Greenfield
Adventurer
I'm running a game right now. We're using D&D 3.5 rules, but this is an opinion question so it should be independent of versions.
An Assassin is trying to stir up trouble in a mining community, to enflame frictions between the miners and the iron-workers. He snuck into a smithy and added salt to the smithy's quenching tank.
For those unfamiliar with the craft, if salt gets infused into metal it becomes nearly impossible to weld anything to it. That would include pattern-weld used in folded steel, or pressure weld to affix two different metals together. (Think of carbide-tipped chisels, as an example). The smith can see the effect, in that the flames around the affected metal flare green from the sodium.
The effect is called "Poisoning the weld". When metal is heated to red hot, then quickly cooled in the quenching tank to harden it, salt gets infused in the process and the result is called "Poisoned".
Now the question comes up: Would spells like Neutralize Poison do anything? It's not a living thing, and salt isn't normally a "poison", but if magic follows intent more than hard rules of logic and physics...
BTW: I know that not every alloy is subject to salt poisoning. I used this strictly for story purposes rather than strict chemistry, as a neat application of the Assassin's signature move. Not worried about an argument on how badly "poisoned" it would actually get.
So, would the magic follow the spell's normal function, which is to eliminate "poison", or would it fail?
Similar question: Would Neutralize Poison work to detoxify poisoned food or drink?
An Assassin is trying to stir up trouble in a mining community, to enflame frictions between the miners and the iron-workers. He snuck into a smithy and added salt to the smithy's quenching tank.
For those unfamiliar with the craft, if salt gets infused into metal it becomes nearly impossible to weld anything to it. That would include pattern-weld used in folded steel, or pressure weld to affix two different metals together. (Think of carbide-tipped chisels, as an example). The smith can see the effect, in that the flames around the affected metal flare green from the sodium.
The effect is called "Poisoning the weld". When metal is heated to red hot, then quickly cooled in the quenching tank to harden it, salt gets infused in the process and the result is called "Poisoned".
Now the question comes up: Would spells like Neutralize Poison do anything? It's not a living thing, and salt isn't normally a "poison", but if magic follows intent more than hard rules of logic and physics...
BTW: I know that not every alloy is subject to salt poisoning. I used this strictly for story purposes rather than strict chemistry, as a neat application of the Assassin's signature move. Not worried about an argument on how badly "poisoned" it would actually get.
So, would the magic follow the spell's normal function, which is to eliminate "poison", or would it fail?
Similar question: Would Neutralize Poison work to detoxify poisoned food or drink?