Blinding Flash

[Veknironth]

Well, I'll continue asking bizarre questions about magic spells. It seems to be food for thought and spark some decent conversation.

So the spell can be cast up to 60ft away and it has a 10ft radiud (Main Book p.189). Is this like a flashbulb going off in the center and it effects everyone within 10 feet of it? Or is it more like Globe of Daylight, with a 10ft diameter sphere suddenly being super illuminated? The reason I ask is that if it's a flashbulb then someone could hide around the corner or behind something and not be blinded. Alternatively, the sphere interpretation would allow you to blind people around corners, and perhaps in several rooms, albeit tiny ones.

Another question is can it be cast on the other side of a door, wall, or other structure? It doesn't say line of sight in the description.

Last question. If you are not in the range of the spell, can you still see it? For example, if you're 100ft away from the spell's epicenter, could you see the flash but not be blinded? IF so, from how far away would it be visible? It is magic so it could be that the spell only affects people in the range of it and someone 11ft from the epicenter would wonder why everyone is suddenly rubbing their eyes.

-Vek
"I wrote this with one hand after patting myself on the back in the first line."

[Library Ogre]

1) "everyone in its 10 foot radius" implies that it fills the space. However, I have generally viewed it as a flashbulb, though it's never come up.

2) In general, I require either LOS or certain knowledge... so you can do it on the other side of the door, but only right on the other side of the door... not "30' in that direction"

3) Yes, you can see it.

[kiralon]

I play it that its a really bright flash, but only people within 10 feet are close enough to be blinded by it, as they are in the 10ft radius of the lightbulb which is a 20ft sphere so having your back to it doesn't help. I would have the effect go through a door, so if you cast it on this side of a door it would get the guard on the other side of the door, but I play that spells need targets, even if its empty space, and if you can't see that empty space you can't cast it there. Yes it can be seen, I have had characters use it as a signal. Very visible in dark mountains for example.

[drewkitty ~..~]

The way I run it is that the flash makes real light and the area that makes light fills up the 10' radius. Thus the flash is inside their eyeballs of chars inside the area of effect. However, those looking at the area are also effected.

The save vs magic for those inside the AoE is just considered normal the char's soul rejecting the magic. While those outside the AoE the save vs magic equates to whether or not they had bad luck to be looking directly at the AoE when the spell goes off. Range of 'colateral damage' effects…GM's choice. Greater effective CD Range at night then during daytime. Effects of the CD effects….up to the GM depending on the situation.
The spell is the magic equivalent of a flash granade, so if there are listing for those maybe co-opt those stats.

Depends on mage that is casting the spell. If they are smart or experianced then I would be more open to the char being able to cast spells past doors or through walls. So long as the actions do not violate other rules saying it can't happen. However, there are few of those rules in the PF setting. There are no FEBA, power armor, or bots in PF; and there are no MDC walls.

BF spell effects going through force fields…..magic and normal…..
So long as the FF is normally transparent then the CD effects (see above) would pass through the FF. No, auto filter effects.

[Whiskeyjack]

Personally, I play it that the flash is in their eyes. So anyone in the area must save, those outside don't notice anything. Makes it a bit more mysterious when people suddenly shout out and then can't see for no apparent reason.

[Razorwing]

I treat it much like the Solar Flare maneuver from Dragon Ball (including Z)... in that it is a sudden flash of light that blinds everyone who can see it.

However, it does allow a save... which means that there is a chance that a character is fast enough to close their eyes or otherwise protect them from the blinding effects. I generally give my players who make this save a fair amount of leeway in explaining how they protected themselves... turning away from the epicenter, shielding their eyes... dodging behind an object... all of them plausible explanations... even though it is a save vs. magic and most of these explanations would fit better with a dodge... but why quibble about such details.

The spell also makes a great flare for showing one's position when one wants to be found... though it also makes one's position known to those you don't want to find you too... but that's a change one has to take. A 20 ft. diameter sphere of light flashing 60 ft. in the air is going to be noticed from a fair ways off... especially at night.

[drewkitty ~..~]

Personally, I play it that the flash is in their eyes. So anyone in the area must save, those outside don't notice anything. Makes it a bit more mysterious when people suddenly shout out and then can't see for no apparent reason.

*nods* I can see that interpretation.
Not saying bad/good just that I see it.

I do wish PB did update some of the spell texts to be less open for interpretation, instead of just copy and pasting them over and over.

[eliakon]

My house ruling is based on the (rather obscure) fact that the spell was considered an Illusion in the old HU1 days. As such my take is that the light is, a blast of illusionary light. This is why the save is a save vs. magic and not some other kind of save. As an illusion it is visible to others outside the 'blast'... but to them it is just an image of a flash... more like a special effect from some hologram show. Keen light works but not blinding. As it is not 'super bright' then it can't be seen too far away (this explicitly prevents it from being used as a long range signaling spell).
And of course, as an illusion it completely fills the area of effect. I have not ruled about corners, but I would say yes...
...unless my PCs start abusing the spell to 'flash' rooms before they enter, and corners before they turn around them.
In which case I would reserve the right to change the effect for the purposes of play. (Or just start using it on them that way one of the two.)

[JuliusCreed]

Well, I'll continue asking bizarre questions about magic spells. It seems to be food for thought and spark some decent conversation.

So the spell can be cast up to 60ft away and it has a 10ft radiud (Main Book p.189). Is this like a flashbulb going off in the center and it effects everyone within 10 feet of it? Or is it more like Globe of Daylight, with a 10ft diameter sphere suddenly being super illuminated? The reason I ask is that if it's a flashbulb then someone could hide around the corner or behind something and not be blinded. Alternatively, the sphere interpretation would allow you to blind people around corners, and perhaps in several rooms, albeit tiny ones.

Another question is can it be cast on the other side of a door, wall, or other structure? It doesn't say line of sight in the description.

Last question. If you are not in the range of the spell, can you still see it? For example, if you're 100ft away from the spell's epicenter, could you see the flash but not be blinded? IF so, from how far away would it be visible? It is magic so it could be that the spell only affects people in the range of it and someone 11ft from the epicenter would wonder why everyone is suddenly rubbing their eyes.

-Vek
"I wrote this with one hand after patting myself on the back in the first line."

1... I would think the name says it all... it's a Blinding FLASH...

2... With no LOS involved I suppose it could be cast on the other side of a door, wall, etc... gotta disagree with Mark on the limitation of knowledge though just on the principle of making things a bit more interesting... yeah you could cast it 20 feet past that closed door... doesn't exactly mean that whatever is on the other side is affected though because for all you know you just cast it past the room and in a completely empty area or even in a solid chunk of the earth. Kinda makes the guesswork a little more fun.

3... Yes you can be outside of the area of effect and still see it... it's light after all and barring solid obstacles it's pretty hard to not see it. As for how far away it can be seen would largely depend on a couple things... is it day or night time? what kind of obstacles are in the area to obstruct the light? How high up is the flash occurring? and so on and so forth... under optimum circumstances i'd say you could likely see the flash a good couple miles out at night time though it would likely not be much more than a tiny speck of light... like a firefly a few meters away.
Good luck and great gaming!