Question: Rock vs. Stone? Same thing? Different thing?
Reading through the rules, I'm having difficulty determining whether or not if Rock and Stone are the same object (mechanically) and I wanted some opinions. For the sake of brevity, Transmute Rock to Mud: TRtM, TMtR. And Flesh to Stone: FtS, StF. This question is for certain hypothetical scenarios:
- Can TRtM be used on a creature turned to Stone to kill them?
- Can TRtM be used on a Wall of Stone to destroy?
- Can TRtM be used on castle walls to destroy?
Originally, I figured no. The rules seem to be clear that Stone and Rock, in the mechanics, are different. Examples.
- Earth Elemental: Huge, humanoid figures of earth or stone.
- Pass-Wall: A 5’ diameter hole is temporarily opened in solid rock or stone...
- Move Earth: Earth (but not stone) within range...
- StF spell makes no mention of Rock
- ESP & Clairvoyance spells are blocked by lead or rock, but no mention of stone.
- TRtM/TMtR make no mention of stone in their spell descriptions
Generally I feel they aren't the same thing. However I recently noticed one discrepancy that i think undoes all of that.
- Wall of Stone Spell states: A wall of solid rock appears.
I'm leaning toward this being a matter of loose writing and is not a deliberate unification. Maybe Wall of Stone can be disrupted by TRtM, because it's described as Rock.
But in B/X Wall of Stone states: This spell creates a 2' thick wall of stone.
So I'd rule in straight B/X that only StF could interrupt a Wall of Stone. With OSE being an attempt to faithfully recreate B/X, I'm leaning to what B/X says.
Any thoughts?