SethTheFrank
2017-11-28, 08:57 PM
So I am considering the best uses of levitate. Aside from the obvious "oops, I forgot a 50 foot ladder", and the potential to immobilize someone by floating a brawler above the fray, it seems to me like a decent disarm.
The spell text is "One creature or object of your choice that you can see within range rises vertically, up to 20 feet, and remains suspended there for the duration. The spell can levitate a target that weighs up to 500 pounds. An unwilling creature that succeeds on a Constitution saving throw is unaffected."
Unlike Enlarge/Reduce there is no limitation put on whether it is an object being carried or not. It seems that I could then lift someone's sword/shield/helmet/or ranged weapon that they were aiming. The object would be pulled with up to 500 pounds of force directly upwards. This is well in excess of what a human can pull. Therefore a person holding it would either hold and lift themselves, or lose their grip on the weapon (strength check). Presumably, if they weigh more than 500lbs they could anchor it to the ground. That said, I cannot imagine a circumstance where someone could wield a weapon that is being pulled upward like that.
The questions are then:
has this been addressed previously by an authority or significantly discussed? Is there a reason this shouldn't work?
If someone succeeds at holding onto the weapon, what happens? Can they use it normally or is it like having a giant helium balloon tied to the weapong?
Lastly: What if I cast this on someone's armor? Would this effectively disable them without a saving throw? I mean, if my shirt was trying to lift me off of the ground, throwing a punch would seem to entirely unfeasible.
I am relatively new, so let me know if I missed something obvious.
The spell text is "One creature or object of your choice that you can see within range rises vertically, up to 20 feet, and remains suspended there for the duration. The spell can levitate a target that weighs up to 500 pounds. An unwilling creature that succeeds on a Constitution saving throw is unaffected."
Unlike Enlarge/Reduce there is no limitation put on whether it is an object being carried or not. It seems that I could then lift someone's sword/shield/helmet/or ranged weapon that they were aiming. The object would be pulled with up to 500 pounds of force directly upwards. This is well in excess of what a human can pull. Therefore a person holding it would either hold and lift themselves, or lose their grip on the weapon (strength check). Presumably, if they weigh more than 500lbs they could anchor it to the ground. That said, I cannot imagine a circumstance where someone could wield a weapon that is being pulled upward like that.
The questions are then:
has this been addressed previously by an authority or significantly discussed? Is there a reason this shouldn't work?
If someone succeeds at holding onto the weapon, what happens? Can they use it normally or is it like having a giant helium balloon tied to the weapong?
Lastly: What if I cast this on someone's armor? Would this effectively disable them without a saving throw? I mean, if my shirt was trying to lift me off of the ground, throwing a punch would seem to entirely unfeasible.
I am relatively new, so let me know if I missed something obvious.