How would a spell that is limited by an object's weight function in an area with no gravity (And thus, no weight)? Would shatter be able to sunder any object? Would mending be able to restore 1d4 HP to any object? Could a space ranger cast allfood on a 'planet-killer' sized asteroid, and then use a Ring of Telekinesis to move it to a starving world?
I believe you're being too literal in this case. While it ENRAGES me to no end, the majority of folks equate "weight" to "mass". And I believe it is thus in 99% of cases in pathfinder, since they assume constant gravity.
Hmm. The evil side of my education in science is coming out.
If the spell has to do with carrying/moving/lifting something (e.g. featherfall or floating disk, I think it's fair to adjust the weight factor by up to x10.
If it's not related to that, then the spell's limit is more a measure of mass, not weight, and should not be adjusted (e.g. shatter).
Additional exception: if the weight limit is of a specific material, then it might actually be a volume limit. Can't think of a good example.
Hmmm. Without going into all the heavy physics stuff that I'm sure others on the boards could elaborate on better, I'm pretty sure that lack of gravity would have little to no effect on most spells that have a 'weight' limit. Sub 'mass' for 'weight' in most spell descriptions and it would make a lot more sense...
Then again, that is probably delving into the whole accursed RAI vs. RAW territory so...
EDIT: apologies in advance for enraging williamoak...
One should just assume all references to lb in all Paizo materials just means pound mass and not pound weight.
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It should probably depend on the spell. Use your judgement as GM, and remember that it's a fantasy game. This doesn't mean people don't occasionally break out the laws of thermodynamics to determine if create water cast at height X in temerature Y at pressure Z will cause the created water to become a block of ice before it strikes the frost giant's head, but it's best not to bog down the rules with exact scientific answers. Do what makes sense and is fun for everyone.
Floating disk can probably only carry by weight. Spells that specifically carry things are probably stuck with the weight of an object by gravity. That said, in 0 gravity, does the spell actually "tie down" the item?
Shatter probably only works by mass. Otherwise you could shatter asteroids and stray planets, which would be silly.
Telekenisis applies force, which accelerates mass. This should only work by mass, since otherwise someone will start arguing they can move planets around in 0 G where the planet doesn't really have weight. I leave explanations as to what a planet's weight is relative to its star up to astrophysicists. That said, continuous telekenisis on an asteroid would eventually set it on the right course if nothing else was imparting force upon it.
As a quick ruling, in zero G any telekinetic abilities could affect any object, but convert the weight limit into mass. Once you have its normal mass limit, while in zero G, for every factor of that mass, decrease the accelerating force by that same factor.
Ie Normal max weight 10 lbs in standard gravity for a telekinesis like power. You use this power to move an object. In standard gravity, this object would weigh 100 lbs. This object has a mass of 10x the normal mass limit, thus when moved in zero G, it accelerates at 1/10th the rate listed for the ability.
That's how I'd do it, anyway.
If it is for lifting something, no problem. It become nastier when it comes to teleportation and other stuff like that.
I can't decide if I would love or hate to play this game with a bunch of physicists.
I decided to recheck "distant worlds", the golarion splatbook for space, and the general guideline given was that in zero-G you can carry 10 times the weight normal. At that point, volume is probably more encumbering than weight, so I'll accept the guideline.
@Tiny Coffee golem: we would either drive you insane, or be absolutely normal. Most of us turn off our physics brain in social situations. But if you ended u the only non-physicist in a group of physicists... Hehehehe.