Lava - What is it?

[Ogrork the Mighty]

If you had to classify lava as either fire or earth/stone/water, which would it be?

 

[javcs]

A mix between fire and earth/stone in game terms - I believe that there is a lava para-elemental, possessed of the earth and fire subtypes.

 

[Ogrork the Mighty]

There's a spell (from Frostburn, of course!) called flash-freeze (p. 94) that only affects earth, stone, and water so I'm contemplating whether to allow it to affect lava.

 

[javcs]

Away from my books ... what does it do?

 

[Ogrork the Mighty]

Basically it causes the material to instantaneously freeze (surprise!). 10-ft. square per level to a depth of 1 foot.

 

[javcs]

Hmm, as long as it's only temporary, I'd let it.
Maybe even if it were permanent, but there'd have to be a good reason ... and maybe metamagic involved.

 

[James McMurray]

Lava is molten rock, so the spell should affect it.

 

[Sejs]

Basically it causes the material to instantaneously freeze (surprise!). 10-ft. square per level to a depth of 1 foot.

I'd say Lava is stone, and thus the spell would affect it.


Very, very briefly. Unless that's a shallow pool of lava, the frozen stuff's going to get get heated back up by the surrounding lava right quick.

 

[Nonlethal Force]

I didn't vote, because in the MotP there are magma para-elementals. Magma is pretty darn close to lava. Magma elementals are both earth and fire subtype. So on that account, I would let the spell effect a magma/lava creature if the spell effects either earth or fire.

In the Draconomicon there are Magma drakes. They are also both earth and fire. I'd treat them the same.

You can't call lava one or the other. It is both earth and fire - the precedent has already been established by WotC. Any spell that affects either earth or fire should effect lava, right?

EDIT: Of course, if the spell specifically mentions that it doesn't ever affect fire, then I would not allow the spell to affect lava/magma. After all, lava/magma would be both earth and fire in my book. A specifically called out exception would always trump a general assumption of inclusion in my book.

 

[Cheiromancer]

Something that freezes ordinary rock shouldn't also be able to freeze lava. It's not like Frostburn spells are underpowered and need an extra boost.