[RPM] "Path of Energy ends where others begin". Huh?

[malloyd]

Originally Posted by vicky_molokh

But you can also have electric energy without organic bodies. If you can completely stop a fire from burning with Lesser Destroy Energy (without using Path of Matter) by disrupting the flow of chemical energy. So how is it possible to disrupt the flow of chemical energy with Energy alone, but not of bioelectrical energy with Energy alone?

How come I can put out a fire by disrupting the flow of chemical energy, but can't disintegrate anything at all of the same volume just as easily by disrupting the exchange of energy that holds together the chemical bonding?

For that matter, how come I can put out a fire by squirting some halon into it but can't kill anything alive the same way?

At some point you are going to need to decide that differences *matter*. Barring constructing an entirely new version of physics, such that it will take years of study for gamers to even understand your magic system, even if you are enough of a genius to create one, those differences are going to look arbitrary. They can look pretty darn arbitrary even in physical law (why is silver a good conductor and lead a lousy one, even though most of their easily observable properties are pretty similar?).

[vicky_molokh]

Originally Posted by malloyd

How come I can put out a fire by disrupting the flow of chemical energy, but can't disintegrate anything at all of the same volume just as easily by disrupting the exchange of energy that holds together the chemical bonding?

You sort of can, though for some reason it is written up with Create:

Originally Posted by RPM41

Destruction
Spell Effects: Greater Create Energy.
Inherent Modifiers: Damage, Internal Burning.
Greater Effects: 1 (×3).
This is typically cast as a charm. By breaking the atomic
bonds that hold a person or thing together, this ritual turns its
target (who must be within 15 yards and weigh 1.5 tons or less)
into a cloud of fine ash.

[Ulzgoroth]

Originally Posted by vicky_molokh

You sort of can, though for some reason it is written up with Create:

Create actually makes a certain amount of sense, as the bonds that hold something together are actually low energy conformations (if they were high energy they'd decompose spontaneously). EDIT: which would suggest that after being made into 'ash' the victim might well burst into flame. Because the 'ash' is actually unstable de-structured matter, almost all of which is highly reactive with other parts of the ash, or the atmosphere.

I have no idea why Create Energy would be allowed to do that, though. That looks like a perfect example of a Destroy Body (or Destroy Matter) effect that Energy is intruding on in just the way it's not supposed to.