Dark Tentacle, Weapons?

[Hanuman]

So, Dark Tentacles, the monster, can hold and attack with up to 12 light weapons.

1) Is this viable as a replacement to it's slam attacks?
2) What's the best way to optimize being able to hit with 12 weapons a round, including weapon mods, ect?

-To be used as a polymorph form.

[panaikhan]

Most light weapons are going to struggle to stand up to Slam damage, so high criticals and/or multipliers are the way to go. Other effects like poisons too (having 12 magical light weapons is a bit much).

Can the Dark Tentacles creature throw the weapons, or just wield them? Having bandoleers of daggers or knives sounds a very interesting idea.

Is a whip dagger a light weapon? A dagger-on-a-string, for round after round of ranged fun.

[Hanuman]

Slams are 1d4 base damage, and the Dark Tentacles are large, so that's:
Slam 1d4+4 x 12 at +9
Compared to
Large Light Weapon Dmg +4 x 12 at +9



Not only do standard whip daggers work, but they would also need a damage dice boost just to use them.

It counts as a ranged weapon.

Though, using Steel Flutes from secrets of sarlona you'd be doing 1D6/hit crit 20 which is pretty terrible, but you'd be smacking them with a dozen FLUTES.


-


Further study indicates you can only use 3 tentacles against any one 5' square.

Major hiccup with dagger whips are that they are exotic, so that's a -4

Also, instead of medium dagger whips it can actually hold large dagger whips, which is a 2 stage advancement, so now we are talking:

Level 9 wizard, 1 spell left: POLYMORPH

Enter the Large Abberation: Dark Tentacles

Making up to 12 attacks at +5 per round at a range of 30' (that's a threatened diameter of.... wow..... 70 freaking feet!

That's absurd!

Major downsides: 3 attacks per 5' square, so you can only attack a med creature 3/round tops. On the upside a large creature usually occupies 4 squares allowing the full 12 attacks.
Only a +5 to each roll, which is pretty sad.
But just add combat expertise and some dex buffs and this thing would be a total nightmare.

Also, all the weapons are light... and light weapons can be used in a grapple, yes? Also, any tentacles damaged while it grapples someone instantly regrow.

[Escheton]

So...dip swordsage for blood in the water and other critbased goodness and arm kukri's on that badboy.

[Hanuman]

So...dip swordsage for blood in the water and other critbased goodness and arm kukri's on that badboy.
That sounds pretty awesome actually, and a level 1 dip would work with something like troll or giant forms.

[Darrin]

1) Is this viable as a replacement to it's slam attacks?


Unless your a Totemist, sure.



2) What's the best way to optimize being able to hit with 12 weapons a round, including weapon mods, ect?


Gnome Quickrazor + Quickdraw with a Save-or-Die/Suck effect or a Keen + Crit-Burst effect. Tentacle #1 draws quickrazor, attacks, sheaths quickrazor. Tentacle #2 draws quickrazor... rinse/repeat. Wounding (+2 enhancement) would be despicably evil.

Some save effects to consider:

Ring of the Viper (5000 GP, Serpent Kingdoms p. 153). Poison DC 11.
Gehennan Morghuth-Iron (+4000 GP, A&E p. 14). Poison DC 12.
Touch of Golden Ice (BoED). Poi-- *ahem*, Ravage DC 14.
Torturous (+1/+2 enhancement, Ghostwalk p. 64). Stun DC 12/17

For a crit effect:

Enfeebling (+1 enhancement, BoED p. 113). 1d6+2 Strength damage, no save.
Stalactite (+3 enhancement, FR Underdark p. 69). Fort save DC 19 vs. petrify.
Prismatic Burst (+30000 GP, MIC p. 40). Target gets hit with prismatic spray.

If you go the Totemist route:

Heart of Fire, Totem bind. +1d4/essentia fire damage on all natural attacks.
Sphynx Claws, Hand bind. Pounce with natural attacks.
Thunderstep Boots, Shape Soulmeld + Feet bind. When charging, +1d4/essentia sonic damage and Fort save vs. stun on all attacks.
Totem Avatar, Shoulder bind. Increase size category of natural weapons.


Getting around the 3 tentacles per 5' square:

Hmm... Warmind 5 + Sweeping Strike?

[Keld Denar]

Slam damage also increases with size mods. So if medium slam damage is 1d4, large slam damage would be 1d6. INA here wouldn't really be worth it, because that would only increase to 1d8, but if you could stack another size boost on top of that (expansion?), you'd have 2d6 base. Thats not bad, IMO.

[Hanuman]

Slam damage also increases with size mods. So if medium slam damage is 1d4, large slam damage would be 1d6. INA here wouldn't really be worth it, because that would only increase to 1d8, but if you could stack another size boost on top of that (expansion?), you'd have 2d6 base. Thats not bad, IMO.
The 1d4 are included in the size mods :smallmad:

As for the tentacle square limit, wouldn't the reach weapons already fix that?