Control Winds vs Wind Walk

[W3bDragon]

Hi folks,

I'm playing a 14th level druid in a pathfinder only game and I'm about to fight a creature that uses Wind Walk as an escape spell. I have no reliable way to interrupt or counter the spell. I really want to make sure that the creature can't escape. As such, I thought of using Control Winds to stop the creature from flying away once he's in Wind Walk form. I can cast Control Winds at CL 16.

Reading both spells leaves the idea plausible, but iffy. Wind Walk creates magical wind that "wafts" the caster along. So it would seem that if there is no wind, the caster would not be able to gain speed beyond the basic 10 ft fly speed that Wind Walk grants. Control Winds seems able to reduce the wind speed from the speed stated in Wind Walk, which would roughly equate to Windstorm levels, down to light wind (0-10 mph) without any trouble. That's where it gets iffy. What's to stop the Wind Walker to from again attempting to "waft" away, increasing the wind speed again, even after I slow down the wind?

Secondly, and here is where it gets convoluted, Control Winds states that:
Each round on your turn, a creature in the wind must make a Fortitude save or suffer the effect of being in the windy area. See Environment for more details.

Does that mean that if the creature makes the save, he can continue wafting along at 600 ft/rd? Or does the save only indicate the effects of the wind as per the Wind Effects table (checked, blown away, fly skill negatives, etc) and that the magical Wind Walk wind is still negated?

The session is tomorrow and I wanted to get some opinions before the game starts. Thanks.

[Calthropstu]

+10 creativity points, I'll give you that.
This goes into the realm of "not exactly covered by raw" and enters heavy gm fiat. Personally, I'd rule that you could control the wind their spell generates, changing their speed and general direction, but not their height. But windwalk could easily get them out of range of your control winds before you could cast.

But, like I said heavy gm fiat and you will likely get many many different opinions from every gm.

[W3bDragon]

Thanks for the encouragement. You're right in that it is very difficult to adjudicate.

In regards to range, Control Winds has a radius of 40 ft per caster level, so at CL 16, its 640 feet, or 40 feet more than one could travel in one round of Wind Walk. I suppose I could cast it in response and just flip the wind to bring the creature back.

Also, I just found a more sure-fire way of doing this. The Wind Walk spell says that the cloud form assumed by the spell is "As the Gaseous Form spell." I found just the right spell to deal with it. Quoted from the SRD below, emphasis mine:


An invisible vertical curtain of wind appears. It is 2 feet thick and of considerable strength. It is a roaring blast sufficient to blow away any bird smaller than an eagle, or tear papers and similar materials from unsuspecting hands. (A Reflex save allows a creature to maintain its grasp on an object.) Tiny and Small flying creatures cannot pass through the barrier. Loose materials and cloth garments fly upward when caught in a wind wall. Arrows and bolts are deflected upward and miss, while any other normal ranged weapon passing through the wall has a 30% miss chance. (A giant-thrown boulder, a siege engine projectile, and other massive ranged weapons are not affected.) Gases, most gaseous breath weapons, and creatures in gaseous form cannot pass through the wall (although it is no barrier to incorporeal creatures).

While the wall must be vertical, you can shape it in any continuous path along the ground that you like. It is possible to create cylindrical or square wind walls to enclose specific points.

So perhaps a Wind Wall, cast preemptively at the moment of engagement, followed by a Control Winds, creating a downdraft of hurricane force winds, should shut down most avenues of escape.

Thoughts?

[Klara Meison]

>Wind Walk as an escape spell

Close the window. No air escape route=no air escape.