Best level to fight the Tarrasque

[Pielorinho]

second edit: sort of a rant to those above: would you PLEASE actually read the MM entry? The Tarrasque doesn't take normal damage from ANYTHING. This includes acid, sneak attack damage, GMW spells, +15 arrows of exploding, etc.

"Pride goeth before a ...." how does that saying end again?

The tarrasque doesn't take normal damage from ANYTHING, you're right. It takes subdual damage, however, from a lot of things -- including acid and +5 weaponry. If you can do more than 40 points of damage to it per round, you'll eventually get it down to -30 HP, in 870/(avg damage-40) rounds.

So right back atcha with that rant of yours.

Of course, I may need to apologize to The Jester. I ran some numbers, and I can see a way that a 12th-level cleric could take out the Tarrasque. The circumstances are pretty specific, but it is possible.

First, the party wizard would need a wand of GMW cast at 15th level. Cost: 33,750 gp. Pricey, but possible.
(Alternatively, the cleric could have prepared GMW seven times while breathing in incense of meditation).
Second, the cleric should have created 300 +5 arrows and a +5 bow ahead of time with his spells, or else the mage should be standing by to use the wand as needed.
Third, the cleric should have a dex of 28. Elvish cleric starts with a dex of 20, pumped up to 23 by level increases, pumped up to 28 by cat's grace.
Fourth, the cleric should have weapon focus: bow.
Fifth, the cleric should have divine power running (or whichever spell gives you a fighter's BAB and strength)
Sixth, the cleric should a total of +4 bonuses from other sources.
Seventh, the cleric should have the feat rapid shot.
Eighth, the cleric should have a +4 mighty composite longbow.

Given that setup, the cleric should be able to get off three shots/round, two of which hit 95% of the time and the third of which hits 75% of the time; each shot will do about 18.5 points of damage. The cleric will average around 50 points of (subdual) damage per round.

The tarrasque will heal back 40 of those points each round, thanks to regeneration. But 87 rounds later, it'll be at -30 hp, and the cleric can cast wish.

Darkjester, is that what happened? That's the best way I can crunch the numbers.

(Note that I don't calculate point blank shot into these figures; I'm assuming that the cleric isn't gonna fly within 30' of the tarrasque)

Daniel

Daniel

 

[Narzul]

Narzul, can you give us some context?

-As a fight in a story-based game. This should be hard, and the culmination of an adventure, most likely. I'd do this around 16-17th level: you want the fight with the Tarrasque to majorly tax the party resources.

Daniel

It will be use in this kind of situation, as the ending monster of a underground (I don't want invisible flying range touch attacks! ) adventure.

I think I'll use it for 17th level, the cleric will then have Miracle.

 

[Pax]

In actual truth, they like to completely avoid the issue, or at best, provide tentative answers that don't actually contain a real answer of any kind. That's why I completely redesigned vorpal for my games, and 3 out of the 4 other DMs in games game have adapted my version as well. The last DM that didn't adapt it simply bans vorpal completely.

IMC, the VorpalWeapon produces a Coup De Grace effect on any critical hit. So uber-hug4e creatures die much less often.

Imperfect, but a lot less overpowered. I might reduce it to a +4 or even +3 bonus, but I'm not sure. Might have it increasde the Crit multiplier by 1 instead, and keep the +5 enhancement-equivalent.

 

[kreynolds]

IMC, the VorpalWeapon produces a Coup De Grace effect on any critical hit. So uber-hug4e creatures die much less often.

Imperfect, but a lot less overpowered. I might reduce it to a +4 or even +3 bonus, but I'm not sure. Might have it increasde the Crit multiplier by 1 instead, and keep the +5 enhancement-equivalent.

Mine just deals a crapload of damage. Oh, and it's still +5 too.

 

[Victim]

Of course, I may need to apologize to The Jester. I ran some numbers, and I can see a way that a 12th-level cleric could take out the Tarrasque. The circumstances are pretty specific, but it is possible.

First, the party wizard would need a wand of GMW cast at 15th level. Cost: 33,750 gp. Pricey, but possible.
(Alternatively, the cleric could have prepared GMW seven times while breathing in incense of meditation).
Second, the cleric should have created 300 +5 arrows and a +5 bow ahead of time with his spells, or else the mage should be standing by to use the wand as needed.
Third, the cleric should have a dex of 28. Elvish cleric starts with a dex of 20, pumped up to 23 by level increases, pumped up to 28 by cat's grace.
Fourth, the cleric should have weapon focus: bow.
Fifth, the cleric should have divine power running (or whichever spell gives you a fighter's BAB and strength)
Sixth, the cleric should a total of +4 bonuses from other sources.
Seventh, the cleric should have the feat rapid shot.
Eighth, the cleric should have a +4 mighty composite longbow.

Given that setup, the cleric should be able to get off three shots/round, two of which hit 95% of the time and the third of which hits 75% of the time; each shot will do about 18.5 points of damage. The cleric will average around 50 points of (subdual) damage per round.

The tarrasque will heal back 40 of those points each round, thanks to regeneration. But 87 rounds later, it'll be at -30 hp, and the cleric can cast wish.


Daniel

Using a Bead of Karma from the Necklace of prayer beads is more economical than using Incense of Meditation.

Persistent Divine Favor, probably cast at 16th level, would give another +5 to hit - taking care of, and then some, your missing +4 - and to damage.

Bracers of Archery might help too.

So, with an extra +3 to attack and +5 to damage, the attacks are at 95%/95%/90% and the damage goes to 23.5 instead of 18.5. Damage per round jumps to 65.8, netting about 26 after regen. Haste adds another really good attack, bringing net damage to about 48.

And, of course, we're ignoring any preexisting magical properties his bow could have.

So he can actual kill the creature in a fairly reasonable amount of time.

 

[Pielorinho]

Persistent Divine Favor, probably cast at 16th level, would give another +5 to hit - taking care of, and then some, your missing +4 - and to damage.

I thought persistent spells took up slots 8 levels higher than normal. How will a twelfth-level caster get access to a ninth-level spell? Unless he's been saving a scroll of persistent divine favor for just this purpose....

 

[Shalewind]

In actual truth, they like to completely avoid the issue, or at best, provide tentative answers that don't actually contain a real answer of any kind. That's why I completely redesigned vorpal for my games, and 3 out of the 4 other DMs in games game have adapted my version as well. The last DM that didn't adapt it simply bans vorpal completely.

What is your adaptation by chance?

 

[Coredump]

Remember, the cleric was surprised to see the tarrasque. There was not time to prep stuff just for this encounter. (not like they were T hunting)

Second, do all of those pluses stack? GMW, +4 bow, divine grace, etc. (I realy don't know.)


Either way, that is a lot of rounds and a *lot* of +5 arrows for the T to just hang out.

.

 

[kreynolds]

What is your adaptation by chance?

It's been kicked around in the house rules a few times, but this has been the final version for some time now...

Vorpal: This potent and feared enchantment bears an extraordinarily sharp blade. Upon a successful critical hit, a planar rift, allowing the weapon to cut through even the hardest materials, replaces the blade of the weapon. The vorpal enhancement deals an additional x10 force damage. For instance, a longsword deals 1d8 points of damage per hit. So a vorpal longsword will deal 1d8 (normal damage) + 1d8 (normal critical damage) + 10d8 (force damage) points of damage.

A vorpal weapon must be a slashing weapon. The damage dealt by a vorpal weapon is force damage and can even harm creatures that are immune to critical hits.

Caster Level: 18th; Prerequisites: Craft Magic Arms and Armor, keen edge, finger of death, gate; Market Price: +5 bonus.

 

[Cloudgatherer]

That vorpal HR is a bit unclear. I don't see how x10 force damage translates to +6d8.