Just a statement about distances and timing. [Archive] - Wizards Community

Just a statement about distances and timing. [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
ispq
11-21-06, 05:23 AM Say someone was falling at 180 feet per second. Say they had a feather item, which would only last for 1 round. Successfully using this item would cause that person to fall 60 feet in 1 round, or about 10 ft per second. After that round is up though the person would accelerate once again. This means that this someone would have to activate this magical device within 60 feet of the ground to suffer no kinetic energy poisoning, a distance that they would travel in 1/3 of a second. This means that this person has less than 1/3 of a second to guage the distance to the ground as being less than 60 feet and activate the magical item.
Skerrit
11-21-06, 09:06 AM True. I believe their rules for this (a Wisdom check) in the Sharn City of Towers book.
kiddoc
11-24-06, 11:00 AM Say someone was falling at 180 feet per second. Say they had a feather item, which would only last for 1 round. Successfully using this item would cause that person to fall 60 feet in 1 round, or about 10 ft per second. After that round is up though the person would accelerate once again. This means that this someone would have to activate this magical device within 60 feet of the ground to suffer no kinetic energy poisoning, a distance that they would travel in 1/3 of a second. This means that this person has less than 1/3 of a second to guage the distance to the ground as being less than 60 feet and activate the magical item.

If you're referencing what I think you're referencing, were you the player, or the DM asking this question. If you were the player, I can see where this question might arise. As the DM, if you look carefully, the explanation for the "physics fudging" (i.e., we don't want to kill 5% of players at random at every table) is discussed. Willing suspension of disbelief is required. :D

If you have further questions, shoot me a PM and I'll be happy to let you pick my brain.
Gurrangatch
11-24-06, 07:54 PM No physics is really being fudged, the spell would stop your from taking damage from the fall. It's just that a person's brain cannot recognize and respond to a particular stimulus that quckly. However, another thing to note is that a 1/day slotless item of a 1st level spell at CL 1, if recreated using the DMG guidelines would have a base price of 3,200 gp (market price 6,400 gp).

That's pretty steep for some new recruits...but then again I guess the item will survive the fall.
FaintestInkling
12-14-06, 12:07 AM The one-use "feather fall talisman" from Sharn: City of Towers costs 50 gp. The similar but not quite identical (higher CL) "safewing emblem" from Races of the Wild costs 250 gp. The former item requires the same action as feather fall ("free action at any time"), while the latter works automatically with no action.

The Wisdom check (DC 10) for determining that you are 60 ft from the ground is indeed from Sharn:CoT, on page 36. Based on Kiddoc's post without knowing more, I assume this rule was ignored with a good reason in mind.

Note that despite what it says in the Sharn book, DMGII p. 47 says that simply allowing a character to "activate the effect within the last round before impact" is "fair and expeditious" even when falling at a speed greater than 200 feet per second.
ispq
12-24-06, 03:55 AM I just read the adventure when I ran it at my gamestore. My DM at Gen Con lied to us, and said the item lasted for only 1 round.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
ispq 11-21-06, 05:23 AM	Say someone was falling at 180 feet per second. Say they had a feather item, which would only last for 1 round. Successfully using this item would cause that person to fall 60 feet in 1 round, or about 10 ft per second. After that round is up though the person would accelerate once again. This means that this someone would have to activate this magical device within 60 feet of the ground to suffer no kinetic energy poisoning, a distance that they would travel in 1/3 of a second. This means that this person has less than 1/3 of a second to guage the distance to the ground as being less than 60 feet and activate the magical item.
Skerrit 11-21-06, 09:06 AM	True. I believe their rules for this (a Wisdom check) in the Sharn City of Towers book.
kiddoc 11-24-06, 11:00 AM	Say someone was falling at 180 feet per second. Say they had a feather item, which would only last for 1 round. Successfully using this item would cause that person to fall 60 feet in 1 round, or about 10 ft per second. After that round is up though the person would accelerate once again. This means that this someone would have to activate this magical device within 60 feet of the ground to suffer no kinetic energy poisoning, a distance that they would travel in 1/3 of a second. This means that this person has less than 1/3 of a second to guage the distance to the ground as being less than 60 feet and activate the magical item. If you're referencing what I think you're referencing, were you the player, or the DM asking this question. If you were the player, I can see where this question might arise. As the DM, if you look carefully, the explanation for the "physics fudging" (i.e., we don't want to kill 5% of players at random at every table) is discussed. Willing suspension of disbelief is required. :D If you have further questions, shoot me a PM and I'll be happy to let you pick my brain.
Gurrangatch 11-24-06, 07:54 PM	No physics is really being fudged, the spell would stop your from taking damage from the fall. It's just that a person's brain cannot recognize and respond to a particular stimulus that quckly. However, another thing to note is that a 1/day slotless item of a 1st level spell at CL 1, if recreated using the DMG guidelines would have a base price of 3,200 gp (market price 6,400 gp). That's pretty steep for some new recruits...but then again I guess the item will survive the fall.
FaintestInkling 12-14-06, 12:07 AM	The one-use "feather fall talisman" from Sharn: City of Towers costs 50 gp. The similar but not quite identical (higher CL) "safewing emblem" from Races of the Wild costs 250 gp. The former item requires the same action as feather fall ("free action at any time"), while the latter works automatically with no action. The Wisdom check (DC 10) for determining that you are 60 ft from the ground is indeed from Sharn:CoT, on page 36. Based on Kiddoc's post without knowing more, I assume this rule was ignored with a good reason in mind. Note that despite what it says in the Sharn book, DMGII p. 47 says that simply allowing a character to "activate the effect within the last round before impact" is "fair and expeditious" even when falling at a speed greater than 200 feet per second.
ispq 12-24-06, 03:55 AM	I just read the adventure when I ran it at my gamestore. My DM at Gen Con lied to us, and said the item lasted for only 1 round.