Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Gelcur 07-07-07, 11:28 PM	I am about to run a battle that may involve 3D combat. One of the characters has a cone based spell and I am not sure how it works in three dimensions. I know what the definition of a cone is in geometry but the description given in PHB seems to make it out to be more of a 2Dish pie wedge. I know that the in the dragon entries where they list their breath weapons the mention that their cone is just as wide and tall as it is long. I haven't been able to find any errata or clarification on this. Can anyone point me to what the correct interpretation is?
Salla 07-07-07, 11:32 PM	The game only really deals in 2D because of the use of battlemats and the relative scarcity of aerial combat compared to groundpounders. That said, I see no reason AE spells do go 3D.
NeueRegel 07-07-07, 11:59 PM	It's a game. Just use common sense. If you point a cone up or down, it gets bigger at the end. If the enemy is hitting you, you can hit them. Don't let the mechanics ruin the game. Play it loose and fun. Neue
Seeker95 07-08-07, 09:53 AM	Unless otherwise stated, it is probably safe to assume a cone, burst, and other radiuses (radii) are 3-D. If they were 2D, then the height of a character would have to be factored in to determine whether it took damage. Pixies would just duck below the knees of their taller companions. :D
Dalthbar 07-08-07, 09:56 AM	We have cut-outs for common area spells. We have a "zap zone" for fireballs, for instance. I'd cut out the same cone shape as if it were in 2D, and then you can put the small part at the starting square and just angle it into 3D and rotate it about it's center axis. So without having to deal with any math at all, you'll know what squares the cone extends through.
penchant 07-09-07, 09:24 AM	Coat hanger wire. Just make a triangle the size of your cone and use it as a guage.
BW0222 07-09-07, 10:19 AM	Gelcur, Can anyone point me to what the correct interpretation is? Cones are 3D. It is just normally, folks use them away at ground level. Even in many 3D combats (say flying or under water) approximating them by assuming they were cast at the same level is typically good enough. If you have AoE or cone spells cast on an up or downward angle, for small cones (15'-20') you can just visualize it by counting squares -- i.e. a creature 10' up blasts a cone straight across. If affects the 5' in front of him, the next nine squares (10' in front of him, plus 5' up, down, and to the sides), then the next sixteen squares (15' in front of him, plus 10' up, down, and to the sides). If the cone is larger you can use a sheet of graph paper (or a section of the battlemap) and draw the relative positions of the folks from the side. Then remove 5' for each 5' off center the creatures are.
Gelcur 07-09-07, 01:01 PM	Hey thanks yeah the cone thing fired at an angle or for that matter directly below the caster was what was crossing my mind. And I just need it confirmed that it was a 3-D cone and not some bad terminology for a "flat" or pie wedge surface. Thanks again.
Prime32 07-09-07, 03:08 PM	In an... odd section of one of the Drizzt books, wizards fight mind flayers with a transmutation spell that switches the caster's brain with his buttock's. They closed to melee, and when the illithids used their cone-shaped mind blasts, their brains were not hit.
Thiez 07-09-07, 03:09 PM	In an... odd section of one of the Drizzt books, wizards fight mind flayers with a transmutation spell that switches the caster's brain with his buttock's. They closed to melee, and when the illithids used their cone-shaped mind blasts, their brains were not hit. :mymy: Riiiiight.
Prime32 07-09-07, 03:53 PM	You see, because it's a cone, it's too narrow at point blank range to cover the whole body. Yeah, I had that reaction too. :D
Thiez 07-09-07, 03:58 PM	You see, because it's a cone, it's too narrow at point blank range to cover the whole body. Yeah, I had that reaction too. :D This explanation changes nothing! Doesn't my skull break line of effect?