Fireball vs. Wind Wall

[Lord Pendragon]

Would you say that a Wind Wall deflects the bead produced by the Fireball spell?

 

[Jdvn1]

Would you say that a Wind Wall deflects the bead produced by the Fireball spell?

Does Wind Wall work against spells? I don't think so.

 

[Sejs]

Only if you can deflect or snatch the bead with the Deflect/Snatch Arrow feats.


Actually, one sec.. lemme check something.


OKay, yeah - having looked at both Fireball and Wind Wall, I would say that the bead would be deflected upwards and away harmlessly.

 

[Jdvn1]

That'd be quite the shooter marble.

 

[Jeff Wilder]

Would you say that a Wind Wall deflects the bead produced by the Fireball spell?

No. Wind wall affects arrows and bolts (and causes a 30% chance for "normal" ranged weapons), flying creatures, papers, loose materials, garments, and gasses.

The bead of a fireball (which is almost entirely flavor text anyway) is none of those things.

 

[Lord Pendragon]

No. Wind wall affects arrows and bolts (and causes a 30% chance for "normal" ranged weapons), flying creatures, papers, loose materials, garments, and gasses.

The bead of a fireball (which is almost entirely flavor text anyway) is none of those things.

Except that when fired at an arrow slit, you have to make a ranged attack roll to get it into the room. That suggests to me that it's an actual pellet that is affected by obstacles to missile fire. It's a pellet that "blossoms into a fireball" upon contact, but a pellet nonetheless.

 

[Sejs]

The bead of a fireball (which is almost entirely flavor text anyway) is none of those things.

I disagree with you on the bead being almost entirely flavor text. If the bead intersects a solid object before reaching its target, it detonates prematurely. If the caster is trying to have the bead pass thru a narrow area, such as an arrowslit, he has to make a ranged touch attack or the bead strikes the rim and goes off early. The bead has a function beyond pure fluff.

 

[Lord Pendragon]

Only if you can deflect or snatch the bead with the Deflect/Snatch Arrow feats.

If the Fireball were targetted at the monk, then I'd certainly rule he could snatch the pellet. Which would then explode upon contact with his hand. If the fireball isn't aimed at the monk, then no. No more than Snatch Arrows lets you grab normal arrows that are aimed at somebody/where else.

That being the case, then, how would you rule it?

edit: Duh, the rest of your post answers that. Nevermind.

 

[Jdvn1]

Regardless, to answer the initial question, the pellet -- be it flavor or not -- is a magical effect. Wind Wall doesn't help.

Going along the same lines, I don't think Deflect/Snatch Arrow would work against magical effects.

 

[Lord Pendragon]

Regardless, to answer the initial question, the pellet -- be it flavor or not -- is a magical effect. Wind Wall doesn't help.

Why do you say this? Nowhere in the spell description is such mentioned. It claims to be ineffective against huge boulders and siege weapons. It says nothing about magical effects. Fireball creates a small pebble, and fires it at a set point, at which point it "blossoms into a fireball." The pebble can't bypass an arrow slit any more than a non-magical arrow can. Why is it able to ignore a wall of wind?