Do you hurt yourself when casting Caustic Eruption? The text says "Acid erupts from your space in all directions", is that implying that your space is part of the effect, or excluded?
Did anyone ever find an answer to this question?
Well, Detonate as a related spell explicitely points out how you are affected yourself, Caustic Eruption doesn't. I'd take this as a clue that it's not intended that you hurt yourself with the latter.
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I'd say the exact opposite. The area of effect is "30' radius burst."
A burst spell affects whatever it catches in its area, including creatures that you can't see.
The spell would need specific language excluding yourself if you weren't going to be affected. For example, Channel Energy is a 30' radius effect that says "A cleric can choose whether or not to include herself in this effect."
Detonate isn't a great analogy. The text of detonate says that you automatically take half damage with no saving throw allowed. For caustic eruption, you would get a saving throw for half damage (or none if you have evasion).
If you center a fireball on yourself or drop an ice storm on your own head, you take the damage. The only difference is that with caustic eruption you must center it on yourself. So to answer the original question - yes, it can be self-destructive if you haven't taken appropriate precautions.
The issue is that the term 'erupts from your space in all directions' is not the same thing as 'centered on you'. Your 'space' in terms of the grid intersections are the 4 points that encapsulate your character (meaning that if the eruption occurs there, you are unaffected by the spell).
I only mention this because nowhere in the spell does it say that it is 'centered on you' (and this language for spells is very important when you consider other spells that do include that phrase).
it seem to erupt outwards without damaging the caster.
see the faq here which talk about calculating bursts from larger then medium creatures which say:
"...when such a creature uses an emanation or burst with the text “centered on you,” treat the creature’s entire space as the spell’s point of origin, and measure the spell’s area or effect from the edges of the creature’s space...."
while this spell doesn't say the words 'centered on you', we can use logic reasoning - if bursts that start 'centered on you' (which if really started at the actual center of you would then go through your space) only actually start at the edge of your space, then bursts that start going outwards 'at your space' should also at the very least start at the edge as well.
edit: it starts 'from your space' not 'at your space'. so even more so.
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it seem to erupt outwards without damaging the caster.
see the faq here which talk about calculating bursts from larger then medium creatures which say:"...when such a creature uses an emanation or burst with the text “centered on you,” treat the creature’s entire space as the spell’s point of origin, and measure the spell’s area or effect from the edges of the creature’s space...."
while this spell doesn't say the words 'centered on you', we can use logic reasoning - if bursts that start 'centered on you' (which if really started at the actual center of you would then go through your space) only actually start at the edge of your space, then bursts that start going outwards 'at your space' should also at the very least start at the edge as well.
I'm trying to see how you got to that conclusion from the referenced FAQ. Here's the FAQ:
Big creatures and centered effects: If a Large or larger creature has up an effect “centered on you,” does that mean that sometimes the emanation doesn’t even affect the creature’s entire space, let alone anything else?
No, when such a creature uses an emanation or burst with the text “centered on you,” treat the creature’s entire space as the spell’s point of origin, and measure the spell’s area or effect from the edges of the creature’s space. For instance, an antimagic field cast by a great wyrm red dragon would extend 10 feet beyond her 30x30 foot space, for a total of a 50 foot diameter.
So your conclusion is that the great wyrm dragon who casts antimagic field is not affected by the field herself?
That FAQ is saying "to determine the area affected, count all the spaces of the creature AND a further distance from each edge equal to the radius of the spell." Hence the total of a 50' diameter.
you seem to miss a few words in both spells.
when you look at the faq. what it say is that the entire space of the creature is treated as a 'point' of origin for the spell's burst\emanation (to calculate up to where it reach).
the difference lay in what is originating from that point.
antimagic field spell say this right as the start :
"An invisible barrier surrounds you and moves with you. The space within this barrier is impervious to most magical effects..."
which mean that however you calculate the outer radius of the spell's sphere, the field effect everything inside it, origin point and all.
while
Caustic Eruption starting words say:
"Acid erupts from your space in all directions..."
now if the caster's space count as a point and said point has a burst effect moving from it. the point itself is not under said effect.
(unless you read 'in all directions' as towered inside the point as well.)
if the antimagic field would have said it burst from the caster's space and did not say anything of the space within it (rather only talk about the burst area), then yes i would have said that too is not part of the area. but the field has a different area of effect explained in it then the eruption.
it just so that it kinda also fit the spells names - 'field' Vs 'eruption'.
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No, didn't miss those words.
The FAQ is trying to address a problem that has been present since the Core Rulebook; namely that effects are "centered on you" or "come from your space" don't easily fit with the absolute statement about spell origins.
The point of origin of a spell is always a grid intersection.
If a medium or smaller creature uses such an effect, they choose a grid intersection that is adjacent to themselves and by default (since the burst is going to be at least 5' in radius) will be inside the burst. But a large or larger creature might not be entirely within their own effect. So the FAQ is saying "here's how to handle it so the larger creature is definitely affected."
The problem with with your definition, that the origin of a spell coming from a creature or your space is NOT a grid intersection, is that it means (among other things) that a cleric could never affect herself with a channel.
what? why not?
channel energy specifically call out that he can be part of this effect " A cleric can choose whether or not to include herself in this effect".
you keep bringing in examples of things that effect everything inside them while this specific spell has a very clear indication that the effect burst is directional.
if the eruption was NOT directional there was no need to explain how it moves from the point of origin.
again let me be clear.
the REASON eruption doesn't effect the caster is that is state to move away from his space and when you calculate bursts\emanation you start at the edge of the caster's space. if it merely pointed out that the origin is his space then he would have been inside the sphere of effect. (like in antimagic)
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what? why not?
channel energy specifically call out that he can be part of this effect " A cleric can choose whether or not to include herself in this effect".
Yup, without that clause the cleric would always be affected. Which wouldn't be great if a living cleric is channeling negative to harm.
you keep bringing in examples of things that effect everything inside them while this specific spell has a very clear indication that the effect burst is directional.
if the eruption was NOT directional there was no need to explain how it moves from the point of origin.
again let me be clear.
the REASON eruption doesn't effect the caster is that is state to move away from his space and when you calculate bursts\emanation you start at the edge of the caster's space. if it merely pointed out that the origin is his space then he would have been inside the sphere of effect. (like in antimagic)
There is nothing in caustic eruption that indicates directionality other than "all directions." It is not stated to "move away from his space."
The rules are clear.
1) Any effect with an area (rather than individual targets) must originate at a grid intersection.
2) Unless the effect states otherwise, everything within that area is affected. There is no rules support for a "general exception for the caster."
Do I believe that it makes sense that a caster should be exempt from harmful effects originating from him? Sometimes, but there is no such general rule. It needs to be explicitly stated in each spell. Like in burst of force.
I have to agree with Zza ni on this… the FAQ served to clarify something that most people already assumed or understood. The text “centered on you” and other similar wordings acts as a specific rule overriding the general rule that all spell effects center on a grid intersection. It also properly defined how such spells area is measured.
In the case of Caustic Eruption the spell centers on you, but the effect is clearly stated as erupting outwardly from your space.
I would agree that if the spell specifically said 'centered on you' then it probably would effect the caster. However, as I mentioned before, the term 'centered on you' is nowhere to be found in the description of the spell. Instead, the spell says that the effect 'erupts from your space in all directions'. Therefore, in terms of grid intersection, your 'space' is the edge the four points that your character occupies (and thus the caster is unaffected).
This is my understanding anyway, but I'd love to hear other opinions on the matter.