Force Chest Question

[Silva Stormrage]

So a player in an upcoming campaign brought up the spell Force Chest (SpC) and we had an interesting discussion regarding how it actually worked.

The main question was whether or not the chest was movable from its initial position. My initial thought was that no it wasn't. It is made of walls of force and force effects are stationary when not specified otherwise and the spell doesn't allow it to be moved.

He argued that other force effects can be moved (Mage Armor, Shield, Etc) and nothing specifies it can't be moved and it is just made out force not literally the same as the spell Walls of Force.

I am curious on the playgrounds thoughts on the spell. The SpC artwork for the spell seem to imply it being mobile as the lich casting the spell is cradling the force chest in its arm but as it is a still picture so it isn't definite.

There was also the concern of one player being a tiny psionic character hiding inside the chest and using the burrowing power feat to use the force chest as a mobile invincible fortress but that's a separate issue that needs to be addressed :smalltongue:

[Khedrac]

I would say that the spell would be much too powerful (even at level 4) if the chest was not moveable.
For one thing, the chest appears in the caster's hands - this gives the caster control over where it appears, so if it isn't moveable, it is now potentially hovering in mid air. This leads to all the immoveable rod abuses, but with no way of moving/or breaking the obstruction short of a disintergrate spell (or possibly dispel magic, but since it is made from walls of force, this is dubious).

[tyckspoon]

There was also the concern of one player being a tiny psionic character hiding inside the chest and using the burrowing power feat to use the force chest as a mobile invincible fortress but that's a separate issue that needs to be addressed :smalltongue:

Hey, if he's willing and able to spend an extra 2 PP, his psionic focus, and beat a DC 31 Psicraft check for every power (DC to successfully burrow a spell is 10 + hardness + 1 per foot of thickness, force effects treated as hardness 20 and minimum 1 value for thickness) I say let him.

[NotASpiderSwarm]

Since the lid is a wall of force and is openable, the walls of force that make it up have to be movable.

I'd also argue that it's RAI that they wanted it to be movable, since it appears in the caster's hands. If it was immobile, they'd probably have made the location "a point on the ground within 5'" or something. You don't put it in a character's hands unless it's supposed to be carried somewhere.

[Silva Stormrage]

Okay fair enough, thanks for the responses :smallsmile:. I don't think it's a big deal for it to move regardless so I am kinda glad I didn't just invalidate a strategy he was going to use.

[the_tick_rules]

it already has an impressive duration but I kind of wonder if it could be made permanent, it doesn't have the line but you can make a wall of force permanent. if you put this over a safe or something you got one heck of a secure site.