Hello everyone,
I have two questions about Form of the Dragon and Prismatic Sphere. Sorry if this has been answered elsewhere, I have searched the forums with no luck.
- Form of the Dragon III: This spell gives several natural attacks, including a Bite and a Tail Slap. Dragons get 1-1/2 times their Strength bonus on this particular natural attacks. Does this rule apply to the spell?
- Prismatic Sphere: This spell does not list melee attacks as blocked by any of the colors. Can a monster hit the caster inside the sphere? As I understand it, if the monster has SR, it can avoid some or all the colors' effects if the caster doesn't succeed on all caster level checks (the spell says you have to check for each color present). If it doesn't, it has to start making saves.
Thank you
The violet color of Wall is the effect that stops Melee of any kind. as it is the catch all effect.
Energy field destroys all objects and effects.*
Creatures sent to another plane (Will negates).
* The violet effect makes the special effects of the other six colors redundant, but these six effects are included here because certain magic items can create prismatic effects one color at a time, and spell resistance might render some colors ineffective (see above).
The thing is, melee attacks aren't mentioned in the colors descriptions, unlike ranged attacks (magical and nonmagical). Violet only says "objects and effects". The definition of object in this spell refers to nonmagical non-living things that are used to try to breach the wall.
Objects, in this case, refers to nonmagical non-living things that are used to try to breach the wall. Like thrown rocks, thrown tables, arrows, catapult boulders, and so on. Any objects or items or whatever that are "attended" (as in, carried or worn by a creature) are NOT destroyed, but travel with the person carrying/holding them off to whatever other plane that person ends up going to. If the person makes their Will save to avoid being sent to another plane, he can stroll right on through the wall with all his stuff intact.
Allowing prismatic wall to automatically destroy every object that passes through it, in other words, IS a bit excessive. The intent of the spell is to prevent anyone from making ranged attacks with weapons or spells or abilities against those on he other side, basically, not to provide a static disintegration wall. The limitations of the table format forced us to be a bit more brief than we should have been in describing it, alas.
Artifacts can't be destroyed by a prismatic wall unless the Destruction line of the artifact says otherwise.
That is why I think melee attacks should work against a caster protected by the sphere. The only difference is if the attacker has SR or not, wich may allow him to ignore the colors effects.
¿Nobody knows the answer to the Form of the Dragon question?
The spell specifically says you take on the form of a chromatic or metallic dragon, and those types get the special bonuses to damage on bite/tail slap attacks.
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My ruling would be no, you don't get the 1 1/2 strength bonus to bite attacks.
My reasoning is:
1. You generally only get a 1 1/2 strength bonus on natural attacks if that is your only attack. CRB, page 182.
2. Dragons get 1 1/2 bonus on bite attacks anyway, as a special exception. Bestiary, pages 90, 302.
3. Polymorph spells don't change you into a dragon, they don't give you the dragon type; they just changes your appearance, size, and give you the enumerated special abilites. CRB, 211.
4. In the case of the form of the dragon spells, the bite attack strength damage exception is not listed as an enumerated ability, so you don't get it.
5. Similarly, I wouldn't let someone using giant form to polymorph into a dust giant get the full strength bonus when wielding two scimitars. Bestiary 3, 128.
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If I'm reading this right, a monster that saves or makes its SR against the violet colour, after surviving the other six colours, can attack a caster through a Prismatic Sphere (or step through it).You're wrong. the save is against being sent to another plane from contact with that color. The only way to get past that wall is to take it down. Once all the colors in front of it have been neutralised first.
Yeah, I thought that too until I was corrected. Prismatic sphere has been nerfed. Now its not any better than wish, or time stop.
The prismatic wall/sphere is now mainly ranged protection. Its melee protection is "limited" to 7 saves (or SR at each of the 7), including three Reflex for 1/2 elemental, 2 Fort, and 2 Will.
My (1st ed) AD&D Player's Handbook reprint gives the violet field a force field, not the current objects are disentigrated field. The spell no longer gives nearly impenetrable protection "from all forms of attack" as it did in prior versions of the game.
So the spell is now all but useless against a gargantuan giant with a reach weapon.