Sending a Fireball through an arrow slit.

[kreynolds]

Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Sending a Fireball through an arrow slit.

I'm not trying to hit the arrow slit.

Right. You're trying to get it through the arrow slit. I'm following you so far.

However, if he wants the bead to get THROUGH the hole, then he's got to get past the wall, and that to me strikes as cover bonus.

The hole would only have a cover bonus if something was in the way. If you want to look at the wall around the hole as being cover, that's fine, but don't give the whole a size modifier then. The hole is not being covered by anything in any way, shape, or form. It's simply small, but that's already been accounted for.

For the arrow slit, I want my bead to go through the arrow slit, I want to hit a point on the other side. So that would include the cover bonus from the wall.

Like I said, this would be fine, but you shouldn't include the size modifier of the arrow slit as well. One or the other should suffice. Using both size and cover is overkill, and illogical IMO.

 

[coyote6]

Just using cover, the AC would be (IIRC) 10-5+10 = 15. That seems like a decent number.

Now, how would you defend against the tactic? Strings of beads? The archer inside can push them out of the way to shoot, but they'll (usually) block the fireball (which probably won't do the archer using that arrow slit any good, but it'll keep his buddies from all getting barbecued, too).

 

[MeepoTheMighty]

What about a melee fighter next to the spellcaster who threatens him? How much for his readied action to hit the bead (if he wants to do this)?

Mmm...you really made my munchkin bone tingle there. Could a rogue with combat reflexes use one AoO on the spellcaster and then, if the spell is still successful, another on the bead? Nothing like stabbing a wizard with one hand, smacking his fireball with the other, and (due to improved evasion) escaping completely unscathed when the damn thing blows up in your face

 

[Nail]

There really isn't a great counter to the aimed fireball, on th' archer's part. The beads might give a concealment modifier...or perhaps increase the AC of the openning..... but it would still be something a talented mage could hit.

I've heard about plants, like climbing ivy, being used in this way. Great for surprise attacks too...but lousy for providing hand-holds for th' enemy to climb the wall.

Esentially, if the archer can fire through the hole, so can his opponents from th' other side. Them's the breaks.

 

[kreynolds]

Now, how would you defend against the tactic? Strings of beads? The archer inside can push them out of the way to shoot

What's holding them out of the way when he releases them to shoot (such as a bow, which must be used with both hands)? How long it takes to secure the beads out of his way is very important, for if it takes a move-equivalent action, then he could move them out of the way (move-equivalent to move them and secure them), return both hands to his bow (free action, of course), shoot (standard). His round is over. He can't get the beads in front of the arrow slit again. Now, if someone were helping him, that would be different. Shooting a crossbow one handed might allow him to hold them out of the way, shoot, then release them as a free action.

Even still, the beads idea is pretty silly if it were commonplace, but pretty cool if used very very sparingly.

 

[coyote6]

What's holding them out of the way when he releases them to shoot (such as a bow, which must be used with both hands)?

Ideally, I imagine you'd want something that could simply be brushed aside, or even fired through -- very thin silk strands, perhaps. The arrows would go through 'em without a problem, but since a fireball pellet goes off the moment it strikes anything, they'd explode on contact.

Even still, the beads idea is pretty silly if it were commonplace, but pretty cool if used very very sparingly.

True. OTOH, there have to be ways to protect castles from fireball-loving wizards . . . Otherwise, castles seem rather silly themselves.

 

[kreynolds]

Ideally, I imagine you'd want something that could simply be brushed aside, or even fired through -- very thin silk strands, perhaps. The arrows would go through 'em without a problem, but since a fireball pellet goes off the moment it strikes anything, they'd explode on contact.

Anything that makes the shot difficult for the wizard will do the same for the archer though, so it isn't a very good solution if the archer has to fire through the obstruction.

True. OTOH, there have to be ways to protect castles from fireball-loving wizards

There are other ways...other wizards.

Otherwise, castles seem rather silly themselves.

Nah. There are plenty of ways to defend a castle from a wizard, though I will admit that it is very difficult and extremely costly to completely keep a wizard out of your stronghold. However, I can tell you from experience that a ballista shot into the face of a spellcaster will shut him up pretty quickly, and in that kind of situation, there's just no better defense.

 

[Shard O'Glase]

I'm not doubting the rules here.

But something seems very wrong with this. AC7 to shoot through an arrow slit at possibly 100's of feet(heck 1000+ feet) away.

 

[kreynolds]

I'm not doubting the rules here.

But something seems very wrong with this. AC7 to shoot through an arrow slit at possibly 100's of feet(heck 1000+ feet) away.

It's no worse than hitting a helpless toad (AC 8) with Melf's Acid Arrow from 1,200 feet away.

 

[Stalker0]

Kreynolds, I also thought about taking out the size mod as I was writing my post and I agree that makes sense. It gives a better AC (15), and is logical.