So very simple question, but it seems like an oversight,
I'm not sure how this slipped by me so long, but does it really mean radius in spells? Take silence for example, 20 ft radius would mean 40 ft diameter or something like ~1256sq ft. That just seems like an overly large area.
This may get this moved to House Rules, does anyone else substitute diameter?
No, it really means radius. And a 20ft. Radius isn't that impressive really. Wait until a football stadium is going up in flames before you start using "overly large".
So very simple question, but it seems like an oversight,
I'm not sure how this slipped by me so long, but does it really mean radius in spells? Take silence for example, 20 ft radius would mean 40 ft diameter or something like ~1256sq ft. That just seems like an overly large area.
This may get this moved to House Rules, does anyone else substitute diameter?
Yes, they meant radius. When casting an area spell, you choose the center point and measure out from there.
Take silence for example, 20 ft radius would mean 40 ft diameter or something like ~1256sq ft.
How big are the silence spells in the universe you inhabit, that you're comparing to Pathfinder's? <Grin> Also, the good news is that you're not required to carpet the area of spells, so the square footage isn't an important measure.
Background: Talking tactics to use against players/as players. Some options that came up were very powerful (in my opinion)
I now know you aren't required to "carpet" the whole area. As a GM a wouldn't I want to 90% of the time.
Example: Evil forces want to take out some innocents, party of 6 (3 casters able to shoot some fireballs and cast silence, and 3 rangers FE humans using bows) Said party goes to a busy city market (1 person per square) and cast some silence on, say rocks, then tosses them in the crowd then cast fireballs right after, whoever saves and isn't dead is mopped up by the Rangers. You've essentially killed/injured 132 people without a big ruckus. That seems powerful to me.
One could say I'm using a strawman/hyperbole/exaggeration to makes this seem bad but that doesn't seem to drastic to me.
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First off, any survivors are going to be running. One runner, and there will be noise. After all, a double move for an unencumbered medium size creature is 60', which will move you straight across the whole width of that Silence spell, with movement to spare. After all, that Silence is only 40' from one edge to the other.
And, given that your enemy casters/rangers could be only 5th level, that is only 5d6 per caster, DC around 15-16, and each ranger gets, at best, three arrows in a round... That three arrows assumes both Rapid Shot and Haste.
Not to mention that the casters will be making noise, unless they are higher level, and using Silent metamagic, since casting Fireball has a V component... And the light from the Fireballs. And the noise of the people outside the area of the Silence and Fireballs.
After all, if you have that heavy a population that you have every square filled by someone, then there are even more people in the surrounding area.
Which brings in things like the town guard, the local adventurers, possibly the local wizard's group, maybe even the local Thieve's Guild.
And it doesn't do anything to prevent much in the way of Divination magic, other than inside the radius and duration of the Silence spell...
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But the power of the fireballs is akin to real life, so it's not really a big stretch. We just don't use fireballs in real life, the energy is better used to propel shrapnel or a concussive force.
Perhaps you would ask yourself instead, why would 3 wizards and 3 rangers do this, instead of something easier and more stealthy? what is their objective? If they carry out this plan they are asking to get caught.
For PCs: Party members can take selective spell, or cast elemental resistance on friendlies.
Hell I'm planning on using Divine Metamastery to get every spell Widened for free, because they are just too small for me! And bad guys are spread out too wide.
Just last night I called down a Holy Smite on top of our party that was surrounded. I said "no one is neutral, right?" as I rolled the dice. I didn't ask first. :)
But even that I wish was 40' radius instead. Soon it will be.
Isn't the whole point of fireball to mop up a lot of little guys?
1d6 per level, max of 10d6 with save for half damage. Consider that the lowest hit die is 1d6+Con, and Con tends to go up with challenge rating. So on average, this isn't going to one-hit-kill anything that would be challenging.
Fireball is more for clearing the riff-raff and softening up the tougher targets.
Bah! If I want to cover some area, a widened Sunburst is the blast of choice.
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Cast Fly and invisibility on each caster and give each a item with silence on it. They fly to a roof top use a one use improved invisibility magic item (no sound and invis will not drop when casting fireball) Cast fireball a 3 times with a metamagic silent rod then drink a potion of invisibility and fly away.
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At least it isn't a volume anymore. In 1st Edition it was a 20' radius sphere that expanded until it filled the entire 33,500 or so cubic feet. Aside from teaching some basic geometry, it was a serious hassle indoors. (So, the room is 15' high, 20' long and 30' wide, that leaves us, what, 24,500 cubic feet? How big are the corridors?)
It's certainly an adventure hook and a decent way to let your PCs know that they're dealing with a Bad Person.
But it was so fun when people forgot and cast it in a maze of twisty 10 foot by ten foot corridors... (or even better, 5 foot by 5 foot...
Of course this was also the system where if you cast lighting bolt too close to a wall, it bounced and came back to you.
GMs could have a lot of fun with wizards just by putting enemies 20 feet away, in front of an invisible wall with the corridor continuing beyond.