Disintigrate and Hide Life

[Dark Dragon]

Your current hit points do not change, but you do turn into a pile of dust. (The effect of the spell is to turn the target into a pile of dust; it doesn’t affect the target’s hit point total.)

Presumably, a pile of dust is blind, deaf, mute, and paralyzed, with no sensory apparatus of any kind.

Hmm, where do you got that from? Or is it your interpretation? Don't forget: The original body vanishes, so, what happens to its soul? The spell does not say: the body is transmuted into a pile of dust.

I believe it will take a regenerate spell to restore your normal form, although a polymorph self/other or a shapechange spell could help you on a temporary basis.

I would agree if you presume that Disintegrate does not kill the victim. By the spell's sense (and the AD&D version) the body is completely destroyed and thus the creature killed. Moving the spell to the transmutation school implies too much.

Just my 2 cents...

 

[mkletch]

Hmm, where do you got that from? Or is it your interpretation? Don't forget: The original body vanishes, so, what happens to its soul? The spell does not say: the body is transmuted into a pile of dust.

I would agree if you presume that Disintegrate does not kill the victim. By the spell's sense (and the AD&D version) the body is completely destroyed and thus the creature killed. Moving the spell to the transmutation school implies too much.

You are assuming that loss of body actually kills the victim. A vampire might not care a whole lot (the dust turning to gaseous form and all, eventually reforming a body). With hide life, you have a new circumstance where the character cannot be killed. That is the premise of the spell, and everything else must somehow follow. Even spells that simply cause death (i.e. spells with the [death] descriptor) do not work. So we have to come up with an answer to "what happens if you are disintegrated but cannot die".

The only answer so far is the living dust, but that does not imply that it is the right answer. Come up with your own idea. If you do not have Tome & Blood, I'm sorry, but you cannot realistically discuss this topic.

-Fletch!

 

[Dark Dragon]

You are assuming that loss of body actually kills the victim. A vampire might not care a whole lot (the dust turning to gaseous form and all, eventually reforming a body). With hide life, you have a new circumstance where the character cannot be killed. That is the premise of the spell, and everything else must somehow follow. Even spells that simply cause death (i.e. spells with the [death] descriptor) do not work. So we have to come up with an answer to "what happens if you are disintegrated but cannot die".-Fletch!

Yes, my assumption was that body loss normally kills a creature. I got a bit astray from the intend of this topic and focused more on Disintegrate. Sorry for causing trouble.

The only answer so far is the living dust, but that does not imply that it is the right answer. Come up with your own idea. If you do not have Tome & Blood, I'm sorry, but you cannot realistically discuss this topic.
-Fletch!

I have T&B and re-read Hide Life again. Two options are possible IMHO. First, the creature is staggered as it is written in the spell. It's body remains otherwise intact (perhaps I'm interpreting too much into this). Second option (which might be some adventure hook, nice story, whatever...) is that the creature becomes something like an incorporeal creature formed of pure essence of life while the dust simply becomes blown apart (btw: what happens if Hide Life is active and the creature becomes disintegrated to dust in a river, during a storm?). Only a Wish, Miracle would create a new physical body.

EDIT: Grammar

 

[mkletch]

I have T&B and re-read Hide Life again. Two options are possible IMHO. First, the creature is staggered as it is written in the spell. It's body remains otherwise intact (perhaps I'm interpreting too much into this). Second option (which might be some adventure hook, nice story, whatever...) is that the creature becomes something like an incorporeal creature formed of pure essence of life while the dust simply becomes blown apart (btw: what happens if Hide Life is active and the creature becomes disintegrated to dust in a river, during a storm?). Only a Wish, Miracle would create a new physical body.

Oh, no problem. Anybody that bothers to edit their post for grammar is a good person in my book.

I don't like the staggered bit, and here is why. The purpose of a death spell is to simply cause death. The purpose of disintegrate goes a bit beyond that. While hide life prevents its opposite from functioning properly (where death is the opposite of life), there is not reason to assume that hide life would prevent disintegrate from working. Only something like a spell immunity or the armor ability from MoF (Proof against Transmutation) would work in that regard. So, the actual effect of disintegrate (turn to dust) should work, but cannot cause death.

Leaving an incorporeal creature seems an interesting option, but perhaps too powerful IMO. My first step after casting hide life would be to disintegrate myself!

But what about in water, or wind or something? Good question. Basically, you leave an immobile life force at the spot where the being was disintegrated. Even if the dust remained, it would not be alive. The unfortunate caster would need for someone to wish him a new body, or perhaps a still silent limited wish would do the trick?

-Fletch!