How would you rule this attack?

[Mistwell]

I would do 12d6, relfex save DC 15 for half damage (for getting a more critical part of your body out of the way in time). Your character essentially set a trap for the golem, and a reflex save to avoid some of the trap seems appropriate (though not an attack roll...as the golem set the trap off already when he entered the square with the gate, causing the magic using member of the party to cast the spell to complete the trap).

 

[Quinnman]

16 times the volume though, if it scales proportionately, or 48d6 on a linear scale (& 3e does use linear scale for damage from dropped objects).

I didn´t go into volume because it makes the discussion unnecessary complicated since the next obvious question becomes: what material is the portcullis made from?
In most medieval structures the small portcullises were made entirely from metal, while the really large ones (such as those at a city gate) were made mostly from oak-wood... a question of being able to raise the portcullis

As I said... too complicated to begin calculating...

Also the damage from such thinking becomes ridiculously high...

I would do 12d6, relfex save DC 15 for half damage (for getting a more critical part of your body out of the way in time). Your character essentially set a trap for the golem, and a reflex save to avoid some of the trap seems appropriate (though not an attack roll...as the golem set the trap off already when he entered the square with the gate, causing the magic using member of the party to cast the spell to complete the trap).

I like the trap-approach with a save, instead of the attack!... I think the above is exactly how I would do it

 

[Kurotowa]

A further question to add on. How would people suggest running the "trapped under the portcullis" aspect? Because a flesh golem can easily survive 12d6, and if I were a player I'd be at least as interested in keeping the monster stuck in one place while I beat on it. The one thought that comes to me is treating it as a grapple, where the portcullis has a fixed grapple number and the golem starts as pinned. Would that work at all?

 

[S'mon]

I think the coolest way to do it would be: 12d6 damage (substantial but golem will probably survive), touch attack to hit & Ref save DC 20(?) for 1/2, if fail then the golem is impaled and trapped under the portcullis like a butterfly on pin and PCs can try to finish it off with ranged attacks. The DC to lift such a portcullis would be extremely high, Epic level. Maybe it could tear itself free, though, Terminator style...

 

[ThirdWizard]

1) Ranged attack roll.
2) 6d6 damage
3) the golem is on a random side of the gateway

1) The choices are between attack rolls and saving throws. Since the situation is based on the ability of the wizard to drop the portcullis more than the golem to dodge, I would make it an attack roll. I wouldn't make it a touch attack because it still has to injure the golem through its natural amor and such. I would make it a ranged attack because Dex should come into play more than Str IMO.

2) I don't think that damage should scale linearly. A sword that is twice as large as another (greatsword vs longsword) doesn't deal double the damage, for example. The damage is going to be arbitrary. I just doubled it.

3) Here you might make it interesting, though I'd probably go with the simpler 50/50 chance of which side he'd be on. Alternately, you could make him pinned and give him a Strength check to free himself. I'm not sure what I'd make the DC.

 

[Lord Pendragon]

I would do 12d6, relfex save DC 15 for half damage (for getting a more critical part of your body out of the way in time). Your character essentially set a trap for the golem, and a reflex save to avoid some of the trap seems appropriate (though not an attack roll...as the golem set the trap off already when he entered the square with the gate, causing the magic using member of the party to cast the spell to complete the trap).

This sounds good to me. With the added caveat that if the golem makes its save it winds up on a random side of the now-close portcullis and isn't pinned. If it fails its save, it's movement is reduced to zero, unless it can tear itself free with a DC 10 strength check (which it can attempt as a standard action each round).

I prefer not to bring grapple rules into it, as grapple rules overly-complicate anything they touch, IMO. And I only went with with a DC 10, because there's nothing to say the portcullis actually crushes the golem ala Return of the Jedi. It could have simply scraped against the golem's back, pinning its clothing or some of its skin. As a strength check, even a DC 10 isn't automatic.

 

[Paragon Gnome]

Thanks for the help. I think I'll go with 12d6 and pinned.

The circumstances leading up to this weren't really all that spectacular. Readied action + bard who likes to break things and all. As for the portcullis, it's the main entrance to a fort designed to accomidate an ogre mage and other bigguns. Big inhabitants demand big doors.

 

[Lord Pendragon]

I just noticed this was your first thread, Paragon Gnome. Welcome to the boards!

 

[S'mon]

2) I don't think that damage should scale linearly. A sword that is twice as large as another (greatsword vs longsword) doesn't deal double the damage, for example. The damage is going to be arbitrary. I just doubled it.

Damage from falling objects per the DMG RAW is 1d6/200 lbs mass, plus 1d6 per 10' fallen after the first 10'. Presumably friction greatly reduces falling portcullis damage or else the regular portcullis trap would do more than 3d6.

Weapons are different in that ease of handling comes into play. Even so a greatsword does do nearly twice a longsword damage in 3e, and the actual mass (not encumbrance) of greatsword probably is less than twice longsword; certainly IRL 2-handed swords used in actual combat aren't that heavy.

 

[S'mon]

Oh BTW the main portcullis at Tower of London is about 15x15'. A beefeater told me it takes the strength of 30 men to lift it.