D&D 5E RE: Tarasque vs. 5th lv. Wizard scenario - how does Wizard know to use Acid Splash?!?

[Eric V]

Striking out common sense just to try and poke holes in the rulebooks isn't fair to their design or a good conversational tactic either.

That's not what is happening here.

Again, can a Tarrasque even lift a building?

 

[Sacrosanct]

That's not what is happening here.

Again, can a Tarrasque even lift a building?

As mentioned earlier, replace the building with a tree, boulder, wagon, whatever. That's not the point. The point is a tarrasque using a big heavy object to throw at the pesky wizard, rending the entire scenario moot. Getting caught up on the building part is....odd.

 

[Mirtek]

I am absolutely flabbergasted that there is an actual discussion where people are having a hard time figuring out what appropriate damage would be if you got hit by a building.
What the hell happened to common sense?

So we should use common sense and declare being killed or at least incapacitated as the appropriate damage of being hit by a greataxe?

 

[Sacrosanct]

So we should use common sense and declare being killed or at least incapacitated as the appropriate damage of being hit by a greataxe?

Not following what you are trying to say. Are you saying that getting hit by something like a giant boulder thrown by a gargantuan creature is the same damage (relatively) as a greatsword, and thus greatswords should be instant kills?

 

[Acr0ssTh3P0nd]

Mirtek, if you get hit with the greataxe, you die. I've never ran it any other way. HP are what you lose to *avoid* being hit. A "hit" in D&D doesn't represent an actual physical connection of the weapon, it's more of a "holy this axe-wielding monster isn't letting up and is tiring me down with his attacks".

HP are an abstraction representing luck, stamina, skill in combat, etc. A skilled fighter or very experienced wizard would be able to dodge the blows even though they have to exert themselves to do it. That's losing HP.

So if you get a building chucked at you, it's harrowing and might shake you, even if you successfully dodge it. That's what the damage represents.

 

[Mirtek]

Not following what you are trying to say. Are you saying that getting hit by something like a giant boulder thrown by a gargantuan creature is the same damage (relatively) as a greatsword, and thus greatswords should be instant kills?

Given that both is lethal damage and you can't get any more dead than dead, both should be instant kills. Thus using common sense to D&D damage is not really applicable

 

[Sacrosanct]

Given that both is lethal damage and you can't get any more dead than dead, both should be instant kills. Thus using common sense to D&D damage is not really applicable

So are you saying that all weapons are lethal, and we should just get rid of different damage dice all together?

Just trying to follow your logic. A knife can be just as lethal as a sword.

*Edit* And I don't think it's any special D&D common sense to say that getting hit by a flying boulder is going to do more damage on average than getting hit by a hand held weapon.

As far as "improvised weapons" rule goes, I highly suggest anyone who is trying to use that as a way to determine damage for a flying tree/wagon/etc reread that paragraph in the PHB. It explicitly calls out characters who are using weapons like a table leg, broken glass, or goblin. NOT a flying boulder or wagon from a monster. We have monsters who do that already. Why you would fall back on a rule in the PHB that clearly doesn't apply and ignore the monsters who already do a similar ability strikes me as very odd.

 

[sidonunspa]

If we are talking common sense...can the Tarrasque even pick up a building?

(30 strength means 900 pounds of lift for a Medium creature, then doubled per each size increase, so 1800, then 3600, then 7200)

So a Tarrasque can lift 7,200 pounds, or 3.6 tons. Do buildings weigh less than 4 tons?

I don't think it's officially capable of doing some of the things people here are saying it can. I am sure it's much more powerful in your imagination, but not in the Monster Manual and understood by the rules set out in the game.

Believe it or not an average log cabin would be about 3 tons in weight (without furniture) ...yes I looked it up

Average log is surprisingly only 50 to 60 or so lbs... (Talking American Pine)

With a normal 1 room cabin taking up 40 to 50 logs

Now use wood frame and planks with wood planks and you can get a lot more building done

Heck look at the size of a 4 ton bolder and split that up into bricks.....
4 tons of red brick can build one heck of a house

 

[sidonunspa]

Just looked it up.... A 500 sq foot 1 story house.... all brick (red clay) would weight 12,000 lbs in brick alone (not including foundation)

To give you some scale

 

[Fanaelialae]

That's not what is happening here.

Again, can a Tarrasque even lift a building?

I think this is more an indication of an imperfection in the encumbrance rules than anything else.

Personally, if I ever need to know what the Tarrasque can move I'll just ask myself "Could Godzilla Do It?"