Lava - What is it?

[Nonlethal Force]

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.

Hence why I personally didn't buy the book. Nothing in Frostburn is underpowered, is it?

 

[Arkhandus]

From the description, I get the impression that the designer's intent is that it can only freeze stuff that isn't normally hot. I say it doesn't affect lava. In D&D lava is a paraelemental combination of fire and earth, so it is not strictly earth or stone. Well, technically that's magma, but lava is just the name for magma that has reached the surface, it's the exact same thing. It's as much fire as not, and it's extremely hot, so no dice. Unless it's a 9th or epic level spell, in which case there might be fair reason to consider the possibility. Maybe a 7th or 8th level spell, but I dunno. Protection from Elements will only protect a single character from immersion in lava for 1-2 rounds; any spell of similar level is certainly not going to neutralize the heat of an entire mass of lava (even just a few feet deep) for more than a few seconds, and I doubt there'd be a 'freeze lava with ice' spell below 6th level at least (and only a very very brief freezing at 6th-level).

 

[glass]

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.

So it can't freeze rock unless it is already frozen?


glass.

 

[Cheiromancer]

When one talks of freezing the ground, it is usually the water in the soil that freezes. However, if you wish to insist that not-molten=frozen, be my guest.

 

[glass]

Forgive me for quoting you out of order...

However, if you wish to insist that not-molten=frozen, be my guest.

Er, is there any other definition?

When one talks of freezing the ground, it is usually the water in the soil that freezes.

IDNHMBIFOM, but according to the OP it says (amongst other things) rock, not ground. The only way you can freeze rock is if it is molten.

Of course, as others have pointed out, it would not stay that way very long. And it isn't a massively usefull application most of the time... AFAIK the spell says nothing about reducing the temperature below what is needed for freezing. Solid rocks at 2000 degrees aren't a huge improvement over liquid ones at 3000 in most cases.


glass.

 

[John Q. Mayhem]

Hence why I personally didn't buy the book. Nothing in Frostburn is underpowered, is it?

Well, the sugliin's seriously shaky-and EWP AND a special feat to wield a two-handed, 2d8/x2 weapon normally? Bollocks to that!

 

[The_Ditto]

I'd consider lava both [Earth] and [Fire] types - if necessary for matching with effects ..

In other words .. for that spell you mention .. yes, it would work because lava is an [Earth] effect ... (it's also fire, but you're spell doesn't care about that ..)

By also being a [Fire] affect, it would also affect a [Cold-subtype] appropriately ...

That makes the most sense to me ...

 

[James McMurray]

Forgive me for quoting you out of order...

Er, is there any other definition?

Generally speaking being frozen requires being really realy cold. Being non-molten just requires not being really really hot. For example, a front yard in mid Summer is neither molten nor frozen.

 

[lukelightning]

I agree that lava is earth+fire. In terms of D&D elementals, while I don't jive with zillions of elemental types—I hate it when people say any animated matter is an elemental—I'd say a "lava elemental" is an earth elemental combined with a fire elemental, perhaps even "possessed."

As for regular lava, I'd consider it stone for the sake of magical effects, e.g. stone shape or stone tell or even stone to flesh. Now that would be one gross lava flow.

 

[RigaMortus2]

Where's the option for "liquid hot magma"?