Want to make sure I understand this. Sound actually doesn't go through the area it is not just suppressed in the area so that it starts back up on the other side. Correct?
So if we cast silence on the rogue. He walks down the tunnel 30 ft in front of the rest of the group. Then someone out in front of the rogue can not hear the rest of the group talking, the clanking fighter, or the wizard casting fireball to send down through the silenced area.
This is valid isn't it?
If the tunnel is not more than 30 feet wide the sound should not be heard on the other side of the tunnel.
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Want to make sure I understand this. Sound actually doesn't go through the area it is not just suppressed in the area so that it starts back up on the other side. Correct?
So if we cast silence on the rogue. He walks down the tunnel 30 ft in front of the rest of the group. Then someone out in front of the rogue can not hear the rest of the group talking, the clanking fighter, or the wizard casting fireball to send down through the silenced area.
This is valid isn't it?
i would agree with you in a tunnel of 30-35ft wide&height yes.
Ok, thanks. That's the way I thought of it.
A couple yearas ago I played with a guy that said it was just suppressed in the area of effect. So the sound started up again past the area. Made the spell much less useful.
thanks.
Want to make sure I understand this. Sound actually doesn't go through the area it is not just suppressed in the area so that it starts back up on the other side. Correct?
So if we cast silence on the rogue. He walks down the tunnel 30 ft in front of the rest of the group. Then someone out in front of the rogue can not hear the rest of the group talking, the clanking fighter, or the wizard casting fireball to send down through the silenced area.
This is valid isn't it?
You are correct that sound does not go "through" the area of effect.
However, why are you assuming that the stone walls of the dungeon are soundproof? Or, why would you assume that there is no other medium for sound to travel through the walls (vents, holes in dungeon walls, etc.)?
I think it's a very clever use of silence, and I would likely adjudicate anywhere from a -5 to a -20 penalty on the listener's perception check, depending on how the listener was "listening" (tremorsense, for example, psionic powers like "hear light," etc.), the construction of the dungeon, how much noise your party was making, etc.
In order to completely negate any sound from your party, I'd rule that your party would have to stay inside the silence spell's area of effect.
Note that I'd also adjudicate some amount of perception penalty to the rogue, since he'd effectively be completely deaf.
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Not sure how often this comes up, but there can be ambient sounds in an environment that become familiar to whoever lives there (air flow, dripping water, etc.). If those ambient sounds are suppressed, it will alert them that something is amiss.
So sometimes, a silence spell can actually give you away.
Just something to keep in mind.
..However, why are you assuming that the stone walls of the dungeon are soundproof? Or, why would you assume that there is no other medium for sound to travel through the walls (vents, holes in dungeon walls, etc.)?
I think it's a very clever use of silence, and I would likely adjudicate anywhere from a -5 to a -20 penalty on the listener's perception check, depending on how the listener was "listening" (tremorsense, for example, psionic powers like "hear light," etc.), the construction of the dungeon, how much noise your party was making, etc.
...Note that I'd also adjudicate some amount of perception penalty to the rogue, since he'd effectively be completely deaf.
I didn't bring it up because people seem to get irritated when i bring physics into magic discussion. However, if we are going to get all sciencey...
Sound or any other vibration does travel through solid objects. Actually better than in air. (Marble or metal is probably the best and wood or dirt is probably the worst sound conducting wall/floor material we are likely to encounter.) Two major factors:
1) Very nearly all (don't remember the %, but high) of the sound vibration occurs at or very near the surface. So if our 'silence plug' intersects the walls enough to block off the entire tunnel, then it will block almost all of those vibrations.
2) More sound signal strength survives the transition from air to stone than will survive the transition from stone to air. So any vibration that does go around the 'silence plug' will get damped even further.
A humanoid might be able to hear actual explosions or buildings collapsing, but that's about it. I would agree to still allowing a check with a huge penalty.
Feeling vibrations would be a bit different, but I could justify that even tremorsense would be greatly hindered, but most GM's and players are not physicist enough to understand it so I would not bring it up. I would agree tremorsense works fine. And we were not playing with psionics then.
I would say rogue does not even get a check for non-visual effects.
Not sure how often this comes up, but there can be ambient sounds in an environment that become familiar to whoever lives there (air flow, dripping water, etc.). If those ambient sounds are suppressed, it will alert them that something is amiss.
So sometimes, a silence spell can actually give you away.
Just something to keep in mind.
Very good catch! I did not think about this. I will have to consider this when using.