Explosive runes as a weapon

[Bront]

Let's see... if he drops the thrown weapons idea, he could put the Explosive Runes on a bunch of parchments, roll them up, weight and bind them (for ease of throwing), have them tossed into the opponent's square (possibly by having a bunch of them in a bag, and tossing the bag, open, at the square), and detonate them with dispel.

It's more useful as a trap in a fortress - you have cheap maps, tapestries, books in display cases, et cetera, that have ER on them in non-obvious places ready for that Area Dispel.

If disarming them sets them off, would folding them? With Rolling up and weighing, it's not particularly accurate, and what's to stop the device from rolling away on the floor?

More plausable, but still a bit of a stretch, particularly to use a spell well beyond it's written intent. I agree that they do make fun traps though.

 

[Bront]

(emphasis added)
Okay... so you can't deliberately flub it - but you can arrange so that your dispel check bonus is never over 5 by RAW, and the chance of you "successfully" failing the roll goes up as you increase in level.

That I will agree with.

 

[Jack Simth]

If disarming them sets them off, would folding them?

Probably not, as folding is one of the standard (modern version, anyway) of storing maps, which are listed as one of the example objects.

With Rolling up and weighing, it's not particularly accurate, and what's to stop the device from rolling away on the floor?

On a reasonably level surface, it's easy to stop something from rolling - tie a small ribbon (or something - a bit of rock on a string, or even just tie two scrolls together, or roll the scroll in the double fashion) on it to produce a bump, so that it can't easily roll over it's own bump. That, or put them in a bag/basket, so they are grouped together to begin with.

More plausable, but still a bit of a stretch, particularly to use a spell well beyond it's written intent. I agree that they do make fun traps though.

The biggest danger with using them offensively is something I mentioned earlier - you are CARRYING something that can be detonated more easily by someone of lower level (as long as they can still cast Dispell) on your person, that deals 6d6 each - if you have enough batches of 10 for four such attacks, then your DM WILL send someone after you that either has dispel themselves, or that has a wand of it, to set them off prematurely (while still on you) so that you take - get this - 240d6 damage, reflex half (by scrolls individually - even the rogue with Improved Evasion and a high reflex save doesn't stand much of a chance).

Edit: Tactics to use, to avoid the Incidental Dispel problem:
Use a Handy Haversack to store them! They are in a non-dimensional space, not on your person! They are out of range of the Area Dispel (when cast at you). Have a non-spellcaster carry them normally; he pulls them from the haversack (free) action, then tosses them at the opponent. Wiz's turn, he dispels them if the BBEG is in range - and BOOM - no more BBEG.... unless the BBEG has a readied Dispel for when the carrier pulls it out....

Flavor: Red paper, in rolls, tied together, with a single string coming out through the center. Sell them as TNT (Totally New Technique).

 

[Goblyn]

Flavor: Red paper, in rolls, tied together, with a single string coming out through the center. Sell them as TNT (Totally New Technique).

Package that with a small wondrtous item that casts dispel magic when burnt down ...

This is sounding like that Magic missile gatling gun. Not that that's a bad thing

 

[Nareau]

I thought of a similar tactic using Glyph of Warding on a bunch of little boxes. Rig the boxes to pop open on impact (after you pull the locking pin), and you've got some expensive little grenades.

Spider

 

[Strider an-ti-one]

thanks for the help

thanks for the input i'll take i all into consideration looking back on it, it is kind of fool hardy to do something so dangerous. that why like this game so much sometimes the reward is greater than the risk but in this instant risk is to great

 

[Vraister]

From the spell description of Dispel Magic:
You automatically succeed on your dispel check on any spell that you cast yourself.

Vraister

 

[mvincent]

I thought of a similar tactic using Glyph of Warding on a bunch of little boxes. Rig the boxes to pop open on impact (after you pull the locking pin), and you've got

I've done that with the firetrap spell. Since you do it in your off-time, this sort of thing works nicely with a bead of karma or a meta-magic rod.

 

[mvincent]

it is a clever idea, even if it means that any incidental dispel magics that get tossed your way can be fatal for the party.

Since explosive runes are free to cast (and don't expire), this can get out of hand quickly. My mage character carries a whole book full of several hundred explosive runes, and a fellow (lower CL) PC keeps dispel magic prep'ed just in case we absolutely, positively need a tac-nuke.

I keep the book in a handy haversack to protect it from other dispels.

 

[Jack Simth]

The reason why you use Explosive Runes rather than Fire Trap or a Glyph of Warding:

Explosive Runes has no material component. Fire Traps are 25 gp each (gold dust, if I recall correctly). A Glyph of Warding costs 200 (400 for the Greater version; Diamond dust). You can put out a hundred Explosive Runes for the cost of however much time it takes to cast them, and can probably convince their effects to stack (although it's entierly possible that the GM will rule that only the first goes off, as it destroys the rest physically before they are up for dispelling, and that physical destruction of the media is not a listed means for triggering explosive runes). Not many of the trap spells are both portable and lack material components. Even fewer have a remote detonation mechanisim described in the spell itself - I suspect ER is the only such in Core.