So, you guys know how Shadow Blade creates "a sword of solidified gloom," right? Do you think if you ran your hand along the edge of the sword, you'd get cut?
Why would you? The text of shadow blade specifically lists the damage type of the sword in question, so naturally, that's its damage type. Not even a little similar to the extant question here, which has to do with something the text of the spell in question doesn't address.
This is exactly like asking if a sun blade can cut things (of course it can't) in a thread discussing whether or not Tiny Hut has a floor. The question is about extrapolating out from what the text does say to what it doesn't, not about contradicting what it does say.
Again, when it comes to an interpretation of a spell or effect that is 3-degrees removed from its basic combat effect... one can debate forever without anyone proving a point. The only thing that matters, the only thing, is what the DM rules those effects to be. How many microscopic angels can dance on the head of a pin conjured by Prestidigitation? As many as the DM says they can.
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Remember there are Rules as Written (RAW), Rules as Intended (RAI), and Rules as Fun (RAF). There's some great RAW, RAI, and RAF here... please check in with your DM to determine how they want to adjudicate the RAW/RAI/RAF for your game.
just because something 'burns' does not necessarily mean it produces light. Light (energy) is a by-product of the consumption of some material. In this case the spell is a magical fuel source. If you place a traditional flammable object into it, it can ignite and follow the physics of that fuel source. Energy can exist in many forms within a system and may be converted from one form to another within the constraint of the conservation law. These different forms include gravitational, kinetic, thermal, elastic, electrical, chemical, radiant, nuclear, and mass energy.
Yes, you see light when you burn calories. It is infrared light, heat radiation. Still light, just not visible to the human eye.
The Create Bonfire spell creates a bonfire. The spell is not the bonfire — the spell creates a bonfire. The spell doesn’t give off light or heat — it creates a bonfire that gives off light and heat, causes fire damage, and catches flammable objects on fire — because that’s what bonfires do. And creating a bonfire to do what bonfires do is the whole point of the Create Bonfire spell.
The only thing magical about the bonfire is that it pops into existence wherever the caster chooses to create it, and it burns without fuel for the duration of the spell — the magic of the spell creates the bonfire and sustains it. Other than that, the bonfire is a bonfire. The idea of a bonfire that doesn’t create light or heat is absurd, and whoever wrote the Create Bonfire spell description is undoubtedly performing multiple facepalms while reading through these debate threads (“Really? — I should have defined what a bonfire is in the spell description?”).
Scenario: A party of adventurers are trapped in a dark, ice cave — they’ve lost their gear, they can’t see to figure out how to get out, and they’re freezing to death. Merlin, the wizard in the group, says, “Hey! I know the Create Bonfire spell! — I cast it so we can have light to see by and heat so we don’t freeze to death!” And the DM says, “Sorry, that spell creates a bonfire without any light or heat.” :| — are you freaking kidding me?
I mean, good grief — is anyone debating whether or not the food created by the Create Food and Water spell feels or smells like food? Or if the water is wet? The spell description doesn’t explicitly say that the created food feels and smells like food (it only says that it tastes bland, but is nourishing), or that the created water is wet. But — and I know this may sound crazy — I think the reasonable, common sense understanding of these spells is that the things they create have all of the properties you would expect of those things, unless the spell description explicitly limits those properties.
It depends on the nature and design of the bonfire. Generally, they will be very visible, but may not illuminate the area well. This may be less a factor of the amount of light produced and more about the contrast of the flame, if a visible flame is produced, and the surrounding area. I have been at a large (mundane, 40 ft tall) bonfire and based on what I recall of my experience there, I would say that a 5ft cube bonfire (where the damaging heat is restricted to that area) projects dim light to 10 ft out, and the heat can be felt to probably the same area. However, a torch is defined as 20 feet of bright light and 20 additional feet of dim light. I don't have experience with torches, but from my hazy experience at a bonfire, this feels exaggerated and likely based in game mechanics rather than practicality. I could be wrong as different fire sources will burn with different levels of heat and brightness (compare a standard lighter flame that is a bright yellow/orange to the dim blue of a butane lighter).
However, RAW, it is a spell effect that creates a thing that is undefined mechanically except for the damaging component. GMs are welcome to use the guidelines in Vision and Light, but there is no definition from the spell. It could very well be similar to a butane flame with low levels of light given off.
Bonfires are traditionally used for signally and burning corpses. A low light bonfire would function poorly as signal source, but would work for burning corpses or igniting a larger bonfire.
Why would you? The text of shadow blade specifically lists the damage type of the sword in question, so naturally, that's its damage type. Not even a little similar to the extant question here, which has to do with something the text of the spell in question doesn't address.
This is exactly like asking if a sun blade can cut things (of course it can't) in a thread discussing whether or not Tiny Hut has a floor. The question is about extrapolating out from what the text does say to what it doesn't, not about contradicting what it does say.
Again, when it comes to an interpretation of a spell or effect that is 3-degrees removed from its basic combat effect... one can debate forever without anyone proving a point. The only thing that matters, the only thing, is what the DM rules those effects to be. How many microscopic angels can dance on the head of a pin conjured by Prestidigitation? As many as the DM says they can.
Remember there are Rules as Written (RAW), Rules as Intended (RAI), and Rules as Fun (RAF). There's some great RAW, RAI, and RAF here... please check in with your DM to determine how they want to adjudicate the RAW/RAI/RAF for your game.
Yes, you see light when you burn calories. It is infrared light, heat radiation. Still light, just not visible to the human eye.
Altrazin Aghanes - Wizard/Fighter
Varpulis Windhowl - Fighter
Skolson Demjon - Cleric/Fighter
The Create Bonfire spell creates a bonfire. The spell is not the bonfire — the spell creates a bonfire. The spell doesn’t give off light or heat — it creates a bonfire that gives off light and heat, causes fire damage, and catches flammable objects on fire — because that’s what bonfires do. And creating a bonfire to do what bonfires do is the whole point of the Create Bonfire spell.
The only thing magical about the bonfire is that it pops into existence wherever the caster chooses to create it, and it burns without fuel for the duration of the spell — the magic of the spell creates the bonfire and sustains it. Other than that, the bonfire is a bonfire. The idea of a bonfire that doesn’t create light or heat is absurd, and whoever wrote the Create Bonfire spell description is undoubtedly performing multiple facepalms while reading through these debate threads (“Really? — I should have defined what a bonfire is in the spell description?”).
Scenario: A party of adventurers are trapped in a dark, ice cave — they’ve lost their gear, they can’t see to figure out how to get out, and they’re freezing to death. Merlin, the wizard in the group, says, “Hey! I know the Create Bonfire spell! — I cast it so we can have light to see by and heat so we don’t freeze to death!” And the DM says, “Sorry, that spell creates a bonfire without any light or heat.” :| — are you freaking kidding me?
I mean, good grief — is anyone debating whether or not the food created by the Create Food and Water spell feels or smells like food? Or if the water is wet? The spell description doesn’t explicitly say that the created food feels and smells like food (it only says that it tastes bland, but is nourishing), or that the created water is wet. But — and I know this may sound crazy — I think the reasonable, common sense understanding of these spells is that the things they create have all of the properties you would expect of those things, unless the spell description explicitly limits those properties.
Marcus
What kind of bonfire creates no light?
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It depends on the nature and design of the bonfire. Generally, they will be very visible, but may not illuminate the area well. This may be less a factor of the amount of light produced and more about the contrast of the flame, if a visible flame is produced, and the surrounding area. I have been at a large (mundane, 40 ft tall) bonfire and based on what I recall of my experience there, I would say that a 5ft cube bonfire (where the damaging heat is restricted to that area) projects dim light to 10 ft out, and the heat can be felt to probably the same area. However, a torch is defined as 20 feet of bright light and 20 additional feet of dim light. I don't have experience with torches, but from my hazy experience at a bonfire, this feels exaggerated and likely based in game mechanics rather than practicality. I could be wrong as different fire sources will burn with different levels of heat and brightness (compare a standard lighter flame that is a bright yellow/orange to the dim blue of a butane lighter).
However, RAW, it is a spell effect that creates a thing that is undefined mechanically except for the damaging component. GMs are welcome to use the guidelines in Vision and Light, but there is no definition from the spell. It could very well be similar to a butane flame with low levels of light given off.
Bonfires are traditionally used for signally and burning corpses. A low light bonfire would function poorly as signal source, but would work for burning corpses or igniting a larger bonfire.
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