2 points for consideration.

[jaker2003]

2 spells I recently came across got me thinking.

Protection from Arrows
Resilient Sphere

With PfA, could this effect be attached to a vehicle to protect it and its occupants, or is a magic item/new spell required for that?

With RS, this makes your arcane spellcaster invincible for minutes.
The dragon is going to destroy everyone with a blast of fire? No problem, protect the NPCs within a resilient sphere.
This is also handy if your ship starts to sink, just pop one into the lower decks, and the ship stops sinking when the ceiling hits the sphere. Now you have more time to escape!
Someone getting away? Throw up a RS in their path, you could trap them at a bottleneck, or make them waste time evading an obstacle that you can Dismiss at will.
Want to build a castle in the clouds? Use RS in your magic foundation instead of levitate. Now you don't have a weight limit!
Any other uses?

 

[shilsen]

2 spells I recently came across got me thinking.

Protection from Arrows
Resilient Sphere

With PfA, could this effect be attached to a vehicle to protect it and its occupants, or is a magic item/new spell required for that?

It's target is "Creature touched" so you'd need a new spell to affect a vehicle and its occupants.

With RS, this makes your arcane spellcaster invincible for minutes.

Unless the enemy has a disintegrate spell or can use a targeted dispel magic (the two rods that can affect it are much rarer)

The dragon is going to destroy everyone with a blast of fire? No problem, protect the NPCs within a resilient sphere.

Since it only has a diameter of 1 ft/lvl, you'd need a very high level caster to protect multiple people. There are a lot of references to "a creature" or "the subject" in the spell, so arguably the sphere only encloses one person.

This is also handy if your ship starts to sink, just pop one into the lower decks, and the ship stops sinking when the ceiling hits the sphere. Now you have more time to escape!

Nice. I'm not sure a ship would stop sinking, depending on size, but as a DM I'd definitely reward an idea like this by providing extra time.

Someone getting away? Throw up a RS in their path, you could trap them at a bottleneck, or make them waste time evading an obstacle that you can Dismiss at will.

Or just catch them in it, of course, though that gives them a save.

Want to build a castle in the clouds? Use RS in your magic foundation instead of levitate. Now you don't have a weight limit!

At 1 min/lvl duration, that's not much good.

 

[jaker2003]

Nice. I'm not sure a ship would stop sinking, depending on size, but as a DM I'd definitely reward an idea like this by providing extra time.

I'd like to argue for the full duration with this line of text from the spell description: The subject may struggle, but the sphere cannot be physically moved either by people outside it or by the struggles of those within. Though the line says people, I would stipulate that the sphere is entirely immobile, and thus would stop a sinking ship (at least at that end).

Or just catch them in it, of course, though that gives them a save.

Right, If you're not confident in your spell DCs or are against a creature with spell resistance, blocking its path or targeting a gaurdian/helper may be a better use of the spell.

At 1 min/lvl duration, that's not much good.

Some magic items merely produce a spell effect constantly. There's even a pricing guidline for that in the DMG. That means you could make a magic brick that has a permanent resilient sphere within it. Now that brick can't be moved once set in place. Just set up a few more so the castle won't tip over, and now you don't have a weight limit, and the wind won't move your citidel.

 

[Arkhandus]

The sphere is immobile, but it doesn't prevent the weight of the ship (and occupants/cargo) from causing the hull itself to split over the fulcrum of the Resilient Sphere. Probably depends on the weight of the ship, it's material, where the sphere was placed, and where the ship is along the waterline.

On the last point: the brick would still be vulnerable to destruction. Though the Sphere would remain in place. Until someone Disintegrates the sphere, causing your castle in the sky to tilt and/or fall......

And besides, if you want a castle in the sky, just make your own demiplane with Genesis, and put the castle there where you can dictate the gravity properties and such.....

 

[moritheil]

It's target is "Creature touched" so you'd need a new spell to affect a vehicle and its occupants.

I'd just find a way to make the vehicle into a creature.

 

[UltimaGabe]

I'd like to argue for the full duration with this line of text from the spell description: The subject may struggle, but the sphere cannot be physically moved either by people outside it or by the struggles of those within. Though the line says people, I would stipulate that the sphere is entirely immobile, and thus would stop a sinking ship (at least at that end).

Except that all that's supporting the ship is a one-foot-per-caster-level-diameter sphere. Unless the entire weight of the ship can be supported on that sphere (depending on where you place it), the sphere would indeed stay right where it was, but it would punch a hole through the ship itself. Same with a castle- sure, the sphere will be there, but you'll have a falling castle with a hole through it.

Try supporting a ship or castle on the head of a pin, and see how well that holds up.

 

[DonTadow]

Except that all that's supporting the ship is a one-foot-per-caster-level-diameter sphere. Unless the entire weight of the ship can be supported on that sphere (depending on where you place it), the sphere would indeed stay right where it was, but it would punch a hole through the ship itself. Same with a castle- sure, the sphere will be there, but you'll have a falling castle with a hole through it.

Try supporting a ship or castle on the head of a pin, and see how well that holds up.

That's what i imagined would happen, though I agree with the guy who said he'd certainly reward the players with a bit more extra time. Maybe 12 more seconds.

 

[szilard]

It might work for a while with the ship, since the water will still be providing some support and resistance (just not enough to keep it afloat on its own). It would depend upon just how bad off the ship is...

-Stuart

 

[jaelis]

I'd just find a way to make the vehicle into a creature.

Warforged wizard + Alter Self

 

[UltimaGabe]

I'd just find a way to make the vehicle into a creature.

Even then, it would only provide the vehicle/creature with Damage Reduction, which would be handy if anyone tried to destroy the vehicle, but would provide no protection to anyone riding on top. And, in that case, you're better off leaving the vehicle as an object, because then it's got hardness- DR that applies to energy attacks too.