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<blockquote data-quote="Celebrim" data-source="post: 7692603" data-attributes="member: 4937">In that passage, Gandalf's flaming missiles don't explode.&nbsp; Instead, Gandalf's magically ignited pinecones seem to the in the story act more like napalm, creating magical flames that cling to whatever they ignite.There is no passage in which Gandalf casts a fireball, but the closest passage is in &quot;A Journey in the Dark&quot; just before Moria is entered, when the Fellowship is attacked by wolves.A close reading of the text shows that Gandalf was able to set things that were combustible on fire, but not to conjure flame in midair the way a D&amp;D evoker does.&nbsp; Nevertheless, Gandalf is (up to that point) one of the flashiest Wizards in literary history and I do think he sets the stage for the now common trope of the Wizard juggling fire.&nbsp;&nbsp; Gandalf seems to use fire specifically to counter wolves, perhaps because they fear it, or against Undead (like the Nazgul) because presumably they are specially injured by it.&nbsp; In most situations, Gandalf appears to prefer conjuring flashes of lightning.&nbsp; Since Chainmail gives the Wizard a lightning bolt spell, we can I think assume that at that point Gandalf still remains the archetype of a D&amp;D wizard.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="Celebrim, post: 7692603, member: 4937"] In that passage, Gandalf's flaming missiles don't explode. Instead, Gandalf's magically ignited pinecones seem to the in the story act more like napalm, creating magical flames that cling to whatever they ignite. There is no passage in which Gandalf casts a fireball, but the closest passage is in "A Journey in the Dark" just before Moria is entered, when the Fellowship is attacked by wolves. A close reading of the text shows that Gandalf was able to set things that were combustible on fire, but not to conjure flame in midair the way a D&D evoker does. Nevertheless, Gandalf is (up to that point) one of the flashiest Wizards in literary history and I do think he sets the stage for the now common trope of the Wizard juggling fire. Gandalf seems to use fire specifically to counter wolves, perhaps because they fear it, or against Undead (like the Nazgul) because presumably they are specially injured by it. In most situations, Gandalf appears to prefer conjuring flashes of lightning. Since Chainmail gives the Wizard a lightning bolt spell, we can I think assume that at that point Gandalf still remains the archetype of a D&D wizard. [/QUOTE]

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