Greenfield
Adventurer
How about Transmute Sand to Glass?
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Help with a Construct
- Thread starter Greenfield
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How about Transmute Sand to Glass?
Greenfield
Adventurer
Sandstorm. Where else?
In any case the Sand Construct is immune to transformations, so it was pretty much a joke.
You really don't want someone casting a spell like Black Sand on him.
In any case the Sand Construct is immune to transformations, so it was pretty much a joke.
You really don't want someone casting a spell like Black Sand on him.
Greenfield
Adventurer
Be aware that some of the classes are "front loaded' with class abilities. Sandshaper, for example, includes 32 spells that are automatically known as soon as the character is high enough level to cast them, whether they advance in Sandshaper or not. Invites Sorcerer types to take that 1 level dip and abruptly triple the number of spells known.
Spells like Black Sand are a bit poorly defined as well. That spell converts an area of normal sand into "Black Sand", a supernatural hazard in the desert that does negative energy damage. People or creatures killed by it turn into more black sand.
While the spell runs out and the sand it transformed returns to normal, additional black sand remenents of fallen opponents remains as black sand. Thus you can create a growing supply of a deadly material, for free.
Slip Sand is another poorly defined material/spell. (The spell creates the material). As written, someone steps in this stuff and they simply sink, instantly. There is no way to extract themselves unless they can fly, burrow or teleport. Suffocation and death follow quickly. When used as the spell, you manifest the stuff under an opponent and they're gone. No save, no SR. (Spell casting while your mouth is filling with sand is more than a bit problematic, so using magic to escape may or may not work.)
The book has more than a few of these kinds of things. Approach with caution.
Spells like Black Sand are a bit poorly defined as well. That spell converts an area of normal sand into "Black Sand", a supernatural hazard in the desert that does negative energy damage. People or creatures killed by it turn into more black sand.
While the spell runs out and the sand it transformed returns to normal, additional black sand remenents of fallen opponents remains as black sand. Thus you can create a growing supply of a deadly material, for free.
Slip Sand is another poorly defined material/spell. (The spell creates the material). As written, someone steps in this stuff and they simply sink, instantly. There is no way to extract themselves unless they can fly, burrow or teleport. Suffocation and death follow quickly. When used as the spell, you manifest the stuff under an opponent and they're gone. No save, no SR. (Spell casting while your mouth is filling with sand is more than a bit problematic, so using magic to escape may or may not work.)
The book has more than a few of these kinds of things. Approach with caution.
MarkB
Legend
Greenfield
Adventurer
Eh. It leaves me in an odd position.
The Awaken Sand spell has a full day casting time, and costs a modest chunk of Exp. It creates the sand construct that's friendly and helpful, but isn't under any actual control.
The cost and time required are too much to use the spell casually, and if they won't let my character take one of the constructs with him then he's a Bard in possession of a spell he knows but can't really cast. It's effectively useless.
Admitted, it's one of the 32 or so "known spells" gained because of the Sand Shaper class, but even so it's a pain when one of your limited number of spells known is effectively taken from you.
I've voluntarily struck spells from the list that I thought were overpowered, but this is the first time I've had one taken away. And this one is, if anything, underpowered. (Hence my asking here how to make the construct survivable.)
The Awaken Sand spell has a full day casting time, and costs a modest chunk of Exp. It creates the sand construct that's friendly and helpful, but isn't under any actual control.
The cost and time required are too much to use the spell casually, and if they won't let my character take one of the constructs with him then he's a Bard in possession of a spell he knows but can't really cast. It's effectively useless.
Admitted, it's one of the 32 or so "known spells" gained because of the Sand Shaper class, but even so it's a pain when one of your limited number of spells known is effectively taken from you.
I've voluntarily struck spells from the list that I thought were overpowered, but this is the first time I've had one taken away. And this one is, if anything, underpowered. (Hence my asking here how to make the construct survivable.)
RUMBLETiGER
Adventurer
If it's behind the curve in combat, does it have out-of-combat utility? For example, even as a Huge creature, it can pass thru a keyhole. There should be some useful applications.
Grogg of the North
Adventurer
That's why I originally suggested Rogue for advancing it since it could, in theory, just gum up any mechanical traps with itself.
Could you somehow use magic to make it into your own sandstorm? Or could you use it to spy for you? Or guard an oasis*/safe house?
*This was the game where you were recently in Egypt, right? Controlling water means controlling the nearby region.
Greenfield
Adventurer
With a Huge size and an 8 Dex, its Rogue potential is decidedly limited. Hide/Move Silent is really off the table, and while you might think he could just jam trap mechanisms with his sandy body, there's nothing in the rules to actually support that.
And yes, this is the campaign where we were recently in Egypt/Ethiopia. That's where he was created/Awakened, for a specific task.
And that's where the construct is and will remain. Other players/DMs said no to having him come along, not wanting to add to the roster.
Ironically, three of these took the Leadership feat for their characters, and one is currently playing a character that was the Cohort of his previous character. A fourth has a Tiger as an animal companion, and wants to increase its size to Huge as part of its advancement.
We, at least in theory, had something like 40 people following us around on our adventures.
While it's interesting to speculate on advancement for such a creature, the fact is that there's no mechanism in the rules to allow him/it to earn any Exp unless my character spends a Feat to take him as a Cohort. Neither Hirelings nor Followers get any Exp, by the book.
As for uses: He moves faster than a person on foot, but slower than a horse (40 base), and while his weight isn't specified, dry sand weighs in at about 100 lbs per cubic foot. Water weighs a bit under 64 per cubic foot, so call his weight about 1.5 times the weight of a flesh and blood creature of similar size. In other words, more than a wagon can think about carrying, and more than any small to modest boat can manage.
On the plus side, his heavy load is about 5,000 lbs, so if you cast an Overland Flight spell on him he can not only keep up, he can play the part of a DC3 cargo plane.
He has a Burrow speed of 20, which has its uses as well.
In combat, he has a 15 foot base/reach and a 20 Strength. +6 BAB, +9 full attack (6 BAB + 5 for Strength, - 2 for Size). Spells like Greater Magic Fang could, at our level, bump that as high as +16, which almost makes him playable.
He has a special attack (Engulf) that can be avoided with a DC 19 Dex save. The attack provokes Attack of Opportunity though, and with an AC of 13 he may end up hurting himself more than he hurts them.
Ultimately, while there are things that could be done to enhance the creature, they amount to souping up a flat bed truck and expecting it to compete at Indianapolis. It might be possible, but it's really not worth the effort.
My character's concern over his creation is more an RP thing than anything else. And I've been told to forget it.
But that's okay. One of the DMs has been talking about "The Lost World", that part of Africa where the dinosaurs roam. If he runs us there, I'll shock the hell out of him by using Limited Wish to Awaken a Megaraptor or a T-Rex, and have that as my character's new mount. <Evil Grin>
And yes, this is the campaign where we were recently in Egypt/Ethiopia. That's where he was created/Awakened, for a specific task.
And that's where the construct is and will remain. Other players/DMs said no to having him come along, not wanting to add to the roster.
Ironically, three of these took the Leadership feat for their characters, and one is currently playing a character that was the Cohort of his previous character. A fourth has a Tiger as an animal companion, and wants to increase its size to Huge as part of its advancement.
We, at least in theory, had something like 40 people following us around on our adventures.
While it's interesting to speculate on advancement for such a creature, the fact is that there's no mechanism in the rules to allow him/it to earn any Exp unless my character spends a Feat to take him as a Cohort. Neither Hirelings nor Followers get any Exp, by the book.
As for uses: He moves faster than a person on foot, but slower than a horse (40 base), and while his weight isn't specified, dry sand weighs in at about 100 lbs per cubic foot. Water weighs a bit under 64 per cubic foot, so call his weight about 1.5 times the weight of a flesh and blood creature of similar size. In other words, more than a wagon can think about carrying, and more than any small to modest boat can manage.
On the plus side, his heavy load is about 5,000 lbs, so if you cast an Overland Flight spell on him he can not only keep up, he can play the part of a DC3 cargo plane.
He has a Burrow speed of 20, which has its uses as well.
In combat, he has a 15 foot base/reach and a 20 Strength. +6 BAB, +9 full attack (6 BAB + 5 for Strength, - 2 for Size). Spells like Greater Magic Fang could, at our level, bump that as high as +16, which almost makes him playable.
He has a special attack (Engulf) that can be avoided with a DC 19 Dex save. The attack provokes Attack of Opportunity though, and with an AC of 13 he may end up hurting himself more than he hurts them.
Ultimately, while there are things that could be done to enhance the creature, they amount to souping up a flat bed truck and expecting it to compete at Indianapolis. It might be possible, but it's really not worth the effort.
My character's concern over his creation is more an RP thing than anything else. And I've been told to forget it.
But that's okay. One of the DMs has been talking about "The Lost World", that part of Africa where the dinosaurs roam. If he runs us there, I'll shock the hell out of him by using Limited Wish to Awaken a Megaraptor or a T-Rex, and have that as my character's new mount. <Evil Grin>
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