Kobold Slinger's Special Shot

[Shin Okada]

Kobold Slinger (monster) has special shots, which can be launched from sling. They are written in Equipment line of the stats block and thus, lootable.

They are quite nice, indeed. As they can inflict additional effects in addition to the normal damage.

Do you DMs allow PCs to use those special shots? If so, how?

Do you simply allow PCs to use them with any attack with slings and add those special effects in addition to normal damage and effect of the power?

Or do you treat those special shots like, say, alchemical items used as ammunition (thus, having fixed attack bonus)?

Also, if your players ask you if they can sell or create those special shots, how do you handle them?

 

[enigma5915]

I do let my players loot whatever they can from enemies. In this case I count it as special ammunition and just add the special effects to an attack made by a character (no fxed attack bonus). I would let them attempt to sell them if they can find a buyer. I'm not sure about the crafting of them though. My number two rule as a DM is to never say no, just determin difficulty.

 

[Jhaelen]

Or do you treat those special shots like, say, alchemical items used as ammunition (thus, having fixed attack bonus)?

This.

Also, if your players ask you if they can sell or create those special shots, how do you handle them?

Only if their pcs are kobolds, i.e. no.

 

[Camelot]

I have my kobold slingers use up their 3 shots before they get killed. I wouldn't let them be looted, since there's no PC equipment equivalent. It's a monster power made to make the monster more interesting, not give the PCs a single-use power.

Kobolds rock. =D

 

[Kingreaper]

I'd allow them to be looted, but when used by anyone who isn't a kobold it'd take a theivery check to use them right. Otherwise, they hit you.

Oh, and they'd work like any magical ammo: they over-ride the enhancement bonus of the weapon. With +0.


EDIT: @camelot's xp comment: I like to be consistent. If something exists, you can try and use it. Doesn't mean it's going to be easy, or useful, but you can at least try.

 

[AbdulAlhazred]

I would just treat them like Alchemical Items. They are actually pretty close to identical to various ones anyway. The players can get some use out of them but they won't be all that useful once they get up a level or two.

 

[Smoke Jaguar]

I guess I would let PC's loot them. The Kobolds only get three shots with it. I use them the first three rounds, so they are usually long gone before the Kobolds are dead.

The Kobolds fire them out of a sling, so I would imagine that the PC's would have to use a sling as well. I highly doubt that any PC has or wants a magical sling that provides a +1 to attack.

I wouldn't let a PC manufacture them without a fairly big skill challenge. They would have to roll checks to make sure that they understand the construction of the item (how it is put together), checks for knowing how to find each component, if the components are readily available, the price to pay or time it takes to find items, PC's would have to find time to sitdown and construct them, they would weigh a certain amount so they would have to carry all the items/tools/finished product, and finally they would have to find a buyer and see how much they are willing to buy it for. (All this off the top of my head, I would think more in depth about it)

I would think that there would be better way of getting money. I don't see them being that valuable in the first place.

 

[eamon]

Sure, it's a neat idea: let em be used! Just make sure it's not a particularly attractive idea in the long run.

For instance, if you let em be used as normal ammunition but in an unusual fashion, you've an argument that doing so means the user loses his proficiency bonus. That's just a -2 penalty, so that's OK.

Further, I'd model it as a secondary attack with something along the lines of alchemists fire (though weaker). As a secondary attack, you don't run into the risk of making the items completely pointless, and it also better matches how the kobold's used them. E.g., a level 1 version could cost 20gp, and on a hit, have a secondary attack: +3 vs. Reflex, -2 to attack rolls (save ends).

That's a fairly neat effect but the attack bonus is low and the strategy won't work without significant investment from the PC. If the PC really wants that, that gives you (the DM) the opportunity to let him use it at the cost of a feat, and perhaps several feats to be able to craft these things and load them as free actions, etc - enough levers for a DM to ensure that a cool idea is powerful and useful but costs enough so that it doesn't overshadow the rest of the party. Such feats may be story related, which is more fun in general and ensures that the next PC along the line can't just claim the same deal - the old kobold alchemist the first PC made a deal with to learn from is gone.