D&D 3E/3.5 Questions for a Conjurer (3.5)

[Greenfield]

Not exactly. If that was the case there's be no way for you to ever put anything on it.

By default it stays five feet behind you, but you can direct it anywhere within spell range.

Floating Disk
Evocation [Force]
Level: Sor/Wiz 1
Components: V, S, M
Casting Time: 1 standard action
Range: Close (25 ft. + 5 ft./2 levels)
Effect: 3-ft.-diameter disk of force
Duration: 1 hour/level
Saving Throw: None
Spell Resistance: No
You create a slightly concave, circular plane of force that follows you about and carries loads for you. The disk is 3 feet in diameter and 1 inch deep at its center. It can hold 100 pounds of weight per caster level. (If used to transport a liquid, its capacity is 2 gallons.) The disk floats approximately 3 feet above the ground at all times and remains level. It floats along horizontally within spell range and will accompany you at a rate of no more than your normal speed each round. If not otherwise directed, it maintains a constant interval of 5 feet between itself and you. The disk winks out of existence when the spell duration expires. The disk also winks out if you move beyond range or try to take the disk more than 3 feet away from the surface beneath it. When the disk winks out, whatever it was supporting falls to the surface beneath it.
Material Component: A drop of mercury.

So long as you keep it within three feet of the ground and within spell range, you can direct it as you choose. Including, presumably, to sit still while you climb aboard.

The spell description doesn't actually say that it takes a standard action to direct it, but I'd hesitate to make it easier than the Greater version, so a Move Action would seem like the minimum.

The Greater version has a major difference: It doesn't need to stay close to the ground, so in theory you could climb aboard and ride it right up into orbit.

 

[Jacob Marley]

So long as you keep it within three feet of the ground and within spell range, you can direct it as you choose. Including, presumably, to sit still while you climb aboard.

But how do you move it after you have climbed aboard? From my reading of the SRD, it will follow you as you move (at no more than your normal speed), or you can direct it to maintain a particular interval between you and it (so long as it stays within range).

 

[Summer-Knight925]

dumb evocation and divination, hate to say it but knowing is half the battle that a conjurer shouldn't worry about

you can choose what you summon AND use some as pawns, perhaps keeps scrolls of certain summoning spells at hand that aren't normally useful (summon swarm when fighting spell casters comes to mind)

and evocation..well you have damage spells that are better than most evocation spells (if you have spell compendium, multiply that by 100, conjuration is now my favorite school)

going invisible is nice, but could be a waste of a spell slot, find a ring ASAP

also, remember you can cast spell through your familiar (something I always forget) AND the right feats make your familiar combat capable

as to how to take care of being not a combatant...youre a summoner, get a meat shield, maybe (at mid-to-high-levels) get a few magic items to send baddies away...or go invisible and hide...like a chess ninja...

the idea compliments itself, focus on conjuration and illusion, maybe a little bit of abjuration

but go for it, this character seems worthy of trying

 

[Greenfield]

The "Stay 5 feet away" and "follow you around" are the default settings, if you will, when it isn't being directed to move someplace else.

You can direct it anywhere within spell range, so long as it's never more than three feet off of a surface.

Since "under your butt" is within spell range, you can direct it's motion anywhere you like. It moves at your normal movement (but can't hustle or run), can climb slopes (I'd limit them to a 50% grade, or 45 degrees, as the dividing line between "horizontal" and "vertical".) Stairs of any grade at all are a series of horizontal surfaces, so they're no barrier. Not sure how DMs would feel about ladders and/or tightropes.

Because it requires constant attention, lest it try to move itself five feet away from you, I as a DM would call it a Standard Action to direct it, but that's just my opinion. YMMV, naturally.

 

[Visigani]

dumb evocation and divination, hate to say it but knowing is half the battle that a conjurer shouldn't worry about

you can choose what you summon AND use some as pawns, perhaps keeps scrolls of certain summoning spells at hand that aren't normally useful (summon swarm when fighting spell casters comes to mind)

and evocation..well you have damage spells that are better than most evocation spells (if you have spell compendium, multiply that by 100, conjuration is now my favorite school)

going invisible is nice, but could be a waste of a spell slot, find a ring ASAP

also, remember you can cast spell through your familiar (something I always forget) AND the right feats make your familiar combat capable

as to how to take care of being not a combatant...youre a summoner, get a meat shield, maybe (at mid-to-high-levels) get a few magic items to send baddies away...or go invisible and hide...like a chess ninja...

the idea compliments itself, focus on conjuration and illusion, maybe a little bit of abjuration

but go for it, this character seems worthy of trying

I don't think you CAN dump divination...

 

[StreamOfTheSky]

Nope, can't dump divination. And with nice spells like Unluck, See Invisibility, and Identify and the ability to drop a Wizard bonus feat to spontaneously cast ANY divination you know anytime you want (C.Champion alternate class feature)...why would you want to?

 

[Dandu]

I'm still not sold on Unluck, in that it requires someone to fail a will save so you can do nasty things to them. Alright, but if they're going to fail a save anyways, why don't I skip the middle man and cast a spell screws them over immediately when they fail a will save?

 

[StreamOfTheSky]

The thing with Unluck is...it's only level 3, it affects any creature type, and the penalty will mess up almost any kind of enemy. Some enemies aren't affected by blindness (extra sensory perception; or ability to make the room dark for everyone), or being limited to standard actions (casters), etc...

There's spells that will screw over a specific target without the right immunity better, but I think combined with the spontaneous divination alt. class feature, Unluck is a handy jackhammer for a problem when you don't have the perfect tool for it. And yeah, I know the wizard's supposed to be batman and all, but it never works out perfectly in game IME.

Divination has lots of other useful spells, in any case.

 

[Jacob Marley]

The "Stay 5 feet away" and "follow you around" are the default settings, if you will, when it isn't being directed to move someplace else.

You can direct it anywhere within spell range, so long as it's never more than three feet off of a surface.

Since "under your butt" is within spell range, you can direct it's motion anywhere you like. It moves at your normal movement (but can't hustle or run), can climb slopes (I'd limit them to a 50% grade, or 45 degrees, as the dividing line between "horizontal" and "vertical".) Stairs of any grade at all are a series of horizontal surfaces, so they're no barrier. Not sure how DMs would feel about ladders and/or tightropes.

Because it requires constant attention, lest it try to move itself five feet away from you, I as a DM would call it a Standard Action to direct it, but that's just my opinion. YMMV, naturally.

The bolded portion I do not fully agree with. Or, at least, I think that you are using a broader interpretation of "If not otherwise directed, it maintains a constant interval of 5 feet between itself and you." than I am willing to use. IMHO, "If not otherwise directed" refers specifically to the interval that can exist between itself and you. That interval can be anywhere from zero up to your maximum short range (maximum normal movement). I bolded the portion that stands out as relevent to me.

I am not so sure that I agree with the notion that I can direct the floating disk to be "under my butt" while simultaneously directing the disk to be thirty feet from me. IMHO, it needs to be one or the other.

But, as you said, YMMV.

 

[Summer-Knight925]

shhhhhh....