Horrid Wilting

[Patryn of Elvenshae]

If we do assume some sort of flammable liquid (aka Moisture) for HW to affect is within a Fire Elemental (and I do not, Elemental Fire is pure fire that burns without fuel or air, read the EPoF description), then when HW evaporates it, it will become a powerful explosive, and turn any Fire El into a fuel-air bomb.

Another non-sequitor. The one does not flow from the other.

We aren't talking about the moisture in the Fire Elemental being fuel.

We are talking about a Fire Elemental being comprised of liquid, gaseous, and solid fire - just like the Elemental Plane of Fire.

 

[ZuulMoG]

Except that fire is not solid, liquid, or gas. It is plasma, the Other White (state of) Matter.

Let me ask you this:

Why are you so invested in the concept of a water-purging spell doing damage to a creature made of water's anathema? The element's of fire and water are in opposition, as are earth and air. What hurt's one help the other. Horrid Wilting should act as a Mass Heal for Fire Elementals instead of damaging them. THAT's a reasonable extrapolation from the fact that HW has an increased effect upon WE's. Turning them into bombs is a reasonable extrapolation of the unreasonable assumption that because there's nothing that specifically denies that HW affects FE's, they must have some sort of liquid in them.

 

[Saeviomagy]

Why are you so invested in the concept of a water-purging spell doing damage to a creature made of water's anathema? The element's of fire and water are in opposition, as are earth and air. What hurt's one help the other. Horrid Wilting should act as a Mass Heal for Fire Elementals instead of damaging them. THAT's a reasonable extrapolation from the fact that HW has an increased effect upon WE's. Turning them into bombs is a reasonable extrapolation of the unreasonable assumption that because there's nothing that specifically denies that HW affects FE's, they must have some sort of liquid in them.

I think that the idea is to look at what happens within the rules and make a case to justify not changing that arbitrarily.

The other side of the case is to make what is defined within the rules ridiculous, and therefore necessitating change.

Personally I think the "stick with the rules" crowd is on the winning side of the argument.

The "turn wilted fire elementals into some sort of whacky weapon" camp is not really even in the running, nor is "mass heal for fire elementals".

Finally - in D&D, the anathema to a fire elemental is cold, not water. Water elementals have no additional effect vs a fire elemental, nor vice versa. Cold, otoh, does 50% more damage to a fire elemental.

 

[Shadowdweller]

Personally I think the "stick with the rules" crowd is on the winning side of the argument.

Except that following the RAW literally and without SOME regard for the big picture leads to all sorts of silliness. Such as legions of warriors carrying around containers of rats to improve their fighting ability (3.0 and 3.5 variations thereof). Notwithstanding that I've never, NEVER, met a play group that used 100% of the RAW anyhow...so it's not even an entirely reasonable thing to EXPECT either. Particularly with respect to certain parts of the rules (Diplomacy being a common one).

(However unpopular this might make me here)

 

[werk]

Except that following the RAW literally and without SOME regard for the big picture leads to all sorts of silliness.

I believe the silliness comes in when you try to simulate reality or to apply physics or science to the game. If you follow RAW, it targets and damages living creatures, which they are, definitively. That's the only argument, all the moisture talk is assumtion and wild speculation.

 

[ThirdWizard]

Except that fire is not solid, liquid, or gas. It is plasma, the Other White (state of) Matter.

How does plasma do bludgeoning damage when it strikes you?

 

[Patryn of Elvenshae]

Except that fire is not solid, liquid, or gas. It is plasma, the Other White (state of) Matter.

Plasma? What the heck are you talking about?

There are *4* elements in the D&D world, not 200+. Any assumptions based on the existence of electrons, DNA, or other real-world scientific phenomena are immediately off-base.

Fire isn't made of superheated, disassociated electons and atomic nuclei. Fire is made of fire. End of story.

 

[werk]

Plasma? Fire is made of fire. End of story.

And fire tastes like burning...

 

[Chacal]

Except that following the RAW literally and without SOME regard for the big picture leads to all sorts of silliness.
(However unpopular this might make me here)

Ditto. And it applies to much more than just RPGs.


Chacal

 

[dedicated]

two things, I think the reason people keep coming up with the whole water=moisture thing is because it's a water domain spell

and two, how would anyone know what pure fire is? It's always mixed with air in our world.