Ranged attacks on objects

[two]

Can ranged weapons, for example a bow, "attack an object?"

It seems they can...? But they won't do damage because an arrow is not a slashing or blunt weapon...? Or is this just for sundering stuff with a melee weapon?

I'm hella confused. What if you shoot a +1 arrow that does +1d6 acid damage against something. Would only the acid count (ignoring hardness because it's acid)?

Could a +1 acid arrow target a cleric's holy symbol, for example, from afar?

Clearly, my brain is a whirl of contradictory impulses.

 

[jerichothebard]

Can ranged weapons, for example a bow, "attack an object?"

It seems they can...? But they won't do damage because an arrow is not a slashing or blunt weapon...? Or is this just for sundering stuff with a melee weapon?

I'm hella confused. What if you shoot a +1 arrow that does +1d6 acid damage against something. Would only the acid count (ignoring hardness because it's acid)?

Could a +1 acid arrow target a cleric's holy symbol, for example, from afar?

Clearly, my brain is a whirl of contradictory impulses.

Check out
http://www.geocities.com/sovelior/srd/carryingAndExploration.html

And look under "Breaking and Entering".

hope that helps.

 

[Pyrex]

Ranged attacks (except siege weapons and the like) do half damage against objects before hardness.

Fire & Electricty deal half damage before hardness

Cold does 1/4 damage before hardness

Acid & Sonic ignore hardness.

So, for example, let's say you're shooting a Shocking, Freezing, Corrosive arrow at a stone wall.

You've got d8(pierce) + d6(Elec) + d6(Cold) + d6(Acid). If you assume all dice roll max,

->4(Pierce, halved because it's a ranged attack) + 3(Elec does half against objects) + 1(Cold does 1/4, 6/4 round down = 1) + 6(Acid does full damage) = 14 total damage.

Now subtract the hardness of the stone wall 14 - 8 (stone is hardness 8) = 6 damage to the wall.

Now let's assume that instead of a stone wall you want to hit the cleric's holy symbol:

Sundering a Carried or Worn Object: You don’t use an opposed attack roll to damage a carried or worn object. Instead, just make an attack roll against the object’s AC. A carried or worn object’s AC is equal to 10 + its size modifier + the Dexterity modifier of the carrying or wearing character. Attacking a carried or worn object provokes an attack of opportunity just as attacking a held object does. To attempt to snatch away an item worn by a defender rather than damage it, see Disarm. You can’t sunder armor worn by another character.

The cleric's Dex modifier is probably +0, and I think we can assume that the holy symbol is probably size Diminutive so the AC of the Holy Symbol is 14.

A one-inch-thick wooden holy symbol is Hardness 5 and has 10hp.

So 14 damage (the max possible from above) -5 (the hardness of the symbol) leave 9 damage to the symbol. The hs has 1hp left and will most likely be destroyed on the second attack.

 

[argo]

The relevant section is on p 165 of the 3.5 PHB. Note that the rules for smashing objects are indeed different than the rules for Sundering (which is used to destroy a weapon/shield/carried object like a wand). The short answer is that generally an object can only be damaged by slashing or bludgeoning damage, not piercing damage. However The important thing to remember is that the DM is expected to rule what types of weapons can and cannot dammage a given object on a case by case basis (see the sections Ineffective Weapons and Vulnerability to Certain Attacks) One of the classic examples of an ineffective wepon is trying to chop down a door by shooting arrows at it, just aint gonna happen, but I imagine that you would have no problem shattering a mirror with an arrow.

It is clear though that, if the DM rules piercing damage to be effective, that you can attack with ranged weapons.

Ranged Weapon Damage: Objects take half damage from ranged weapons (unless the weapon is a siege engine or something similar). Divide the damage dealt by 2 before applying the objects hardness.

Fruthermore, if you take a full round to line up a shot you get a +5 bonus on your attack roll with a ranged weapon.

Hope that helps.

 

[argo]

So, for example, let's say you're shooting a Shocking, Freezing, Corrosive arrow at a stone wall.

You've got d8(pierce) + d6(Elec) + d6(Cold) + d6(Acid). If you assume all dice roll max,

->4(Pierce, halved because it's a ranged attack) + 3(Elec does half against objects) + 1(Cold does 1/4, 6/4 round down = 1) + 6(Acid does full damage) = 14 total damage.

Now subtract the hardness of the stone wall 14 - 8 (stone is hardness 8) = 6 damage to the wall.

I would say that piercing damage (at least piercing damage form something like an arrow) is ineffictive against stone. So make the damage -> 0(piercing ineffictive) + 3(Elec) + 1(Cold) + 6 (Acid) = 10 For a total of 10 - 8 = 2 damage.

I agree with your example about the Holy Symbol though, It requires the DM to OK the piercing damage but I think for an item the size of a holy symbol that it should work.