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

[KarinsDad]

My person opinion is failing a saving throw is its own reward. Blowing up an occasional item makes sense, but wholesale magic item slaughter does not sound like fun to me.

YMMV.

I agree.

I once destroyed as DM most of the items that that the party Monk owned, but the player was mature enough to not get upset about it. I also made sure that some Monk-specific items showed up sometime after that.

But, this happened due to me using a module that I did not properly adjust. I won't ever do it again. There are a lot of ways to screw over a party (if the adventure calls for it) without doing it on such a semi-permanent basis.


As for the people who think that this DM is a rat bastard, think again. DMs are human and make mistakes as well. He is only a rat bastard if he keeps doing it. IMO.

 

[Hypersmurf]

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?

No. Magic items always get a save, even when a non-magical object would not.

For example, if you cast Shatter on the sword in someone's hand, they get a Will save to negate the effect.

If you cast Shatter on the sword lying on the floor, it shatters automatically... unless it's magical, in which case it gets a Will save.

But if you cast a spell that doesn't allow a saving throw, it doesn't matter if the sword is magical or non-magical. There's no saving throw for the magic item to get.

-Hyp.

 

[Tzarevitch]

No. Magic items always get a save, even when a non-magical object would not.

For example, if you cast Shatter on the sword in someone's hand, they get a Will save to negate the effect.

If you cast Shatter on the sword lying on the floor, it shatters automatically... unless it's magical, in which case it gets a Will save.

But if you cast a spell that doesn't allow a saving throw, it doesn't matter if the sword is magical or non-magical. There's no saving throw for the magic item to get.

-Hyp.

I agree with Hypersmurf. There is no saving throw to give. The text states that magic items should receive a save "even against attacks from which a nonmagical item would normally get no chance to save". That does not mean that magic items get a save even when the spell expressly does not give one. The authors would have stated that if that was what they meant. Hypersmurf correctly gave an example of what the reference to magic items getting a save even when a non-magic item would not receive one was referring to.

I think the mistake the DM made was to apply damage even to things that were in containers or otherwise tucked away. I also think the bit about acid ignoring hardness is silly. Acid DOES observe hardness of some materials otherwise there would be no way to store it. Assuming the potions were stored in ceramic or glass containers, the acid should not have been able to affect them.

Tzarevitch

 

[KarinsDad]

I also think the bit about acid ignoring hardness is silly. Acid DOES observe hardness of some materials otherwise there would be no way to store it. Assuming the potions were stored in ceramic or glass containers, the acid should not have been able to affect them.

Although this sounds like a good house rule on the surface, I think it will have little bearing in the game.

For example, your unattended potion bottles would still be destroyed from most acid attacks since glass has a hardness of 1.

Instead, giving some materials an immunity to acid would make more sense.

 

[Plane Sailing]

My person opinion is failing a saving throw is its own reward. Blowing up an occasional item makes sense, but wholesale magic item slaughter does not sound like fun to me.

YMMV.

Oh, it used to be glorious! I still remember the time when someone wearing a helm of brilliance failed a fireball saving throw and so did the helm, and as a result every remaining power of the helm went off at once.

Glorious I tell you!

 

[Shadowdweller]

If you cast Shatter on the sword lying on the floor, it shatters automatically... unless it's magical, in which case it gets a Will save.

Oooh ooh! Did I just catch the infuriatingly perfect Hypersmurf on an off day? Not that this otherwise affects your main point in any way, shape, or form.

 

[Hypersmurf]

Oooh ooh! Did I just catch the infuriatingly perfect Hypersmurf on an off day? Not that this otherwise affects your main point in any way, shape, or form.

Uh... I don't know. What are you addressing?

-Hyp.

 

[Sithobi1]

Shatter only works on nonmagical items.

sunders a single solid, nonmagical object

 

[Shadowdweller]

Sorry. This:

Shatter creates a loud, ringing noise that breaks brittle, nonmagical objects; sunders a single solid, nonmagical object; or damages a crystalline creature.

(Emphasis added) Or in other words...it should flat out fizzle on that magic sword. But exchange Shatter for Disintegrate, and your point still stands.

 

[Hypersmurf]

Oh, gotcha. Yup, my mistake.

-Hyp.