Quote Originally Posted by Eldariel View Post
That's a feature of the Wizard (or more generally, D&D characters) though, not the Chinese or their weapons. Their weapons work just fine, it's just that particular guy can take a lot more hits than a human has any business being able to. Not that it matters, again, the Wizard is able to make himself invulnerable enough to Earth weapons that it's a moot point anyways if he gets to use his magic.
That's only true because you are taking it that the concepts from DnD to trump those from the real world.

For example, if the rule (I use the word rule so we can deal with this encounter in game terms) for nuclear weapons was "kills all creatures in its area of effect" and the wizard's spell said "avoids all damage from non-magical sources", there is a contradiction. I think most people here are coming from the assumption that the DnD rule prevails. I know that there are a myriad of ways people are saying the wizard could avoid attacks, but for most of those there is an inherent assumption that a DnD rule prevails over the ways things work in the real world (all of which could be re-conceptualised as rules).


As I said on the previous page:

Seems to me that there are three general ways of handling it:
1. This occurs on something that is the real world, but with the wizard inserted into it. There is no magic or planes or incorporality or way to trump physics by staying alive at thousands of degrees celsius. The wizard (who would still be a pf wizard despite not being able to use his magic) loses.
2. This occurs on something that is basically the DnD world (or the real world made to function by DnD rules), with the chinese inserted into it. The Chinese' understanding of the way the world functions is wrong and their weapons don't have the effects they ordinarily would. The Chinese have no opportunity to learn how to function on this world or to interact (resist or control) the new concepts therein. The Chinese lose.
3. This occurs on a hypothetical world where DnD concepts such as magic, planes and incorporality exist and are known to exist. Both sides have the opportunity to adapt to the altered surroundings. For example, if the rules of this world are that nuclear radiation effect incorporeals the wizard would probably know this and would not rely on incorporeality to avoid nuclear blasts, it may even research a resist radiation type spell. The Chinese would not employ magic themselves (that going against the core concept here) but may develop technological solutions to deal with some of the new concepts this world entails - maybe a technological way to change planes.

It seems to me that the first and second are like the shark and bear fight in deep water or on land. In either case the result is obvious because the environment stacks the deck. The third is far from perfect (what happens when physics conflicts with magic?, what tech solutions would the chinese have is they existed in the alternative world?) but it seems to be to be the only scenario where both parties have the opportunity to bring their power to bear on the other in any meaningful way. Maybe analogous to the shark vs bear in shallow water.

The original poster has clarified that he was thinking of the second scenario, or a variation thereof. That's fine, it's his thread. But in that case I think the answer is obvious.