Help with Flaming Sphere

[LeapingShark]

"Burns" isn't conditional upon movement, it says so. What exactly is the effect of "burns"? No effect? Is that just flavor text?

 

[Hypersmurf]

"Burns" isn't conditional upon movement, it says so. What exactly is the effect of "burns"? No effect? Is that just flavor text?

Well, for a start, it's appearing there as an intransitive verb. It's not burning [something], it's just burning.

But if you're looking for an effect - it ignites things it touches. That's an effect of 'burns', if you like.

And if it moves, it also deals damage to a creature whose square it enters!

-Hyp.

 

[LeapingShark]

Okay, makes sense.

 

[LeapingShark]

One more question.

It ignites flammable substances it touches and illuminates the same area as a torch would.

So, it doesn't actually ignite things unless you direct it to strike the substance. If I see a torch 30' ahead and I direct the sphere to go strike it, and the sphere moves 30', rolling over a stack of matches, a pile of crumpled papers, and a mound of gunpowder, nothing is ignited except the torch. Or is it the opposite, it can ignite substances all along it's path to a target, igniting matches, etc, including creatures' hair and clothes with all the usual effects of catching (normal) fire.

 

[Hypersmurf]

Or is it the opposite, it can ignite substances all along it's path to a target, igniting matches, etc, including creatures' hair and clothes with all the usual effects of catching (normal) fire.

If it rolls over them, it ignites them. If it jumps over them, it doesn't.

Interestingly, I don't think I've ever seen this applied for Flaming Sphere:
Catching on Fire
Characters exposed to burning oil, bonfires, and noninstantaneous magic fires might find their clothes, hair, or equipment on fire. Spells with an instantaneous duration don’t normally set a character on fire, since the heat and flame from these come and go in a flash.

Characters at risk of catching fire are allowed a DC 15 Reflex save to avoid this fate. If a character’s clothes or hair catch fire, he takes 1d6 points of damage immediately. In each subsequent round, the burning character must make another Reflex saving throw. Failure means he takes another 1d6 points of damage that round. Success means that the fire has gone out. (That is, once he succeeds on his saving throw, he’s no longer on fire.)

A character on fire may automatically extinguish the flames by jumping into enough water to douse himself. If no body of water is at hand, rolling on the ground or smothering the fire with cloaks or the like permits the character another save with a +4 bonus.

Those unlucky enough to have their clothes or equipment catch fire must make DC 15 Reflex saves for each item. Flammable items that fail take the same amount of damage as the character.

Flaming Sphere is a noninstantaneous magic fire. Should it be setting people alight more often?

-Hyp.

 

[LeapingShark]

Well what the heck do you think I have been asking about all through the last 3 posts?? ya, that's "Catch On Fire", the effect caused by burning things with fire.

Back to the original question then. The "effect" statblock for Flaming Sphere reads: "5' diameter sphere", and we know it burns (burns nothing in particular) even while at rest, but shouldn't this ambiguous "burn" equate to "fire", fire that would apply to new characters or objects if they move into an "idle" sphere's area of effect? Shouldn't they be subject to the regular effects of normal nonmagical fire?

 

[Hypersmurf]

Shouldn't they be subject to the regular effects of normal nonmagical fire?

Perhaps, but it's DC15, not the DC of the spell, to avoid catching alight

If the sphere moves into someone's square, and they make the DC18 (say) save to avoid the 2d6 damage, do they need to make a separate DC15 save to avoid catching alight?

-Hyp.

 

[LeapingShark]

Perhaps not if he's a bald, naked character...
*leaving the spell behind for a moment to sidetrack with fire rules*

The "Catching On Fire" rule only refers to hair, clothes, or equipment catching fire. If a bald, naked character is exposed to: burning oil, a bonfire, or a noninstantaneous magic fire; is he even at risk of catching on fire? How about a "monster" without hair, clothing, equipment?

 

[Klaus]

Human skin isn't combustible (when you barbecue you expose the meat to the heat, but it doesn't burst into flames even if you set it within the flames). So while a naked, hairless creature might take damage from fire (to rather unsavory areas, I might add), it won't "catch" on fire without a combustible applied.

 

[Caliban]

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

Nah, I'm the DM. I win.