the 6th level spell that destroyed our party (Acid Fog)

[billd91]

OK thanks everyone. This is clearly a game-balance issue.

We were trying to use logic -- silly us.

THat's ultimately the problem here. While it would make sense to those of us living in the real world that any area of effect spell that hits us would have a good chance of wrecking our stuff, the PCs live in a physics model that could only be described as cinematically cartoony where realistic arguments may and may not apply, depending on various rules.

This is one area where 3E definitely differs from 1st and 2nd editions. In those editions, you could have your items all destroyed by area effects. They got saving throws and were destroyed or not significantly affected. And magic items got an inherent bonus of something like +3 or so on the roll. Going to everything having hp to damage works for some things like sundering, but in this case would be far harsher with area effect damage if it weren't for the "Dude Factor" protection that being a PC offers.

Edit: Since it doesn't sound like any PCs actually got cacked by the fight, I think the DM should just say that all the items survived and leave it at that. Attribute the actual events of the fight to the confusion and panic caused by the spell and play on from there.

 

[Saeviomagy]

I think the big thing in your favour is that the fireball you tossed does MORE damage than the acid. So your reply to his "yeah, acid strong enough to kill you won't effect that delicate paper hanging off your belt, or your soft cloak." is countered by "but the fireball does MORE damage than that, and specifically says it ignites flammable objects."

In short - the game gets ridiculous if you have gear destroyed so easily.

 

[Ridley's Cohort]

OK thanks everyone. This is clearly a game-balance issue.

We were trying to use logic -- silly us.

...

Sometimes game balance just trumps, utterly, logic.

I'm ok with that.

Exactly.

Just to pick a nit, precisely speaking, it is not a game balance issue. It is a genre issue. Balance can only be judged in the context of an understandable genre.

Once you hit 5th or 6th level, it just becomes too difficult to maintain a fun swashbuckling game if you have a "realistic" rate of item attrition. The game starts resembling Looney Tunes more than Conan. "Ha ha!!! I shot you with a Fireball and now you are all bwack and crispy looking! Take that you wascally Necwomancer!"

 

[Patryn of Elvenshae]

"Ha ha!!! I shot you with a Fireball and now you are all bwack and crispy looking! Take that you wascally Necwomancer!"

Of course, you realize, *this* means war!

 

[Hypersmurf]

Of course, you realize, *this* means war!

You're dethththththth-pica-ble.

-Hyp.

 

[Al'Kelhar]

You're dethththththth-pica-ble.

-Hyp.

Duck season!

 

[Wrathamon]

shoot me now!

 

[reanjr]

Bang!!

 

[Stalker0]

Isn't there also something in the dmg that saves magic items ALWAYS get a save....regardless of whether the spell normally grants one or not?

 

[IceFractal]

I call it the "Superman Factor", based on this logic:
1) Superman is nigh invincible (kryptonite aside).
2) His clothing, though, is just normal clothing.
3) Therefore, any force strong enough to even lightly bruise superman should utterly destroy his clothes. In fact, even moving at the speed he sometimes does should literally set his pants on fire.

However, it doesn't. The same thing happens in DBZ, although to a lesser degree. The character's clothes can get ripped, but never destroyed, not even when hit with something that demolishes mountains.

That's pretty much what happens in D&D. They figured that, frankly, nobody wanted the orc fighter's clothes to get burned off when a fireball hit, so it simply wasn't going to happen. There's a more important reason too, which is that in the RAW a character's effectiveness is highly dependant on items. At high levels, losing your gear is worth than getting killed, and effectively lowers the character's power by several levels (although more-so for some classes than others).