Forcecage Question

[Camarath]

*However*, I note that, by the rules as written, someone in a sealed chamber never actually dies, they just keep taking nonlethal damage.

IMO as long as it is not a death spell I don't have a real problem with Forcecage causing suffocation. Of course the PCs could wait around for the spell to end but 2h/lv can be a long time. This would also seem to be a good way to subdue PCs and imprison or rob them.

 

[DreamChaser]

there is no reason that O2 (atmospheric oxygen) and CO2 (carbon dioxide) would not be small enough to pass through a wall of force (or forcecage in this case). I would rule that a character would never suffocate or suffer CO2 poisoning.

This ruling wouldn't make the spell suffer because it is easy to say that the molecules of gaseous creatures are too big to fit through the spaces that are large enough for oxygen and carbon dioxide to fit through.

DC

 

[AuraSeer]

Of course the PCs could wait around for the spell to end but 2h/lv can be a long time.

That's just it, they don't need to wait. They can cast the spell, walk away, and know for certain that the victim will die. Unless the victim has access to disintegrate or teleport, he has zero chance of escaping the cage, no matter how long he's left alone.

The only way for non-spellcaster to reliably avoid death is by blatant DM metagaming. If every victim just happens to carry an iridescent spindle ioun stone in his pocket, or if a helpful NPC spellcaster just happens to wander past at the right moment, the gameworld is going to seem very contrived and unfair.

 

[Wippit Guud]

This ruling wouldn't make the spell suffer because it is easy to say that the molecules of gaseous creatures are too big to fit through the spaces that are large enough for oxygen and carbon dioxide to fit through.

I had thought that too, until I re-read that it extends into the ethereal plane... if it transcends planes, it'll probably block even air.

Besides, if it lets in air, casting gaseuos form would allow easy escape.

 

[Hypersmurf]

Besides, if it lets in air, casting gaseuos form would allow easy escape.

Unless you say that the molecules of gaseous creatures are too big to fit through the spaces that are large enough for oxygen and carbon dioxide to fit through...

-Hyp.

 

[Wippit Guud]

Well, if we really want to get into physics... a carbon and two oxygen atoms jammed together is larger than 2 hydrogen and 1 oxygen atom jammed together, but the wall prevents water from passing...

 

[Hypersmurf]

Well, if we really want to get into physics... a carbon and two oxygen atoms jammed together is larger than 2 hydrogen and 1 oxygen atom jammed together, but the wall prevents water from passing...

Well, that's why you have to reverse the polarity of the antimatter feed to the transporter buffers.

Duh.

-Hyp.

 

[Camarath]

That's just it, they don't need to wait. They can cast the spell, walk away, and know for certain that the victim will die. Unless the victim has access to disintegrate or teleport, he has zero chance of escaping the cage, no matter how long he's left alone.

The only way for non-spellcaster to reliably avoid death is by blatant DM metagaming. If every victim just happens to carry an iridescent spindle ioun stone in his pocket, or if a helpful NPC spellcaster just happens to wander past at the right moment, the gameworld is going to seem very contrived and unfair.

As far as I know you can not die from nonlethal damage. According to the Slow Suffocation Rules (3.5 DMG page 304) you would only suffer nonlethal damage. Since the victim would not die from suffocation the PCs would have to wait untill or return when the spell ended and kill the now helpless victim.

 

[DreamChaser]

how's this then:

its a spell designed to imprison not to kill or incapacitate it lets air through but blocks other stuff because it is magic.

any other read would be twisting the wording of the spell.

DC

 

[Camarath]

I agree any other mechanical interpretation of the spell would not be appropriate with out the DM making some sort of house ruling.