Help with Flaming Sphere

[Plane Sailing]

My way of handling it is as follows. The caster attacks with it by attempting to move it into a targets square, the spongy ball of fire always bounces back into the square it attacked from (or in the direction it attacked from if it jumped (two things can't occupy the same space) and a reflex save is made to avoid taking damage from the flaming sphere. The target doesn't move. In the 100ft high pillar example the flaming sphere would bounce off him and fall 100ft down the pit whether he saves or not, it can't co-exist with his space, not can it bull rush him out of it. It spongily bounces off and falls, possibly burning him in the process.

By the same token, I allow the flaming sphere to act as a burning obstacle, possibly blocking a corridor. Anyone can attempt to move past it, making a Ref save to avoid touching it and taking damage (or if they can clear 5ft height through some means, jumping right over it). Grapplers could attempt to wrestly each other into it, etc.

This all seems in keeping with the intention and basic description of the spell to me, and makes sense, so I'm happy with it.

Cheers

 

[Veander]

I'd say that only when the caster is concentrating on their turn does this sphere do any damage or cause any heat to anything. If you move into a square it occupies you would find that touching the thing was harmless. It would feel like a sponge as described. Also if you threw anything into it while it was sitting there, nothing would catch fire. When the caster concentrates and uses the sphere, however, the ball becomes a "Catching on Fire" and fire damage sphere.

I came across this issue last Saturday night while DMing and the group and I agreed it was harmless when not being concentrated on. Thing is, a good gamer should run their characters as not knowing this until they discover it. Maybe spellcasters would know it and they would impart this information to the rest of the party - thus you have to let them know. But I had a troll dealing with the ball and he simply ran away until they moved the ball. They he charged back out and almost killed a PC (but thankfully I forgot the PC was Fighting Defensively and got the AC wrong!).