Re: (TFT) Pentagrams and arrows

[Peter von Kleinsmid <pvk@oz.net>]

At 01:22 PM 3/8/04 -0600, Mark Tapley wrote:
> ...
> If no magic, I assume the pentagram doesn't get involved at all.

Right.

> What if the Bow is enchanted to +DX? I think of +DX on a bow as just 
> meaning it helps the archer aim better - in which case the magic is done 
> with when the arrow leaves the bow, and the pentagram won't affect it.

A very small touch of grey, but I think you are correct. The arrow is 
crossing the pentagram, but not the bow. Two possible other 
interpretations, though, are:

1) The arrow's +1 DX attack relies on magic carried with the arrow through 
the attack - it therefore is completely stopped by the pentagram!

2) The bow's aiming magic fails to work against targets outside the 
pentagram. The magic in the bow can't interact with the target. The arrow 
can get through, but the archer doesn't get a bonus to DX.

> What if the Bow is enchanted to +Damage? I think of +Damage on a bow as 
> just meaning it shoots harder, so again, it's just a plain arrow crossing 
> the pentagram, so the archer still gets the bonus.

Again, I'd tend to side with you, but I could see the same above two 
arguments, depending on interpretation of how the magic bow works. Just 
like above, the arrow might be blocked, or the damage bonus might not work.

> What if the bow shoots Flaming arrows? I think it would go out as it 
> crossed the pentagram border, although this may be at variance with my 
> opinions above on Bow enchantment.

In this case I see your logic, and it's an acceptable interpretation, but I 
think that a Flaming arrow from a magic bow is not just a natural arrow 
with natural fire on it. Real natural fire arrows require a bunch of 
burning medium (which spoils their aim, etc). Even if you could set an 
arrow on fire and then fired it, I don't think it would give +1 damage 
reliably. So, I think the arrow from a Flaming enchantment does still have 
magic in it as it flies, and is therefore a magical attack, and would get 
stopped in its tracks. Again this goes back to the spell wording: "The only 
thing it will NOT stop is a totally "natural" thing - such as a purely 
physical attack by a non-magical creature."

> What if the Arrow is enchanted to either +DX or +Damage? I think of these 
> as little magic heat-seeking AIM-9 style fins on the arrow, or little 
> turbo-boosters on the arrow, and I think the pentagram would shut those 
> down as the arrow crossed its boundary, so it reverts to a plain arrow and 
> the archer would not get either DX or Damage bonus from the arrow.

I agree with your premise but I would have the pentagram stop the arrow 
itself. A pentagram is NOT de-enchantment field. It stops enchanted and 
magical things, but doesn't dispel enchantments. You can't walk through a 
pentagram to remove cursed magic items stuck on you, for example. Someone 
with a cursed item gets prevented from crossing by the cursed item.

> What if the Arrow came out of a Quiver of Replenishment? I assume it just 
> wouldn't work to try to return it, since one can't teleport in/out of a 
> pentagram.

The arrow is part of the enchanted set, and so is a magic item. I'd say it 
gets stopped before leaving.


> What if the Intruder had a Reverse Missiles spell up? Does all that magic 
> take place at the Intruder himself, or does Reverse Missiles actually have 
> to guide the missile all the way back to its source? I think of it as just 
> being a corner-cube reflector for arrows, with a little windage thrown in 
> for gravity and drag, so that the Reversed Arrow would cross the Pentagram 
> with no trouble and no change (since the pentagram stripped all magical 
> effect from the arrow on the way out) and hit the archer.

Again a grey area. One view is that the attack going out must be 
non-magical, so the attack going back must be non-magical. Another view is 
that Reverse Missiles is way too accurate to be non-magical. Reverse 
Missiles NEVER misses on the way back, which realism-oriented players like 
myself will either make house rules to allow a chance to miss on the way 
back, or will perhaps make up a rationalization involving magic helping the 
missile back to the firer... in which case they might well argue that the 
attack coming back _is_ magical, and so gets stopped by the pentagram.

PvK
=====
Post to the entire list by writing to tft@brainiac.com.
Unsubscribe by mailing to majordomo@brainiac.com with the message body
"unsubscribe tft"