Underwater fire? Bug or WAD?

[Wauthan]

Yeah, I apologize for the needless goofing. Sombre points out
the obvious solution, that it doesn't really matter as long as
the rules are clear, equal and easy to grasp. Explanations
about the why and how of the nonintuitive, like the jumping knight
in chess, are better left to the creators of the game then
overenthusiastic bystanders like myself.

[Randvek]

You would think boiling all that water around you might have a slight effect on your vision, though.

[Ewierl]

The charcoal shield seems like a mistake because it's inconsistent- the spell doesn't work, but an item generating the spell does work. "They're different" arguments seem deflated by the way both item and spell produce an identical effect (when functioning).

One can, indeed, imagine those items working either way, in and of themselves. But consistency isn't a narrative "why?" question, it's a system question.

[Forrest]

Micah said:
UW combat sucks enough as it is, leave the items alone =)

He sums it up guys.

Try to get something added.

How about pushing for a earth spell that causes area muddy water with movement loss and fatigue.

How about a Air spell of bubble that leaves a nonamphib flopping and gasping.

How about a fire spell that causes a ball of light to which those fishies are attracted like in the real world.

Where is my summon giant/school of jelly fish? They are the real terror of the seven seas.

[NTJedi]

Fire does have some working effects underwater... only blood is completely canceled out by water.

[Endoperez]

NTJedi said:

Fire does have some working effects underwater... only blood is completely canceled out by water.

Only the blood spells that require blood slaves; the fact that Blood Boil is only such spell is irrelevant.

[Sawyer]

I could easily see a "Blood on the Water" spell that attracted a mutated Shark Attack.

[Agema]

You could argue that flame brands have magic fire like the astral fires spell. Or that it superheats the water around the target to boil them. Whereas your average fire spell uses magic to conjure a normal fire, which would get instantly snuffed out underwater.

Technically frost brands wouldn't be much use underwater either if you used the same logic to ban fire brands, because the minute you drew it it would freeze the water and you'd end up clubbing people with a large, heavy, unwieldy lump of ice.

[Natpy]

You can say "it's magic". This explain everything. But I just want to know: do these items work as designed?


sorry for my bad English

[deadboi]

In order to produce a flame you require a combustible substance and an oxidizer.

In the case of a candle the combustible substance is the wax and the oxidizer is the surrounding oxygen. Thus as long as you have both you will have a continuous flame.

In the case of an underwater cutting torch both a combustible substance and an oxidizer must be provided by hoses leading to the torch. Hydrogen and acetylene are commonly used combustible gases and the oxidizer is oxygen. The gas must be supplied at a high enough pressure to overcome the pressure exerted by the water to maintain a continuous bubble around the flame.

So it could be that the fire based spells and items that work underwater provide both their own combustible substance and oxidizer contained within a bubble while ones that don't must rely on materials that are already present. The same idea could be used in the case of the frost brand in that the magic effect is contained within a bubble.