"Shield Other" question

[Egres]

It looks to me like the source would be the Shield Other spell, since that is what is dealing the damage to the cleric.

IMHO the Shield Other spell transfers the damage.

This means that it's only a "bridge", not the source of the damage.

BTW, it seems that there's nothing in the RAW that can definitely answer my question. :\

 

[Markn]

IMHO the Shield Other spell transfers the damage.

This means that it's only a "bridge", not the source of the damage.

BTW, it seems that there's nothing in the RAW that can definitely answer my question. :\

OK, so what leads you to that conclusion? I'd like to know your line of thinking here so I can see where your coming from.

 

[BalazarIago]

It looks to me like the source would be the Shield Other spell, since that is what is dealing the damage to the cleric.

My understanding of the spell is as follows.

The target being shielded takes the damage. The damaged is reduced as per his defences. The remaining damage is then shared with the Cleric. The cleric does not reduce the damage because of any protections.

My reasoning is that the damage the Cleric is taking is "pain", not fire damage, or magical damage, or a slash damage or anything. He is sharing the pain of the target of the spell. Unless the target feels nothing, then they caster would share the pain.

I would extend this to a Troll fighter being hit and the damage is reduced to subdual. The cleric would receive half the subdual damage since he is suffering the same pain.

This would allow a Cleric who is immune to fire, to feel the pain of having his flesh burned.

 

[Egres]

OK, so what leads you to that conclusion? I'd like to know your line of thinking here so I can see where your coming from.

Mi line of thinking is linear and simple: the Shield Other spell doesn't specify that you can't reduce the transferred damage with DR, differently from the text of Empathic Transfer, and thus it simply "transfers" the damage dealt, without altering its source.

From the SRD:

some of its wounds are transferred to you.

 

[Lord Pendragon]

From the SRD:

some of its wounds are transferred to you.

Note that wounds are the result of damage already taken, not a cause of damage. I read it that the target takes damage appropriate to his defenses, then half of the wounds thus caused magically transfer to the caster. At the point that Shield Other comes into play, it doesn't matter what the cause of the wounds was, and the caster's defenses can't prevent them from being transferred in their entirety (half of them, anyway.)

 

[Egres]

Note that wounds are the result of damage already taken, not a cause of damage. I read it that the target takes damage appropriate to his defenses, then half of the wounds thus caused magically transfer to the caster. At the point that Shield Other comes into play, it doesn't matter what the cause of the wounds was, and the caster's defenses can't prevent them from being transferred in their entirety (half of them, anyway.)

They are immediately transferred; the caster never takes half of the original damage, and thus this leads me to the conclusion that the source is the original one.

However, as I wrote above, there's nothing in the RAW that can definitely answer to this question.

Maybe we need a FAQ.

 

[Markn]

They are immediately transferred; the caster never takes half of the original damage, and thus this leads me to the conclusion that the source is the original one.

However, as I wrote above, there's nothing in the RAW that can definitely answer to this question.

Maybe we need a FAQ.

Well, other than the one line (which is vague) and can be viewed as flavor text as opposed to spell ruling text there is very little supporting your view. It can be argued that since Shield other ignores damage type such as ability damage then it ignores hp damage type. Furthermore, since it fails to define the type then there is not type. I think we have been over this till the cows come home so we will have to agree to disagree.

I am curious as to what Hyp now thinks after this thread.

EDIT: BTW, even if we agree on that line NOT being flavor text it still doesn't support the view that the type of damage matters. It transfers damage, it says nothing about type and that is the crux of the issue.

 

[pogre]

Amazingly, this very issue came up in my game the other night. I ruled the cleric took "pain" damage. That is the fighter he was shielding, reduced the damage with his resisitances, but the buffs cast on the cleric did not matter. I wonder if I got it right?

I blew a ruling on shield other in another way, but as it was in the polayer's favor - no harm done.