How do we know that is a sphere of annihilation?

[Infiniti2000]

Well, the provision is, as with all things, provided that it's done well and consistantly. Not all winging it is bad, just as not all by-the-numbers running is good. The focus should always be, like you said - the fun of the game. *nod*

Well, based on Question it worked out in the end (with apparently the DM winging it to not be a sphere of annihilation after all). However, I certainly hope that there's no need for consistency with regards to a sphere of annihilation. That would mean multiple PCs touch their weapons to it and get sucked in! TPK's can be fun, though, and I have to admit that everyone "jumping in" to a sphere of annihilation like moths to a bug light has quite a bit of humor value.

 

[merelycompetent]

Heh the party is in an extra-dimensional space with weird properties. The whole party is jumping through the portal now.

Cripes. I hope someone at least sent a familiar through first.

Wizard PC: "Did I lose any XP?"
DM: "Yep."
Wizard PC: "(censored)!!!"
Fighter PC: "Whew! That was close! ... Say, why are you so upset? It was just a stupid toad."
Wizard PC proceeds to explain the loss/benefit ratio of permanently losing about 1/5 your hp, non-healable, along with the XP hit...

 

[Infiniti2000]

Wizard PC proceeds to explain the loss/benefit ratio of permanently losing about 1/5 your hp, non-healable, along with the XP hit...

What, what what? Since when?

 

[merelycompetent]

What, what what? Since when?

IIRC, 3.0E, toad familiars granted +2 Con. In most cases, wizards don't have an especially high Con, so losing that +2 bonus meant losing 1hp/level - usually 1/4, 1/5 or 1/6 the wizard's total. IDHTBIFOM, so I might be mis-remembering. I left off the edition reference by mistake - my apologies. It's late, and I haven't had enough beer yet

(Btw, my fighter and the other player's wizard frequently had in character "discussions" like this. Another one went along the lines of, "Fireball first, THEN charge, you idiot!!" My poor fighter had a regrettable lack of intellectual development during mid-campaign.)

 

[VoidAdept]

"Fireball first, THEN charge, you idiot!!"

Lol, I'm sigging that one.

 

[Jack Simth]

IIRC, 3.0E, toad familiars granted +2 Con. In most cases, wizards don't have an especially high Con, so losing that +2 bonus meant losing 1hp/level - usually 1/4, 1/5 or 1/6 the wizard's total. IDHTBIFOM, so I might be mis-remembering. I left off the edition reference by mistake - my apologies. It's late, and I haven't had enough beer yet

At lower levels, it's still possible - as the Toad grants +3 HP, a Wizard with a Con bonus of +1, at 1st level, loses 3 of his 8 hp (4 1st +1 Con + 3 toad); at 3rd, that's 3 of his 15 hp (3 toad, 3 con, 4 1st, 2*2.5 2nd and 3rd)

 

[werk]

Heh the party is in an extra-dimensional space with weird properties. The whole party is jumping through the portal now.

Hehe, so you're in a weird extradimensional space and the only thing you can do is jump through a portal that may be a SoA?


Choo-choo!

 

[Infiniti2000]

merelycompetent: IIRC, 3.0E, toad familiars granted +2 Con.

Jack Simth: At lower levels, it's still possible...

Sure, but you said permanently. That toad could be raised and you'd get those HP back. You would lose the XP, though.

 

[merelycompetent]

Sure, but you said permanently. That toad could be raised and you'd get those HP back. You would lose the XP, though.

Poor choice of words on my part. I should have quoted the player directly, rather than paraphrasing. I would have loved to see the wizard try and talk a priest into casting Raise Dead/Resurrection/TR on... a toad!

Back to the OP: So, what happened?

 

[Jack Simth]

Sure, but you said permanently. That toad could be raised and you'd get those HP back. You would lose the XP, though.

Permanent != no recovery.

Ability drain is permanent. Some spells fix it, but without something coming along and making the drain go away, it will stay there.

Continual Flame is a Permanent spell. Once you successfully cast it on something, it will give off light forever... unless something disrupts or suppresses the spell.

The death of a familiar is permanent. Some spells fix it, but without something coming along and raising it, or the Wizard making a new one after a day and a year, it will stay dead.