and then switch the winds to a maelstrom around him so ranged attacks were nigh useless. He could blast anyone out of the air, and was only taken down when the party knocked a redwood onto him.

 

[frankthedm]

Weighing all the above, I'm inclined to say that control winds doesn't move with the caster, but I'd like to hear some other opinions.

I'm inclined to agree with you on this. The spell in question is not specific, as such, the general rules that govern spell area take over. Good work.

 

[avr]

I expect you're right that a strict rules interpretation is that the area is immobile. I'd think that it should be possible to use this spell to propell a ship though, so I'd say that in that case at least it should be possible to attach the area to the ship.