Nebulous
Legend
I agree, but in the abstract AC of D&D, it wouldn't make much difference. Unless, as you said, the DM made a special ruling. Or hell, keep his heart in a phylactery like a lich does!
D&D 5E Stake to the Heart!
- Thread starter castlewise
- Start date
I agree, but in the abstract AC of D&D, it wouldn't make much difference. Unless, as you said, the DM made a special ruling. Or hell, keep his heart in a phylactery like a lich does!
MonsterEnvy
Legend
It should be noted that staking the big bad vampire will not kill it. It only leaves them paralyzed until the stake comes out. But I would say the big bad vamp would have to be in it's coffin to stake it in the first place.
As long as a creature is incapacitated and can't move, I don't mind letting any hit be a hit to whatever organ is targeted. However, if it can move, it's not so easy.
Fortunately, the conditions that incapacitate tend to take away movement as well, so it's only an issue if the sole condition on the vampire is the incapacitated condition itself.
But mainly, I feel like that trait will only be useful for my campaign if they stumble upon (or track down) a vamp who is already resting. My vamps will never willingly participate in combat in the one place in the world where they can meet true death. That's just dumb. It's as dumb as a dragon who willingly fights heroes outside its lair.
Fortunately, the conditions that incapacitate tend to take away movement as well, so it's only an issue if the sole condition on the vampire is the incapacitated condition itself.
But mainly, I feel like that trait will only be useful for my campaign if they stumble upon (or track down) a vamp who is already resting. My vamps will never willingly participate in combat in the one place in the world where they can meet true death. That's just dumb. It's as dumb as a dragon who willingly fights heroes outside its lair.
BigVanVader
First Post
I respect the 'abstract' argument in most other places. But I refuse to let someone stake a breastplate-wearing vampire just because the player can hit the vampire's AC. Unless this is a tree-Ent, putting his entire arm through the vampire's entire chest or something extreme like that.
I think that although your group had a creative way to defeat this encounter, it shouldn't have worked... Driving a stake through the ribcage and into the heart is rather difficult: one important function of your ribcage, after all, is to stop pointy things from going into your heart (and lungs). Unless you had someone (or something like a floor or wall) bracing the vampire to make sure that the stake went in completely, it seems like it would be far more likely to knock the vampire over than to be successful.
I think this was a incorrect call.
A stake to the heart will kill normal humans. Vampires are not "extra-vulnerable" to stakes. Rather, a vampire has the defenses of a normal human, plus the fact that they need to be staked to be killed. If you cannot use this method to kill a human enemy, you cannot use it to kill a vampire.
You are misinterpreting the word "vulnerability" in this case. It does not mean "a method whereby killing vamps is easier than killing humans". It means an exception to the general rule that vampires cannot be permanently slain.
A stake to the heart will kill normal humans. Vampires are not "extra-vulnerable" to stakes. Rather, a vampire has the defenses of a normal human, plus the fact that they need to be staked to be killed. If you cannot use this method to kill a human enemy, you cannot use it to kill a vampire.
You are misinterpreting the word "vulnerability" in this case. It does not mean "a method whereby killing vamps is easier than killing humans". It means an exception to the general rule that vampires cannot be permanently slain.
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