Control Winds - Tornado?

[Gansk]

If a 15th level caster casts Control Winds and the current wind speed is 0 mph, can he or she increase it to tornado force winds?

The spell references the DMG page 95, where there is a table of wind effects. If the caster is required to use that table, he or she would need to be 18th level to create tornado force winds.

The spell also lists wind speed categories in the spell description. One category from the DMG table is left out - the Moderate Winds category.

Which 'table' should be used to increase or decrease wind speeds? The table in the DMG or the category list in the spell description?

 

[darthkilmor]

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 srd also has a wind table, that puts tornado as the 7th catagory. As the spell doesnt give the Fort DC needed, and the table does, I'd vote on using the table.
http://www.d20srd.org/srd/weather.htm#winds

 

[Infiniti2000]

the srd also has a wind table, that puts tornado as the 7th catagory. As the spell doesnt give the Fort DC needed, and the table does, I'd vote on using the table.
http://www.d20srd.org/srd/weather.htm#winds

So, if you use the table in the DMG (i.e. not the one in the spell) I agree there are 7 categories. It also means that no caster (pre-epic) can create a tornado, despite it being listed 5th in the spell description. I think you use the list in the spell description and lookup the table in the DMG for 'more details' on the respective categories.

 

[Peter Gibbons]

If a 15th level caster casts Control Winds and the current wind speed is 0 mph, can he or she increase it to tornado force winds?

Yes.

Which 'table' should be used to increase or decrease wind speeds? The table in the DMG or the category list in the spell description?

The spell description (primary source rule).

 

[IcyCool]

So, if you use the table in the DMG (i.e. not the one in the spell) I agree there are 7 categories. It also means that no caster (pre-epic) can create a tornado, despite it being listed 5th in the spell description. I think you use the list in the spell description and lookup the table in the DMG for 'more details' on the respective categories.

Well, it means that no pre-epic caster can whistle up a tornado where before there was no wind. A 9th level caster can create a tornado, provided that the current wind conditions are bad enough.

There's also the possibility that you could argue that you could cast multiple Control Winds spells to build up to a tornado.

 

[Nim]

The spell description (primary source rule).

The interpretation of the spell in our campaigns here has been that the list of categories in the spell description is meant as a reminder of some of the effects wind can have (summarizing part but not all of the DMG table), not as a replacement for the wind table in the DMG.

However (to answer someone else's point), one could certainly use multiple castings to ramp up the wind level (or Control Weather, of course).

 

[Gansk]

So, if you use the table in the DMG (i.e. not the one in the spell) I agree there are 7 categories. It also means that no caster (pre-epic) can create a tornado, despite it being listed 5th in the spell description. I think you use the list in the spell description and lookup the table in the DMG for 'more details' on the respective categories.

An 18th level caster can increase the current category by six categories, so a pre-epic caster can create a tornado using the DMG table, even if the current category is 0 mph.

 

[Infiniti2000]

Oh, right. There are 7 categories, but you merely need to increase it from cat 1.

So, there are really two questions. One is whether you use the DMG table or the spell description. Two is whether you can instantly create the wind effect you want (immediate hurricane) or whether you have to go in steps. For one, I'd say spell description. For two, I'd say it's instant, but additional changes later on are 1 step/round.

In any case, you can't combine control winds because same effects don't stack.