Intercepting meteors with magic

[Varyon]

Originally Posted by sir_pudding

It won't stop meteors that negate magic, which seems to be the OP's assumption.

If you can conjure up a barrier that won't be easily broken through by the meteor and that is not itself magical (that is, you make some ordinary dirt or whatever that isn't going to vanish - or you just lift up something mundane), you could put that in the way of the meteor and then block barrier with some sort of Force Wall / Utter Dome / Whatever. That is, you're basically putting a protective covering over your force field to "protect" it from the magic-negating effects of the meteor.

[Anthony]

If the meteors don't actively dispel magic, you can use Enlarge Object to create arbitrarily large and tough walls, and then dispel them when you're done. If they dispel magic, you'll need barriers made of real material -- say, Shape spells to pile dirt on top of a force wall.

[Fred Brackin]

If you can throw regular matter into the path of the meteor reliably you've arrived at your solution and there's no need for elaborations involving Force Walls.

If the meteor would explode when it hits the ground it will explode when it hits anything solid. Probably even when it hits anything liquid f you can get the liquids to stay in one lump in front of the meteor.

Even an object whose explosions would be too small to vaporize the meteor would fragment it and throw the pieces onto different trajectories.

The main problem s getting into position to intercept the meteor with something solid rather than doing enough once you get there.

[Dalillama]

Originally Posted by Gedrin

I believe most gate college spells conserve momentum. Combined with appropriate divination, maybe spell stones, or some other targeting mechanism, you could just throw other rocks at the dangerous one. This is aside from using ring gates as meteor cannons of your own.

If you're playing with Gate spells, make a really big one in front of the meteor, then put the other end pointed away from the planet.

[Varyon]

Originally Posted by Fred Brackin

If the meteor would explode when it hits the ground it will explode when it hits anything solid. Probably even when it hits anything liquid f you can get the liquids to stay in one lump in front of the meteor.

And if the meteor wouldn't explode when it hits the ground? We've got no indications of the composition (other than a possibility of being immune to magic, which may or may not mean Meteoric Iron) or velocity of the meteors.

Of course, if it will explode, you'll still need something to block the fragments that rain down on your town (unless you can somehow pull an Armageddon and get all the fragments to miss).

Originally Posted by Dalillama

If you're playing with Gate spells, make a really big one in front of the meteor, then put the other end pointed away from the planet.

Or pointed toward a rival kingdom, ideally one that can't just send it right back over.

[Gedrin]

Originally Posted by Dalillama

If you're playing with Gate spells, make a really big one in front of the meteor, then put the other end pointed away from the planet.

I assumed an object large enough to make this cost prohibitive. However, it's a perfectly reasonable solution for fast movers or dense ones. If you've got a space faring magical civilization, mobile gates, routable gates...I think you wind up with things like solar gate cannons and other crazy stuff.

As written, I think a plan of...
1: Train a dog to play fetch.
2: Train same dog to fly via spell.
3: Enlarge dog.
4: Play very large game of fetch.
...is viable (and less power intensive than the gate solutions). Not that you really need the dog, but these people have to amuse themselves somehow.

[Bruno]

I don't think the "Put a really big Gate in the way" solution works if it is solid Meteoric Iron; at least, the way I visualize that particular interaction to work doesn't allow for it.

Which is a shame, because now you're thinking with Gates.

[Anaraxes]

Originally Posted by Gedrin

4: Play very large game of fetch.

That means you need to Enlarge a mage as well. The mage then simply catches the rock and throws it for the dog to fetch.

Then your only problem is how to deal with the colossal mage you've created once he undertakes his sudden yet inevitable betrayal.

[LemmingLord]

Create food (on the meteor) and create animal (tribble).

[Balor Patch]

What is the SM of the city, or the world? Phase Other won't work against meteoric iron, Blink Other won't move it far enough, Teleport other should work if the local mage guild can find the energy.

Against meteoric iron Divination won't work either. How is this being detected again?

Also, I strongly agree with Sir Pudding.