I need a ruling on aiming cones

[King Atticus]

Can Anybody tell me how cone spells are aimed?


A cone-shaped spell shoots away from you in a quarter-circle in the direction you designate. It starts from any corner of your square and widens out as it goes. Most cones are either bursts or emanations (see above), and thus won’t go around corners.

Does it have to look like this:
http://i264.photobucket.com/albums/ii164/bl9466/untitled.jpg
Black=area of effect
Yellow=No effect

or can you actually direct that quarter circle to cover the area that are in yellow in this picture. Am I taking "shoots away from you" too literally in my diagram?

[Talya]

The most correct way to draw a cone is with a right angle ruler and a compass to draw the quarter circle from a point originating in the middle of the square your character occupies. It's completely valid in any 90 degree arc in any direction. We don't need cardinal directions, any degree will work fine. If the lines showing the quarter circle at all intersect any given square (even just partially), it's included in the damage.

However, that's a lot of work on a battle grid and many DMs don't want to handle it (myself usually included.)

[SowZ]

Can Anybody tell me how cone spells are aimed?



Does it have to look like this:
http://i264.photobucket.com/albums/ii164/bl9466/untitled.jpg
Black=area of effect
Yellow=No effect

or can you actually direct that quarter circle to cover the area that are in yellow in this picture. Am I taking "shoots away from you" too literally in my diagram?

No, it is a 90 degree angle starting at where the spell originates. So the diagram is right. Just remember that is if hits more than one size category on the same large creature, it deals extra damage.

[Crow]

I just use the corner of a piece of paper for the start of the cone, and any square touching the cone is subject to it's effect.

[Talya]

Just remember that is if hits more than one size category on the same large creature, it deals extra damage.

I assume you mean "if it hits more than one square on the same large creature."

I've never seen this rule. Is it valid? does it only apply to cones?

[King Atticus]

Just remember that is if hits more than one size category on the same large creature, it deals extra damage.

I've not heard of this before. Can you give me a little more detail as to what this means?

[Cespenar]

Just remember that is if hits more than one size category on the same large creature, it deals extra damage.

If I understood this correctly, it looks like a funny, cool and reasonable houserule, but it's most probably not RAW.

[Fitz10019]

That's neither RAW nor RAI, and not a good idea, in my opinion. Spells apply once per creature, per casting. Magic users don't need upgrades, in my opinion.

[SowZ]

If you get above a creature and that creature takes up multiple squares, and I fire a cone down on that creature, doesn't it take extra damage? I always thought that was the rule. Maybe I am just mistaken. Or maybe we just used it to give Warlocks a much needed boost. I can't really remember. It all gets jumbled.

[Tvtyrant]

That's neither RAW nor RAI, and not a good idea, in my opinion. Spells apply once per creature, per casting. Magic users don't need upgrades, in my opinion.

Actually I would suggest it just because it draws people away from glitterdust and other good spells to using cruddy blasting spells.

[McClintock]

In my group we're making the AoEs for spells and the like into wire frames using 14 gauge copper wire. We an then lay the wire frame onto our battle map from the point of origin and see who gets hit. In the frame and you're hit, out and you're not. Then any angle is possible.