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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Celebrim" data-source="post: 6432260" data-attributes="member: 4937">For me, the answers to how you interpret the vague spaces in the rules have to conform to three guidelines.1) Never something for nothing.  Generally this means that you can never 'creatively' use a spell to avoid the existence of a fortune mechanic, or to change the level of effect of a spell.  You can't creatively use a ray of frost to become a sleet storm or a freezing sphere.  You might could creatively use it to become equivalent effects, but probably only by accepting some additional risk of failure.  True creativity is always defined by making use of what you have.    2) What must be good for the goose, must also be good for the gander.  Any attempt by a player to use a spell in a certain way implies the spell can be used against them in that way.  As such, any uses of a spell that PC's would object too if used against them, must not be allowed used against NPCs.  3) The interpretation must conform to and support the narrative created by the spell.  We must answer the question, "Just what is the spell?"Flaming sphere is generally seen as a spongy semi-solid ball of fire, considerably smaller in its solid form than 5' in diameter and so not filling up a space.  It burns whatever it is brought in contact with.  Depending on which edition you are talking about, it may or may not exude heat beyond its surface.I prefer to think of flaming sphere as being a somewhat viscous ooze of fire that prefers to retain a ball shape.   IT's effectively weightless.  It exerts insufficient force on an object bigger much than an insect or heavier than a feather to move it or harm it, save by the flames it exudes.  If pushed against an unyielding surface, it simply squashes a little.   If an unyielding object is pushed against it, it relatively easily pierces the surface just as the same sort of object would penetrate say newly stirred peanut butter.  It thus provides no real shield or obstacle to fire, though it of course could ignite objects that penetrate it and conceivably do enough damage to destroy small flammable objects before they went very far.  No significant strength is required to do this - though it might be an act of will power or courage if you track such things.Objects that touch the sphere are burnt.   Normally this happens as a result of a moving sphere impacting an object, but logically voluntary or involuntary movement to the location of the sphere produces the same effect - in terms of the fictional space the contact has still occurred and the object doesn't know how it occurred.   The sphere doesn't wink out of existence when it isn't its turn.   Thus, if you have to pass near the sphere, a reflex save is in order.  If you actually must move through the sphere - say the corridor is only 2' wide and 4' high - then logically you must touch the sphere and so forgo the save.  In general, if you are thrown or grappled into the sphere, the reflex save is not provided but the grappler must make a fortune test (probably contested).   If you are shoved or otherwise have some opportunity to control your movement, then the reflex save would be allowed.All the time.The total rules in use at a table are always much larger than the formally written down rules.  The fewer formally written down rules you have, the more the actual rules of the game exist in the head of the GM.   Formally written down rules are simply rules that the GM has communicated to the players (or sometimes just to themselves!) in a contractual form.  Some GMs prefer this, both for their own sanity and that of the players.  Other GMs prefer to keep the rules secret and fluid.The corollary to this is that in actual play, 'Rules Lite' is entirely hypothetical.  RPGs with small numbers of rules exist only in a hypothetical state.</blockquote>

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