Floating Disk ongoing debate

[Brookshw]

@Dalebert: just returned to a computer and the need to correct myself, it's on page 89 of the 3.5 FAQ, not 91.

I do not think we are going to come to agreement. This is not to dismiss your point, but to acknowledge that we fundamentally disagree on that one sentence.

Well if we disagree then we disagree, which is fine.

I still contend that, absent language specifying that it "follows you at a constant distance, the first sentence is not restrictive, but descriptive of a default behavior.

Well, I don't much feel like repeating myself so I'll just go with it doesn't say you can ride it so that's probably a good indicator that that's not a function of the spell, this is covered by the rules of the game articles as well as, well, the rules themselves. It doesn't really need to discuss you're ability to breath or anything else not impacted by the spell.

The restrictions of how you may direct it are clearly spelled out: it cannot move faster than your normal speed, and if it moves outside of the spell's range from you, it winks out.

Er, not quite again considering the otherwise directed is not said in relation to anything about the speeds and is in fact said later in the passage. Seems odd to place it after the speed thing if you want it to have any affect on that.

It also includes no rules for randomizing (or determining fromexternal conditions) direction of motion if you are on it, whih your interpretation would seem to require.

Again, not quite. My assertion was that it doesn't move other than by following you (or changing it's following distance I suppose), so if you sit on it it's not going anywhere (c'mon, I even did a spoiler pic for this!), also that it lacks an internal capacity for movement which seems confirmed by the greater version. Not sure where the randomization bit you've interpreted is coming from, at least I don't think I've indicated it randomizes somehow.

As for the call-out in Greater Floating Disk, it could indicate that the writer of that spell thought that the lesser version forbade it, but that does no make it so. It notably does not say, either, that it allows riding "unlike Floating Disk," so the call-out could be in reference to the fact that its above the ground flight speed can carry you aloft, but only at he reduced speed of 20ft.

Well,....it does say: "[Functions like TFD] except [. . .]This allows you to sit on the disk and command it to carry you about.". It even gives the action required to command it to carry you which has no parallel in the normal version.

Anyway, I think we've gone through the evidence as it can best be presented.

[bekeleven]

"I'm going to make you some lemonade. Unless otherwise directed, I'll make lemonade with ice."

Sweet, I'm asking for a coke.

[Segev]

"I'm going to make you some lemonade. Unless otherwise directed, I'll make lemonade with ice."

Sweet, I'm asking for a coke.

Flawed analogy; it doesn't say "it follows" in the second clause. Only in the first. The second says "it maintains a distance."

A more accurate analogy would be: "I will bring you some lemonade. Unless otherwise directed, I'll put it on the table to your left, in arm's reach."

"Thanks! Could you put it on the table in front of me, though? I don't mind leaning over to get it, and that way I won't knock it over if I reach for the remote that's also on the table to my left."

[bekeleven]

Flawed analogy; it doesn't say "it follows" in the second clause. Only in the first. The second says "it maintains a distance."

A more accurate analogy would be: "I will bring you some lemonade. Unless otherwise directed, I'll put it on the table to your left, in arm's reach."

"Thanks! Could you put it on the table in front of me, though? I don't mind leaning over to get it, and that way I won't knock it over if I reach for the remote that's also on the table to my left."

Whether it follows is the part we're arguing about, in that you say it's optional whereas by my reading it's not. In my example, it was the lemonade itself. We're not disputing the second sentence, only whether it invalidates the first.

If it doesn't say "it follows" in the second instance, then wouldn't a more accurate analogy be, "I'm going to make you lemonade. Unless otherwise directed, I'm going to add ice." This represents the fact that the first sentence is stating the clause under discussion (drink type, whether it follows you) and the second states an option you can choose, which you pointed out doesn't mention said clause at all (ice, or follow distance).

Hmm, that seems a bit unfairly tilted. Feel free to tweak the analogy yourself, but keep in mind that we're discussing whether the first clause, non-choice clause, applies, in light of the second (choice-giving) clause. So the second clause (as you mentioned) doesn't mention the first clause, but provides agency that arguably could override it.

I'm not sure how to simplify that.

[Segev]

Except that your analogy still implies much more strongly the direct link of "the ice goes in the lemonade," because you have to have something to which to add. Floating Disk not only separates it by an additional sentence or two, which changes the context, but also has the sentences stand on their own. The implied necessity of an antecedent is absent. "It floats along at no more than your normal speed each round. Unless otherwise directed, it maintains a distance of 5 ft." These sentences make sense on their own, individually or together, and thus are not dependent on the first one. Your analogy's second sentence makes no sense without the first. "Unless otherwise directed, I'll add ice," raises a lot of questions, because it's not a complete thought. "It floats along within range" is a complete thought on its own. Your analogy is not analogous.

But they're right; this is a thread on Prestidigitation, not Floating Disk.

[Vortenger]

In truth, I'm fascinated by the discussion. Segev's interpretation is entirely valid, and I'd never thought of using the disk in such a fashion. That being said, this subject takes up about a page. Perhaps move to a new thread so I can continue to eat popcorn and learn more about spell interpretation?

edit: Hey, that thing I suggested happened! Thanks, mods!

[Brookshw]

In truth, I'm fascinated by the discussion. Segev's interpretation is entirely valid, and I'd never thought of using the disk in such a fashion. That being said, this subject takes up about a page. Perhaps move to a new thread so I can continue to eat popcorn and learn more about spell interpretation?

Start the thread and link to it and we'll see

[Stella]

I think you're trolling but I'll try one more time to explain gravity. It's this thing that is constantly exerting a force on everything and pulling objects down toward the Earth all the time. The spell says you can slowly lift 1 lb, presumably by concentrating on where you want the object to go (like up). How else would you be controlling the movement if not by concentration? When you stop lifting, it falls. It's just like if you lift something with your hand but when you let go, it falls unless you placed it on something. Absent gravity, it would kinda stay there indefinitely, but there's gravity in most places in Pathfinder.

Close. Prestidigitation requires no concentration. But the spell description specifically details that it can only lift "1 pound of material." It is well within the RAW to conclude that this 1 pound of material is the spell Target at the time of casting, and it cannot be changed as there is no mention of such a change within the spell description. So if the object is allowed to fall, it falls. And then can be lifted again, until the spell expires. So, no cloud of daggers floating around you, because that would require one Prestidigitation spell per dagger.

It could be argued that the spell allows for a change in Target based upon the text which allows the spell to "color, clean, or soil items in a 1-foot cube each round," but this text does not make clear whether the area being cleaned actually moves, or if the spell only creates a fixed 1-foot cube "dishwasher" area (for example, it could be a 1-foot cube "tie die" area or a 1-foot cube "make dirty" area instead) where people can pass dishes in and out of until the spell expires in order to clean them. (This would be quite handy IRL, BTW) The definition of spell Area suggests to me that the second is the case (a fixed spell Area set at the time of casting), and this limitation appears to be in line with both the RAW for spell Area and the RAI for Prestidigitation.


On to Floating Disk!

If you are standing on it, you move with it, and it thus literally cannot move out of range.

Yes, you can stand on your own Floating Disk. And it "will accompany you" as per the spell description. If you are standing on the 3' diameter Floating Disk, you cannot move far without stepping off of it. And then you are right back where you were before you stood upon it: The Disk "will accompany you" as you move. There is no case where you can both move and have the Disk "accompany you" as well while you stand upon it, since it only "accompanies you" as you move, and you cannot move without stepping off of it. The "If not otherwise directed" clause only describes how the caster can make the interval in which the Disk accompanies her greater or less than the default of 5 feet, should she so wish. It does not even hint that the Disk can move when the caster does not also move, other than to shorten or length this distance. And shortening or lengthening this accompanying distance does not make the Disk capable of moving when the caster does not move.

[Segev]

Close. Prestidigitation requires no concentration. But the spell description specifically details that it can only lift "1 pound of material." It is well within the RAW to conclude that this 1 pound of material is the spell Target at the time of casting, and it cannot be changed as there is no mention of such a change within the spell description. So if the object is allowed to fall, it falls. And then can be lifted again, until the spell expires. So, no cloud of daggers floating around you, because that would require one Prestidigitation spell per dagger.

Another poster already said this, but it bears repeating: Prestidigitation specifies that YOU can perform EFFECTS, not that it is cast upon a target. It more properly should have a Target of Personal, because of how it actually works, but if it makes you feel better, what is really happening is that, upon casting it, you gain unlimited "spell slots" for an hour with which to cast these minor-effect spells.

So, yes, you can get your cloud of floating daggers. Can't move them as a group, but you can get them all up into the air, with enough time. They'll just hang there until somebody moves them or the spell expires.

On to Floating Disk!

Spoiler

Show

Yes, you can stand on your own Floating Disk. And it "will accompany you" as per the spell description. If you are standing on the 3' diameter Floating Disk, you cannot move far without stepping off of it. And then you are right back where you were before you stood upon it: The Disk "will accompany you" as you move.

While I acknowledge there's a bit of a "chicken and egg" thing going on here, it can be argued that your car is "accompanying you" to whatever destination you drive it. Same thing going on here.

There is no case where you can both move and have the Disk "accompany you" as well while you stand upon it, since it only "accompanies you" as you move, and you cannot move without stepping off of it.

First off, you ARE moving if it moves and you're sitting on it. Or are you arguing that getting in your car and driving it to the store leaves you still in your driveway?

Secondly, there's no "as you move" clause in the sentence. It doesn't require you to move to command the disk to; the only restriction is that the disk must stay within range and that it cannot move faster than your normal movement speed.

The "If not otherwise directed" clause only describes how the caster can make the interval in which the Disk accompanies her greater or less than the default of 5 feet, should she so wish.

Such has been claimed, but there is not adequate evidence in the text to state this definitively. "Remains within 5 ft." as a default behavior in no way dictates that the only thing it can be "otherwise directed" to do is move out to a different distance, especially not with the clause in the prior sentence stating that it "floats along horizontally within spell range."

It does not even hint that the Disk can move when the caster does not also move, other than to shorten or length this distance.

Sure it does. It says it "floats along horizontally within spell range," which is a separate and distinct clause that forms a complete thought independent of any references to the caster moving. It does go on to say "and will accompany you," but that is again a separate clause. To be restrictive in the manner you're ascribing to it, it would have to say something like, "It floats along horizontally within spell range as it accompanies you at a rate of no more than your normal speed each round. It maintains a constant interval of 5 feet between itself and you unless you direct it to maintain a different distance."

And shortening or lengthening this accompanying distance does not make the Disk capable of moving when the caster does not move.

If that is what the spell said in restrictive language, you'd be right. But that would also lead to a counter-intuitive situation where the caster has to be careful where, relative to himself, he initially casts it, lest he wind up with it on the wrong side of him for convenient positioning for loading or unloading. It also raises the question of whether it maintains relative position on the absolute grid, or relative position to his facing. I think the default would be the former, by the RAW, but I could be mistaken.

Regardless, the most sensible reading of the RAW remains the one that leads to the fewest silly situations, even if it allows a minor benefit of not having to touch the ground while drifting regally over a surface. It does not contradict anything in the spell's text, and has the fewest (and least confusing) (potentially) unintended consequences.

But I am pretty sure I've said nothing new in this post, so I recommend people make sure they're posting something new before trying to rebut it. We are, after all, in a Prestidigitation thread, not a Floating Disk one.

[Brookshw]

Yeah, floating disk could use its own thread at this point.

And come now, you're making this a bit personal when you dismiss other arguments as silly or leading to silly situations. I'll save my refutations for another thread should anyone care enough to continue this debate.

[Segev]

Yeah, floating disk could use its own thread at this point.

And come now, you're making this a bit personal when you dismiss other arguments as silly or leading to silly situations. I'll save my refutations for another thread should anyone care enough to continue this debate.

I don't dismiss the argument as silly. I said it led to a somewhat silly situation. By which I mean, I can see it leaading to comical rather than dramatic practical difficulties. If it were a TV series, these complications are of the sort that I could see in the light-hearted, get-a-laugh-out-of-the-audience scenes more than in the take-this-seriously-it-is-a-dramatic-adventure scenes. Of course, comic drawbacks can be played for drama, but they still lend a certain amount of Joss Whedon light-heartedness to it.

I apologize if anybody took it personally; I do understand the position and even agree it is a valid way to read the RAW. I just think it's the wrong choice of how to interpret it based on the fact that it leads to more complications and more "woops, ha-ha, you have to dance around to get it positioned right and maybe can't even get it where you want it, so we have to do this awkwardly" situations if you play it out as interpreted. If I have to choose between an unintended consequence that lends itself to smoother, more dramatic gameplay and unintended consequence that lends itself to awkward complications that will tend to tickle the funny-bone, and the spell is not presented in a tongue-in-cheek fashion hinting that such humor is intended, I will tend towards the less complex, more played-straight interpretation that treats it seriously. And I stand by my belief that that is the more correct way to do it by the RAW, as the other is more the rules-lawyer approach of shoehorning a desired effect in (or out, as the case may be).

Believe me, I am all for rules-lawyering as a mental exercise, and even to force a character to be more what somebody wants it to be. However, if you have two interpretations of a rule, and one is more straight-forward and has fewer inobvious consequences or odd results, my thesis is that the more straight-forward reading is the right one. I feel mine is the more straight-forward reading as it does not cause facing to become important in a spell where facing is never mentioned (amongst other things).

[Dalebert]

Because it doesn't belong in the Prestidigitation thread and because no one else seems to have done so yet, I made a new thread.

I don't dismiss the argument as silly. I said it led to a somewhat silly situation.

I know I expressed the same concern but I'm not sure if it's that big a deal. I can picture some situations where the disk is as much as 5 ft away from where would be ideal for your purposes. Maybe you have to carry the treasure a few feet, but the general idea of this spell is that you're loading it up with treasure that would otherwise be too heavy to deal with, maybe piles of gold coins or just hefting a whole chest up onto it.

What I have been convinced of is that it's too powerful to be able to ride it. (BTW, how does this compare to just casting Mount? How many of the benefits given would still apply or not?) I think a simpler solution, if you're concerned about the awkward situations of trying to position it as needed, is go ahead and house rule that you can command it about but not while you're on it. That would take care of it being too powerful.

Side note: I'm curious what happens if it goes over the edge of a cliff? Let's say I'm flying and it follows me over the edge. Does it fall quickly at the normal rate of gravity and then come to a stop suddenly 3 ft above the ground? Does it fall Feather Fall rate (potentially reading extra abilities in that aren't specified well)? Does it wink out and reappear or just wink out?

[Dalebert]

Yeah, it really doesn't belong here and as far as I can tell no one else has made the new thread so here you go.

http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showt...ongoing-debate

[Jowgen]

I have heard the argument that the disk simply has no propulsion mechanism beyond the caster's movement, only moving in relation to the caster. In order for it to be functional as an improvised mount, one must accept the notion that the caster can sacrifice his own would-be movement in order to have the Disk move instead. Arguments for this base themselves on it taking a move-action to direct a spell-effect, and the "unless otherwise directed" clause.

I personally think there are ways to get mount-ish use out of the disk without having to accept that the caster can actively direct the disk's movement. Any method that could be used to propel oneself forward while under the effect of the levitation spell ought to work, as the disk levitates and thusly does not exert any form of pressure on the ground beneath while one sits on it. The cheapest non-magical method I can think of is using some sort of paddle. For simple magical means, an Unseen Servant ought to do (limited speed though).

Another potential method, dependent on how detailed the "otherwise directed" directions can be, is to direct the disk to maintain its position relative to a specific part of the caster's body, rather than the whole caster. If the disk is directed to stay centred under the caster's left hand, then the caster sitting on the disk could make the disk move forward by simply extending his hand over the edge of the 3-foot disk. The disk would then move at its maximum speed to try and centre itself under the palm of his left hand, moving the caster, thusly creating indefinite propulsion in the direction of the hand. Think the cartoon cliche of getting someone to move by dangling food in front of them with a fishing rod.

[Brookshw]

Thanks for starting the thread Dalebert. For those just tuning in the conversation starts at post 113 of this thread and continues into the 6th page. The crux of the discussion is if the normal version of Floating Disk can be ridden and directed around.I've asked Glyphstone to move over to this thread relevant posts.

As to your questions, mount summons a creature and behaves as one for all intensive purposes which is definitely a big difference considering it could be killed fairly easily to negate any advantage, could be tracked, trigger traps, etc.

Re: the side note question I believe based on the line "The disk also winks out if you move beyond range or try to take the disk more than 3 feet away from the surface beneath it" that getting it off a cliff somehow would negate the bolded part and cause it to wink out.

[Trasilor]

Because it doesn't belong in the Prestidigitation thread.



I know I expressed the same concern but I'm not sure if it's that big a deal. I can picture some situations where the disk is as much as 5 ft away from where would be ideal for your purposes. Maybe you have to carry the treasure a few feet, but the general idea of this spell is that you're loading it up with treasure that would otherwise be too heavy to deal with, maybe piles of gold coins or just hefting a whole chest up onto it.

What I have been convinced of is that it's too powerful to be able to ride it. (BTW, how does this compare to just casting Mount? How many of the benefits given would still apply or not?) I think a simpler solution, if you're concerned about the awkward situations of trying to position it as needed, is go ahead and house rule that you can command it about but not while you're on it. That would take care of it being too powerful.

Side note: I'm curious what happens if it goes over the edge of a cliff? Let's say I'm flying and it follows me over the edge. Does it fall quickly at the normal rate of gravity and then come to a stop suddenly 3 ft above the ground? Does it fall Feather Fall rate (potentially reading extra abilities in that aren't specified well)? Does it wink out and reappear or just wink out?

Regarding Side Note:

The disk also winks out if you move beyond range or try to take the disk more than 3 feet away from the surface beneath it. When the disk winks out, whatever it was supporting falls to the surface beneath it.

So, it cannot go over the cliff without the caster commanding it. At which time it winks out of existence and all the stuff on it plummets to the bottom.

I guess, in the loosest readings, a caster could ride the disk. It moves at your speed within the spells area of effect which is constantly moving.

But, if that is the case, you could use the disk to knock down walls - it states how much weight it can support, not how much force it exerts horizontally. As such, the horizontal force could be infinite. Furthermore, as the disk has no third dimension (it is a plane three feet across and a 1 inch deep at center - like a concave lens), It could be used as a tool to slice into anything above three feet (think of a blade with an infinitely small edge slipping through the molecules).

If this is the case, this then becomes the most powerful level 1 spell in game...an invisible force that can literally slice you in half which ignores all armor.

EDIT: Dang swordsage'd

[Segev]

From a balance standpoint, I don't think it's too powerful to let it carry you. It's never going to be FASTER than you could walk, and at best it serves as a way to cross hard-to-traverse terrain. Nice, but not game-breaking. Especially since ANY of our interpretations would allow you to set it up with two casters standing on each others' disks to move in this same fashion.

Caster A and Caster B set their disks adjacent to each other. Caster A commands his to move away from him, while Caster B leaves his at the default "maintain 5 ft." Both slide that direction. Steering is accomplished by turning so the position of the disks relative to each other changes. Sillier solutions with a single one would involve such things as dangling the wizard like a fish off of a 10-foot pole held out by the party fighter as the wizard commands the disk to move away from him. The fighter steers by using the wizard as a rudder.


Mount is still generally better, as it moves faster and without need for direction. It also lasts for twice as long. The Floating Disk is only a superior form of transport if you need to get over terrain without touching it. It is a superior carry-all because it doesn't take up as much space and is just an efficient platform on which to store stuff.

[Trasilor]

I have heard the argument that the disk simply has no propulsion mechanism beyond the caster's movement, only moving in relation to the caster. In order for it to be functional as an improvised mount, one must accept the notion that the caster can sacrifice his own would-be movement in order to have the Disk move instead. Arguments for this base themselves on it taking a move-action to direct a spell-effect, and the "unless otherwise directed" clause.

I personally think there are ways to get mount-ish use out of the disk without having to accept that the caster can actively direct the disk's movement. Any method that could be used to propel oneself forward while under the effect of the levitation spell ought to work, as the disk levitates and thusly does not exert any form of pressure on the ground beneath while one sits on it. The cheapest non-magical method I can think of is using some sort of paddle. For simple magical means, an Unseen Servant ought to do (limited speed though).

Another potential method, dependent on how detailed the "otherwise directed" directions can be, is to direct the disk to maintain its position relative to a specific part of the caster's body, rather than the whole caster. If the disk is directed to stay centred under the caster's left hand, then the caster sitting on the disk could make the disk move forward by simply extending his hand over the edge of the 3-foot disk. The disk would then move at its maximum speed to try and centre itself under the palm of his left hand, moving the caster, thusly creating indefinite propulsion in the direction of the hand. Think the cartoon cliche of getting someone to move by dangling food in front of them with a fishing rod.

Floating disk moves anywhere the caster designates within close range. If you assume close range includes Range of 0 then a cast could easily ride atop the disk and command it to move 30 feet forward (well within close range). Nothing in rules states that you must move it in relation to you (the caster) - just that it moves anywhere within the caster's range. In fact, per the rules, you could command it to move beyond your range - at which point it winks out of existence - unless you move before it get there. And if you are sitting on it - well, it can never be out of your range.

Now, this does not mean you can go everywhere on a floating disk. It only works 3 feet above ground. If we take the position that ground = earth (not the floor under your feet), the spell fails when you are in a building, over water deeper than 3 feet, on a ship, in a shop with a basement, etc. Although the latter might be a good way to find trap doors

[Jowgen]

Sillier solutions with a single one would involve such things as dangling the wizard like a fish off of a 10-foot pole held out by the party fighter as the wizard commands the disk to move away from him. The fighter steers by using the wizard as a rudder.

I suppose that does get around the issue whether the disk can be directed to remain a certain distance from a certain part of the caster's body.

One method of making the disk a faster method of transportation than a mount is if you have a flying friend that can either cast Floating Disk (e.g. share spells on Familiar) or activate a tenser's floating disk (e.g Raven and Pseudodragon familiar, I believe). If the critters casts it and moves at its full fly-speed, you can simply sit on it as it moves with the critter; covering long distances without having to consider terrain or rest (critter ought to be construct or undead for maximum usefullness).

[Brookshw]

Floating disk moves anywhere the caster designates within close range. :

This need to have evidence and so far all we've seen is an ability to direct it in relation to the distance it maintains.

[Sith_Happens]

Wild idea appears!

1. Be standing on your Floating Disk.
2. Direct it to maintain a distance of 0 feet.
3. Jump up to your speed.
4. The disk will move so as to catch you.

[Zaq]

Wild idea appears!

1. Be standing on your Floating Disk.
2. Direct it to maintain a distance of 0 feet.
3. Jump up to your speed.
4. The disk will move so as to catch you.

No good. It specifies that it can't be more than 3 feet off the ground.

EDIT: Oh, you mean a horizontal jump? I interpreted you as meaning "jump straight up, and the disc will move upward to catch you." If you mean a horizontal jump check, that might work. It relies on interpreting how fast the disc moves after you, I guess. Of course, good luck jumping very far without a running start . . .

[Jowgen]

Wild idea appears!

1. Be standing on your Floating Disk.
2. Direct it to maintain a distance of 0 feet.
3. Jump up to your speed.
4. The disk will move so as to catch you.

I would have pointed out the difficulty of moving your full speed with a single jump-check, but then realized that jumping, while part of your movement, is not limited as to how many you can do in a round. If all you need to do is jump 5 feet 6 times each turn, the standing jump DC for that is 10... which you can get by taking 10.

You'll look silly as hell, but less silly than when dangling off a fish hook, and it's a lot more rule-tight than my 'direct to stay under appendage' idea. Kudos.

[Dalebert]

Yeah, it really doesn't belong here and as far as I can tell no one else has made the new thread so here you go.

http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showt...ongoing-debate

This link to the new thread probably should have stayed in the old thread. :) I realize he had a lot of messages to sift through. It's understandable.

Mount is still generally better, as it moves faster and without need for direction. It also lasts for twice as long. The Floating Disk is only a superior form of transport if you need to get over terrain without touching it. It is a superior carry-all because it doesn't take up as much space and is just an efficient platform on which to store stuff.

I don't think it takes up less space if you are a small character because you can ride a medium-sized mount, at least in PF. Not certain if that applies in 3.5.

Wild idea appears!

1. Be standing on your Floating Disk.
2. Direct it to maintain a distance of 0 feet.
3. Jump up to your speed.
4. The disk will move so as to catch you.

I believe you, Sir, have found a work-around for all us folks who want to use their disk in a The Floor is Lava game.

[Segev]

This need to have evidence and so far all we've seen is an ability to direct it in relation to the distance it maintains.

We do not have evidence that that is all that it can be directed to do. We only know what happens if it is not "otherwise directed."

Or, rather, we do know that it "floats along within spell range," as well.

The crux of this particular debate is whether there is a hidden, unspoken rule in the "Unless otherwise directed" sentence which restricts this other "direction" to being simply distance-based, or whether "loats along horizontally within spell range" is saying that the caster can decide (i.e. direct) how it "floats along" as long as it is within the restrictions established by the spell (i.e. no faster than the caster's normal speed each round, stays within spell range, cannot go more than 3 ft. above the ground).

[Segev]

Wild idea appears!

1. Be standing on your Floating Disk.
2. Direct it to maintain a distance of 0 feet.
3. Jump up to your speed.
4. The disk will move so as to catch you.

In case it needs pointing out, when jumping, if you jump farther than your normal speed could move you in one round, you actually "pause" in mid-air until your next turn, whereupon you continue your jump-caused movement. This means that you will move exactly as fast as the disk moves under you. This trick therefore works quite well, under any interpretation of the spell.

[Troacctid]

You can also have someone else cast the Floating Disk spell and ride on it while it follows them around. Give a Talisman of the Disk to your familiar and it can shuttle you to and fro at your leisure. If they have a higher movement speed than you, the disk even moves to keep up! Seems good with a dragon familiar's flight speed.

[The Vagabond]

You can also have someone else cast the Floating Disk spell and ride on it while it follows them around. Give a Talisman of the Disk to your familiar and it can shuttle you to and fro at your leisure. If they have a higher movement speed than you, the disk even moves to keep up! Seems good with a dragon familiar's flight speed.

Actually, you don't even need the talisman. You just need the familiar. Any spell with the target of "You" can be redirected to your familiar. So you can cast it on your familiar, and ride it that way.

[Segev]

Yeah, even a Raven has a 40 ft. fly speed, which is nice. A pseudodragon (improved familiar or cohort) has a fly speed of 60 ft. A white wyrmling dragon has a fly speed of 150 ft. Get any of them the ability to cast Floating Disk and they can fly you around at their speed.

Heck, the fishing-rod trick would work at their full speed. You could probably cook up something that was a little more dignified for a Tiny creature.

[Vogonjeltz]

The crux of the discussion is if the normal version of Floating Disk can be ridden and directed around.

No, because it follows the caster, it's non-directable. I agree with your reasoning in the rest of your post as well.