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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Plane Sailing" data-source="post: 500126" data-attributes="member: 114">As a result of a conversation over in the rules forum, I'm posting here the rules which I personally use for the destruction of items/magic items when faced with overwhelming damage.I don't like the DMG method where a single item has to make a ST if the owner rolls a 1 on the saving throw. It doesn't mesh with the way that I used to play back in 1e, and my "dramatic sensibilities" <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f642.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":)" title="Smile    :)"  data-smilie="1"data-shortname=":)" />The basic principle I have is that items must make a save when they are threatened by "massive damage", in the same way that creatures are. A subsidiary principle is that different types of material are more or less vulnerable to certain energy forms.How it worksIf someone fails a ST against an energy attack, and the damage taken exceeds the massive damage threshold, then items have to make a Fort ST to survive or be destroyed.The standard threshold is 50. If a material is particularly vulnerable, then the threshold is halved to 25.  Some materials may be invulnerable to certain forms of damage.I'll list the basics which I use by material, and then by elemental attack.Weapons/Armour/Hard MetalVuln: acidNormal: fire, cold, sonicImmune: electricityJewellery/Soft MetalVuln: fire, electricityNormal: acid, cold, sonicImmune: Glass/CrystalVuln: sonicNormal: fire, coldImmune: electricity, acidWoodVuln: electricity, fireNormal: cold, sonic, acidImmune:Cloth/leatherVuln: fire, acidNormal: cold, electricityImmune: sonicFireVuln: soft metal, wood, clothNormal: hard metal, glassImmune: - none - ElectricityVuln: soft metal, woodNormal: clothImmune: glass/crystal, hard metalColdVuln: - none -Normal: everythingImmune: - none -SonicVuln: glass/crystalNormal: hard metal/soft metal/woodImmune: cloth/leatherAcidVuln: hard metalNormal: soft metal/wood/clothImmune: glass/crystal===============It would be easy to use a simplified system where you just look for a massive damage check when 50+ points of damage has been taken, if you think this is too complicated. There is a fairly good case for making all materials immune to cold damage, since it doesn't directly destroy the materials - it is just draining heat from them.For my purposes, the issues of vulnerability and immunity came down to "common sense" decisions alongside the PHB descriptions of l-bolt, f-ball, shatter etc. I'd welcome opinions from others with greater knowledge of materials science !One of the benefits of this system is that it only kicks in when really large amounts of damage are being dealt - so you can roll a 1 on your ST vs a 6 point burning hands and not worry that anything is going to be destroyed. On the other hand, it supports the MM text for the red dragon which says that it prefers not to breath on prey because it doesn't want to destroy the treasure... under the standard rules destroying any treasure is very unlikely indeed. Under these rules catching a big red dragon breath face-on and taking 100+ damage is no laughing matter.- - Dedicated to all DM's who like to (occasionally) see PC's standing in charred rags.p.s. I daresay some people might say that destroying treasure upsets the campaign balance - but that balance is entirely in the DM's hands after all. Maybe that dragon has an appropriate treasure horde to redress the balance <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f609.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=";)" title="Wink    ;)"  data-smilie="2"data-shortname=";)" />Cheers</blockquote>

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