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The disks only follow the casting wizard
This actually doesn't make sense.
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.
There's two reasons why being able to direct it to move is the only reasonable reading. First off, since it is capable of following you at your move speed, you need to contrive some pretty weird circumstances for it to exceed spell range. It is, however, very easy to simply direct the disk to exceed spell range. Occam's razor tells us that it is likely that it is directable.
If it is not directable, then why is the phrase "if not otherwise directed" in the description? The note about what it does when it is not directed implies that it is capable of being directed.
Now that we have established the fact that you can direct it. There is nothing stopping you from simply sitting on it. There is nothing stopping you from directing while you are sitting on it. Now you sit on it and direct it to move "that way". This is not hard.
If it is not directable, then why is the phrase "if not otherwise directed" in the description? The note about what it does when it is not directed implies that it is capable of being directed.Now that we have established the fact that you can direct it. There is nothing stopping you from simply sitting on it. There is nothing stopping you from directing while you are sitting on it. Now you sit on it and direct it to move "that way". This is not hard.
The fact it can be directed does not inform you how it can be directed. I think the fact that it "accompany" you and that it "maintains a constand interval" could be interpreted as the "direction" still have to stay in those parameters - you may augment or close the interval, and it will still accompany you, but that is the amount of control you have regarding the disk, whose position must still be relative to yours.
If you sit on the disk and move it, you are thus sending it away from you. So there is tree results I can see:
1) it gets away from you by repulsion, like the two poles of a magnet, leaving you into place, falling to the ground.
2) the movement is compensated - because it cannot get away from you, it stands still.
3) cascade effect - it is getting away from you, but as you stay on, it will continue to try to get away, moving you along.
So, I don't think the wording is of any help here, as there is as many good reasons to go for each solution.
If you can't find the anwser in the wording, next step is to look at the ruling - meaning, the power level of the spell. I would rule, as it has been pointed out before, that the effect may be sligthly too powerfull for level 1, so I would rule it out and make it a second level spell (with maybe, a 10' bonus to deplacement, and a five foot height for making it on par with other second level spells.)
Or, more simply, ask your GM.
I disagree. You can direct it to be still... step up onto it (assuming your CL is high enough to bear your weight!) and then...
Hold on tight...
COMMAND IT TO MOVE TO A DISTANCE FIVE FEET AWAY FROM YOU!
WHOOOEEEEE!! WOOOOOO!
Every round it attempts to move five feet away from you. Lean to one side of the disk to turn.
...bzzzzzzzz...
i think what you need is Green goblins floating disc
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There's two reasons why being able to direct it to move is the only reasonable reading. First off, since it is capable of following you at your move speed, you need to contrive some pretty weird circumstances for it to exceed spell range. (my emphasis) It is, however, very easy to simply direct the disk to exceed spell range. Occam's razor tells us that it is likely that it is directable.
Weird circumstances like a first level wizard doing a double move or run. The disk only goes your normal move rate.
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I disagree. You can direct it to be still... step up onto it (assuming your CL is high enough to bear your weight!) and then...
Hold on tight...
COMMAND IT TO MOVE TO A DISTANCE FIVE FEET AWAY FROM YOU!
WHOOOEEEEE!! WOOOOOO!
Every round it attempts to move five feet away from you. Lean to one side of the disk to turn.
...bzzzzzzzz...
Since it is now below you, it attempts to move 5' away by straight line, and grinds itself to the ground and fails.
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Since it is now below you, it attempts to move 5' away by straight line, and grinds itself to the ground and fails.
Or it just slips out from under you, depositing you on your keister.
Or you could get all wish-twisty and have it turn into a blade barrier or something the second it touches buttock. There's nothing in the rules preventing that. :)
However Forgotten Realms' Drow Matrons are using their floating disks SLA to sit on and move effortlessly.
furthermore, quoted srd says:
If not otherwise directed, it maintains a constant interval of 5 feet between itself and you.so RAW it's ok ..
I've read most (if not all) of the drizzt novels as well as other drow novels. I like drow. they amuse me. So, with just a shred of credibility..
The matron mother this is an item. It's basically a floating stone disk with a chair on it. Functionally it's very similar to floating disk, but it's also very similar to fly and levitate. I have no idea if it's arcane or divine. They elude to the fact that they have other powers, probably defensive in nature.
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If it is not directable, then why is the phrase "if not otherwise directed" in the description? The note about what it does when it is not directed implies that it is capable of being directed.Now that we have established the fact that you can direct it. There is nothing stopping you from simply sitting on it. There is nothing stopping you from directing while you are sitting on it. Now you sit on it and direct it to move "that way". This is not hard.
The fact it can be directed does not inform you how it can be directed. I think the fact that it "accompany" you and that it "maintains a constand interval" could be interpreted as the "direction" still have to stay in those parameters - you may augment or close the interval, and it will still accompany you, but that is the amount of control you have regarding the disk, whose position must still be relative to yours.
If you sit on the disk and move it, you are thus sending it away from you. So there is tree results I can see:
1) it gets away from you by repulsion, like the two poles of a magnet, leaving you into place, falling to the ground.
2) the movement is compensated - because it cannot get away from you, it stands still.
3) cascade effect - it is getting away from you, but as you stay on, it will continue to try to get away, moving you along.
So, I don't think the wording is of any help here, as there is as many good reasons to go for each solution.
If you can't find the anwser in the wording, next step is to look at the ruling - meaning, the power level of the spell. I would rule, as it has been pointed out before, that the effect may be sligthly too powerfull for level 1, so I would rule it out and make it a second level spell (with maybe, a 10' bonus to deplacement, and a five foot height for making it on par with other second level spells.)
Or, more simply, ask your GM.
Your argument hinges upon the description that comes after "if not otherwise directed" and therefore doesn't apply to when it is directed.
First I dont think you can direct the disc to move at all. All you can do is direct how far it stays from you. If you want the disc to move you have to move and let it follow you.
But then why does the spell talk about what it does when it is not directed?
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Its been a while since I've used this spell mostly because the other guy who DMs in the group frowns at me whenever I do. The last time the argument came up about whether I could sit on it after I cast it, he listened to both sides of the argument and then decided against it. Primarily, I believe, because I described it as a Jetson's car.
Of course I've also inquired about stacking them before(Can I summon a floating disc 3 feet above a floating disc?) so I could put someone in the middle and get them down a trapped hallway that had ray attacks which shot from the ceiling, thinking the disc above them might give some sort of cover.
How I miss my 'outside the box' mage.
Its been a while since I've used this spell mostly because the other guy who DMs in the group frowns at me whenever I do. The last time the argument came up about whether I could sit on it after I cast it, he listened to both sides of the argument and then decided against it. Primarily, I believe, because I described it as a Jetson's car.
Of course I've also inquired about stacking them before(Can I summon a floating disc 3 feet above a floating disc?) so I could put someone in the middle and get them down a trapped hallway that had ray attacks which shot from the ceiling, thinking the disc above them might give some sort of cover.
How I miss my 'outside the box' mage.
I wouldn't rule disc stacking because I don't count discs as ground. Also if there were only rays coming from the ceiling, just 1 disc would do. Uncomfortable, but functional.
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I wouldn't rule disc stacking because I don't count discs as ground. Also if there were only rays coming from the ceiling, just 1 disc would do. Uncomfortable, but functional.Its been a while since I've used this spell mostly because the other guy who DMs in the group frowns at me whenever I do. The last time the argument came up about whether I could sit on it after I cast it, he listened to both sides of the argument and then decided against it. Primarily, I believe, because I described it as a Jetson's car.
Of course I've also inquired about stacking them before(Can I summon a floating disc 3 feet above a floating disc?) so I could put someone in the middle and get them down a trapped hallway that had ray attacks which shot from the ceiling, thinking the disc above them might give some sort of cover.
How I miss my 'outside the box' mage.
Well to give a more serious perspective on the situation, this was after the ruling came down that the disc had to follow me around so the idea had been to put the least survivable characters between the two discs and then dash as fast as I could to the other end of the hallway with the disc coming up behind him. I could have had someone crawl under it, but then I'd have to walk at their crawl speed and I didn't want to stay in the hallway that long.
As noted above though, this was my wizard with a flair for unconventional solutions, so I accepted that for every ridiculous thing he let me try I was going to get shot shot down just as many. I would have accepted him saying the first shield caused the disc to vanish anyway since its not exactly intended to act as a defensive system.
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Its been a while since I've used this spell mostly because the other guy who DMs in the group frowns at me whenever I do. The last time the argument came up about whether I could sit on it after I cast it, he listened to both sides of the argument and then decided against it. Primarily, I believe, because I described it as a Jetson's car.
I'd allow it, but only if you made the noise. :D
Seriously though, it's hardly a broken spell. Also, for those concerned about forward movement, simply add one Unseen Servant to push it.
The disk is made to float a certain distance above the ground, and since it's magic and has no mass. I would figure that if it was driven off a cliff, it would very rapidly drop to the point that it's supposed to be above the ground. If you were riding it, you would fall at standard speed, the disk would not slow your fall, it's not meant to.
I believe the disk poofs when it goes over a cliff. Also having the disk suddenly drop down makes it very very lethal. 100lb/level drops on you at greater than standard falling speed? That'll easily break the 20d6 cap.
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I believe the disk poofs when it goes over a cliff. Also having the disk suddenly drop down makes it very very lethal. 100lb/level drops on you at greater than standard falling speed? That'll easily break the 20d6 cap.
Well, only the massless disk falls faster than standard falling speed, even according to this interpretation (and it does poof if it falls out of range of the caster).
The stuff on the disk, including any riders, all falls at normal speed. Unless they're bound to the disk with sovereign glue.
That's a different can of worms.
Your argument hinges upon the description that comes after "if not otherwise directed" and therefore doesn't apply to when it is directed.
Your argument is "we don't know!" Mine is - "we don't know, but if we had to deduce according to the logic of what we know, and as the only think we know is how it acts when not directed, then we should deduce assuming the movement of the disk follows the same logic and physical parameters. From that deduction follows three incompatible conclusions (I then gave you), and so, in conclusion of my argument, I stated that we should reject attempts at deductions based ond the text because the results were inconclusives."
To that, you reply "but we don't know!"
Yeah. I know we don't know. It's at the beginning and at the conclusion of my argument. That is why I finished with "Ask your GM"
Please, read an argument and try to understand it before discarding it after the first sentence.