otilukes resilient sphere and wall of force...

[00durrin]

I have questions about the above spells.
If you're on a ship and trap someone within otilukes resilient sphere and push it into the water...does it sink?
he'd get a reflex save regardless to do what? jump out of the way of the forming sphere? does reflex negate it forming or just him being in it? if it is him jumping out of the way, what if he's already moved that round and moving beyond the sphere would make him move more than his movement rating?
also, what does it mean when it says that nothing can go through the sphere? can you cast dominate person at someone in the sphere? what if they're already dominated...can your thoughts go through the sphere to control them?
now what about wall of force...if you make a hemisphere can you stand it on end? so that it's like this.... ) would that have the same effects as a "shield" spell if you stood behind it. i suppose it'd provide full cover. What if you stand in the half bubble and a fireball hits the outside...are you affected at all? i.e. will it wrap around?
if i cast wall of force as a hemisphere that's over me like a dome...what spells would work on people outside? technically the ground and underneath isn't affected by the spell...ie if you were ethereal you could get out cause you could go through the ground. what if you cast magic jar? would your soul (which i assume can go through the ground) be able to go switch places with them while your body was protected in the hemi?
sheesh i know that's a lot of questions but inquiring minds want to know. please tackle any that you can

 

[Taren Seeker]

Your best bet is to review the Line of Effect rules in the Magic section of the PHB. (in the beginning before the spells).

Quick summary is that you need at least one square foot of clearance before you can affect an area with a spell. Some spells do not require line of effect, like teleport, but most do.

So in both cases, you could not dominate someone or Magic Jar them.

 

[00durrin]

thanks, that answers a few of the questions...still a lot left though!

 

[tburdett]

I have questions about the above spells.
If you're on a ship and trap someone within otilukes resilient sphere and push it into the water...does it sink?
he'd get a reflex save regardless to do what? jump out of the way of the forming sphere? does reflex negate it forming or just him being in it? if it is him jumping out of the way, what if he's already moved that round and moving beyond the sphere would make him move more than his movement rating?
also, what does it mean when it says that nothing can go through the sphere? can you cast dominate person at someone in the sphere? what if they're already dominated...can your thoughts go through the sphere to control them?
now what about wall of force...if you make a hemisphere can you stand it on end? so that it's like this.... ) would that have the same effects as a "shield" spell if you stood behind it. i suppose it'd provide full cover. What if you stand in the half bubble and a fireball hits the outside...are you affected at all? i.e. will it wrap around?
if i cast wall of force as a hemisphere that's over me like a dome...what spells would work on people outside? technically the ground and underneath isn't affected by the spell...ie if you were ethereal you could get out cause you could go through the ground. what if you cast magic jar? would your soul (which i assume can go through the ground) be able to go switch places with them while your body was protected in the hemi?
sheesh i know that's a lot of questions but inquiring minds want to know. please tackle any that you can

1) Sinking sphere. That's a DM call. I'd say yes, it would sink.

2) The reflex save is to avoid being caught within the sphere. The sphere forms whether or not the target is inside.

3) You do not lose an opportunity to make a reflex save just because you have already moved.

4) Hmm, nothing can go through the sphere. That's a tough one. Let's go with, NOTHING CAN GO THROUGH THE SPHERE.

5) No, you cannot cast spells through the sphere. Nothing means nothing. See the bold text in number 4 above.

6) Yes, a fireball would 'spread' around a wall of force if there is an open space there.

I'll leave the rest for someone else.

 

[Shayuri]

From the Force Sorceror...

Let me try to help. I enjoy the force spells as well, and they can be confusing.

We'll go point by point.

If you're on a ship and trap someone within otilukes resilient sphere and push it into the water...does it sink?

-- It's a question of buoyancy. Since a force construct weighs nothing (it's not really matter), I'd say it would float. Depending on how heavy a thing it was carrying, of course...a warrior in full plate armor with a huge sword or axe might sink. Especially if his barding-encrusted horse was with him.

he'd get a reflex save regardless to do what? jump out of the way of the forming sphere? does reflex negate it forming or just him being in it? if it is him jumping out of the way, what if he's already moved that round and moving beyond the sphere would make him move more than his movement rating?

-- Reflex saves are not considered part of ordinary movement, and can only be denied if the subject is immobile for some reason. A successful Reflex save means that the target of the spell got clear before the sphere formed, meaning that he's now outside the force sphere. With you. Oops.

also, what does it mean when it says that nothing can go through the sphere? can you cast dominate person at someone in the sphere? what if they're already dominated...can your thoughts go through the sphere to control them?

-- It means that the force barrier will stop a Line of Effect...it is in effect a solid barrier with infinite Hardness. Any spell that requires a line of effect to the target will fail to function through a force barrier. However, there is one notable exception, and that is gaze attacks. Trapping a basilisk in a force sphere actually HELPS the thing, since it can still gaze at you from inside, and you can't attack it anymore. Conversely, if you have Eyes of Charming or Petrification, you can do worse than encase yourself in force. Dominate Person requires a line of effect to cast, but NOT to maintain. In general, ask yourself, "Does this spell work right through a solid barrier?" If the answer is yes, it will probably work through a force wall.

now what about wall of force...if you make a hemisphere can you stand it on end? so that it's like this.... ) would that have the same effects as a "shield" spell if you stood behind it. i suppose it'd provide full cover. What if you stand in the half bubble and a fireball hits the outside...are you affected at all? i.e. will it wrap around?

-- I see no real reason you couldn't orient it like that, though keep in mind that a force effect IS subject to gravity, so it wouldn't stay like that unless held in position by something else. If you did hold it up, it would provide total cover for you (assuming it was larger than you are) in the same way that any large obstacle would. A fireball that detonates close enough to you to wrap around will do so...it will fill as much of the area as it can. If the dome is 5' "deep" and the fireball detonates 15 feet in front of you...you're safe, even if you're in the very front of the dome and would normally take damage. Any closer though, and the fire will "spill" in around the edge and getcha.

if i cast wall of force as a hemisphere that's over me like a dome...what spells would work on people outside? technically the ground and underneath isn't affected by the spell...ie if you were ethereal you could get out cause you could go through the ground. what if you cast magic jar? would your soul (which i assume can go through the ground) be able to go switch places with them while your body was protected in the hemi?

-- A force barrier is not selective...it doesn't care if you're inside or out. The same rules apply. You couldn't Magic Jar into an object outside the force barrier, because that spell requires a line of effect. It's not a limitation of your soul, it's a limitation of the magic. Yes, you could escape out the floor if you could turn incorporeal or ethereal...just as things can get INTO it through the floor. As noted, the only exception to the line of effect rule is gaze attacks, be they natural or magical. They can freely pass in and out of the force wall.

I'm rather fond of combining Otiluke's Telekinetic Sphere and Eyebite myself. Very effective against opponents who can't cast Disintegrate. You use your non-gaze actions to buff up so that when the sphere's duration ends, you're ready for a tussle. Ideally, a significant amount of opposition is charmed, scared, sleeping, or whatnot by then.

Just watch out for mirrors.