Getting the most out of Shrink Object

[Popertop]

Ever since I read the spell description, I have fallen in love with this spell.
The next wizard I roll is going to use it as his signature spell. He'll toss a bunch of tetris style blocks to box in encounters, as well as use the pillbox trick and other things I haven't thought of yet (maybe interesting ways to get falling object damage).

The only problem I see so far is getting around the dispel, but I think if I just shove my shrunken objects into a haversack or bag of holding, it should be fine, right? I kind of wanted to work up an item that would protect them and also allow me to draw and use them as free actions.

What are some ways to protect your shrunken objects, and what is your most ingenious use of the spell? :smallbiggrin:

[Sacrieur]

Ever since I read the spell description, I have fallen in love with this spell.
The next wizard I roll is going to use it as his signature spell. He'll toss a bunch of tetris style blocks to box in encounters, as well as use the pillbox trick and other things I haven't thought of yet (maybe interesting ways to get falling object damage).

The only problem I see so far is getting around the dispel, but I think if I just shove my shrunken objects into a haversack or bag of holding, it should be fine, right? I kind of wanted to work up an item that would protect them and also allow me to draw and use them as free actions.

What are some ways to protect your shrunken objects, and what is your most ingenious use of the spell? :smallbiggrin:

Contingency + teleport. The trigger is when dispel magic is being cast. Have the blocks be transported above the person casting dispel magic.

[Popertop]

oh, wow, that's amazing.

what about at lower levels?

[Coidzor]

You ever heard about nanites before? You can shrink object+permanency corpses before animating them and have them really easy to store or even really easy to use as portable power generation devices... Or put a whole bunch in something that blocks line of effect so they power a self-propelled wagon or mecha or boat or something.

Great way to have a zombie dragon to ride around with but who you don't have to leave parked outside of the cave you went into.

[Sacrieur]

oh, wow, that's amazing.

what about at lower levels?

Contingency is broken as eff. I dunno what to do at lower levels, other than to attempt to counter spell his detect magic.

[Ravens_cry]

Find a source of magma or lava. Cast shrink object and use the cloth option and cast permenancy. Now you have a blanket of death. Fly above a baddie and drop the blanket, turning it back to magma, dealing a lot of damage.
Fun for the whole family.

[NNescio]

I think I' had a similar discussion with somebody else on a different forum before...

...Here we go:


Locked door that can't be picked/shattered/knocked/rammed open? Shrink door.
Door is made out of adamantine? Phat lewt!

Golden idol in some evil cult? Shrink item. (Cast Detect Magic first just in case.)

Dragon hoard too heavy to carry? Stuff them into a container and then Shrink Item.

Giant arrow/crossbow bolt? Shrink n' Shoot. Don't have giant arrow/bolts? Fabricate.

Giant caltrops? Shrink n' Scatter.

Drums of oil/alchemist fire? Shrink n' (Dive)Bomb.
(Substitute with holy water against undead)

Boulders? Shrink n' Drop.

Enemy has Antimagic Field? See above.

Cistern of water? Shrink item for insta flood later.

Smuggling contraband? Shrink item! Turn weapons into miniature plushies!

Corpse disposal? Shrink item!

Need a portable boat? Shrink item!

Enemy left a ship/ballista/catapult/heavy weaponry unguarded? Shrink item!

[Curmudgeon]

One thing about the "shrink crossbow bolt" idea: it does nothing to add damage. If you look at the Weapons Table (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/equipment/weapons.htm#weaponDescriptions) you'll see that the damage is determined by the crossbow, not the bolt. Plus the bolt is destroyed on impact anyway, so it really makes no difference that it might have been very large mid-flight.

[manyslayer]

One thing about the "shrink crossbow bolt" idea: it does nothing to add damage. If you look at the Weapons Table (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/equipment/weapons.htm#weaponDescriptions) you'll see that the damage is determined by the crossbow, not the bolt. Plus the bolt is destroyed on impact anyway, so it really makes no difference that it might have been very large mid-flight.

May not affect damage, but firing a few could turn a corridor into a mass of splintered logs.:smallsmile:

[Popertop]

One thing I'm interested in doing is engineering large contraptions that I then shrink to travel size and use as the situation warrants.

What large obnoxious contraptions would be useful in any given session of D&D?

One thing that immediately comes to mind is seige weapons, but I'm sure there are more esoteric contraptions available.

I'm already going to make this wizard tetris themed, with all the tetris blocks and plenty of vodka :)

He might be an engineer too.

[Coidzor]

Water pump and hose to drain out flooded areas.

Maybe some kind of great bellows for forcing air into places...

[NNescio]

He might be an engineer too.

Just be careful of Doppelgänger chameleon rogues.

(Naah... :smallbiggrin:)

[Necroticplague]

One thing I'm interested in doing is engineering large contraptions that I then shrink to travel size and use as the situation warrants.

What large obnoxious contraptions would be useful in any given session of D&D?

One thing that immediately comes to mind is seige weapons, but I'm sure there are more esoteric contraptions available.

I'm already going to make this wizard tetris themed, with all the tetris blocks and plenty of vodka :)

He might be an engineer too.
I am the man who arranges the blocks that continue to fall from up a-bove... I think that was the reference you were getting at.

On a slightly more serious note, my characters have made use of Shrink item's rag option as an effective way of smuggling things.Usually by turning the rags into clothes of some sort. More example, I had a sorceror who's backup defense method was a shrunken plate set that had been sewn into a string bikini. We referred to this item as a "backup breast plate" for the whole campaign.

[Curmudgeon]

On a slightly more serious note, my characters have made use of Shrink item's rag option as an effective way of smuggling things. ... I had a sorceror who's backup defense method was a shrunken plate set that had been sewn into a string bikini.
If you're trying to smuggle something by making it not attract attention, don't you think creating a garment that's completely unheard of in a Medieval setting is a bit counterproductive? :smallconfused:

[Kansaschaser]

Most Effect Use of Shrink Object: Shrunk Acid (several gallons) and Burning Oild (also several gallons). Arcane Trickster used invisibility and move silently to sneak into giant encampment. Used Sleight of Hand to slip each giant a piece of cloth that was really burning oil or acid. Arcane Trickster left the camp, cast shout, and yelled the magic word from a distance to turn all the shrunk objects back to normal.

The camp erupted into flames and pools of acid. All the temporary structures were destroyed and all the giants were killed or seriously injured. It was very greusome.

[Necroticplague]

If you're trying to smuggle something by making it not attract attention, don't you think creating a garment that's completely unheard of in a Medieval setting is a bit counterproductive? :smallconfused:

Sorry, that was a bit of crossing the streams. The bikini wasn't for smuggling, it was for defense (one command word/AM feild later, and it turns into plate mail).

[Curmudgeon]

Sorry, that was a bit of crossing the streams. The bikini wasn't for smuggling, it was for defense (one command word/AM feild later, and it turns into plate mail).
... which you would then have to struggle to put on in the next 4 minutes as per the usual rules here (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/equipment/armor.htm#tableDonningArmor). After all, the description of Shrink Item doesn't include duplicating the called magic armor property. :smallbiggrin:

[Necroticplague]

... which you would then have to struggle to put on in the next 4 minutes as per the usual rules here (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/equipment/armor.htm#tableDonningArmor). After all, the description of Shrink Item doesn't include duplicating the called magic armor property. :smallbiggrin:

Except for the fact my character was already wearing it, just in a different form. Shrink item isn't a conjuration spell that summons it from somewhere, it's a transmutation spell that changes it's form. Would you have to re-don your armor if your leather armor was PAO'd into plate armor?

[Curmudgeon]

Except for the fact my character was already wearing it, just in a different form.
That's not going to work. You don't get a "string bikini" from Shrink Item; you get some clothlike item. Since there's no "create string bikini" option of the spell, that clothlike item isn't going to be worn.

Shrink item isn't a conjuration spell that summons it from somewhere, it's a transmutation spell that changes it's form. Would you have to re-don your armor if your leather armor was PAO'd into plate armor? You'd actually be incapable of wearing that transmuted armor, as Polymorph Any Object can't duplicate the fitting required for plate armor.
Each suit of full plate must be individually fitted to its owner by a master armorsmith, although a captured suit can be resized to fit a new owner at a cost of 200 to 800 (2d4×100) gold pieces.