Help with Flaming Sphere

[sdt]

I'm afraid I'm allowing this spell to be "too good" so I thought I'd ask some questions:

If I park a Flaming Sphere in a square will it potentially damage anyone moving through that square?

If I leave it in a square with a creature and that creature doesn’t move, will the creature need to make a save again or do I need to use a move action to direct the Flaming Sphere before it does damage?

 

[farscapesg1]

If a creature is stupid enough to move through a square already occupied by a flaming sphere, then yes they should take damage.

Also, if the creature isn't smart enough to leave a square with a large ball of fire in it, then they should have to make another save to avoid it.

 

[Thanee]

If I park a Flaming Sphere in a square will it potentially damage anyone moving through that square?

No.

If I leave it in a square with a creature and that creature doesn’t move, will the creature need to make a save again or do I need to use a move action to direct the Flaming Sphere before it does damage?

The latter.

Both answers are strict from the reading...

If it enters a space with a creature, it stops moving for the round and deals 2d6 points of fire damage to that creature, though a successful Reflex save negates that damage.

Bye
Thanee

 

[Hypersmurf]

Both answers are strict from the reading...

Yup. The only time the sphere deals damage is when it enters a square with a creature, not vice versa. And the only time the sphere enters a square is when the caster takes a move action to make it do so.

-Hyp.

 

[Aeson]

Its fire. If someone not resistant touches it they get burned. I would burn the heck out of anyone dumb enough to stay in the square or move into it. Why does it only work when it moves into the area?

 

[Hypersmurf]

Its fire. If someone not resistant touches it they get burned. I would burn the heck out of anyone dumb enough to stay in the square or move into it. Why does it only work when it moves into the area?

Because that's the only way the spell describes damage as being dealt?

If the sphere moves into your square, and you make your reflex save, you don't get burned. You're standing in a square, with a 6' ball of fire, and not getting burned... therefore there is somewhere in the square that it is possible to stand without getting burned.

If the sphere isn't moving, it's apparently possible to find that place without risk of injury. It's only when the sphere moves that reflexes are required to avoid getting burned.

-Hyp.

 

[Aeson]

I think someone moving into the square should make a save. Perhaps a person already in the square that made their save can find a place but not someone entering the square.

 

[Arrellion]

I understand where Hyp is coming from but the description reads:

"Effect: 5-ft.-diameter sphere"

So if if takes up the whole 5 ft square then how do you avoid being burned?

My group and I always play that if you make your Reflex save then you essentially
jump to the nearest available square, in theory.

Arrel

 

[Aeson]

jumping or otherwise moving to another square makes some sense.

 

[Hypersmurf]

My group and I always play that if you make your Reflex save then you essentially
jump to the nearest available square, in theory.

So if someone's standing on the top of a 5' square pillar, a hundred feet above the ground, and a flaming sphere jumps from another pillar 30 feet away into the square, the character gets a Reflex save. As written, if he saves, he takes no damage. Per your house rule, if he saves, he falls a hundred feet?

Reflex saves don't require anyone to leave their square unless the spell effect specifically states something to contradict that. And in fact, Flaming Sphere says the opposite: "It cannot push aside unwilling creatures..."

The sphere is 5' diameter, and it moves into your square, but if you make your save, you take no damage, and are not forced to leave your square.

Therefore it is possible to occupy the same square as a Flaming Sphere without taking damage; thus, there's nothing wrong with the fact that, as written, you only take damage from a Flaming Sphere when it enters your square and stops moving for the round.

-Hyp.