What is in a name?, (not ED) Blade barrier spell question Options

[nt326]

So, if a mage with blade barrier goes up against a physad who likes to throw playing cards... would the blade barrier work against the card????

The card may not be called a blade perse, but it is meant to cut, like a knife....

And, if it has to be called a blade... what about a blade of grass??? haha jk

Thoughts???

[Oracle]

Blade barrier wouldn't work against a playing card, because, as you said, it is not a blade, like a bullet barrier that would not work against an arrow.

[nt326]

I know that the card in and of itself is not a blade, but its intent, and the will ofthe thrower is to cut just like a knife, and in turn the edge of the card is the same as the edge of a knife, would it not just be a flat paper shuriken?

[nt326]

Another question.. what does this mean for synthetic materials? if a paper thrown weapon is not a blade, what about a fiberglass or plastic weapon that might have a sharp edge.. or any improvised weapon? just because its initial purpose was not to be a blade, wouldn't it be defined by its usage? Like a broken bottle or a peice of the body of a car... does blade barrier cover anything that is sharp? or does it just cover knives, swords, shuriken, and lawnmowers?

[nt326]

(i know i look like a complete tool replying to my own post.. but yea.. see my signature)

Another thought.. arrows with broadhead tips.. the high tech ones, not stone ones, are actually tipped with strong razorblades... does that mean that blade barrier would stop them too? or is the fact that the arrow is meant to peirce instead of slash enough to make it not a blade?

[Oracle]

You should possibly take a much less materialistic approach. Of course a broken bottle has a sharp edge. But do use the word "blade" to describe the general concept of a bottle?

What would a blade barrier do to my Rollerblades?? :eek: ;)

[Dog]

Perhaps the question should be: "Did the designer of the spell think of that when he created the formula?"

[spotlite]

GM call. Make it, and stick to it. Those spells are a frickin' nightmare, specially in our group where for some reason we've always played 'no general barrier spells'. You can have a bullet barrier, or a blast barrier, or whatever, but no 'physical barrier' spells. can't even remember why we decided that now. In any case, the blade barrier has always been an issue.

If the designer's motivations are not known then I would go with the 'intent' approach. If you wield it like a blade, then count it. If its a throwing knife, I wouldn't. Nb - I might draw the line at blunt instruments like a baseball bat. It could be argued that fundamentally you could wield it like a sword, but its a bludgoening weapon, so i'd say that violates the basic principle of a blade barrier.

given that we'd then be basing the spell off the general intent of the designer, you might want to call it instead a melee barrier for the sake of argument and just have it affect all hand to hand weaponry which is probably what the designer was going for anyway. Silly spell.

[Tanka]

Honestly? Unless his character believes his cards are knives, then I don't see it working. Or, unless his character makes metal cards and sharpens them like knives. But AFAIK he doesn't. Granted, he can't tell us, because he's out of state for the time being.

I 'unno. Up to Mortax, I suppose.

[Mortax]

Magic has a lot to do with intent. A tinted window can't be seen through on astral, because the intent behind it is for it to block site. (There are examples of this in novels and flavor text, but not hard rules.)

If when something was originaly made it was made to be a bladed weapon, it works. If it is not originaly intended as such, i would say it doesn't count. Elsewise the example of an arrow would work, and there would be no need for a projectile barrier. Physical barrier does block everything though.

[Mr.Platinum]

No the cards would go through unless they where metal cards also used for cutting.

[Liper]

[nt326]

[Kagetenshi]

[nick012000]

Umm... no, it's because transparent objects are transparent on the Astral, and opaque objects are opaque on the Astral.

nt326: In the hands of an Adept with the Missile Mastery power, a card is a deadly weapon. I'd let a Blade Barrier protect against cards thrown by an adept with that power, but not normally, because they'd only become blades when thrown by that adept.

[Kagetenshi]

[nick012000]

[Liper]

lol the power doesn't turn them into blades, they are still a card, ink pin, cue ball, paper clip etc.

it doesn't matter how deadly it is, only that it fits in the spell description, paper clips, cards, cue balls, and ink pens are not blades.

[Mr.Platinum]

[nick012000]

[Demon_Bob]

I would say that if the card is thrown in a manner meant to cut that blade barrier would stop it.

Odd my dictionary describes blade as 2e: The flat portion of the tongue immediately behind the tip. Does this mean it also protects against sharp-tongued antagonists?

When I first read this post I thought of a scene from Cast a Deadly spell and Gambit.

[Liper]

First off, only in 2nd edition was there a blade barrier, in which case go ignore me, in 3rd there was limited barrier spell which only protected against a specific type of damage. IE, bullets, blades, projectiles (arrows/grenades {but not the blast of the grenade}) etc

Even if a adept can throw a name badge (that has a edge) and cause it to hurt, that doesn't magically transform the badge into a blade, now it'd protect against a projectile barrier, but still, no to blades since it's not a blade.

a pen won't become a blade just cause it's got a edge to the clip, nor will a pool cue turn into something other then a cue ball thrown very well. The missile mastery has no affect on the object, just the skill in which it's thrown.

[tisoz]

Is Limited Barrier (Improvised Weapons) viable?

[Liper]

I don't see a reason it isn't

but again, other then drain reasons, no reason to not just get a barrier.