Steel Balls...

Lalato

Adventurer

• Mar 3, 2005

• #1

OK... so the party rogue came up with a great idea on dealing with warforged combatants. Instead of caltrops... use steel balls.

I know that steel balls would likely cause a balance check... but what happens if it fails? Also... how would the warforged avoid the balance check? How long would it take to clear the steel balls out of the way? How should this be adjudicated in game? Any ideas are welcome...

--sam

 

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Lonely Tylenol

First Post

• Mar 3, 2005

• #2

I'd treat it almost exactly like caltrops. Have the balls make a +0 touch attack versus the creature. If the attack succeeds, it's a DC 15 balance check to avoid falling prone. If the check succeeds, the creature can continue moving.

Although, keep in mind that caltrops work just fine against warforged.

 

MerakSpielman

First Post

• Mar 3, 2005

• #3

The "bag of marbles" trick.

I treat them similar to caltrops. Each bag effectively covers a 5' square. Creatures must make a Balance check DC 10 or fall prone if they enter the square, unless they are taking a 5' step. Full round action to clear away enough marbles to make the square safe to enter. Move action to stand up from prone.

However, I'm unfamiliar with Warforged. Is there a particular reason steel balls are used instead of marbles? Is falling prone a particular problem for them?

 

Tiberius

Explorer

• Mar 3, 2005

• #4

MerakSpielman said:

However, I'm unfamiliar with Warforged. Is there a particular reason steel balls are used instead of marbles? Is falling prone a particular problem for them?

Click to expand...

Steel was probably substituted for glass to avoid the possibility of a DM saying "Well, the glass balls shatter under the weight of the robot." Warforged are, in essence, androids designed for combat and with built-in armor. They can buy feats that give them mithral or adamantine armor plating for "natural" armor bonuses. These have the side effect of also giving the armor check penalty appropriate for some of the heavier armors. When combined with the fact that warforged (in my experience) tend away from the dextrous, this makes them very vulnerable to balance checks and the resultant disadvantages of the prone state.

 

A

Andre

First Post

• Mar 3, 2005

• #5

One comment: the "marbles" would work well in a dungeon-like environment, but would not be nearly so useful outdoors. On ground, they would likely sink when stepped on (try it). On rock, they would tend to roll into cracks and down slants, meaning whole sections would not be covered by any marbles. And they would be worthless in swampland, snow, mud, sand, etc.

Also, retrieving these each morning would be a pain outdoors. Of course, an item like a bag of tricks that creates new marbles every morning (with the old ones disappearing simutaneously) could be fun.

 

S

Saeviomagy

Adventurer

• Mar 4, 2005

• #6

Tiberius said:

Steel was probably substituted for glass to avoid the possibility of a DM saying "Well, the glass balls shatter under the weight of the robot." Warforged are, in essence, androids designed for combat and with built-in armor. They can buy feats that give them mithral or adamantine armor plating for "natural" armor bonuses. These have the side effect of also giving the armor check penalty appropriate for some of the heavier armors. When combined with the fact that warforged (in my experience) tend away from the dextrous, this makes them very vulnerable to balance checks and the resultant disadvantages of the prone state.

Click to expand...

The weight of a warforged, even one with unusual armour, is not all that great. It's about the same as two people.

 

C

Christian

Explorer

• Mar 4, 2005

• #7

Trying ... to ... resist ... juvenile ... humor ...

Warforged ...

Steel balls ...

Erk. (Passes out.)

 

thorian

Explorer

• Mar 4, 2005

• #8

There are rules for marbles in the Arms & Equipment Guide, p. 24. In short, a bag covers a 5' square and requires a DC 15 Balance check. A failure indicates they are unable to move for 1 round or may fall (see the balance skill in the PHB for more).

 

M

Mad Mac

First Post

• Mar 5, 2005

• #9

In the inappropriate humour theme, I have to admit that reading the title of this thread quickly had me thinking of a character who purchased a small bag of steel balls, just so he could (truthfully) go around telling people that he had...you know.

 

D

Diirk

First Post

• Mar 6, 2005

• #10

I don't know, the whole idea just seems a little silly to me... tripping over marbles just seems so cartoony. If you were walking down a corridor and saw a section of the floor covered with marbles, what would you do ? run over it and hope for the best? or just kick them out of the way ?

In any sort of terrain where they're less likely to be seen (grass etc), I don't see them working well, either.. you really need a hard surface for marbles to roll well on, and that tends to make them fairly obvious.