My Forge of Fury players-stay out!!

[Asmo]

Next session they will probably fight the Gray Ooze.
I understand that weapons, armors and clothes will be destroyed if the players fail their Ref save. What about if they strike it with magical weapons? Do they also dissolve? Or do they get a saving throw? If, how do you calculate that? And what about magical shields and armors? I did read something about " a magic item´s fort,ref and will save bonuses are equal to 2+ one-half its caster level" Huh? There must be some easier way to calculate this.
How do you handle this?
Glad for any help on this matter!!
Asmo

 

[Magic Slim]

Gray Ooze
Improved Grab (Ex): To use this ability, the gray ooze must hit with its slam attack. If it gets a hold, it can constrict.
Acid (Ex): A gray ooze secretes a digestive acid that quickly dissolves organic material and metal. Any melee hit deals acid damage. The ooze’s acidic touch deals 40 points of damage per round to wood or metal objects. Armor or clothing dissolves and becomes useless immediately unless it succeeds at a Reflex save (DC 19). The acid cannot harm stone. A metal or wooden weapon that strikes a gray ooze also dissolves immediately unless it succeeds at a Reflex save (DC 19).
Constrict (Ex): A gray ooze deals automatic slam and acid damage with a successful grapple check. The opponent’s clothing and armor suffer a -4 penalty to Reflex saves against the acid.
Camouflage (Ex): It takes a successful Spot check (DC 15) to recognize a motionless gray ooze for what it really is.

Gray Ooze
Acid (Ex): A gray ooze secretes a digestive acid that quickly dissolves organic material and metal, but not stone. Any melee hit or constrict attack deals acid damage. Armor or clothing dissolves and becomes useless immediately unless it succeeds on a DC 16 Reflex save. A metal or wooden weapon that strikes a gray ooze also dissolves immediately unless it succeeds on a DC 16 Reflex save. The save DCs are Constitution-based.
The ooze’s acidic touch deals 16 points of damage per round to wooden or metal objects, but the ooze must remain in contact with the object for 1 full round to deal this damage.
Constrict (Ex): A gray ooze deals automatic slam and acid damage with a successful grapple check. The opponent’s clothing and armor take a –4 penalty on Reflex saves against the acid.
Improved Grab (Ex): To use this ability, a gray ooze must hit with its slam attack. It can then attempt to start a grapple as a free action without provoking an attack of opportunity. If it wins the grapple check, it establishes a hold and can constrict.
Transparent (Ex): A gray ooze is hard to identify, even under ideal conditions, and it takes a DC 15 Spot check to notice one. Creatures who fail to notice a gray ooze and walk into it are automatically hit with a melee attack for slam and acid damage.

Which version are you using?

Slim

 

[Asmo]

Sorry about that, I´m using the 3.0 variant.

Asmo

 

[Magic Slim]

Unattended, mundane items get no saving throws.
Attended, mundane items get saving throws as the characters.
Unattended, magical items get saving throws. Their save modifier will be, as you said, 2 + ½caster level.
Attended, magical items get saving throws. Their save modifier will be the best of the player's saves or 2 + ½caster level.

No, there isn't really an easier way than to actually calculate the effective save modifiers depending on the caster level. You could always ask your players for their equipment list. Just say that you want to check the value of everyone's equipment. That way you can calculate the saves of the objects in advance.

If a character gets engulfed by the gray ooze, then its equipment is as good as gone, and the character is as good as dead. 40 points of acid damage per round is harsh. Real harsh.

I don't know in which situation the characters will be facing the gray ooze, but they shouldn't get into melee with it, period. It has a really slow speed (10') so the characters can stay away with a little room.

There is a list of order in which objects are affected (shield then armor then cloak then etc... IIRC). If you want to give the characters a chance, make it so the objects are affected in that order (ie if the ooze grapples a character, his non-magical stuff is gone, but on round one his shield is dissolved (if the save is unsuccessful), round 2 the armor, etc. Of course, by then the character will have sustained 90+ points of damage and will be very likely fubar.

Hope this helps a bit.

Slim

 

[Asmo]

Thanx alot for the reply!
CR 4 for a monster that deals +40 damage per round if it makes an succesful grapple-check?! Something´s wrong here?

Is this correct:
1. Ooze hits with his slam attack and deals 1 d6 slam attack damage AND 1 d6 acid damage AND additional 40 damage to wood, metal and clothes worn by the player?
2. Player is grappled. Next round-if the Ooze wins the grapple check-the Ooze deals 1d6 slam and 1d6 acid + those 40 points of acid damage? Or how does it work with the damage? Is the acid damage only for the materials or does it go straight at the players hitpoints? Or both? Does those 40 points of acid damage first reduce materials - a longsword has 5 hp. 40 - 5 = 35,and if there´s no more materials left to destroy, rest of the damage goes directly at players hp?
I don´t know if I make sense here, but I would be very glad for any help.

Asmo

 

[Magic Slim]

Hold on I missed a part:

The ooze’s acidic touch deals 40 points of damage per round to wood or metal objects

Oof. So the characters can live a little longer.

Also

Any melee hit deals acid damage

So basically, a hit by a Gray Ooze has several effects:
1) 1d6 Slam damage (to character)
2) 1d6 Acid damage (to character)
3) 40 Acid damage (to the character's equipment)
4) Potential Grapple / Constrict.

1 and 2 are pretty straightforward.
3, well, you'll have to determine where the character was hit in order to figure out what is dissolved (acid ignores hardness IIRC). (For example d20 1:head 2-3:left arm 4-5:right arm 6-8:left leg 9-11:right leg 12-20: torso; everything that is in that area must succeed a Reflex Save of be dissolved)
4, I assume that a Gray Ooze can start grappling automatically when a slam attack succeeds, but Grapple damage won't start until the Ooze's next turn. If it isn't so (if the automatic slam and acid damage from Grappling apply as soon as the Ooze gets a hold), then the Ooze would basically deal double damage on every hit.

If a character gets stuck in a gray ooze, you can basically assume that most of his mundane stuff will be dissolved.

Hope this helps.

Slim

 

[Asmo]

Thanx Slim for the reply!

Any other suggestions how to handle this?
If somebody uses Durgeddins weapons against the Ooze, I will give it a pretty high save.
I really hope that they use their brains this time.

Asmo

 

[Magic Slim]

Any other suggestions how to handle this?
If somebody uses Durgeddins weapons against the Ooze, I will give it a pretty high save.
I really hope that they use their brains this time.

Asmo

I have not read that adventure, so I don't know what will be the situation when they will encounter the Ooze... If the players can realize early on that this critter can totally destroy their equipment, they'll respect it and attack it from afar.

I don't want to advocate cheating, but maybe the first hit by the players (if it's done with what I assume to be an important item in the adventure), make it save automatically, but don't spare the details about the hissing sound it makes when it comes into contact

 

[Asmo]

Well, technically speaking, Durgeddin the Blacks weapons are not important for the plot,but they are quite valuable to some people.
Durgeddin is long gone,he and his tribe wiped out by orckind,and legend says that his masterful blades and glittering treasures were never found...
And you know how cranky players get when they loose their magical stuff, specially weapons .
They are going to meet the Gray Ooze in a mostly deserted indoor area, at a door between two rooms. If they fail their spot checks there can be some problems....

Asmo

 

[Gizzard]

Obviously, there are SPOILERS in here....

SPOILERS
SPOILERS
SPOILERS
SPOILERS

If they fail their spot checks there can be some problems....

The encounter is designed generally so you meet the ooze. (Otherwise it's not much of an encounter. ;-) I'd expect to lose one weapon to the ooze at least. Heres the way the encounter played out in our campaign:

Monk investigates strange puddle on floor.
Strange puddle grabs Monk.
Monk hits puddle with MW Nunchaku.
MW Nunchaku disintegrates.
All other fighting characters become fearful of losing their primary weapon and dither.
Sorcerer casts Magic Missiles.
Monk beats puddle with fists while others watch.