Class and Level Geekery XVI - These Characters May Now Drive the Plot

[JumboWheat01]

You did the math wrong. Thousands of times colossal is not thousands of times the bonus. IF you allow larger than colossal (not in core but allowed in splat), then double size is +4 to spot, but you need to double the new and larger size for the next +4.

The moon is 11,398,464' in diameter. That would be 17 categories above colossal, for a whopping +84 to spot.

The distance penalty is minus over 250 million. You can not see the moon.

Isn't there also a penalty to Hide if a light source is involved? ((Admittedly not enough by these numbers, but still...))

[Peelee]

The moon is 11,398,464' in diameter.

That level of accuracy doesn't seem right, but I don't know enough about the moon to dispute it.

[Rogar Demonblud]

Wikipedia gives an average radius of 1737.1 km, for a diameter of 3474.2 km, which would be 2181.8 miles. Multiply that by 5280 and you get 11,519,904 feet.

[b_jonas]

I actually ran the math on this year's ago when someone claimed by RAW you couldn't see the moon.

Oh wow, indeed. The Spot check has a linear penalty of -1 per feet of distance, and nothing comparable to balance against it. The penalty is probably less severe for the part of the distance outside of the atmosphere, but even then it's way too much.

[Rogar Demonblud]

Yeah, by the rules you probably can't see someone you can shoot with your bow. Even replacing "foot" with "square" still leaves you with a -20 at a hundred feet.

[Riftwolf]

You did the math wrong. Thousands of times colossal is not thousands of times the bonus. IF you allow larger than colossal (not in core but allowed in splat), then double size is +4 to spot, but you need to double the new and larger size for the next +4.

The moon is 11,398,464' in diameter. That would be 17 categories above colossal, for a whopping +84 to spot.

The distance penalty is minus over 250 million. You can not see the moon.

You're right, I did. I was using the AC size modifiers, which double, rather than add +4 in Pathfinder. I can't recall how I calculated the size category, but I ended up with a number of categories far higher than 17; I think I added +10ft to each side of the hypothetical square the moon would take on the map for each category it went up (which was the jump from Gargantuan to Colossal and seemed a reasonable assumption).

[Peelee]

Wikipedia gives an average radius of 1737.1 km, for a diameter of 3474.2 km, which would be 2181.8 miles. Multiply that by 5280 and you get 11,519,904 feet.

Your math is fine but your science is off. That works out to 11, 520,000 feet.

[InvisibleBison]

Spot penalties for distance are linear, but the bonuses for target size are logarithmic. You can't see a mountain at half a mile, you can't hope to see the sun

It's perfectly possible to see the sun. You only use Spot to detect someone that is hiding or otherwise difficult to see. You don't have to roll Spot to see something that's in plain sight.

[Schroeswald]

Doesn’t V’s source for spellcraft say that V has more ranks in it than the rest of the party? She says that no one else has enough ranks in spellcraft to recognize it as magical darkness, meaning he has 10+ ranks in spellcraft, correct?

[Doug Lampert]

It's perfectly possible to see the sun. You only use Spot to detect someone that is hiding or otherwise difficult to see. You don't have to roll Spot to see something that's in plain sight.

Nope, nothing in the PHB says it's only used opposed and in the DMG you explicitely use spot even if neither party is hiding to see what range you spot the other group in an encounter.

[Riftwolf]

It's perfectly possible to see the sun. You only use Spot to detect someone that is hiding or otherwise difficult to see. You don't have to roll Spot to see something that's in plain sight.

In fairness, we can't see the sun in real life, at least with the naked eye. It's too bright :b

[Peelee]

In fairness, we can't see the sun in real life, at least with the naked eye. It's too bright :b

Imean, you can see it.

....once.

Or at sunrise or sundown when you maximize the atmosphere between you and the sun, or if its kind of cloudy and hazy, or pictures or filters or LOOK THE JOKE WAS FUNNY OK?!?

[Jasdoif]

Wikipedia gives an average radius of 1737.1 km, for a diameter of 3474.2 km, which would be 2181.8 miles. Multiply that by 5280 and you get 11,519,904 feet.

Your math is fine but your science is off. That works out to 11, 520,000 feet.

Do you really think that's significant?

[Peelee]

Do you really think that's significant?

I figure it is.

[Gluteus_Maximus]

Imean, you can see it.

....once.

Or at sunrise or sundown when you maximize the atmosphere between you and the sun, or if its kind of cloudy and hazy, or pictures or filters or LOOK THE JOKE WAS FUNNY OK?!?

Hey I've seen the sun plenty of times even while it was high up. I saw spots for a while, but the sun can't make you blind from a moment looking at it.

[danielxcutter]

Er... is it just me or are a lot of the smilies borked?

[Jasdoif]

Er... is it just me or are a lot of the smilies borked?

Been noticing it all over, not just here....I guess Photobucket's watermarking of images wasn't accomplishing what it was meant to; and now Photobucket is blurring the images and watermarking them.

[Schroeswald]

Been noticing it all over, not just here....I guess Photobucket's watermarking of images wasn't accomplishing what it was meant to; and now Photobucket is blurring the images and watermarking them.

Will we need to figure out a new way to make smilies then? Whatever process created Hinjo, both Celias, Minrah both Hilgyas, Andi, Tsukiko (Appearances), Kudzu (the Appearances Count thread version), Thanh, Banjo, Ponchula, Kwesi, Carol, Therkla, Niu, Mateo, Sandy, Roy’s Archon, Boot wight, Loki, the Flumphs, Giantess with Axe and Tattoo, Odin, Rubyrock, Freya and Sif’s high priestesses, Leeky (Appearances), Hank, Shadowdamcer, Zombie Dragon, Laurin (C&LG), Shoulder Pads Guy, Serini, Kraagor, Julia (C&LG) and Qarr (C&LG) should be able to be recreated on the rest (though it would take awhile I imagine).

[Rogar Demonblud]

Do you really think that's significant?

It alters the bonus to Spot slightly.

[Schroeswald]

It alters the bonus to Spot slightly.

But not enough to overcome the negative to spot from distance, or come close enough to be overcome by anyone's spot ranks.

[Jaxzan Proditor]

Your math is fine but your science is off. That works out to 11, 520,000 feet.

1.152*10⁷ feet, please .

Er... is it just me or are a lot of the smilies borked?

Yeah, my signature is not thrilled about it. We live in a fun time for imaging hosting.

[Squire Doodad]

The moon is 11,398,464' in diameter. That would be 17 categories above colossal, for a whopping +84 to spot.

The distance penalty is minus over 250 million. You can not see the moon.

Do you mind if I sig this?

[Peelee]

1.152*10⁷ feet, please .

You don't every know how close I was to saying that.

[hamishspence]

Hey I've seen the sun plenty of times even while it was high up. I saw spots for a while, but the sun can't make you blind from a moment looking at it.

Blind, maybe not. Permanently damaged vision, with the spots never going away, yes, it's possible, if you look too long.

[RatElemental]

Yeah, by the rules you probably can't see someone you can shoot with your bow. Even replacing "foot" with "square" still leaves you with a -20 at a hundred feet.

Funnily enough, I made a sniper character once as a villain and increasing her spot check and mitigating the distance penalty was far more important to the build than increasing the weapon's range increment. There's ways to double how far you can see and a couple of them can be stacked, as well there's lots of nifty ways to boost your spot check into the stratosphere.

She probably still couldn't see the moon though.

[Squire Doodad]

She probably still couldn't see the moon though.

Moon? What moon?

[Doug Lampert]

Do you mind if I sig this?

Feel free, it's on the internet, it will live forever whether or not it's sigged.

[Squire Doodad]

Feel free, it's on the internet, it will live forever whether or not it's sigged.

Done and done. Also getting an extended sig because whoops spacing.

[Aquillion]

I spun off the moon discussion into a a thread discussing how we could build a character capable of seeing the moon.

[Xihirli]

I think it's safe to change Minrah's unspecified guard class to fighter.