Sonic damage in Silence?

[Hypersmurf]

I disagree. It isn't entirely possible that we all agreed on anything while having a rules discussion over anything vague. That just doesn't happen on these boards.

Ah, but there was a window while it wasn't vague.

After the release of MaoF, and before the release of A&EG, the "sword that did Sonic damage" - a sword with the Screaming ability - quite explicitly functioned in a Silence spell.

During that window, I think people could have reached a consensus.

(Some might have said it was silly, and complained about MaoF being ridiculously overpowered, and cited spells like Firebrand as evidence, but probably would still have agreed that that was indeed what it said.)

-Hyp.

 

[(Psi)SeveredHead]

This is why I th ink silence should be an Abjuration spell, since illusions aren't supposed to be able to protect you from damage.

 

[Darklone]

(Some might have said it was silly

dibs! My Schtick!

..., and complained about MaoF being ridiculously overpowered, and cited spells like Firebrand as evidence, but probably would still have agreed that that was indeed what it said.)

-Hyp.

Yeah, but we can always whine and scream and tear out our hair and say we'll never game in the Realms anyhow.

 

[Scharlata]

I'd like to second with 3.0 info

Screaming: Upon command, a screaming weapon emits a low hum that is grating on the ears but does not harm the wielder. Screaming weapons that hit produce a louder high-pitched sound and deal +1d6 points of bonus sonic damage on a successful hit. Bow, crossbows, and slings with this ability bestow the sonic energy upon their ammunition. Screaming weapons do deal this bonus damage within a silence spell. Screaming weapons do not have any additional adverse effects upon creatures that use enhanced hearing, although such creatures dislike screaming weapons.
Caster Level: 10th; Prerequisites: Craft Magic Arms and Armor, shout or sound burst; Market Price: +1 bonus.
Source: Magic of Faerûn, p. 140

Screaming: Upon command, a screaming weapon emits a low hum that is grating on the ears but does not harm the wielder. Screaming weapons that hit produce a louder high-pitched sound and deal +1d6 points of bonus sonic damage on a successful hit. Bow, crossbows, and slings with this ability bestow the sonic energy upon their ammunition. Screaming weapons don’t deal this bonus damage within a silence spell. Screaming weapons do not have any additional adverse effects upon creatures that use enhanced hearing, although such creatures dislike screaming weapons.
Caster Level: 10th; Prerequisites: Craft Magic Arms and Armor, shout or sound burst; Market Price: +1 bonus.
Source: Arms and Equipment Guide, p. 97

There exists a third entry in Faiths and Pantheons, p. 22, but I can't lay my hands on it right now. Someone there who can?

Kind regards

 

[Irritating Stick]

This is why I th ink silence should be an Abjuration spell, since illusions aren't supposed to be able to protect you from damage.

I'm probably going to take crap for this, but whats the practical difference between Silence protecting you from sonic damage and spells like Mirror Image and Displacement protecting you from damage by not getting hit?

I mean, shouldn't Blur be an Abjuration spell, since it does the same thing as Entropic Shield (actually more, since Blur applies to all attacks)?

 

[James McMurray]

Blur protects you from attacks by visually changing the battlefield. Glamers only crete illusions, and can't change reality at all. Negating sonic damage is affecting reality, and gives the impression that you only take sonic damage if you think you hear the sound. Deaf people would then be immune to sonic damage, as they live in a state of permanent silence.

 

[(Psi)SeveredHead]

I'm probably going to take crap for this, but whats the practical difference between Silence protecting you from sonic damage and spells like Mirror Image and Displacement protecting you from damage by not getting hit?

James gave a good answer below.

Silence is creating a bubble of null-sound blocking both the perception and damaging effects of sound. An illusion that blocked sound would protect you from suggestion but not a horn of blasting.

I mean, shouldn't Blur be an Abjuration spell, since it does the same thing as Entropic Shield (actually more, since Blur applies to all attacks)?

Blur interrupts your opponent's ability to see, and can be seen through with true seeing.

 

[Staffan]

Why would it be mislabelled? Obviously the spell tricks sonic attacks into thinking they don't exist, and tricks people into thinking they didn't just get hit with a sonic attack.

Glamers (like silence and invisibility) and figments don't have anything to do with "tricking" things into "thinking" anything. They alter/create sources of sensory impressions, not the sensors themselves. In other words, a camera would be able to see a silent image but not someone under an invisibility spell, and a tape recorder would record the sound created by ghost sound but not any sound at all within a silence spell.

There's nothing mind-affecting about glamers or figments.

 

[James McMurray]

Whew! I'm glad that's cleared up. Otherwise someone may have taken my joke as being serious and thought I was really trying to argue that spells could trick other spells into thinking they don't exist.

 

[Scion]

remeber to use the [ joke ] tags and use at least 5x as many smileys!