Do fireballs make a sound in AD&D?

The Mad Monk · January 30, 2004, 07:02

The 1st edition Players' Handbook explicitly states that the fireball spell does not produce any pressure. Since pressure is required to make the waveform necessary for sound, this implies it is nessarily soundless.

What say ye?

Jamski · January 30, 2004, 07:05

How does it produce an explosive burning effect without pressure? Fireballs should go BOOM!

-Jam

duke o' york · January 30, 2004, 07:17

Unless you want to make the weak excuse that they are magic, and therefore do not follow the rules of physics, then they'd have to go wooooooosh.......kaboom! as they toast another bunch of goblins.

Although the woosh would depend upon the air through which they were being fired. If your wizard wears gloves then will his fireball just burn them to pieces, or will it be created at a distance from his hands.

Jamski · January 30, 2004, 07:26

I had the idea that a fireball opened a microscopic hole to the elemental plane of fire for a split second....

But who knows how ANY spell really works?

-Jam

Drogue · January 30, 2004, 07:31

The fireball is created a short distance away from the mage's fingertips, and then travels to its destination and explodes. In BG it makes a sound.

However I am intrigued by the idea of this huge explosion making a sound of badgerbadgerbadgerbadgerbadgerbadgerbadgerbadgerba dgerbadgerbadgerMUSHROOMMUSHROOM

duke o' york · January 30, 2004, 07:48

Well the fire boomerang goes
banananananananananananananananananananananananana nananaboom!

General Ludd · January 30, 2004, 09:46

I expect its more of a "woosh" then anything.

The Mad Monk · January 30, 2004, 10:43

I'm in the *poof* camp, myself. The fireball is 100% fire damage, none "physical", so there can't be much concussive force involved.

duke o' york · January 30, 2004, 10:45

Quote:

Originally posted by The Mad Monk
I'm in the *poof* camp, myself.

Yeah, Asher told us all that.

Drogue · January 30, 2004, 11:06

No, he said he was in the *poof* camp, not a camp poof

rah · January 30, 2004, 11:18

If this slides all the way to spam, it will be closed.

Drogue · January 30, 2004, 11:23

And the answer, obviously, when a fireball explodes, it makes a sound of badgerbadgerbadgerbadger

Alinestra Covelia · January 30, 2004, 12:06

I believe a fireball makes a sort of slapping/punching sound when it hits, provided that the caster pronounced the words "HAI DO KEN!" at its inception.

duke o' york · January 30, 2004, 12:27

I remember that the exact words were written in the manual of the Amiga version, but it was definitely something like "Hya Ryu Ken!" - naming both the pupils of whichever master it was who had taught them that (and also saving on sound files

).

The Mad Monk · January 30, 2004, 19:30

I knew the badger selection was a mistake.

Anyway, I'm going to dig up my old PH, to see if it adds anything.

Japher · January 30, 2004, 19:43

Just add a cantrip to it and have it make any sound or be any color you want...

Does it actually really matter? Hopefully the sounds would be drowned out by the screaming of your vics

Urban Ranger · January 30, 2004, 23:34

It does make a sound.

"Diediediediediediediediedie!"

Dis · January 31, 2004, 03:56

1st edition?

Jac de Molay · January 31, 2004, 10:22

I'm thinking a sort of rumbling whoosh, almost as if a magic-user conjures flammable materials out of thin air and releases them in a certain direction....

Illuminatus · January 31, 2004, 15:23

Not sure about the fireballs, but those who are hit by it cetainly make a sound like "aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaighhhh I am burning burning aaahhhahaa" [sound of smoking flesh] [sound of burning fire]

Main_Brain · January 31, 2004, 17:35

I think the 'whooosh' Faction has definatly a Point.
But at Arrival it makes the Sound every Grilling Champion knows:
*poof*

GhengisFarb™ · January 31, 2004, 19:34

If it fells a tree in the middle of a forest and no ones around it makes no sound whatsoever.

Otherwise, theoritically the fireball itself makes no sound, but the air molecules and other effected matter around it could make a sound. The boom could be said to come from the super heated area vaporized by the fireball.

Then again, what difference does it make?

Spiffor · January 31, 2004, 20:18

whooshpoof

Urban Ranger · February 1, 2004, 00:11

Quote:

Originally posted by GhengisFarb
If it fells a tree in the middle of a forest and no ones around it makes no sound whatsoever.

Otherwise, theoritically the fireball itself makes no sound, but the air molecules and other effected matter around it could make a sound. The boom could be said to come from the super heated area vaporized by the fireball.

Then again, what difference does it make?

It could mean monsters in other areas of a dungeon is alarmed by the noise.

OzzyKP · February 1, 2004, 01:17

When roleplaying geeks and physics geeks collide.

The Mad Monk · February 1, 2004, 03:16

I don't think fireballs are hot enough to vaporize much.

Dis · February 1, 2004, 03:55

in any case. Even if the fire itself doesn't make a sound, burning flesh certainly does.

I'd love to play a game in which you can hear the flesh sizzling

General Ludd · February 1, 2004, 08:58

I've heard it described as making a noise in a Forgotten Realms book. Although I don't remember exactly what kind of noise, I think it was woosh followed by the "exoplosion" of everything in the room being incinerated.

self biased · February 2, 2004, 02:45

i refuse to vote in this poll because it has no banana optino.

Jamski · February 2, 2004, 04:39

Badger = Banana

I assume that any fireball that is powerful enough to destroy all the furniture and kill a load of gobins - or even quite tough creatures - is going to make a hell of a racket.

If its hot enough to kill stuff straight away, then it must heat the air very fast too - gives an explosive pressure wave, even without the initial explosion - however, we can assume an initial explosion because the fireball is not an instantly created spherical volume of fire, but a small point or ball of fire that then expands outwards to 30 feet, with a duration described as "instantanious". For a volume to expand from a point to a volume instantaniously a speed of near infinity is assumed. That will break the sound barrier and cause the "boom" sound associated with a grenade, for example.

-Jam