D&D 5E Fabricate: a world change spell

[Astrosicebear]

How does the character even know that graphite and diamond are both carbon? That wasn't discovered in the real world until the late 18th century.

A D&D character showed up in my local bar one night, and proceeded to get drunk and rant on about how we have this great modern technology but haven't even figured out the basics of arcane spellcasting, let alone travelling the multiverse.

 

[TwoSix]

Different things can be composed of the same types of atoms and yet be very different quality. Even two raw, uncut diamonds can be of vary different quality. It's not just the atoms that compose something that measure its quality, it's their density, arrangement, etc. As you said, in a diamond, the carbon atoms have a different arrangement. But that arrangement is extremely important, and is what determines the material's quality.

Plus, that's using our 21st century chemistry definition of quality. In a magical world, quality could be an intrinsic property of a material, just as much as electronegativity and molar mass are for elements in our world. Gold being the "perfected" metal, for example, carries no scientific weight in our world, but can have enormous ramifications in a world where magical processes revolve around alchemical symbolism.

 

[Andor]

Where the spell gets tricky is if people try to leverage real-world chemistry into it. For instance, transforming a few cubic feet of graphite into the world's largest diamond - after all, it's the same material.

You absolutely can. Just as soon as you figure out which background gives you proficiency with a chemical vapor deposition machine, or a high temperature high pressure lab.

 

[MarkB]

You absolutely can. Just as soon as you figure out which background gives you proficiency with a chemical vapor deposition machine, or a high temperature high pressure lab.

LOL, good reply.

Anyway, I think my point is illustrated - bring too much real-world science into interpreting Fabricate's inexact guidelines, and messiness ensues.

 

[chando]

Graphite performs very poorly compared to diamond at being hard, clear and glittery, but on the other hand, diamond would make absolutely useless pencils.

I just LOL'd so much at this.

But on to the thread, it seems like the more slightly broken way to use the spell would be to instant-fabricate armors/weapons to sell in downtime, and even then only if you could sell them to make profit (the DM might not allow you to get much due to supply and demand). And its not like every wizard out there is going to be proficient in a bunch of artisan tools.

So, without using real-world Chemistry, what other uses for fabricate do we have?

 

[Elsidar]

So, without using real-world Chemistry, what other uses for fabricate do we have?

How about turning this broken thing into the same thing, only never having been broken? A proper wizard will always have supremely maintained stuff.

 

[Joe Liker]

How about turning this broken thing into the same thing, only never having been broken? A proper wizard will always have supremely maintained stuff.

You mean like the mending cantrip?

Granted, fabricate can fix things that are much larger and much more broken, but there are far better uses for it if you are creative -- even if you don't cheat by using chemistry!

 

[Lalato]

Turn metal into pipe.
Turn pipe into plumbing.

Turn fallen trees into buildings.
Turn fallen trees into bridge.
Turn fallen trees I to canoes or boats or rafts.

Just think of a raw material and think of the most basic thing you could build by hand. Then expand on that.

 

[dco]

If you are happy transforming your coins into a cube I don't see the problem, as a DM I would give a much higher difficulty to your commerce rolls if you use the cube instead of the coins.
If you want to change the shape of your diamond there is no problem, bigger?, you can't, you need materials, 2 smaller?, you can't, the spells says a larger or smaller object no objects.

And the money depends on your DM, in my adventures players usually don't have much money, if you have infinite money buy the world.

 

[Wrathamon]

Everyone knows that diamonds are made of a mixture of stars and souls. That's why they aid in resurrection.

exactly!

and if their was a spell that could turn one material into another ... like lead into gold, I would say it turns to gold but for some reason that has cursed wizards and warlocks for generations the gold transmutes back to lead almost immediately. It seems that even the mightiest of wizards have not figured out how to create gold out of nothing. Which is why Dragons value it so!