Wild Ideas in general

[Greenfield]

As I mentioned in the Campaign Boss thread, I think we've all come up with wild ideas on how to kill things that we shouldn't be able to.

Let's talk about them.

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This one depends on the idea that you can put a Portable Hole on a surface that's not fixed in place.

Start with a Portable Hole. Cast Wall of Stone (which is roughly shapable) to fill the Hole with a solid plug of rock. (Yeah, I know the spell requires a bed of stone to fuse to. A handful of gravel in the bottom of your Hole solves that problem.)

Close the Hole and pick it up. Apply it to a sheet of wood, equipped with two handles. At six feet across it isn't exactly unmanagable. Now fly over your chosen target. Higher is better, to a certain degree. Cast True Strike and dump your stone plug.

The plug is 90 x pi cubic feet, or about 270 give or take a bit, x 168 pounds per cubic foot of granite, or a shade over 4,120 pounds.

Q: Are there any rules to determine the damage done by a falling object?

 

[Arrowhawk]

Ignoring whether said spells would actually result in what you've described--a stone plug that was affected by gravity commensurate with its mass (because that isn't the real issue)--I think the real question is whether that would be considered an attack. I most likely would allow the creatures a reflex save to avoid it, with some modifier based on how accurately someone could time the drop of the object. But I don't know that I would allow True Strike to apply to dropping an object on someone. Hurling an object, yes, dropping...not so much.

So to answer your question, I would treat it as a reflex save to avoid damage. I'm sure others will disagree.

 

[anest1s]

I am not sure why someone would do all that - there are many 5th level spells that are more effective.

But transmute rock to mud and then sudden quicken mud to rock looks good

 

[Arrowhawk]

So yes, the True Strike would apply to targeting the right square.

 

[Greenfield]

Oh, there are a lot of ways to cast Dispel BS on this plan, just as there are for most such schemes.

You could also assign falling damage straight out of the book, as if it were a falling creature, and cap it at 10 D6 as many do for falling damage.

You could also categorize it as a "Siege weapon", and assign damage on that basis. Ever seen the damage for siege weapons? Less than impressive.

Casting Shrink Item on a few dozen boulders and then dumping them through a Dispelling Screen spell works wonders, and is much simpler. Individual stone size is smaller, but you can drop so many more!

The essence of this sort of plan is that it has to be overly elaborate, use questionable rules interpretations and/or wander into areas that aren't really defined (such as damage done by falling objects).

So, what's your hair-brained scheme?

 

[Arrowhawk]

Wait, I didn't answer your question did I? Damage? I have no idea off the top of my head. I would probably use the damage from rocks thrown by a giant...less the strength modifier.

 

[anest1s]

The most weird idea I ever had was as a DM.

In a cave full of spiders (the big ones) there was that huge rift. Not huge enough to be a real challenge, but huge enough so that you had to jump over it. When you jumped you landed on a monstrous spider's web, if you had failed your spot check.

Attempts to escape or burst the webbing gain a +5 bonus if the trapped creature has something to walk on or grab while pulling free.

So no +5

The rift was just a silent image the Aranea (waiting some feet ahead) had just cast.

(An argument about illusions AND webs followed. )

EDIT: No one died :/

 

[kitcik]

In 1E, we played throughout junior high and high school. Our oldest characters got to very high levels, so we kep creating new "generations" of characters.

Anyway, one of my friends got tired of his super-high-level wizard (maybe like 25th). He decided to do something akin to "suicide by cop" - instead trying "suicide by demon prince."

Now, I know some people say demon princes in 1E were weak due to their low hitpoints, but we played core only (no Arcana) and had a bunch of homebrew for deity level beings.

So, he decides to kill Yeenoghu by figuring out where he is on his plane, plane-shifting in, and casting Time Stop, knowing full well that Yeenoghu has 95% magic resistance and would not likely be effected and the move would result in a spectacular epic battle in Hades which my friend was sure to lose.

So his plan unfolds perfectly, until Yeenoghu rolls 00 on his magic resistance. Having not planned for this, he kills Yeenoghu (permanently, since it occurred on his home plane) and plane shifts back out.

...

He forget to loot the body!

So, despite the fact that his suicide attempt did not work out, he still succeeded in his epic fail.

 

[xigbar]

Related question; If Time Stop is in effect, and I drop the said rock, putting aside whether or not it works, does it count as a threatening action against my enemy, otherwise prohibited by the spell, if I'm targetting the square, and not the person?

 

[anest1s]

If you consider it an area attack no, but its duration wouldn't be longer than the time stop anyway.

I think