We just had the second Game day for our "Open Fist Society" C&C group. Everyone had a good time and they asre starting to get the hang of not looking up rules all the time.
There was a question about spells that we were discussing afterwards. One of the players, an Illusionist named Goose used Color Spray during combat. As I read the discription I took it as the the spray started from the casters hand and slowly expanded until it was 25ft long, 5ft wide. One of the players reads it as expands 5ft per section up to 25ft which would wind up being 25ft wide.
What kind of material components are acceptable for Color Spray. The player has a bag of colored sand that he is using, I find that kind of a cheap way to never having to worry about components.
Finally, the spell description indicates "creature", would thus include player characters? The player cast the spell into a pitched battle and I ruled that the players were affected as well. The player argued that it wouldn't affect players since the description stated "creature" and the players were all human. I countered that if that was true you could never use against human villains in the game. We agreed to present the questions to the Knights of the Crusades and see what they thought.
-Matt
As written the cone is 25 feet long and 5 feet wide at its end terminus.
Colored sand is fine or you could use small bits of colored glass. It only says small colored objects which leaves it open for CK choice.
Creatures is used meaning monsters, humanoids, players, undead (if susceptible), etc.
I would look at this as a cone 5' wide at it's base, extending out 25', it would be a cone though, so it would be wider at the terminus than at the starting point. From AD&D it is 1/2"x2"x2", so 5' at the base, forming a triange (wedge as per the spell) that is extends out 20' and is 20' wide at the far edge. Taking this into account I would then count it as 5' at the caster extending out 25' and 25' wide. Thus I would rule on the argument from your player. If it was 5' wide throughout the full extent to 25' it would be a tube not a cone...
Again, borrowing from AD&D, the spell component is a pinch of colored sand or powder, so again, legit in my eyes.
And yes, "creature" would also affect PC's. In this case the term creature is used to represent a being, any race, and type of creature, monster, etc. If everything except humans are creatures, then look at it from the other point of view, anything other than an elf, dwarf, orc, or whatever, each of those would consider the other a creature from that way of thinking, so in the end all are creatures.
My thinking on the spell was it casts from the palm of the Illusionists hand (approx 4 inches) and expands to the 5 ft width at the end, thus the cone shape.
My two biggest concerns are:
1) The second example uses AD&D rules as backing evidence and half of the players at the table are new to RPG's and don't have that knowledge.
2) If that rule applies to every cone spell than spells like Prismatic Spray would increase from 15 ft wide and 50 ft long to a much wider area of effect.
I know it is ultimately my call but I just want a consistent effect across all spells so when the new players look at spells they know what they will do without any other information.
Maybe take a page out of Warhammer or some other TT Mini's rules and simply use a 25' long 30-degree cone extending from the caster. Easy to make templates for if using miniatures as well and using such can be applied to other cone spells.
While my initial response was regarding the as written, I think it is overly limiting to what was originally one of the primary AoE spells for low level Wizards and Illusionists. As written now, it would hit one creature unless used on a linear formation. Using the 30-degree cone would triple the end length of the cone to 15' (well, mathematically =12' and change rounded up) which makes it a bit more useful in my opinion. Never did understand why it would start out 5' wide at the hand...well...other than a lightening bolt since the bloody electricity is likely arcing all over the place as it goes. :)
Totally agree, your call, but a 5' wide at extreme 25' long from "point" of hand is a very shallow fan. Seems to me like 25 by 25 or at least 15 by 25... what did original PH say?