Help with Flaming Sphere

[Bront]

Never, ever, argue common sense or reality over the RAW. You'll lose.

 

[Jack Simth]

Never, ever, argue common sense or reality over the RAW. You'll lose.

I was in no way, shape, or form trying to argue reality or sense OVER the RAW. I was explaining a way "reality" might fit RAW.

Sure, the sphere is still there, but it's not all-encompassing, and it's not actively moving trying to bump you off (unless it's the creator's turn, and he is using his move action to make it so). After the initial save to avoid the creator trying to bump you off with it, you can just manuever around it fairly readily.

Which, as written, is basically what happens.

Of course, you don't want to be near the sphere when the caster's turn comes around again, unless you are up for another reflex save...

 

[Jeff Wilder]

Yes, the spell as written is goofy.

The problem with comparing the volume of the sphere with the volume of the square is that the areas above and below the equator of the sphere generally don't matter. It's much more informative to compare area, not volume: 19.625 square feet out of 25 square feet.

Even then, most people I know can't occupy two of the non-flaming corners of the space, so of the 5.375 feet of open space, only a quarter is really usable: 1.34375 square feet.

So the guy in the same square as a flaming sphere is limited to occupying 1.34375 square feet of space. I wouldn't blame any DM in the world who forbade him the use of his Dexterity bonus to AC, or at the very least invoked the squeezing rules. He's occupying the one spot where he won't get burned, right? And in 1.34375 square feet of space, he's basically doing it on tiptoe, with the sphere against his crotch, hissing, "Hot ... hot ... hot!"

 

[Jack Simth]

It's a lot worse on a hex grid, provided the size of the sphere still matches the size of the hex in the same fashion that the sphere matches the size of a square.

Of course, the character might just be leaning a little bit outside of his normal square....

 

[Dingleberry]

Of course, the character might just be leaning a little bit outside of his normal square....

Or the sphere might not be dead center.

 

[Majoru Oakheart]

I normally "explain" this like this:

The sphere is a 5ft diameter sphere that moves around, but as SOON as it touches someone it stops. It likely hits an arm or leg of the person it's moving towards. The person then moves their arm or leg out of the fire quickly (thus, the small amount of damage).

The sphere then occupies the space between their square and the one it just came from. Since it is only taking up half of each square, there is more than enough room in both squares to maneuver without touching the sphere.

What does this all mean? Well, not much, it means the RAW have the effect they are supposed to, at it makes a LITTLE sense as well.

It does have sort of a comedic effect though to think of a massive 5ft fireball rolling around a battlefield only to have it burn someone's finger. *grin*

 

[Quasqueton]

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?

For the record, I don't agree with making a house rule that you move with a save. But then again, I think the 5' sphere is stupid, too. (I like the 1' sphere suggested above).

But, come on Hypersmurf. You're going to use a highly unlikely scenario to shoot down a house rule to fix something that is much more likely to cause problems in many more scenarios using RAW?

Quasqueton

 

[Infiniti2000]

But, come on Hypersmurf. You're going to use a highly unlikely scenario to shoot down a house rule to fix something that is much more likely to cause problems in many more scenarios using RAW?

No, he's using a highly unlikely scenario because it creates the most dramatic and most easily imagined scenario as to why it's a bad houserule. There are many more like it. The houserule is poorly defined and wide open to abuse (albeit probably minor) for characters with high reflex saves.

 

[LeapingShark]

Also, the example houserule victim can avoid the 100' plummet anyway.

A creature can voluntarily forego a saving throw and willingly accept a spell’s result.

 

[Nail]

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

No.

See the text of the spell! Pretty clear (if a tad counter-intuitive).