Question about Tenser's Floating Disc

[Canada_K]

Can a spell caster climb aboard his own floating disc? Has there ever been an offical Wizard's ruling on the matter?

The spell description says only that the Disc follows the 5 feet behidn the caster unless "otherwise directed". So what's to stop a spell caster from climbing on and directing it from there?

Now presumably since the Disc can float over any "solid surface" someone could safely ride the Disc over a trapped floor.

Any thoughts?

 

[mikebr99]

I think that is a good use of the spell... assuming you are high enough level for the weight of you and your equipment to fit on the disc.

Hell... at 1hour/level... use it all the time for travel.

 

[Shard O'Glase]

Don't know of an official answer but it has been debated quite frequently. This quesitonand can a halfling hide under it and if so what ocver does it provide are fairly frequent questions if you consider that the subject matter is something like tensers floating disk.

 

[Xarlen]

I've always felt the caster could ride it no problem. Otherwise, it has very limited usage.

 

[Shard O'Glase]

I've always felt the caster could ride it no problem. Otherwise, it has very limited usage.

It's a 1st level spell that lasts hours, it kinda should have a very limited useage. Besides you can always get some specially made straps and strap a tower shield to it for mobile 3/4 cover.

 

[Spatzimaus]

Or, for you modern-day campaigns, take the shell of a VW bug, summon the disc under it, and voila, a car with incredible gas mileage! Okay, you might have a problem with the battery running out of juice, but one good Lightning Bolt should fix that. Sure, you could just put a Daylight-enchanted stone on the front for headlights, but what about the stereo? Ghost Sound, or would you want one of those Image spells that comes with sound?

(Someone was trying to figure out how to combine mideival-era materials with D&D magic to reproduce modern equipment for a steampunk-style campaign)

 

[boothbey]

Just read the spell description for Floating Disk. Does not state caster can't ride it. I know in previous edition they could not. I like the fact that they can now.

Says it can float up to 3 feet over ground so you could hide underneath it. My question is...what would the hardness on the disk be?

I had a character hide between two boulders with the disk above him making a little shelter.

 

[Canada_K]

The final word from Wizards Game Support:

"You can get on your floating disk, but as it is only following you, it will not move of its own accord. It may be pushed or pulled with the spellcaster on it however.

Hope that helps."

 

[Skaros]

The final word from Wizards Game Support:

"You can get on your floating disk, but as it is only following you, it will not move of its own accord. It may be pushed or pulled with the spellcaster on it however.

Hope that helps."

Which goes in line with my assumption on reading the spell description, which is that they mean it normally follows 5' behind the caster, but can follow at other distances.

Of course, that was me extrapolating from what was said, since they didn't clearly state this at all.

-Skaros

 

[Caliban]

The final word from Wizards Game Support:

"You can get on your floating disk, but as it is only following you, it will not move of its own accord. It may be pushed or pulled with the spellcaster on it however.

Hope that helps."

Not really. It just means that they haven't fully read the spell description. You really can't trust answers from WOTC support.

The spell clearly states that it follows the caster unless otherwise directed.

If it always stayed 5' behind you, you would never be able to put anything on it, because it would always be out of reach.

Climb aboard, and then "direct it otherwise." Viola. You can move at a stately 30' per round.

I've used it as a combat transport when my party was fighting shadows and our fighters had their strength reduced to the point where they couldn't move in their plate armor.