Tenser's Floating Disk

[Patryn of Elvenshae]

I'll only do that if you promise to hold up a humorously-written sign before you fall, Luke.

 

[kyloss]

The version that you can ride on is called Drift Disc, it pops up in most of the drow books, If I recal it's second level.

 

[KarinsDad]

If the disk is three feet behind me, and I direct it to follow me at a distance of six feet but I do not move, does the disk move back three feet to create the required gap? Or does it remain in place until I move more than six feet away?

In other words, is the directed distance like a pole separating us, or a rope? The rope can only 'pull' the disk along, and allows slack. The pole can pull or push, and the distance is fixed.

If I'm walking north, with the disk following at a distance of three feet to the south, and then I turn around and face south, does the disk move to a position three feet north of me? If not, what happens when I start walking south? How far do I have to move before the disk will start moving again?

-Hyp.

Simple.

The rope.

The disc can follow. Period. Nothing in the spell indicates that the disc can move on its own outside of following.


"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."

You can change the interval, but the disc will not move away from you to acquire that interval because it can only follow (i.e. accompany) you.

Literally speaking.

 

[RigaMortus2]

Gives me a good idea... Phantom Steed + TFD (for your friend to sit on)... Quick travel time for small parties...

I wonder, can you have more than one TFD active at one time?

 

[Hypersmurf]

If not otherwise directed, it maintains a constant interval of 5 feet between itself and you.

You can change the interval, but the disc will not move away from you to acquire that interval because it can only follow (i.e. accompany) you.

So - I don't direct it otherwise. I'm walking north; the disk is maintaining a constant interval five feet south of me.

I turn around and walk two feet south.

Under the rope model, the Disk does not move. I have not 'directed it otherwise', therefore per the spell text it maintains a constant interval of five feet between itself and me.

Under the rope model, it's now three feet away from me. Per the spell text, it maintains an interval of five feet.

How can the rope model be true, if it says three feet, and the spell says five feet?

-Hyp.

 

[KarinsDad]

So - I don't direct it otherwise. I'm walking north; the disk is maintaining a constant interval five feet south of me.

I turn around and walk two feet south.

Under the rope model, the Disk does not move. I have not 'directed it otherwise', therefore per the spell text it maintains a constant interval of five feet between itself and me.

Under the rope model, it's now three feet away from me. Per the spell text, it maintains an interval of five feet.

How can the rope model be true, if it says three feet, and the spell says five feet?

-Hyp.

Fair enough.

We use the pole model and the disc maintains its distance.

If able.


If there is a wall in the way, will you agree that it will not move through the wall?


The disc maintains its distance, no matter what that distance may be.

If the disc is 5 feet away and you direct it to be 0 feet away, it comes up and "touches you".

As you try to get on it, it continues to back away from you. Still attempting to "touch you", but also still trying to maintain its distance.

Think of two magnets with the same polarity facing each other. They push away constantly, no matter how you try to put them together. With enough force, you can manage it, but the second you stop maintaining that force, they push apart again.

No matter how close you try to get on top of the disc, the "edge of the disc" tries to touch you if you specified an interval of 0 feet. The "edge of the disc" moves away from you if you move closer to it than the interval (either to right or left, depending on DM adjudication).


Now, this interpretation assumes that the sentence "If not otherwise directed, it maintains a constant interval of 5 feet between itself and you." is literally translated to mean the distance between you and the disc, not the distance between you and the center of the disc.


So, we allow the disc to move to follow and to move to get to the interval distance. But, the spell still does not allow the disc to have movement of its own not relative to following or maintaining the interval.

If you have an interpretation based on what the spell states that does allow for the disc to have movement outside of these guidelines, please let us know how that works.

 

[Patryn of Elvenshae]

The exact same way the rope model is true when you, with a speed of 30', tell the disc to remain at 5' from you and then you move 40'. The disc can't remain within 5' of you, because it can't move fast enough.

 

[dcollins]

Under the rope model, the Disk does not move. I have not 'directed it otherwise', therefore per the spell text it maintains a constant interval of five feet between itself and me...

My reading is that this is only within the context of its primary ability that it "follows you about". The ability to direct it, I think, would be limited to what distance it's following you (up to Close range). If you're walking towards the disk, then it's not in "following" state, and no direction is applicable.

 

[Fieari]

The disk hovers a fixed distance above the ground, correct? And it is possible to direct it to change the distance following you, correct?

What happens if you climb a tree and sit on a limb, then direct the disk to follow you at a distance of 0', in other words, to be positioned directly below you. This sounds so far to be completely within the bounds of what everyone has been saying the spell is capable of, yes?

And then you jump off the tree branch. Shouldn't you then land on the disk? Will it support your weight, or will it move out of the way as you come down?

Assuming that you say it supports your weight, if you now direct it to follow you at a distance of five feet, what happens? It should move away from the direction you are facing, shouldn't it? But you're on it, so you move too. If not, why not? Are you ruling that by directing it to follow you, now it suddenly becomes slippery and you slide off? Why? What would support that?

Somewhere in this line of reasoning, you disagree with me. Would you point out the spot where you no longer agree?

 

[Hypersmurf]

Assuming that you say it supports your weight, if you now direct it to follow you at a distance of five feet, what happens? It should move away from the direction you are facing, shouldn't it?

The argument is that when you direct the disk to alter its following distance, nothing happens until you start moving.

If the disk is five feet away, and I say "Follow me at a distance of ten feet", the disk does nothing. I move three feet further away (eight feet); the disk does nothing. I move three feet further away (eleven feet), and the disk moves one foot to follow me at a distance of ten feet.

I haven't asked yet what happens if I then say "Now follow me at a distance of five feet again". Does it move by itself to close that ten foot gap down to five feet? Does it do nothing until I start to move, at which point it immediately zips in five feet, then conforms to my movements?

-Hyp.