D&D 5E What is Force Damage?
Yaarel
He Mage
Fire element = lightning damage + radiant damage + fire damage
Electromagnetism is weird in D&D.
• The electromagnetic radiation is "radiant".
• The "electro" is "lightning".
• And the magnetic is "force".
Where the four alchemical elements correlate with states of matter, the alchemical element of "fire" correlates with plasma.
Medieval texts describe "the fire of the heavens", "the fire that burns fire", and even invisible "dark fire". These are surprisingly apt descriptions of plasma. The sun and stars are plasma, also lightning to some degree. The socalled dark fire corresponds to the invisible plasmosphere around the planet of Earth, between the earth and moon.
Plasma is when protons lose their electrons, thus becoming ions with electrical charge, but existing in a somewhat stable state. The behavior of plasma responds mainly to any electrical and magnetic fields.
Thus in D&D, plasma has qualities that relate "lightning" as well as the sun, even tho sunlight itself is photons relating to "radiant".
For this reason, I equate the D&D element of "fire" with several damage types:
Fire element =
• fire damage (heat burns, hot substance includes thermal radiation of photons)
• lightning damage (electricity and ionic plasma)
• radiant damage (photons, laser)
Note nuclear radiation includes photons and electrons and ions, thus is both lightning and radiant.
Electromagnetism is weird in D&D.
• The electromagnetic radiation is "radiant".
• The "electro" is "lightning".
• And the magnetic is "force".
Where the four alchemical elements correlate with states of matter, the alchemical element of "fire" correlates with plasma.
Medieval texts describe "the fire of the heavens", "the fire that burns fire", and even invisible "dark fire". These are surprisingly apt descriptions of plasma. The sun and stars are plasma, also lightning to some degree. The socalled dark fire corresponds to the invisible plasmosphere around the planet of Earth, between the earth and moon.
Plasma is when protons lose their electrons, thus becoming ions with electrical charge, but existing in a somewhat stable state. The behavior of plasma responds mainly to any electrical and magnetic fields.
Thus in D&D, plasma has qualities that relate "lightning" as well as the sun, even tho sunlight itself is photons relating to "radiant".
For this reason, I equate the D&D element of "fire" with several damage types:
Fire element =
• fire damage (heat burns, hot substance includes thermal radiation of photons)
• lightning damage (electricity and ionic plasma)
• radiant damage (photons, laser)
Note nuclear radiation includes photons and electrons and ions, thus is both lightning and radiant.
Yaarel
He Mage
Plane of Positive Energy
D&D positivity is something like:
Where mass is actually energy (e=mc^2), positivity from the positivity plane is something like the energy that all things are made out of.
Maybe D&D can understand this abstract energy as a property of radiant damage. But then surprisingly, positivity becomes an aspect of the Fire element.
D&D positivity is something like:
Where mass is actually energy (e=mc^2), positivity from the positivity plane is something like the energy that all things are made out of.
Maybe D&D can understand this abstract energy as a property of radiant damage. But then surprisingly, positivity becomes an aspect of the Fire element.
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Sword of Spirit
Legend
I think of it like magicka damage in older Elder Scrolls games.
In 3e it was kind of like bludgeoning but from a spell rather than a weapon. I think that identification is something fellow grognards might assume, but which isn’t really compatible with 5e, where telekinetic attacks tend to actually deal bludgeoning damage rather than force.
In 3e it was kind of like bludgeoning but from a spell rather than a weapon. I think that identification is something fellow grognards might assume, but which isn’t really compatible with 5e, where telekinetic attacks tend to actually deal bludgeoning damage rather than force.
Yaarel
He Mage
Thunder damage includes both sonic vibration as well as "concussive blast" "detonation" explosions.
The classic explosion scene that throws everything in different directions in a ball of fire, includes both fire damage and thunder damage (and bludgeoning damage from banging into things if thrown).
I also use thunder damage to represent pressure damage, such as in the high pressure of the deep ocean or the low pressure in the vacuum of space.
As mentioned earlier, telekinesis normally does "force" damage, but can deal "bludgeoning" damage if using telekinesis to hurl a rock at someone, or hurling someone at a wall.
The classic explosion scene that throws everything in different directions in a ball of fire, includes both fire damage and thunder damage (and bludgeoning damage from banging into things if thrown).
I also use thunder damage to represent pressure damage, such as in the high pressure of the deep ocean or the low pressure in the vacuum of space.
As mentioned earlier, telekinesis normally does "force" damage, but can deal "bludgeoning" damage if using telekinesis to hurl a rock at someone, or hurling someone at a wall.
Mind of tempest
(he/him)advocate for 5e psionics
so like the magical equivalent of atomic damage?
Clearly, Force Damage is just Magnets.
After all, if magic isn't wires or optical illusion it's usually magnets.
More seriously: Force Damage is pure magic. It's not fire or radiation or ice or bludgeoning someone with a spellbook. It's raw power in the sense of mystical rather than electrical power, kinetic transfer, or otherwise.
Describing it in terms of real world Physics is like trying to describe a Goblin's Genetics. It doesn't -really- exist so we can't -really- get into it.
And no. Trash Goblin Cat genetics don't count.
After all, if magic isn't wires or optical illusion it's usually magnets.
More seriously: Force Damage is pure magic. It's not fire or radiation or ice or bludgeoning someone with a spellbook. It's raw power in the sense of mystical rather than electrical power, kinetic transfer, or otherwise.
Describing it in terms of real world Physics is like trying to describe a Goblin's Genetics. It doesn't -really- exist so we can't -really- get into it.
And no. Trash Goblin Cat genetics don't count.
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