Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Ouranos Harpy 03-14-05, 09:43 AM	Can someone tell me what exactly is the difference between these two schools? I mean, Conjuration is the summoning of matter from other planes. Evocation seems to be the same. How can Melf's acid arrow and obscuring mist be conjuration, but lightning bolt can't? Couldn't the mage summon lightning bolt from the plane of lightning? Or a Fireball from the plane of fire? Will someone please explain? (I apologize if the question seems stupid)
kSquared 03-14-05, 10:18 AM	Can someone tell me what exactly is the difference between these two schools? I mean, Conjuration is the summoning of matter from other planes. Evocation seems to be the same. How can Melf's acid arrow and obscuring mist be conjuration, but lightning bolt can't? Couldn't the mage summon lightning bolt from the plane of lightning? Or a Fireball from the plane of fire? Will someone please explain? (I apologize if the question seems stupid) Evocation "manipulates energy" or "taps an unseen source of power" to produce magical effects. Conjuration usually involves physical matter, not raw forms of energy. That's why, for instance, acid fog is a conjuration spell -- the acid created is not particularly magical or enchanted in some way; it's just acidic vapor that is subject to the laws of physics. If you made a spell called acid sphere that let you roll around a roiling sphere of acid to crush and burn your foes with, that would be evocation. Couldn't the mage summon lightning bolt from the plane of lightning? Or a Fireball from the plane of fire? How does the mage plan on manipulating the energy to his will? He needs an evocation spell to do that.
Kaboth 03-14-05, 10:20 AM	Can someone tell me what exactly is the difference between these two schools? I mean, Conjuration is the summoning of matter from other planes. Evocation seems to be the same. How can Melf's acid arrow and obscuring mist be conjuration, but lightning bolt can't? Couldn't the mage summon lightning bolt from the plane of lightning? Or a Fireball from the plane of fire? Will someone please explain? (I apologize if the question seems stupid) I will take a quick stab at this... Conjuration is indeed summoning, with spells like Melf's Acid Arrow and Obscuring Mist you are summoning physical in to existance on the prime material plane. Acid Arrow is a physical damaging as well as magical damage. Evocation, the best way to think of this mainly is offensive magical damage through sheer magic. Now, it is not exact science as some spells could be argued to fit in another school. Some DM's may infact rule that way but the rules as they are now is basically how things work.
mbfu3k 03-14-05, 03:28 PM	In 3.5, the only real difference between Conjuration attack spells and Evocation attack spells is that the Conjuration spells don't allow SR. How does the mage plan on manipulating the energy to his will? Same way he does with the Orb of Electricity, apparently. (And, yes, I think the whole line of Orb spells is retarded and they should all be moved to Evocation and allow SR.)
primemover003 03-14-05, 05:47 PM	I feel you on this issue my man... Most of the Energy Orb spells from CA are Conjuration. I don't know why these direct damage spells aren't Evocation. Our party wizard used lesser acid orb to blast the High SR Night Hag they faced to oblivion (lucky crit). Granted it took him 4 rounds to find a spell that didn't allow saves or SR to do it, as opposed to his Acid Sphere (acid based Scintillating Sphere) which is clearly Evocation.