order's wrath area template

[jeuce]

Had a disagreement with someone over the topic if the thread, can someone clarify the "burst that fills a 30 ft. cube" for me?

[Nefreet]

Order's Wrath wrote:

School evocation [lawful]; Level cleric 4

Casting Time 1 standard action
Components V, S
Range medium (100 ft. + 10 ft./level)
Area nonlawful creatures within a burst that fills a 30-ft. cube
Duration instantaneous (1 round); see text
Saving Throw Will partial; see text; Spell Resistance yes
You channel lawful power to smite enemies. The power takes the form of a three-dimensional grid of energy. Only chaotic and neutral (not lawful) creatures are harmed by the spell.

The spell deals 1d8 points of damage per two caster levels (maximum 5d8) to chaotic creatures (or 1d6 points of damage per caster level, maximum 10d6, to chaotic outsiders) and causes them to be dazed for 1 round. A successful Will save reduces the damage to half and negates the daze effect.

The spell deals only half damage to creatures who are neither chaotic nor lawful, and they are not dazed. They can reduce the damage in half again (down to one-quarter of the roll) with a successful Will save.

Core Rulebook, Magic Chapter wrote:

Burst, Emanation, or Spread: Most spells that affect an area function as a burst, an emanation, or a spread. In each case, you select the spell's point of origin and measure its effect from that point.

A burst spell affects whatever it catches in its area, including creatures that you can't see. It can't affect creatures with total cover from its point of origin (in other words, its effects don't extend around corners). The default shape for a burst effect is a sphere, but some burst spells are specifically described as cone-shaped. A burst's area defines how far from the point of origin the spell's effect extends.

An emanation spell functions like a burst spell, except that the effect continues to radiate from the point of origin for the duration of the spell. Most emanations are cones or spheres.

A spread spell extends out like a burst but can turn corners. You select the point of origin, and the spell spreads out a given distance in all directions. Figure the area the spell effect fills by taking into account any turns the spell effect takes.

Does that help?

[Starglim]

The area of effect is a cube 30 feet x 30 feet x 30 feet. It behaves like a burst starting from the centre point of the cube (15' east, 15' north, 15' up), if anything provides total cover against that point.

[jeuce]

yes that helps, it confirms my argument. the other person was trying to argue that burst is spherical

[Nefreet]

It is, normally, but this one is cube-shaped.

(it's a lawful spell. Can't have any of those chaotic spheres messing with our squareness, now can we?)

[Starglim]

Nefreet wrote:

Core Rulebook, Magic Chapter wrote:

Burst, Emanation, or Spread:

..
The default shape for a burst effect is a sphere, but some burst spells are specifically described as cone-shaped...

This seems to resolve it: bursts are spherical by default, but can be other shapes.