Remorhaz

[Elder-Basilisk]

That's an interesting contention considering that you can actually hit a dire bear more than once with the same weapon without losing it. If the Remorhaz didn't have such ridiculously high heat damage for hitting it with a weapon or fist, I might agree with that contention. However, given the heat damage, it seems dubious at best.

It should be obvious that any encounter where the bad guys get to ambush the PCs is more dangerous than would be indicated by the CRs.

In a straight stand up fight I would say the Remorhaz is quite comparable to a Dire Bear (CR 7) in its vanilla combat ability. I would not give a perfect ambush as a "freebie" to the Remorhaz any more than I would do the same for a Dire Bear.

 

[Chronosome]

Just to pipe in on the piping-hotness versus a magic weapon--weapon immunity (that "+X can only be harmed by +X" stuff) wouldn't apply to the rhem's heat damage.

The heat damage isn't a weapon. The hurt on the weapon is more like when a swordsman has had a fireball cast on him, he's rolled a 1 for his saving throw, and his sword is his random item sharing in the pain. It's just direct damage.

Hope that helps (even though it hurts).

 

[Otterscrubber]

I'd go by the SRD untill it gets erratted. Lesser magic weapons cannot damage more powerful ones, and more powerful ones need to chop through all the increased HP and hardness of the lesser ones to damage them.

As for whether or not a magic weapon is affected by a rhemorraz heat, does it state anywhere that magic items are immunce to energy effects? This would seem to be a heat effect that is attempting to hurt the weapon and would damage it normally. Why it is a fort save and not just (8d6/2) applied against hardness and HP of the weapon is anyone's guess. Since it is a save I beleive magic weapons get their enhancement bonus applied, right? I think I remember reading that but can't remember where.

 

[Ridley's Cohort]

That's an interesting contention considering that you can actually hit a dire bear more than once with the same weapon without losing it. If the Remorhaz didn't have such ridiculously high heat damage for hitting it with a weapon or fist, I might agree with that contention. However, given the heat damage, it seems dubious at best.

I do not disagree.

The point I am trying to get at is that the Remorhaz is a solid CR 7 critter with no burrowing or stealth abilities, at least as dangerous as a Dire Bear in close quarters if not more so. Heat ability, size, reach, swallowing whole, and higher AC more than make up for fewer HPs and a bit less straight damage. Therefore a Remorhaz from ambush must make for a higher encounter level than 7.

IMHO, a Remorhaz should be CR 8 and the party should get Survival checks to notice signs of a big burrowing critter in the vicinity. Unfortunately, as the Remorhaz is written up in the MM, I would expect naive DMs to give it a perfect undetectable ambush set up and end up killing a PC or two when used against a 7th level party.

 

[Hypersmurf]

I'd go by the SRD untill it gets erratted. Lesser magic weapons cannot damage more powerful ones, and more powerful ones need to chop through all the increased HP and hardness of the lesser ones to damage them.

So which figure are you going to use for the increased hardness and hit points?

As for why it doesn't deal damage but requires a save instead - it's acting similarly to a Black Ooze or a Disintegrate spell attacking an object - save or be destroyed.

-Hyp.

 

[Otterscrubber]

So which figure are you going to use for the increased hardness and hit points?

-Hyp.

I would go with what the SRD says, however the SRD seems to determine hardness and HP differently depending on if it is a weapon or shield and still contradicts itself.

Shield Hardness and Hit Points: Each +1 of enhancement bonus adds 2 to a shield’s hardness and +10 to its hit points.

and then goes on to say the following under magic weapons:

Hardness and Hit Points: An attacker cannot damage a magic weapon that has an enhancement bonus unless his own weapon has at least as high an enhancement bonus as the weapon or shield struck. Each +1 of enhancement bonus also adds 1 to the weapon’s or shield’s hardness and hit points.

So I dont know I guess is my answer, I was hoping at least the SRD would not talk back to itself. Actually I do know; I would house rule +1 hardness and +1 HP for each plus of the weapon and leave the shield description as is, so +2 Hardness/+10 HP for shields.

 

[Hypersmurf]

So I dont know I guess is my answer, I was hoping at least the SRD would not talk back to itself. Actually I do know; I would house rule +1 hardness and +1 HP for each plus of the weapon and leave the shield description as is, so +2 Hardness/+10 HP for shields.

You missed this one from the SRD:

Magic Armor, Shields, and Weapons: Each +1 of enhancement bonus adds 2 to the hardness of armor, a weapon, or a shield and +10 to the item’s hit points.

-Hyp.

 

[Gizzard]

Did I mention that I wanted to know how Trellian's Rehmoraz encounter came out? (I'm even more curious about the boss monster!) I wonder if he played over the weekend, since he asked the question on Friday. Hmmm. ;-)