Is Levitate an all or nothing spell?

[Bill Lumberg]

The spell Levitate affects 100 pounds per caster level. Can it be used to "leighten the load" of a heavier object in order for others to lift it or does it simply fail if used on an object over its weight limit? I can see an argument that to allow it to be used this way is giving casters a lower-level aternatative to the spell Telekinesis, even if only for a limted application.

[Sekret_One]

Seems like it would have to be. Since it lifts something up or down, regardless of how much force seems to be fighting it one way or another.

Since yanking up 100 pounds of something of totally weighing 1000 would drag the other 900... it's either all or nothing.

[BigDTBone]

Sekret_One wrote:

Seems like it would have to be. Since it lifts something up or down, regardless of how much force seems to be fighting it one way or another.

Since yanking up 100 pounds of something of totally weighing 1000 would drag the other 900... it's either all or nothing.

It doesn't drag the other 900 though. An object weighing 1000 lbs sits on the ground. The object exerts 1000 lbs of force onto the ground and at the same time the ground exerts 1000 lbs of force onto the object keeping from sinking.

If you sere to "lift" or offset this weight by 100 lbs (say with a lever or pulley, or levitate spell) then the object would remain unmoved, but would now only exert 900 lbs of force onto the ground, and the ground would only exert 900 lbs of force back.

I would absolutely buy that the spell could "offset" weight of objects, especially since the first level spell "floating disk" is designed to basically carry stuff for you, then why shouldn't a second level spell be able to do the same (actually less.)

[Bill Lumberg]

BigDTBone wrote:

Sekret_One wrote:

Seems like it would have to be. Since it lifts something up or down, regardless of how much force seems to be fighting it one way or another.

Since yanking up 100 pounds of something of totally weighing 1000 would drag the other 900... it's either all or nothing.

It doesn't drag the other 900 though. An object weighing 1000 lbs sits on the ground. The object exerts 1000 lbs of force onto the ground and at the same time the ground exerts 1000 lbs of force onto the object keeping from sinking.

If you sere to "lift" or offset this weight by 100 lbs (say with a lever or pulley, or levitate spell) then the object would remain unmoved, but would now only exert 900 lbs of force onto the ground, and the ground would only exert 900 lbs of force back.

I would absolutely buy that the spell could "offset" weight of objects, especially since the first level spell "floating disk" is designed to basically carry stuff for you, then why shouldn't a second level spell be able to do the same (actually less.)

I had not thought of comparing this to Tenser's Floating Disc. Thanks!