How do attacking through ring gates work?

[ayvango]

The description says:

This useful device allows for instantaneous transport of items or messages, and even attacks
A character can ... stab a weapon through if so desired.
A spellcaster could even cast a spell through a ring gate.

1. Do the rings transport sight between them as well as items? Could you see through the ring?
2. If not, how could you attack through it with melee weapon? I assume that you would get total concealment.
3. And what about ranged touch spells? How could you aim them? May be some additional divination or scrying could help you with it?
4. Could you use other ranged attack the same way you use spells?

[DarkSoul]

The description says:

1. Do the rings transport sight between them as well as items? Could you see through the ring?
2. If not, how could you attack through it with melee weapon? I assume that you would get total concealment.
3. And what about ranged touch spells? How could you aim them? May be some additional divination or scrying could help you with it?
4. Could you use other ranged attack the same way you use spells?Based on the text that says you can attack or cast spells through them, the most logical way to envision ring gates is to have them act like the portals from Portal and Portal 2. There's no flash, no delay, you simply pass something through one and it comes out the other. Based on that:


Yes. You see whatever is on the other end of the ring gates as though you're looking through a hole in a piece of cardboard.
Irrelevant, but keep in mind that your field of attack is severely restricted to at most a 180 degree arc in front of the gate, if you're standing next to it and putting your arm through in addition to the weapon.
If you can see through ring gates like a window, then there's nothing stopping you from casting ranged spells of any kind through it. They'll just originate from the same position relative to the exit gate as you are to the entrance gate.
Yes, an archer at an entrance gate firing through an exit gate held by a flying ally would be quite effective.

[ExLibrisMortis]

1. Yes.
2. N/A.
3. Divination might help, certainly. You can probably aim a spell by sight alone, as most spells don't specifically require you to point at the target, or anything with your hands at all. Just fix the ring gate in front of your face and attack.
4. Yes, but then you're getting the problem of your arms being in a different place. A crossbow with a ring gate affixed to the front would probably work well enough, though.

[Zancloufer]

So you every play Portal? The only difference is that they are kind of one way in that each side has an "In" and an "Out". So based off the description and the fact it is based off the Gate spell, I would say anything that is smaller than small size can fit through with ease. I would even say that you could see through them.

Only real flaw is that each ring has to be manually placed and they have a 100 mile range. Still to answer the questions directly:

1) I would assume so as you are essentially linking two points in space. Since you can reach through and attack through it you NEED to be able to see what is on the other side.
2) Gate is a two dimensional window you can see through it.
3) You can see through it, you aim as if you where looking through a small hole in a wall.
4) Can you shoot arrows through a gate? Yes. Just remember LoS will be a little funny here because of how the gates are set up.

[ayvango]

I could see and attack through ring gates, ok. But it seems harder than normal to attack. Should it impose some penalties on combat? Like granting cover to the creature on the other side, because I could reach it only through small interdimensional window? May be I should treat this case as literally fight through window?

[Zancloufer]

Not necessarily harder, just a more limited scope. You would probably only see out of the ring gate in a cone-like pattern. IE:



X X X G X X X
X X X V X X X
X X V V V X X
X V V V V V X
V V V V V V V

Where G = Gate, X = Unseen (full concealment?) square and V = fully visible. It's definitely more limited that standing where the gate is, but if you think about it that's about how you would see/reach around the gate.

[Âmesang]

I imagine the reason there are no ring gate "video phones" is to keep people from reaching through and strangling each other. :smalltongue:

[BearonVonMu]

Something that could be of value would be to actively use the ring gate as your attack mechanism.
As an example: it's 18 inches around on the inside. Will a ballista bolt fit through that? I think it probably would. Have a team of skeletons or minor golems or a village worth of villagers reload and fire the weapon when they hear you command it.
"Pull!"
Attach a stick (to help maneuver it) and crosshair (to help with aiming precisely) to the ring with sovereign glue.
So you are doing the aiming, have full situational awareness of the battlefield, and can send siege weapon attacks around almost effortlessly.
What kind of action is it to aim a hoop, anyway? A move?
Alternately, have a simple engine/undead monstrosity stab an oversized sword through the hole on command and keep doing it until told to stop.
In an alternate universe, I'd either put a small naval gun or trio of miniguns on the other side.
Of course, adjust to your taste and playstyle.