Sending a Fireball through an arrow slit.

[MerakSpielman]

Strange, that it's easier to drop a firball into the hole than it would be to target the far wall behind the arrow slit, since the far wall would get the cover bonus from the wall with the arrow slit in it.

Likewise, if a toad were dangling on a string (helpless) immedietly within the arrow slit, it would get the cover bonus to AC the slit provides and be difficult to hit.

If the toad is too silly, say a guard was standing at the arrow slit so that he completely filled it - no glimpse of the room beyond him. He gets a cover bonus to AC from the arrow slit, but if you just attack the arrow slit, he loses it.

This would seem to be an argument for using the cover modifier when attacking the arrow slit.

Actually, now that I think about it, can you target an opening? there's nothing there - it's empty space. "I attack the darkness." "Roll to hit..."

I'm leaning towards saying that the opening of an arrow slit is too narrow to allow the flames of a fireball to go through - i.e., if a fireball exploded immedietly outside, the archer inside would be unharmed. If you attack a point in space (assuming we allow this, which we probably do) within the arrow slit, I would also say the archer was unharmed. There isn't enough room in that crack to allow the fireball to explode properly - the opening at either end of the slit is too narrow for the explosion to pass through. The slit itself might be seriously damaged, though. If, however, you targeted a point in empty space immedietly inside the arrow slit, the archer would get toasted, but that point in space is in inself recieving a cover bonus from the arrow slit, since it's inside.

 

[Piratecat]

Want to be a rat bastard?

Presumably in a fantasy world, people know about fireball - and a keep designer knows that anyone getting a spell past an arrowslit is bad news. Thus, all the arrowslits are covered with connected shutters. One guard is given the job of watching intruders and readying an action: if anyone casts a spell at the arrow slits, he pulls a lever, instantly slamming shut the counter-weighted shutters.

That would make it quite sad for the fireball-weilding wizard.

Then another guard uses his action to reopen the shutters, and the watchful guard readies another action. Ideally, there are two separate sets of shutters and two watchful guards, one for each end of the corridor. that way some guards can keep firing even when the other side has their arrow slits closed off.

Thoughts?

 

[Dingleberry]

Strange, that it's easier to drop a firball into the hole than it would be to target the far wall behind the arrow slit, since the far wall would get the cover bonus from the wall with the arrow slit in it.

Likewise, if a toad were dangling on a string (helpless) immedietly within the arrow slit, it would get the cover bonus to AC the slit provides and be difficult to hit.

Neither the far wall nor the dangling toad would receive a cover bonus to AC with regards to the fireball, because the caster doesn't make an attack roll for either of those targets. The ranged touch attack is only to get through the arrow slit.

If the ranged touch attack misses, the fireball detonates at the arrow slit, and any targets behind it get a +4 bonus to their Reflex save for having 9/10ths cover (which an arrow slit is, per Table 8-9 in the PHB).

 

[kreynolds]

Thoughts?

Just one...what are those shutters made out of.

 

[MerakSpielman]

Neither the far wall nor the dangling toad would receive a cover bonus to AC with regards to the fireball, because the caster doesn't make an attack roll for either of those targets. The ranged touch attack is only to get through the arrow slit.

If the ranged touch attack misses, the fireball detonates at the arrow slit, and any targets behind it get a +4 bonus to their Reflex save for having 9/10ths cover (which an arrow slit is, per Table 8-9 in the PHB).

Okay, so targets beyond 90% cover aren't immune to area-effect spells like I thought.

I still think, though, that there are no rules for shooting through an opening. The popular interpretation has been to treat the opening as a dimunitive object. I might tend towards having to have you target an object or area of open space beyond the opening, which makes you have to beat a cover bonus.

 

[kreynolds]

I still think, though, that there are no rules for shooting through an opening.

There aren't, except for what is in the Fireball spell description.

 

[MerakSpielman]

There aren't, except for what is in the Fireball spell description.

From the SRD

If the character attempts to send the bead through a narrow passage, such as through an arrow slit, the character must "hit" the opening with a ranged touch attack, or else the bead strikes the barrier and detonates prematurely.

Damn. You seem to be right. Maybe next time I'll read the spell before thinking of an opinion, no?

 

[kreynolds]

Maybe next time I'll read the spell before thinking of an opinion, no?

Nah. You don' have to do that. I can't blame you for something as obscure as this. Just start at the beginning of the thread next time. If you jump into the middle of it, you could miss a lot.

 

[dkilgo]

First, I would make the shudders out of some cheap scrap iron with immpurities. That way they would also deflect arrows. The shuuders don't have to be made of real sturdy stuff since the spell immediately detontates upon impact of ANYTHING. Heck, they could be made of balsa wood for all I care.

Second, Has anybody actually seen an arrow slit within a castle wall? I have! When I was in Ireland a few years back I went to two different castles. I don't recall thier names. The arrow slits in the walls were approximately 2 inches wide, 6 inches tall, and the depth varied due to the type of stone used. They would not be easy targets, but I would still allow a fireball to explode like a cone effect out both sides of the arrow slit. The arrow slit is not as tiny as some would like them to be.

 

[Shin Okada]

2 inches wide, 6 inches tall? Hmm... when comparing it to creature sizes table in MM and MM2, I think that slit is a Fine target (AC +8). If so, AC against tough attack is 13.