TPK Your Entire Party

[The Thayan Menace]

The Scorching Ray of Death

The rules very specifically say the coup can only be delivered with a melee weapon, or with a bow or crossbow. Scorching ray is none of these things. I don't think "Weapon-like spells" are not treated as weapons for everything in the rules; the section in Complete Arcane is fairly specific about when to treat them like weapons.

Your rules interpretation is a bit more RAW than mine. Is there any specific ruling that says "weapon-like" spells cannot be used for this purpose? I may have missed it.

-Samir

 

[IanB]

Your rules interpretation is a bit more RAW than mine. Is there any specific ruling that says "weapon-like" spells cannot be used for this purpose? I may have missed it.

-Samir

I don't have the Complete Arcane at hand but I will try to remember to dig it out when I get home (I typically only check these boards from work.)

 

[The Thayan Menace]

Scorching Ray of Death (x2)

Scorching ray is not a spell that allows you to 'hold a charge' as it doesn't have a range of touch - so even if you cast it in a quickened form and your DM allowed you to treat it as a weapon, you couldn't use it as a weapon for the upcoming full round action, because you've already fired it off by the time you get to that action.

Scorching ray is a "weapon-like" spell. Also, a quickened spell doesn't take an action ... so technically you could combine it with a full-round action.

-Samir

 

[The Thayan Menace]

Scorching Ray of Death (x3)

I don't have the Complete Arcane at hand but I will try to remember to dig it out when I get home (I typically only check these boards from work.)

That's cool. Hell, I could be wrong.

-Samir

 

[The Thayan Menace]

Word!

My point which people tend to be missing is that because DND is a game, Evil PCs MUST be cooperative (or the group self destructs). That limits Evil roleplaying options.

I agree, however the space between two points can be infinitely dissected. Therefore, there are many ways to play evil in a cooperative fashion ... despite the limitations of the ruleset.

Ah, the beauty of D&D alignment discussions.

-Samir

 

[RigaMortus2]

Stupid Evil?

How about Smart Evil?


The big battle is over. The Evil PC Wizard waited until he took no damage in a fight, but nearly everyone else took major damage. Fireball. Even if some of the other PCs survive his first (surprise round) attack (unlikely because he waits for a combat where they are nearly decimated), he should still easily win.

What does he gain? Plus three (or more) times his current wealth. That's HUGE.

What does he gain if he lets them live for a couple more levels? More loot that he normally would not have gotten w/o them. I think that is the wiser decision.

The point is, this is a SMART (and very much in nature) thing for many evil adventurers to do every once in a while. But because of the "cooperative nature of DND", it is something that is typically prevented from happening.

I am not sure I understand why you feel it is somehow "wrong" to put roleplay constraints on things (not just "evil", but anything). It can make a game (and character) more fun and challenging to play. How is an Evil PC "less" evil if they just never end up killing their fellow adventurers?

 

[shilsen]

Did I mock you?

Probably not, since I missed it if you did. You did say that running the sort of evil PC that I said is doable in a party context is immature and an example of poor roleplaying. Not that I mind, since you're a random guy on the net. Same as me. No reason for you to get excited.

If you are not going to be civil, please do not respond to my posts.

What's not civil about chihuahua evil? I could say monolithic evil, but chihuahua saves me a letter and has one less syllable. And it's a more evocative image.

As someone on this thread said, chill out. It's a discussion

 

[irdeggman]

Your rules interpretation is a bit more RAW than mine. Is there any specific ruling that says "weapon-like" spells cannot be used for this purpose? I may have missed it.

-Samir

Well by the text it will not allow other ranged weapons to be used either.

You can't use a bolas, a shuriken nor can you "throw" a weapon.

So I would say if it is not on the list it is not on the list.

 

[Legildur]

Well by the text it will not allow other ranged weapons to be used either.

You can't use a bolas, a shuriken nor can you "throw" a weapon.

So I would say if it is not on the list it is not on the list.

Exactly. The list is very specific.

 

[Darklone]

*lol* chihuahua evil...

I like my chars and NPCs grey. Not black and white alignments as typical for fantasy (literature book definition of fantasy literature) but grey with darker shades and lighter spots.

Anyone familiar with palladium alignments? My chaotic good chars usually hit spot on the definition of aberrant evil.

Now I think about playing a chihuahua evil dude. Gnoll dogface, tiny size, opting to kill his comrades for a big bone.