Impossible to kill a spectra?

[Celebrim]

If you put your ear to the door, all you know is that the sound is coming from the door - not really where in the room on the other side that sound was made.

Ok, then, why don't you actually try this. Put your ear against the wall, and have the person in the adjoining room walk around. See if you can figure out where in the room they are. If you can make a guess at it, then we can assume it can be done. My guess would be that you are a relatively 'low level' character (not prone to having real adventures) with few if any ranks in listen, and if you can do it even a little bit, then someone who is skilled at it can probably pinpoint their location quite accurately.

 

[Anubis]

I haven't even bothered reading all the responses . . .

First off, it can attack through walls, but it can't SEE through walls. It would not be able to attack effectively through the floor.

Besides, you are all missing an obvious way to hit the thing while it's attacking up from the floor . . . READY ACTIONS.

Do NOTHING but readying attacks for whenever it attacks. Then you have no problem any which way.

 

[Pax]

I guess that makes sense -- although I'd resolve this using the tumble rules. Either the spectre is passing through other folks' squares, or it is not. If it is not passing through other folks' squares, then it's not moving in a straight line; if it is, then it needs to make a tumble check to avoid drawing an AoO.

I think I see what you're saying. I'd just resolve it differently.

Daniel

If the Spectre rushes up to melee range -- and the characters do not have reach weapons -- then the Spectre, regardless of how you count squares to determine movement allowance, has not moved through their threatened area(s), now, has it?



The movement-by-squares is an artifact of the game, in terms of calculating where you can or cannot reach. Howevr, the spectre flies in an exactly straight line, diagonally up from the floor perhaps, and only just enters, but does not pass through, the threatened area of the PCs.

If, OTOH, the spectre "crouches" into the floor, flies forward, then "un-crouches" so it's head is again above floor level; well, nowit has 9.10's cover (since only it's head is above the floor), and it can still reach up and swipe at the othe rcharacetr. The movement is stil in a straight line ... and if the spectre passes underneath the characetrs ... well, unless they have swords that can pass through stone and harm undead (um ... Brilliant Energy Mace of Disruption, maybe?), the spectre has full cover and full concealment, meaning ... no AoO's.

Heck, technically, with it's head still above the floor, that's 1/2 or better cover, and no AoOs -- so it doesn't NEED to duck at all -- except as a DM aesthetics tool.

 

[Pielorinho]

I haven't even bothered reading all the responses . . .

I don't mean to be rude, but it's usually a good idea to read all the responses; both points you raised are already being discussed extensively.

Daniel

 

[Pielorinho]

If, OTOH, the spectre "crouches" into the floor, flies forward, then "un-crouches" so it's head is again above floor level; well, nowit has 9.10's cover (since only it's head is above the floor), and it can still reach up and swipe at the othe rcharacetr. The movement is stil in a straight line ... and if the spectre passes underneath the characetrs ... well, unless they have swords that can pass through stone <b>and</b> harm undead, the spectre has full cover <b>and</b> full concealment, meaning ... no AoO's.

Well, I think I was interpreting this differently: I would not allow a spectre to attack when it was halfway in, halfway out of the floor, most likely; if I did, I'd give it big penalties (attacking from lower ground, attacking opponents with half cover, etc.). As I said before, I'd probably not allow it to drain levels, since level drain is (IMO) pulling the soul from a creature, and everyone knows that you don't have that much soul resting in your kneecaps.

A spectre without reach who tried this trick would be not nearly as scary as its companion that attacked from wholly within the room.

Daniel