fun with a sculpted grease spell

[bjoern]

This is hugely common knowledge but when you sculpt a grease spell, you get 4 - 10' cubes of grease. That's a lot in case you're wondering. That's the same volume as the concrete in a normal sidewalk 6400' long (that's over a mile).

Anyway, we are descending into a dungeon and are in a set of long seemingly never ending staircase going down. If you sculpted grease into 4 - 10' cubes it would really just run down the whole stairs for about 1600' I'd think. Stairs are 10' wide, and assume 3" of grease cover, that's 1600' long.

Now I know that the spell has a range. But its conjuration so once the grease is created its no longer magical and should have to obey the laws of physics which would pull the cubes flat and down the stairs.

Another thing about sculpt spell, one of the options is a 120' line. Is that still limited to the spells original range? So its basically up to 120' line ?

[Ashtagon]

I'm thinking nope.

Magic does not obey the laws of physics. It won't slide down the stairs, because magic. The spell coats all the surfaces in its area (the clue is in that the spell affects an area by default, not a cube). And when the spell expires, the grease goes away, as is standard with any Conjuration (creation) spell. Since the duration is not instantaneous, magic actually does hold it together, and it is not non-magical once created, as claimed.

[bjoern]

I'm thinking nope.

Magic does not obey the laws of physics. It won't slide down the stairs, because magic. The spell coats all the surfaces in its area (the clue is in that the spell affects an area by default, not a cube). And when the spell expires, the grease goes away, as is standard with any Conjuration (creation) spell. Since the duration is not instantaneous, magic actually does hold it together, and it is not non-magical once created, as claimed.

You have got a point there with the instantaneous duration thing. Do you think that with four solid (ish) 10' cubes of grease that there would be any drowning/swimming concerns?

[sleepyphoenixx]

You have got a point there with the instantaneous duration thing. Do you think that with four solid (ish) 10' cubes of grease that there would be any drowning/swimming concerns?

The spell covers a surface with grease. Sculpting it doesn't change that.

[Elkad]

Grease -
covers a solid surface with a layer of slippery grease

Sculpt
four 10-foot cubes

Getting to "cover every surface in each 10' cube" is an easy jump RAW, though probably not quite RAI. You'd coat the floor, the walls, the ceiling, furniture, and anything else in the area.

Getting to "creates 4 solid 10' cubes of grease" takes some serious rule-twisting, since at that point you aren't covering surfaces any more.

[Telonius]

Maybe if you counted every possible surface, including atoms in the air ...? I wonder how much you could get.

... and this is really starting to sound like a question for XKCD's "What If (http://what-if.xkcd.com/)." :smallbiggrin:

[bjoern]

Maybe if you counted every possible surface, including atoms in the air ...? I wonder how much you could get.

... and this is really starting to sound like a question for XKCD's "What If (http://what-if.xkcd.com/)." :smallbiggrin:

Thing is, atoms aren't solid as they are almost 100% empty space. And the same for air molecules as they are fluid.
But if you tossed a handful of sand and greased that ......it probably wouldn't help much besides to waste an action.

Not wanting this to plunge into a physics debate.....lol

[HighWater]

Grease has an area of 10ft square.
In this area, it "covers a solid surface with a layer of slippery grease."

Sculpted Grease has an area of four 10ft cubes.
In this area, it "covers a solid surface with a layer of slippery grease."

I think applying the effect to "any solid surface" within those cubes is completely within RAI, and probably within RAW (at least if the 4 areas are all on the same surface). The intent of "surface" as something to be walked on (creatures can't be targetted and won't be hit by the normal 10ft square grease) should be preserved.

Sculpted grease doesn't summon four 10ft cubes of solid grease.

[dextercorvia]

You can cover one surface in that area. The thing is Conjuration spells have to be suitably supported -- so you can't coat the ground in 10' high layer of grease. Otherwise you get things like Rain of Caltrops, or you just summon a Baleen Whale over someone's head.

[georgie_leech]

You can cover one surface in that area. The thing is Conjuration spells have to be suitably supported -- so you can't coat the ground in 10' high layer of grease. Otherwise you get things like Rain of Caltrops, or you just summon a Baleen Whale over someone's head.

I cast Summon Bigger Fish! (http://www.darthsanddroids.net/episodes/0208.html)