Control Water Rule Questions

[Fero]

Control Water says that it can raise water by 2'/CL. Does anyone know if the spell requires a sufficient volume of existing water to justify the change? For example, could you raise a 5' pool 20' into the air. If so, does it create a 20' tall +5' deep wall of water, or is the 5' area of water simply floating in the air?

[Chronos]

My group has always played it as effectively creating more water.

[bekeleven]

Yeah, I've always assumed it just short-term depletes the surrounding water table. Although I can't recall a game where Control Water was cast on an explicitly disconnected body of water, like a constructed pool.

[Silva Stormrage]

The spell is poorly named IMO, and I am pretty sure it creates/destroys water. My party had this discussion as well as it was very important and I went back to look at some 2nd edition books for reference wondering if the spell was there as well and the equivalent spell in 2nd edition explicitly stated it created/removed water.

[Eladrinblade]

Just assume that water is appearing or disappearing from reality while the spell is active.

[Shalist]

Well, a Decanter of Endless Water (https://www.d20srd.org/srd/magicItems/wondrousItems.htm#decanterofEndlessWater) is basically just a permanent version of Control Water:


Decanter of Endless Water

...

Moderate transmutation; CL 9th; Craft Wondrous Item, control water (https://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/controlWater.htm); Price 9,000 gp; Weight 2 lb.

Another point is that Create Water is a 0th level spell, which suggests there's nothing too special about creating water out of thin air, so interpreting Control Water as creating / destroying larger volumes of water seems perfectly reasonable.