Searing Light

[Noctos]

Um, this isn't true. At all. You cannot simply alter your spell to have any effect you want. Some things are, simply, too powerful for the spell level.

wrong it only takes one year or research to reduce a spell lvl . you can turn meterswarm to a lvl one spell if you wanted to waste 9 years on it

 

[JamesonCourage]

wrong it only takes one year or research to reduce a spell lvl . you can turn meterswarm to a lvl one spell if you wanted to waste 9 years on it

Please show me where this is in a book. I'm sure elven wizards everywhere would love you forever.

Keep going.

I'd like to see his points actually refuted before he keeps going, but I'm not exactly opposed to him on going either.

 

[Pergentile]

I'd like to see his points actually refuted before he keeps going, but I'm not exactly opposed to him on going either.

Agreed. I really don't understand how the things (Other then the Teleport spell quote) you said were proper rebuttals of his points, but his arguments are VERY interesting to read, so please, have him continue.

@ Wish: If you're in a campaign where a DM lets the Wish spell make a moon sized mass move at those speed... I know its supposed to be a powerful spell, but seriously?

@ Skill Check: "Rediculous proportions" would have to be several thousand at least, even for an encouragable DM. Remember, you are working with calculations changing by fractions of seconds... thousands of them, and very VERY complex calculations to include the minimum dozens of variables.

@ Attack Rolls: I don't think you could use skill checks in place of attack roles considering the entire thing is a weapon intended to cause damage. Do you use "Profession: Archer" to make shots with your bow?

@ Russians: The Russians have computers that work at thousands of times the speed of a human mind while doing calculations, and have devices to find out the values of hundreds of variables. Get a Minor Deity to help you out maybe?

Regardless of all these points, I find the idea VERY interesting. Instead of having a moon sized mass with all the mirrors on it, have the mirrors all separately orbiting the planet, at a speed to keep them fixed above a certain place. This would take a lot of variables out of the situation and would make the innumerable calculations a manageable amount.
You would then be able to adjust each mirror separately, and as long as no outside force moved them, you could focus them on a city very realistically. If they ARE all on one mass, then you would just have to adjust them to focus on a point equal to the distance away the planet is, then just move the mass accordingly for a "Moving beam of death". You could keep it trained on a barren landscape while not in use as its "holster".
My god I want to see where this idea ends up...

 

[Dandu]

@ Wish: If you're in a campaign where a DM lets the Wish spell make a moon sized mass move at those speed... I know its supposed to be a powerful spell, but seriously?

Let's be clear here: a "moon sized mass" is not the same things as "a mass of equivalent size as the Earth's moon."

Mars, for instance, has two small asteroids as moons.

@ Skill Check: "Rediculous proportions" would have to be several thousand at least, even for an encouragable DM. Remember, you are working with calculations changing by fractions of seconds... thousands of them, and very VERY complex calculations to include the minimum dozens of variables.

Ever see Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home, aka the movie with whales and nuclear wessels? Spock calculates how to time travel using the sun as a gravitational sling shot using his brain so that the Enterprise crew can get back to the future? Not the Bird of Prey's computer, his brain.

I see it working something like that.

@ Attack Rolls: I don't think you could use skill checks in place of attack roles considering the entire thing is a weapon intended to cause damage. Do you use "Profession: Archer" to make shots with your bow?

Do you use an attack roll to aim an observatory's telescope?

@ Russians: The Russians have computers that work at thousands of times the speed of a human mind while doing calculations, and have devices to find out the values of hundreds of variables. Get a Minor Deity to help you out maybe?

For the record Pelor has an Int of 32. A wizard with an Int of 34 (18 base+5 level+5 inherent+6 enhancement). +3 to that if he's old.

Admittedly this is less than Boccob's Int of 50 without pulling shenanagans, but you are smater than several gods. Presumiably, minor deities as well.

My god I want to see where this idea ends up...

In your back yard, if I ever get it off the ground.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

Create Wonderous Item: A "dirty" version of Decanter of Endless Water. The Decanter of Endless Earth will produce dirt, rocks and boulders until you tell it not to.

Note to self: calling this the Matter Horn now.

 

[Pergentile]

Let's be clear here: a "moon sized mass" is not the same things as "a mass of equivalent size as the Earth's moon."

Mars, for instance, has two small asteroids as moons.

Clarification noted, I still stand by my statement. Deimos (The smaller moon) is still 5x6x7 kilometers in size. That is still too much for a Wish or any other similar spell to bring to thousands of kilometers an hour in speed.

Ever see Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home, aka the movie with whales and nuclear wessels? Spock calculates how to time travel using the sun as a gravitational sling shot using his brain so that the Enterprise crew can get back to the future? Not the Bird of Prey's computer, his brain.

(Sarcasm)Yes, because what a fictional character does in a space movie is legitimate grounds to judge what an extremely intelligent person is capable of...(/sarcasm) that is also a single unimaginably difficult calculation I assume, which means, with several hundred thousand Spocks, you are set to go!
Also, I have not seen the movie.

Do you use an attack roll to aim an observatory's telescope?

A telescope does not cause damage to what it views, nor is it intended to. Your connection is unrealistically far stretched. To answer the question: No, but it doesn't matter. If the Telescope were the scope for a weapon however, I would say yes, which is closer to the situation being discussed.

For the record Pelor has an Int of 32. A wizard with an Int of 34 (18 base+5 level+5 inherent+6 enhancement). +3 to that if he's old.

Admittedly this is less than Boccob's Int of 50 without pulling shenanagans, but you are smater than several gods. Presumiably, minor deities as well.

Ah sorry, I wasn't clear. Getting a minor deity to help you know all of the variables you would need to would be an option. Since the minor deity is able to be aware of hundreds of times more then what a normal person is, it isn't too much of a stretch to assume they can have a lot more parallel thought then a human (as in, can do hundreds of times the calculations simultaneously). Intelligence does not necessarily encompass abilities and things like this, and so saying someone with higher intelligence then a deity is just as good is... a stretch.

In your back yard, if I ever get it off the ground.

Well that didn't seem very friendly... unless you mean you are going to make an important NPC after me, in which case, I am honored. ^^


What about my suggestions to get it to work? Y U ONLY REPLY TO THE NEGATIVE CRITICISM?! I want to help, but if you simply refuse to see the flaws in your plan and acknowledge suggestions to get around them...

Edit: Although theory is one of my strong points, I am not all knowing for D&D. How would you deal with the environment of space/high atmospheric layers long enough to do all of this? Or would this be a "1 hour a day for several years" kind of thing? Even then what spells would you use?

 

[Dandu]

Clarification noted, I still stand by my statement. Deimos (The smaller moon) is still 5x6x7 kilometers in size. That is still too much for a Wish or any other similar spell to bring to thousands of kilometers an hour in speed.

What are the limits of a Wish spell?

(Sarcasm)Yes, because what a fictional character does in a space movie is legitimate grounds to judge what an extremely intelligent person is capable of...(/sarcasm)

In a fictional roleplaying game.

that is also a single unimaginably difficult calculation I assume, which means, with several hundred thousand Spocks, you are set to go!

Time travel in a Klingon ship not designed for time travel is likely to be much more than just a single unimaginably difficult calculation.

Also, I have not seen the movie.

It's on Netflix.

A telescope does not cause damage to what it views, nor is it intended to. Your connection is unrealistically far stretched. To answer the question: No, but it doesn't matter. If the Telescope were the scope for a weapon however, I would say yes, which is closer to the situation being discussed.

Alright, let's operate under the assumption that you must make an attack roll of some sort to hit.

Do you use Str, Dex, or Int for the attack roll? Does it factor off of BAB?

Ah sorry, I wasn't clear. Getting a minor deity to help you know all of the variables you would need to would be an option. Since the minor deity is able to be aware of hundreds of times more then what a normal person is, it isn't too much of a stretch to assume they can have a lot more parallel thought then a human (as in, can do hundreds of times the calculations simultaneously). Intelligence does not necessarily encompass abilities and things like this, and so saying someone with higher intelligence then a deity is just as good is... a stretch.

It's not just someone with high intelligence, but someone who also has the ability to warp reality with his high intelligence.

Well that didn't seem very friendly... unless you mean you are going to make an important NPC after me, in which case, I am honored. ^^

You're welcome.

What about my suggestions to get it to work? Y U ONLY REPLY TO THE NEGATIVE CRITICISM?! I want to help, but if you simply refuse to see the flaws in your plan and acknowledge suggestions to get around them...

I felt like addressing the problems with my idea first.

Thanks for the helpful suggestions. I did not mean to overlook it.

[quote[Edit: Although theory is one of my strong points, I am not all knowing for D&D. How would you deal with the environment of space/high atmospheric layers long enough to do all of this? Or would this be a "1 hour a day for several years" kind of thing? Even then what spells would you use?[/QUOTE]
Necklace of Adaptation allows you to survive in space.

There's also a lot of spells that would protect you, but I felt the Necklace was the most immediate example of a protective countermeasure.

 

[JamesonCourage]

What are the limits of a Wish spell?

What are the safe and reliable capabilities of a Wish spell?

In a fictional roleplaying game.

And thus anything is possible. However, some things are harder to do than others.

Time travel in a Klingon ship not designed for time travel is likely to be much more than just a single unimaginably difficult calculation.

Who knows, right? I'm pretty sure that's exactly the argument you'd make. Also, just because the difficulty of one thing (time travel) is astronomically difficult does not mean that something else (aiming the scope) is now within the realms of reliably achieving using the human mind alone.

Now, to be fair, if something like Limited Wish can guarantee you a hit, I imagine a Wish could probably help you aim the device well.

Alright, let's operate under the assumption that you must make an attack roll of some sort to hit.

Do you use Str, Dex, or Int for the attack roll? Does it factor off of BAB?

Ranged attack. BAB + Dex.

It's not just someone with high intelligence, but someone who also has the ability to warp reality with his high intelligence.

You're talking about magic. He can't do it with just his intelligence. Have him warp reality in an anti-magic field.

 

[krupintupple]

1) Select an un-errata'd Iron Heart Surge as one of your daily maneuvres
2) Claim that, due to your backstory, humanity has been negatively affecting you since you were born.
3) Activate surge, negate humanity, gain small bonus to next attack roll.
4) Profit!

 

[Dandu]

What are the safe and reliable capabilities of a Wish spell?

Well, replicating 8th level sorcerer/wizard spells or effects in line with those spells is a valid and safe use for Wish, correct?

If memory serves, there is a 7th level spell called "Reverse Gravity" that basically turns g from, say, 9.81 m/s^2 to -9.81 m/s^2, so messing around with gravity is certainly within the limits of the Wish spell.

And thus anything is possible. However, some things are harder to do than others.

Yes, but the point of bringing Spock into this was to show, through use of analogy in fiction, what people can accept highly intelligent characters as capable of doing, much like people who talk about what Ajax was capable of doing when discussing high level fighters.

You're talking about magic. He can't do it with just his intelligence. Have him warp reality in an anti-magic field.

Yeah, about that...