Fireballs vs. Defended Locations

[lukelightning]

In the spirit of the Rules, I think that any slot you can shoot an arrow out of you can also shoot a spell into. If I have line of effect to you, you should have line of effect to me, and vice versa. Not to say that it should be equally easy for attacker and defender.

And in the case of the goblins with the shuttered slits: Just ready a spell to shoot the goblin when the shutter opens!

 

[cmanos]

Most of the arrow "slits" that I've seen are much wider than three inches apart.

not 3" apart...the actual opening is 3" wide. And that is awfully wide considering the ones I've seen.

 

[dcollins]

I must admit that in the number of European castles I've visited, arrow slits were easily more than a square foot in area (very tall). However, for game purposes I have to assume that they cut off line-of-effect (with the explicit exception noted in fireball that an attack roll can put it through).

Edit: And playing 3.0 the arrow slit cover still gives a save bonus & improved Evasion, even from a spread. (3.0 PHB p. 133)

 

[schporto]

I'm still stuck on the whole spread part. Cripes that's nasty. Fire at the slit. Try to get it through. Ooppsie I missed. Detonates prematurely. The fire still goes through the slit, turns 90* filling its normal 20' radius area, just minus the wall. What? They closed the shutters? Are they air tight? No? Then the spread goes through, probably catching the shutters on fire. Yesh. Glad that hasn't come up yet in game.

 

[Fieari]

I and my group enjoy math, so we use the Volumetric Fireball varient/houserule. Arrowslits are much better protection against fireballs in my games as a result... but excaping down long thin corridors is no longer as easy.

 

[Elder-Basilisk]

They can be as tall as they want (in my research, I found a number of them were six feet tall) but unless they are 2.4 inches wide or wider, they won't present a square foot of area within a five foot square. And unless they are 4 feet tall or taller, even a 3 inch wide arrow slit won't be suffficient to provide line of effect.

I must admit that in the number of European castles I've visited, arrow slits were easily more than a square foot in area (very tall). However, for game purposes I have to assume that they cut off line-of-effect (with the explicit exception noted in fireball that an attack roll can put it through).

Edit: And playing 3.0 the arrow slit cover still gives a save bonus & improved Evasion, even from a spread. (3.0 PHB p. 133)

 

[Nail]

And in the case of the goblins with the shuttered slits: Just ready a spell to shoot the goblin when the shutter opens!

Sure....but that's after it's already happened once. Moreover, it prevents high BAB opponents from getting their full attacks with missile weapons (barring Manyshot, obviously).

In my case, the missile weapons used by the goblins were mini-ballista, so there was some re-load time with the shutter closed. The PCs didn't know that, so they wasted some readied actions to wait.

 

[dcollins]

Again, easily that large. Taller than 4', wider than 3" (more like 5") in all of a half-dozen castles I've visited.

 

[Nail]

I'm still stuck on the whole spread part.... They closed the shutters? Are they air tight? No? Then the spread goes through, .....

Where do you get that from? Air tight is not required....in fact, it looks as if RAW says the hole must be 1 foot square for the spread to go thru.

 

[Stalker0]

Again, easily that large. Taller than 4', wider than 3" (more like 5") in all of a half-dozen castles I've visited.

Did you put a ruler to it?

Seriously though, unless you do a lot of measuring 3" is a lot wider than most would think.