What does On The Ground mean to you?

[Wolfwood2]

It might be appropriate to build it off the standard of Divination spells.

One inch of air or water, or 3 feet of organic material such as wood (or carpet) between the character and the soil/stone surface of the world will block the school from working.

Three feet of organic material is quite a lot, so carpets, wooden floors, grassy fields, and boots won't cause a problem. (Although fighting on a mound of corpses might.)

Metal and stone should count as part of the ground, as long as there are no layers of air or water in between the character and the world's surface

 

[Pyrex]

I agree with Wolfwood and the basic theory of "conduction".

In a boat on an underground sea == not "on the ground".

Standing on a carpet (while wearing boots) over a natural stone surface (above said cavern containing the underground sea even) == "on the ground"

 

[hong]

It might be appropriate to build it off the standard of Divination spells.

One inch of air or water, or 3 feet of organic material such as wood (or carpet) between the character and the soil/stone surface of the world will block the school from working.

Three feet of organic material is quite a lot, so carpets, wooden floors, grassy fields, and boots won't cause a problem. (Although fighting on a mound of corpses might.)

Metal and stone should count as part of the ground, as long as there are no layers of air or water in between the character and the world's surface

Sounds good to me. No mountain tombstone strike when standing on the 3rd floor of a building, d00d!

 

[Cheiromancer]

I'd say: not flying, not in a boat, not mounted or in a vehicle, not in a tree. But yes to everything else; I'd definitely say yes to any building. Especially one that is made of stone.

 

[Hammerhead]

I'd say: not flying, not in a boat, not mounted or in a vehicle, not in a tree. But yes to everything else; I'd definitely say yes to any building. Especially one that is made of stone.

Likewise. It's not like the Stone Dragon maneuvers are so powerful they need to be balanced by some weird restrictions.

 

[blargney the second]

I do not strike them in a house.
I do not strike them with a mouse.
I do not strike them here or there.
I do not strike them anywhere.

 

[Zaruthustran]

I'd say: not flying, not in a boat, not mounted or in a vehicle, not in a tree. But yes to everything else; I'd definitely say yes to any building. Especially one that is made of stone.

I'd rule the exact same way. Instead of defining what "on the ground" is, I'd put more effort into defining what it is not.

Swinging on a rope, jumping, flying, swimming, or riding on some contraption = not on the ground.

Feet planted solidly on a stable surface = on the the ground.

Weird cases like, say, balancing on a beam, climbing a tree, or standing on scaffolding... well, I suppose you could say situation that requires a balance or other skill check isn't a "solid" situation.

WAIT! Here's the test: if you could imagine lightning striking the character and conducting to the ground, then the definition is satisfied. Literally: if you're grounded, you count as being on the ground.

So floor 89 of Sharn, the lightning rail, the rooftop battle = yes. The boat = no.

-z

 

[Laman Stahros]

WAIT! Here's the test: if you could imagine lightning striking the character and conducting to the ground, then the definition is satisfied. Literally: if you're grounded, you count as being on the ground.

So floor 89 of Sharn, the lightning rail, the rooftop battle = yes. The boat = no.

-z

FYI, the lightning rail (from Eberron) floats inches above the ground (not touching rails like a modern train), so no, not grounded. Lightning can and has struck wooden ships. That is what St Elmo's Fire is, after all. Plus, water is an excellent conductor.

(20 years of electronics experience.) Lightning is a poor visual for the OP's issue. It is soooo unpredictable, after all.

 

[The Souljourner]

Are Stone Dragon maneuvers so powerful that we have to restrict them from being used in buildings or on boats? No, of course not, the "on the ground" restriction is for flavor purposes. I'm with Luke on this one - if you have two feet planted on a solid surface, whether it be a boat, wagon, 20th floor of a floating castle.... you're on the "ground".

Basically, I'd give it the most lenient ruling possible, because the rule is not there to screw the Stone Dragon player. It's there to be flavorful.... "oops, Zach, your character can't smash the guy with that maneuver, you forgot you're using your boots of flying, better find a place to land!" Not "Oops, Zach, we're in a wooden barracks, I guess you won't be using 1/2 your abilities this session".

There's no reason to screw the player, so why do it?

-Nate

 

[Deset Gled]

When you disarm an opponent, the weapon falls to the "ground". When riding on horseback, you get an attack bonus for being on higher "ground". A character with strength drained to zero falls to the "ground". A prone creature is on the "ground". A character can drag 5x their maximum load along the "ground". If a flying creature falls on the "gound", it takes falling damage. The fog of a Cloudkill spell rolls along the "ground". A character Commanded to "fall" falls to the "ground".

My point here, of course, if that D+D throws around the term "ground" to generally mean "whatever you are standing on". Unless the Bo9S abilities explicitly define "ground" and being something else, that's what I would interpret it to mean there.