Destroying a Stone Bridge

[Gort]

"The villain channels his arcane power into a storm of fury, shattering the bridge into stone splinters."

There we go.

 

[samursus]

Like monboesan said, 4e expressly gives the DM permission to make ANY magical plot device a Ritual. It doesn't have to be one the player's can use for many legitimate reasons.

This isn't 3.5e, the "monsters" don't have to play by the same rules.

Maybe have the Ritual to destroy x cubic meters of stone as a treasure.

 

[DarkLord Of DForce]

If you want to flavor it semi-realistically, have his check show it to be an arched bridge, with a "keystone".

He simply targets the "keystone" for removal and/or destruction, and the
bridge falls.

 

[malraux]

The real question is if you want this to be an off-screen or on-screen and auto-succeed or chance of failure. But within the 4e rules, pretty much all 4e villains have an implicit power called plot device, wherein the dm determines what happens. Summoning Orcus isn't a 5th level power anywhere, but Kalrel could do it.

 

[BobTheNob]

Seems like the question is locked into the "does this works numerically?" consideration. But Why?

Your the DM, having the bridge destroyed is a plot device. Just do it. You dont have to justify the mechanics of this at all.

Hell, I just the other week had a demi-god destroy an entire world! I didnt sit there for hours on end trying to figure out which power did it...

 

[TarionzCousin]

Yes, I could do it offscreen. I might.

However, for increased tension, it would be more exciting to do it on-screen. If there were an existing ritual to destroy stone, I would use that.

Since there isn't, I'll probably invent one.

 

[Dausuul]

Like monboesan said, 4e expressly gives the DM permission to make ANY magical plot device a Ritual.

Or, for that matter, just a power the villain has. No ritual, just some kind of disintegration or explosive destruction power that works on inanimate objects.

 

[monboesen]

However, for increased tension, it would be more exciting to do it on-screen. If there were an existing ritual to destroy stone, I would use that.

If this is your goal there is no need to invent a ritual. The real decision is whether you want the players to have a chance of interrupting the villain or not.

If not then: As the players come within sight of the bridge the villain collapses the bridge with one last display of magic, laughs maniacally (muhahahaha), taunts the players by spilling his diabolical plan and how they are NEVER going to stop him now and then saunter away.

If yes then: As the players come within sight of the bridge they spot the villain hurl magic attack after magic attack at the bridge that is slanting and near collapsing. If they are fast, decisive and/or agile they might prevent the total destruction by forcing the villain into cover with ranged attacks, nullifying his attacks with their own magic (arcana checks) or crossing the bridge (acrobatics/athletics checks) etc.

 

[TarionzCousin]

I want the players to have a (slim) chance to save the bridge. I have a couple uber-rules oriented players. After the session, I want to be able to explain exactly what occurred to destroy said bridge and what they could have done to have saved it.

Yes, I could hand-wave it. But if I wanted to do that, I wouldn't have started this thread.

But enough of my whining. Here's what I'm going to do.

There will be two guard towers at the far end of the bridge. Both will contain villains. One of the villains will contain an engineer (+/-) working a mechanism that will collapse the bridge in X rounds.

The players may notice that while both guard towers are occupied, only one of the "guards" is firing ranged weapons at them. Perhaps they will wonder what the other "guard" is doing. If not, meh. Bridge fall down go boom.

So they could prevent the bridge's collapse by interrupting the engineer--probably by ranged attacks, but possibly by something else of which I am currently unaware.

ENWorlders often have great ideas. I am open to suggestions regarding the details of my plan.