Am I misunderstanding fireball?

[killem2]

So a rules question came up from one of my players and I don't think I am ruling correctly.


If you place a fireball with the center point of origin being on the floor, I understand that the top part of the fireball will of course blast outward in it's designated radius and upward to fill in it's required area.

But the bottom part of this sphere does what exactly?

I say it does nothing and the fireball blows up as a half moon, but the player says that it will try to then fill up available space. So, if this was a 60 ft room, would the bottom half of this fireball try and spread out farther because it is blocked by a solid object?

[Flickerdart]

A fireball does not have fixed volume. It used to in older editions, back when lightning bolts bounced off walls, but not anymore. Any section of a fireball stopped cold by an object it can't destroy simply goes wasted.

[Inevitability]

From memory, you are right. Such a rule seems rather weird to me.

And hey, its magic. It doesn't have to be logical.

[Sian]

when magics enter the equation, logic tends to abandon ship and take a hike

[Fax Celestis]

Your player is thinking of 1e fireball:


Fireball (Evocation)

Level: 3
Range: 10" + 1"/level
Duration: Instantaneous
Area of Effect: 2" radius sphere
Components: V, S
Casting Time: 3 segments
Saving Throw: ½

Explanation/Description: A fireball is an explosive burst of flame, which detonates with a low roar, and delivers damage proportionate to the level of the magic-user who cast it, i.e. 1 six-sided die (d6) for each level of experience of the spell caster. Exception: Magic fireball wands deliver 6 die fireballs (6d6), magic staves with this capability deliver 8 die fireballs, and scroll spells of this type deliver a fireball of from 5 to 10 dice (d6 + 4) of damage. The burst of the fireball does not expend a considerable amount of pressure, and the burst will generally conform to the shape of the area in which it occurs, thus covering an area equal to its normal spherical volume. [The area which is covered by the fireball is a total volume of roughly 33,000 cubic feet (or yards)]. Besides causing damage to creatures, the fireball ignites all combustible materials within its burst radius, and the heat of the fireball will melt soft metals such as gold, copper, silver, etc. Items exposed to the spell's effects must be rolled for to determine if they are affected. Items with a creature which makes its saving throw are considered as unaffected. The magic-user points his or her finger and speaks the range (distance and height) at which the fireball is to burst. A streak flashes from the pointing digit and, unless it impacts upon a material body prior to attaining the prescribed range, flowers into the fireball. If creatures fail their saving throws, they all take full hit point damage from the blast. Those who make saving throws manage to dodge, fall flat or roll aside, taking ½ the full hit point damage - each and every one within the blast area. The material component of this spell is a tiny ball composed of bat guano and sulphur.

You will note the lack of similar text in 3s fireball.

[Psyren]

I answered this (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?348896-Simple-Q-amp-A-for-Pathfinder-3-Find-With-a-Vengeance&p=18440788&viewfull=1#post18440788) for you yesterday :smalltongue: did you miss it, or were you just getting a second opinion?

Regardless, Fax and Flickerdart are right - the "unspread portion" is wasted. 1e Fireball is the most likely source of your player's confusion.

[Troacctid]

Presumably the bottom half of the fireball deals its damage to the floor.

[Psyren]

Presumably the bottom half of the fireball deals its damage to the floor.

Indeed it does - but most floors don't notice. You'd need a very, very powerful fireball to break through all that hardness, HP, and the half-damage-to-objects rule.

[Hand_of_Vecna]

It's not even illogical, there's no physical force behind the a fireball. It doesn't move objects of do any non-fire damage.