Is this fair or am I evil DM?
- Thread starter Bagpuss
- Start date
Rel
Liquid Awesome
incognito said:
In the spirit of "good for the goose, good for the gander", I'd have to ask "why?".
If the problem is that the Medusa has many snakes to the Elven Wizard's one, why not rule that each snake can only produce enough venom for X uses/day?
If the problem is that it is simply unbalanced to allow someone free access to poison just because they own a snake, then I wouldn't let the Medusa do it either.
incognito
First Post
OK, Rel, I agree. that's the problem - and for X, I'll just use a value like .1 uses/per day - so you need 10 snakes.
the medusa has about 50 on her head, so she can do this 5 times.
PS: what's good for the goose is not always good for the gander by the way. One reason why PCs don't get abilities like "fast healing."
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Celebrim
Legend
This isn't something that I'd have Medusa's in general do, but as a monstrous feat for an advanced Medusa (or any intelligent venom producing critter) it is pretty darn cool.
I would think it would take a MEA to coat an arrow. If you'd rather it didn't, have quickdraw a prerequisite for the feat.
I would think it would take a MEA to coat an arrow. If you'd rather it didn't, have quickdraw a prerequisite for the feat.
incognito
First Post
Hong: You know I'm not
and in answer to your "KQQL" Comment. Did you READ medusa ebfore you trolled me?
empahsis mine.
This would imply YES, there is more than one snake invovled in the bititng procvess, but to keep things simple, it is resolved as a a single melee attack.
[insert subtle unflattering name directed at hong here]
and in answer to your "KQQL" Comment. Did you READ medusa ebfore you trolled me?
empahsis mine.
This would imply YES, there is more than one snake invovled in the bititng procvess, but to keep things simple, it is resolved as a a single melee attack.
[insert subtle unflattering name directed at hong here]
Breakdaddy
First Post
Damn, I love the way people try to apply realism to a decidedly unrealistic game. As the DM, if you want her to do it, its done! Personally, Id up the cr by 1.
Rel
Liquid Awesome
Breakdaddy said:
Speaking strictly for the argument I was making, it has nothing to do with realism. It is about consistency.
If I ran an encounter with a Medusa who used her snakes to apply venom to her arrows (which I think is a wicked cool idea) and then the Wizard player asks if he can do the same with his viper familiar, the answers I'd give would be either:
"Sure you can." (along with the caveat that he must abide by the same rules as the Medusa in terms of how long it takes and how many times per day it is useful for each snake)
or
"Absolutely, so long as you take the Apply Poison From Your Snake (
) feat that I've developed."I would not respond with, "No you can't because I said so."
To me, part of the fun of DMing is coming up with unusual challenges for the party to face. But I try to do so with an eye toward letting the party use similar tactics if they have similar resources.
That said, we are talking about a monster ability and the PC's don't (and shouldn't) have access to ever ability that the monsters have. My particular beef with this situation is that we aren't talking about giving the Medusa a Supernatural Ability. We are talking about letting her use an innate advantage in an unusual way. I see no difference mechanically between her using one of her snakes to poison an arrow and the Wizard using his viper to poison his arrow.
incognito
First Post
hong: you sure are crazy. Is there ever an argument you do not think you have won?
Rel:
As a general tactic, if the wizard had ranks in alchemy, and/or Know (nature), then extracting poison from a familiar in quantity enough to poison arrows should indeed be a possibility. We are talking about geting enough in a melee, coating an arrow with it, and firing that arrow.
The medusa has MANY snakes to get the poison from, while the Wizard has but one. Also, The Medusa's snakes are readily avaible and do not require her to take up a hand holding them - she could essentailly "run an arrow through her hair". AN unusual tactic, but a fair one - AS LONG AS IT TAKES ENOUGH TIME. The wizards snake familiar would have to be held, or at the very least come out from whereever he was kept. If the familiar was already out in the open, then he could be attacked in melee by savvy opponents.
Also, just becasue a special ability is not supernatural does not mean a PC should possess it. Some are simply very valuable (like being large, or having darkvision 90' rather than 60').
As a visual, I can see a swarm of snakes squirting thier venom a few times a day on an arrow, but I cannot see a wizard milking his pal in combat.
Maybe I'm unreasonable.
Rel:
As a general tactic, if the wizard had ranks in alchemy, and/or Know (nature), then extracting poison from a familiar in quantity enough to poison arrows should indeed be a possibility. We are talking about geting enough in a melee, coating an arrow with it, and firing that arrow.
The medusa has MANY snakes to get the poison from, while the Wizard has but one. Also, The Medusa's snakes are readily avaible and do not require her to take up a hand holding them - she could essentailly "run an arrow through her hair". AN unusual tactic, but a fair one - AS LONG AS IT TAKES ENOUGH TIME. The wizards snake familiar would have to be held, or at the very least come out from whereever he was kept. If the familiar was already out in the open, then he could be attacked in melee by savvy opponents.
Also, just becasue a special ability is not supernatural does not mean a PC should possess it. Some are simply very valuable (like being large, or having darkvision 90' rather than 60').
As a visual, I can see a swarm of snakes squirting thier venom a few times a day on an arrow, but I cannot see a wizard milking his pal in combat.
Maybe I'm unreasonable.
