How do you "petrify" yur player's characters?

[FCWesel]

When your characters run into a beastie that has the Petriftying Gaze ability, how do you have it affect the PCs in your games?

Do all of their posessions turn to stone, or just their flesh and body?

Would you or do you allow items they are carrying to make saves? (Maybe for only magical or story-driving piece of equipment or gear?)

I can see both being interesting, but it seems a tad more logical to me that only their physical selves (ie: flesh, blood and bone) turns to stone, leaving poessions on and about their statue-sk forms.

Perhaps turning gear in addition to flesh is a "greater petriftying" ability that could be be a power for higher HD creatures?

ALSO. How do you roll out the "look into my eyes" part? If a character attacks the beast he must look at it, or it is treated AS IF it were invisible, right? If they do look at it, do you have a INT check or WILL roll to avoid looking at its eyes? Obviously there can be bonuses to this roll if the hero has prepared, gause "blind folds", special visored helmet, etc.

What about Darkness. What if one of the two is in darkness and the other cannot see in that enviornment but one can?

I ask this because the heroes in my FR/SL game are going to be encountering a nest of Basilisks.

Also, I am considering giving them a DR *something*/10. I am thinking about using "darksteel" (a special material in the FR book) as the type of material thier DR works for. The group has one or two items of this type.

Is this enough to actually increase thier CR rating, do you think? What additional boost should I give them if it does not?

Thoughts or Ideas?

 

[RigaMortus]

Good questions, and these are my opinion...

I think all items would turn to stone as well, because they are considered attended objects. And attended objects are considered part of the character. Although I would consider allowing a saving through for magic items, but that could be a lot of rolling there. I like to keep it short and simple myself. I definately think an Intelligent weapon/armor/item would get a save regardless.

The "look in my eyes" part is kind of wonky. You just have to assume that, if the player's do not specify that they are averting their eyes from the beast, then they are subject to the gaze attack. They can't get a good enough swing in without look at the whole creature, and this includes it's face, to which it's eyes are a part of (I would hope). So if they avert their eyes, I beleive they get a miss chance because of concealment. If they don't, then they don't get a miss chance but will have to save vs. the gaze attack.

I also think that creatures with gaze attack can force someone to look at them. I never DMed a gaze attacking creature, but I fought against one as a player, and this seemed to be what the DM was doing. Even though I averted my eyes, the creature could still try and gaze at me. That is even wonkier to envision. Heh. "Hey buddy. Yoo hoo. Over here. Hey, look at me!"

And if you do add DR to these creatures, it probably would affect their CR. Maybe by 1 or 2 points.

 

[Murrdox]

Look up the rules on gaze attacks.

Anyone fighting a creature with a gaze attack can do one of two things, if I remember correctly. She can close her eyes and fight blindly, or she can "avert her eyes" at which point the gaze attack has a 50% miss chance.

Note, however, that a creature with a gaze attack can also ACTIVELY use its gaze attack on its turn as a standard action - basically, the Medusa or whatever stares right at you, trying to meet your gaze. If I remember correctly, averting your eyes does NOT help if the creature with the gaze attack does this.

In terms of what is affected by a petrify attack, unless the rules for the monster state differently, the creature and ALL its gear is petrified. You could allow items to get individual saving throws, so the fighter's magic sword might not turn to stone... but would certainly be stuck in his hand!

A creature that cannot SEE the creature making the gaze attack is not affected BY that attack. So if the basilisks are in darkness, invisible, dense fog, or the characters are blinded, then they aren't subject to the gaze attack.

If you wanted to edit the Basilik and give it some DR.... I'd say increase the CR of the creature by 1 if you give it a 5 or 2 if you give it 10.

Good luck!

 

[dcollins]

Flesh to stone, PHB p. 206: "The subject and all possessions is carries turn into a mindless, inert statue."

 

[FCWesel]

Flesh to stone, PHB p. 206: "The subject and all possessions is carries turn into a mindless, inert statue."

Not to be picky but...that's a specific spell NOT a gaze attack. I appreciate your logic and thoughts though on monster abilities equating character spells and so forth.

 

[AuraSeer]

The SRD is your friend, particularly the special abilities section.

 

[FCWesel]

Note, however, that a creature with a gaze attack can also ACTIVELY use its gaze attack on its turn as a standard action - basically, the Medusa or whatever stares right at you, trying to meet your gaze. If I remember correctly, averting your eyes does NOT help if the creature with the gaze attack does this.

Is there a page refernce for that?

It seems highly illogical (remembering that this whole conversation and game is somewhat illogical from a real world point of view ) to think that if someone went out of their way to avoid attack that they would be subject to one "no matter what".

 

[FCWesel]

AuraSeer, thank you for your post. Here is the SRD's section on Gaze, what do you think?

GAZE ATTACKS
Each character within range of a gaze attack must attempt a saving throw (usually Fortitude or Will) each round at the beginning of his turn.
An opponent can avert his eyes from the creature’s face, looking at the creature’s body, watching its shadow, or tracking the creature in a reflective surface. Each round, the opponent has a 50% chance of not having to make a saving throw. The creature with the gaze attack gains one-half concealment against the opponent (so any attack the opponent makes against the creature has a 20% miss chance).
An opponent can shut his eyes, turn his back on the creature, or wear a blindfold. In these cases, the opponent does not need to make a saving throw. The creature with the gaze attack gains total concealment against the opponent as if the creature were invisible. Thus, any attack the opponent makes against the creature has a 50% miss chance, and the opponent can’t use sight to target attacks.
A creature with a gaze attack can actively attempt to use its gaze as an attack action. The creature simply chooses a target within range, and that opponent must attempt a saving throw. If the target has chosen to defend against the gaze as discussed above, the opponent gets a chance to avoid the saving throw (either 50% chance for averting or 100% chance for shutting eyes). It is possible for an opponent to save against a creature’s gaze twice during the same round, once before its own action and once during the creature’s action.
Looking at the creature’s image (such as in a mirror or as part of an illusion) does not subject the viewer to a gaze attack.
A creature is immune to its own gaze attack.
If visibility is limited (by dim lighting, a fog, etc.) so that it results in concealment, there is a percentage chance equal to the normal miss chance for that amount of concealment that a character won’t need to make a saving throw in a given round. This chance is not cumulative with chances to avoid the gaze, but instead is rolled separately.
Invisible creatures cannot use gaze attacks.
Characters using darkvision in complete darkness are affected by a gaze attack normally.
Unless specified otherwise, an intelligent creature with a gaze attack can control its gaze attack and “turn it off” when so desired.

What could make Gaze Abilities more colourful?

What about a slow petrification effect? Example: The Shanara series of Books had a character (Walker Boh) whose arm started to petrify...with the effect threatening to continue up the rest of hs body. In order to escape he broke off his arm...and stumbled into the woods....where he was rescued by a "forest/nature-golem" (for a lack of a better term) who cured him of the "petrifying poisoning".