Can you activate the Protective Aura of a Rod of Alertness if the ground is too solid to be pierced?
$begingroup$
A Rod of Alertness has the Protective Aura property, which can be activated once per day by planting the half end of the rod in the ground.
But what if you're in an area where the ground is too solid to be pierced, such as a floor of obsidian? Can you still use the Protective Aura property in this case (making the Rod stand vertically or something), or no?
dnd-5e magic-items
edited Nov 15 '18 at 1:03
V2Blast
23.4k375147
asked Nov 14 '18 at 18:43
Gael LGael L
8,847340167
$endgroup$
add a comment |
$begingroup$
A Rod of Alertness has the Protective Aura property, which can be activated once per day by planting the half end of the rod in the ground.
But what if you're in an area where the ground is too solid to be pierced, such as a floor of obsidian? Can you still use the Protective Aura property in this case (making the Rod stand vertically or something), or no?
dnd-5e magic-items
edited Nov 15 '18 at 1:03
V2Blast
23.4k375147
asked Nov 14 '18 at 18:43
Gael LGael L
8,847340167
$endgroup$
$begingroup$
But what if you're in an area where the ground is too solid to be pierced, such as a floor of obsidian? Which property is more important to you: that the ground be too solid to be pierced, or that it be made of Obsidian? Obsidian is more brittle than you may be aware, and unless it's been enchanted, it's not going to fulfill your "too solid to be pierced" criterion.
$endgroup$
– Xirema
Nov 14 '18 at 18:55
$begingroup$
Heh, bad example then. Ehhh, brick ?
$endgroup$
– Gael L
Nov 14 '18 at 18:58
6
$begingroup$
I don't think the exact material matters here, what matters is that it is un-piercable. It could be a wall of force if you really want to find an example.
$endgroup$
– GreySage
Nov 14 '18 at 19:30
add a comment |
$begingroup$
A Rod of Alertness has the Protective Aura property, which can be activated once per day by planting the half end of the rod in the ground.
But what if you're in an area where the ground is too solid to be pierced, such as a floor of obsidian? Can you still use the Protective Aura property in this case (making the Rod stand vertically or something), or no?
dnd-5e magic-items
edited Nov 15 '18 at 1:03
V2Blast
23.4k375147
asked Nov 14 '18 at 18:43
Gael LGael L
8,847340167
$endgroup$
A Rod of Alertness has the Protective Aura property, which can be activated once per day by planting the half end of the rod in the ground.
But what if you're in an area where the ground is too solid to be pierced, such as a floor of obsidian? Can you still use the Protective Aura property in this case (making the Rod stand vertically or something), or no?
dnd-5e magic-items
dnd-5e magic-items
edited Nov 15 '18 at 1:03
V2Blast
23.4k375147
asked Nov 14 '18 at 18:43
Gael LGael L
8,847340167
edited Nov 15 '18 at 1:03
V2Blast
23.4k375147
asked Nov 14 '18 at 18:43
Gael LGael L
8,847340167
edited Nov 15 '18 at 1:03
V2Blast
23.4k375147
edited Nov 15 '18 at 1:03
V2Blast
23.4k375147
edited Nov 15 '18 at 1:03
V2Blast
23.4k375147
23.4k375147
asked Nov 14 '18 at 18:43
Gael LGael L
8,847340167
asked Nov 14 '18 at 18:43
Gael LGael L
8,847340167
asked Nov 14 '18 at 18:43
Gael LGael L
8,847340167
8,847340167
$begingroup$
But what if you're in an area where the ground is too solid to be pierced, such as a floor of obsidian? Which property is more important to you: that the ground be too solid to be pierced, or that it be made of Obsidian? Obsidian is more brittle than you may be aware, and unless it's been enchanted, it's not going to fulfill your "too solid to be pierced" criterion.
$endgroup$
– Xirema
Nov 14 '18 at 18:55
$begingroup$
Heh, bad example then. Ehhh, brick ?
$endgroup$
– Gael L
Nov 14 '18 at 18:58
6
$begingroup$
I don't think the exact material matters here, what matters is that it is un-piercable. It could be a wall of force if you really want to find an example.
$endgroup$
– GreySage
Nov 14 '18 at 19:30
add a comment |
$begingroup$
But what if you're in an area where the ground is too solid to be pierced, such as a floor of obsidian? Which property is more important to you: that the ground be too solid to be pierced, or that it be made of Obsidian? Obsidian is more brittle than you may be aware, and unless it's been enchanted, it's not going to fulfill your "too solid to be pierced" criterion.
$endgroup$
– Xirema
Nov 14 '18 at 18:55
$begingroup$
Heh, bad example then. Ehhh, brick ?
$endgroup$
– Gael L
Nov 14 '18 at 18:58
6
$begingroup$
I don't think the exact material matters here, what matters is that it is un-piercable. It could be a wall of force if you really want to find an example.
$endgroup$
– GreySage
Nov 14 '18 at 19:30
$begingroup$
But what if you're in an area where the ground is too solid to be pierced, such as a floor of obsidian? Which property is more important to you: that the ground be too solid to be pierced, or that it be made of Obsidian? Obsidian is more brittle than you may be aware, and unless it's been enchanted, it's not going to fulfill your "too solid to be pierced" criterion.
$endgroup$
– Xirema
Nov 14 '18 at 18:55
$begingroup$
But what if you're in an area where the ground is too solid to be pierced, such as a floor of obsidian? Which property is more important to you: that the ground be too solid to be pierced, or that it be made of Obsidian? Obsidian is more brittle than you may be aware, and unless it's been enchanted, it's not going to fulfill your "too solid to be pierced" criterion.
$endgroup$
– Xirema
Nov 14 '18 at 18:55
$begingroup$
Heh, bad example then. Ehhh, brick ?
$endgroup$
– Gael L
Nov 14 '18 at 18:58
$begingroup$
Heh, bad example then. Ehhh, brick ?
$endgroup$
– Gael L
Nov 14 '18 at 18:58
6
6
$begingroup$
I don't think the exact material matters here, what matters is that it is un-piercable. It could be a wall of force if you really want to find an example.
$endgroup$
– GreySage
Nov 14 '18 at 19:30
$begingroup$
I don't think the exact material matters here, what matters is that it is un-piercable. It could be a wall of force if you really want to find an example.
$endgroup$
– GreySage
Nov 14 '18 at 19:30
add a comment |
2 Answers
2
active
oldest
votes
$begingroup$
By a very strict RAW reading (possibly overly strict), you probably wouldn't be able to activate this feature
If the ground cannot be pierced, then you'd be unable to "plant the rod in the ground", per the requirements of the Magic Item.
It's not clarified by the item description whether this requirement is about drawing power out of the ground, a'la "Drawing on the natural power of the Earth", or if it's just a matter of keeping the rod upright. In the latter case, a DM would probably permit you to simply prop it up with a stand or some other object. In the former case, probably not.
Ultimately, you'll have to ask your DM how they would rule in this situation. The fact that this technicality could result in a relatively powerful magic item being unable to use its signature feature may be enough to persuade them to make an exception, or at least give you a work-around. On the other hand, sometimes it's okay to have situations where a magic item just won't work.
From my perspective, it's probably okay to just let the rod be propped up by a stand or some other object. But that's not guaranteed to be your DM's perspective.
answered Nov 14 '18 at 19:45
XiremaXirema
20.5k261119
$endgroup$
$begingroup$
Wedge it in a crack? It feels like the restriction is to stop it being used inside a man-made structure type dungeon.
$endgroup$
– Kieveli
Nov 14 '18 at 20:13
$begingroup$
You could argue that the rules let you plant it in the ground regardless of what it's made of, so long as it's 'ground' and not 'floor' because the spell text says you can. Specific beats general, after all, and the Spell Text says 'plant it in the ground', which is more specific than 'Obsidian is hard'
$endgroup$
– MarkTO
Nov 14 '18 at 22:23
$begingroup$
@MarkTO I don't think this interpretation is right. For example, Acid description says "you can splash the contents" and I'm pretty sure it does not override things like being tied.
$endgroup$
– Mołot
Nov 15 '18 at 0:16
add a comment |
$begingroup$
Yes.
Specific beats general, and the spell text 'Plant it in the ground' supersedes the much more general durability of any substance whatsoever. However, it must be 'ground' and not 'floor' which means it won't work on the roof of a castle, for example.
answered Nov 14 '18 at 22:26
MarkTOMarkTO
3,635636
$endgroup$
add a comment |
Your Answer
StackExchange.ifUsing("editor", function () {
return StackExchange.using("mathjaxEditing", function () {
StackExchange.MarkdownEditor.creationCallbacks.add(function (editor, postfix) {
StackExchange.mathjaxEditing.prepareWmdForMathJax(editor, postfix, [["\$", "\$"]]);
});
});
}, "mathjax-editing");
StackExchange.ready(function() {
var channelOptions = {
tags: "".split(" "),
id: "122"
};
initTagRenderer("".split(" "), "".split(" "), channelOptions);
StackExchange.using("externalEditor", function() {
// Have to fire editor after snippets, if snippets enabled
if (StackExchange.settings.snippets.snippetsEnabled) {
StackExchange.using("snippets", function() {
createEditor();
});
}
else {
createEditor();
}
});
function createEditor() {
StackExchange.prepareEditor({
heartbeatType: 'answer',
autoActivateHeartbeat: false,
convertImagesToLinks: false,
noModals: true,
showLowRepImageUploadWarning: true,
reputationToPostImages: null,
bindNavPrevention: true,
postfix: "",
imageUploader: {
brandingHtml: "Powered by u003ca class="icon-imgur-white" href="https://imgur.com/"u003eu003c/au003e",
contentPolicyHtml: "User contributions licensed under u003ca href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/"u003ecc by-sa 3.0 with attribution requiredu003c/au003e u003ca href="https://stackoverflow.com/legal/content-policy"u003e(content policy)u003c/au003e",
allowUrls: true
},
noCode: true, onDemand: true,
discardSelector: ".discard-answer"
,immediatelyShowMarkdownHelp:true
});
}
});
Sign up or log in
StackExchange.ready(function () {
StackExchange.helpers.onClickDraftSave('#login-link');
});
Sign up using Google
Sign up using Facebook
Sign up using Email and Password
Post as a guest
Required, but never shown
StackExchange.ready(
function () {
StackExchange.openid.initPostLogin('.new-post-login', 'https%3a%2f%2frpg.stackexchange.com%2fquestions%2f135553%2fcan-you-activate-the-protective-aura-of-a-rod-of-alertness-if-the-ground-is-too%23new-answer', 'question_page');
}
);
Post as a guest
Required, but never shown
2 Answers
2
active
oldest
votes
2 Answers
2
active
oldest
votes
active
oldest
votes
active
oldest
votes
$begingroup$
By a very strict RAW reading (possibly overly strict), you probably wouldn't be able to activate this feature
If the ground cannot be pierced, then you'd be unable to "plant the rod in the ground", per the requirements of the Magic Item.
It's not clarified by the item description whether this requirement is about drawing power out of the ground, a'la "Drawing on the natural power of the Earth", or if it's just a matter of keeping the rod upright. In the latter case, a DM would probably permit you to simply prop it up with a stand or some other object. In the former case, probably not.
Ultimately, you'll have to ask your DM how they would rule in this situation. The fact that this technicality could result in a relatively powerful magic item being unable to use its signature feature may be enough to persuade them to make an exception, or at least give you a work-around. On the other hand, sometimes it's okay to have situations where a magic item just won't work.
From my perspective, it's probably okay to just let the rod be propped up by a stand or some other object. But that's not guaranteed to be your DM's perspective.
answered Nov 14 '18 at 19:45
XiremaXirema
20.5k261119
$endgroup$
$begingroup$
Wedge it in a crack? It feels like the restriction is to stop it being used inside a man-made structure type dungeon.
$endgroup$
– Kieveli
Nov 14 '18 at 20:13
$begingroup$
You could argue that the rules let you plant it in the ground regardless of what it's made of, so long as it's 'ground' and not 'floor' because the spell text says you can. Specific beats general, after all, and the Spell Text says 'plant it in the ground', which is more specific than 'Obsidian is hard'
$endgroup$
– MarkTO
Nov 14 '18 at 22:23
$begingroup$
@MarkTO I don't think this interpretation is right. For example, Acid description says "you can splash the contents" and I'm pretty sure it does not override things like being tied.
$endgroup$
– Mołot
Nov 15 '18 at 0:16
add a comment |
$begingroup$
By a very strict RAW reading (possibly overly strict), you probably wouldn't be able to activate this feature
If the ground cannot be pierced, then you'd be unable to "plant the rod in the ground", per the requirements of the Magic Item.
It's not clarified by the item description whether this requirement is about drawing power out of the ground, a'la "Drawing on the natural power of the Earth", or if it's just a matter of keeping the rod upright. In the latter case, a DM would probably permit you to simply prop it up with a stand or some other object. In the former case, probably not.
Ultimately, you'll have to ask your DM how they would rule in this situation. The fact that this technicality could result in a relatively powerful magic item being unable to use its signature feature may be enough to persuade them to make an exception, or at least give you a work-around. On the other hand, sometimes it's okay to have situations where a magic item just won't work.
From my perspective, it's probably okay to just let the rod be propped up by a stand or some other object. But that's not guaranteed to be your DM's perspective.
answered Nov 14 '18 at 19:45
XiremaXirema
20.5k261119
$endgroup$
$begingroup$
Wedge it in a crack? It feels like the restriction is to stop it being used inside a man-made structure type dungeon.
$endgroup$
– Kieveli
Nov 14 '18 at 20:13
$begingroup$
You could argue that the rules let you plant it in the ground regardless of what it's made of, so long as it's 'ground' and not 'floor' because the spell text says you can. Specific beats general, after all, and the Spell Text says 'plant it in the ground', which is more specific than 'Obsidian is hard'
$endgroup$
– MarkTO
Nov 14 '18 at 22:23
$begingroup$
@MarkTO I don't think this interpretation is right. For example, Acid description says "you can splash the contents" and I'm pretty sure it does not override things like being tied.
$endgroup$
– Mołot
Nov 15 '18 at 0:16
add a comment |
$begingroup$
By a very strict RAW reading (possibly overly strict), you probably wouldn't be able to activate this feature
If the ground cannot be pierced, then you'd be unable to "plant the rod in the ground", per the requirements of the Magic Item.
It's not clarified by the item description whether this requirement is about drawing power out of the ground, a'la "Drawing on the natural power of the Earth", or if it's just a matter of keeping the rod upright. In the latter case, a DM would probably permit you to simply prop it up with a stand or some other object. In the former case, probably not.
Ultimately, you'll have to ask your DM how they would rule in this situation. The fact that this technicality could result in a relatively powerful magic item being unable to use its signature feature may be enough to persuade them to make an exception, or at least give you a work-around. On the other hand, sometimes it's okay to have situations where a magic item just won't work.
From my perspective, it's probably okay to just let the rod be propped up by a stand or some other object. But that's not guaranteed to be your DM's perspective.
answered Nov 14 '18 at 19:45
XiremaXirema
20.5k261119
$endgroup$
By a very strict RAW reading (possibly overly strict), you probably wouldn't be able to activate this feature
If the ground cannot be pierced, then you'd be unable to "plant the rod in the ground", per the requirements of the Magic Item.
It's not clarified by the item description whether this requirement is about drawing power out of the ground, a'la "Drawing on the natural power of the Earth", or if it's just a matter of keeping the rod upright. In the latter case, a DM would probably permit you to simply prop it up with a stand or some other object. In the former case, probably not.
Ultimately, you'll have to ask your DM how they would rule in this situation. The fact that this technicality could result in a relatively powerful magic item being unable to use its signature feature may be enough to persuade them to make an exception, or at least give you a work-around. On the other hand, sometimes it's okay to have situations where a magic item just won't work.
From my perspective, it's probably okay to just let the rod be propped up by a stand or some other object. But that's not guaranteed to be your DM's perspective.
answered Nov 14 '18 at 19:45
XiremaXirema
20.5k261119
answered Nov 14 '18 at 19:45
XiremaXirema
20.5k261119
answered Nov 14 '18 at 19:45
XiremaXirema
20.5k261119
answered Nov 14 '18 at 19:45
XiremaXirema
20.5k261119
20.5k261119
$begingroup$
Wedge it in a crack? It feels like the restriction is to stop it being used inside a man-made structure type dungeon.
$endgroup$
– Kieveli
Nov 14 '18 at 20:13
$begingroup$
You could argue that the rules let you plant it in the ground regardless of what it's made of, so long as it's 'ground' and not 'floor' because the spell text says you can. Specific beats general, after all, and the Spell Text says 'plant it in the ground', which is more specific than 'Obsidian is hard'
$endgroup$
– MarkTO
Nov 14 '18 at 22:23
$begingroup$
@MarkTO I don't think this interpretation is right. For example, Acid description says "you can splash the contents" and I'm pretty sure it does not override things like being tied.
$endgroup$
– Mołot
Nov 15 '18 at 0:16
add a comment |
$begingroup$
Wedge it in a crack? It feels like the restriction is to stop it being used inside a man-made structure type dungeon.
$endgroup$
– Kieveli
Nov 14 '18 at 20:13
$begingroup$
You could argue that the rules let you plant it in the ground regardless of what it's made of, so long as it's 'ground' and not 'floor' because the spell text says you can. Specific beats general, after all, and the Spell Text says 'plant it in the ground', which is more specific than 'Obsidian is hard'
$endgroup$
– MarkTO
Nov 14 '18 at 22:23
$begingroup$
@MarkTO I don't think this interpretation is right. For example, Acid description says "you can splash the contents" and I'm pretty sure it does not override things like being tied.
$endgroup$
– Mołot
Nov 15 '18 at 0:16
$begingroup$
Wedge it in a crack? It feels like the restriction is to stop it being used inside a man-made structure type dungeon.
$endgroup$
– Kieveli
Nov 14 '18 at 20:13
$begingroup$
Wedge it in a crack? It feels like the restriction is to stop it being used inside a man-made structure type dungeon.
$endgroup$
– Kieveli
Nov 14 '18 at 20:13
$begingroup$
You could argue that the rules let you plant it in the ground regardless of what it's made of, so long as it's 'ground' and not 'floor' because the spell text says you can. Specific beats general, after all, and the Spell Text says 'plant it in the ground', which is more specific than 'Obsidian is hard'
$endgroup$
– MarkTO
Nov 14 '18 at 22:23
$begingroup$
You could argue that the rules let you plant it in the ground regardless of what it's made of, so long as it's 'ground' and not 'floor' because the spell text says you can. Specific beats general, after all, and the Spell Text says 'plant it in the ground', which is more specific than 'Obsidian is hard'
$endgroup$
– MarkTO
Nov 14 '18 at 22:23
$begingroup$
@MarkTO I don't think this interpretation is right. For example, Acid description says "you can splash the contents" and I'm pretty sure it does not override things like being tied.
$endgroup$
– Mołot
Nov 15 '18 at 0:16
$begingroup$
@MarkTO I don't think this interpretation is right. For example, Acid description says "you can splash the contents" and I'm pretty sure it does not override things like being tied.
$endgroup$
– Mołot
Nov 15 '18 at 0:16
add a comment |
$begingroup$
Yes.
Specific beats general, and the spell text 'Plant it in the ground' supersedes the much more general durability of any substance whatsoever. However, it must be 'ground' and not 'floor' which means it won't work on the roof of a castle, for example.
answered Nov 14 '18 at 22:26
MarkTOMarkTO
3,635636
$endgroup$
add a comment |
$begingroup$
Yes.
Specific beats general, and the spell text 'Plant it in the ground' supersedes the much more general durability of any substance whatsoever. However, it must be 'ground' and not 'floor' which means it won't work on the roof of a castle, for example.
answered Nov 14 '18 at 22:26
MarkTOMarkTO
3,635636
$endgroup$
add a comment |
$begingroup$
Yes.
Specific beats general, and the spell text 'Plant it in the ground' supersedes the much more general durability of any substance whatsoever. However, it must be 'ground' and not 'floor' which means it won't work on the roof of a castle, for example.
answered Nov 14 '18 at 22:26
MarkTOMarkTO
3,635636
$endgroup$
Yes.
Specific beats general, and the spell text 'Plant it in the ground' supersedes the much more general durability of any substance whatsoever. However, it must be 'ground' and not 'floor' which means it won't work on the roof of a castle, for example.
answered Nov 14 '18 at 22:26
MarkTOMarkTO
3,635636
answered Nov 14 '18 at 22:26
MarkTOMarkTO
3,635636
answered Nov 14 '18 at 22:26
MarkTOMarkTO
3,635636
answered Nov 14 '18 at 22:26
MarkTOMarkTO
3,635636
3,635636
add a comment |
add a comment |
Thanks for contributing an answer to Role-playing Games Stack Exchange!
- Please be sure to answer the question. Provide details and share your research!
But avoid …
- Asking for help, clarification, or responding to other answers.
- Making statements based on opinion; back them up with references or personal experience.
Use MathJax to format equations. MathJax reference.
To learn more, see our tips on writing great answers.
Sign up or log in
StackExchange.ready(function () {
StackExchange.helpers.onClickDraftSave('#login-link');
});
Sign up using Google
Sign up using Facebook
Sign up using Email and Password
Post as a guest
Required, but never shown
StackExchange.ready(
function () {
StackExchange.openid.initPostLogin('.new-post-login', 'https%3a%2f%2frpg.stackexchange.com%2fquestions%2f135553%2fcan-you-activate-the-protective-aura-of-a-rod-of-alertness-if-the-ground-is-too%23new-answer', 'question_page');
}
);
Post as a guest
Required, but never shown
Sign up or log in
StackExchange.ready(function () {
StackExchange.helpers.onClickDraftSave('#login-link');
});
Sign up using Google
Sign up using Facebook
Sign up using Email and Password
Post as a guest
Required, but never shown
Sign up or log in
StackExchange.ready(function () {
StackExchange.helpers.onClickDraftSave('#login-link');
});
Sign up using Google
Sign up using Facebook
Sign up using Email and Password
Post as a guest
Required, but never shown
Sign up or log in
StackExchange.ready(function () {
StackExchange.helpers.onClickDraftSave('#login-link');
});
Sign up using Google
Sign up using Facebook
Sign up using Email and Password
Sign up using Google
Sign up using Facebook
Sign up using Email and Password
Post as a guest
Required, but never shown
Required, but never shown
Required, but never shown
Required, but never shown
Required, but never shown
Required, but never shown
Required, but never shown
Required, but never shown
Required, but never shown
$begingroup$
But what if you're in an area where the ground is too solid to be pierced, such as a floor of obsidian? Which property is more important to you: that the ground be too solid to be pierced, or that it be made of Obsidian? Obsidian is more brittle than you may be aware, and unless it's been enchanted, it's not going to fulfill your "too solid to be pierced" criterion.
$endgroup$
– Xirema
Nov 14 '18 at 18:55
$begingroup$
Heh, bad example then. Ehhh, brick ?
$endgroup$
– Gael L
Nov 14 '18 at 18:58
6
$begingroup$
I don't think the exact material matters here, what matters is that it is un-piercable. It could be a wall of force if you really want to find an example.
$endgroup$
– GreySage
Nov 14 '18 at 19:30