Gaseous Form: am I missing something?

[Sunken Valley]

Gaseous form allows you to turn into a mist. How does this work? The rules say you lose your armour bonuses and gain fly 20ft and DR 10/magic. This seems weak. By 5th level, the majority of opponents have magic based attacks. Furthermore, the cloud can only move very slowly and has no aggressive capabillities, meaning the enemy can smack it down and kill it. These problems are doubled for villiains who use it. What am I missing?

[Vladislav]

You are missing the fact that it's not supposed to be an agressive spell. It's a utility spell.

It allows you:
1. Slip though cracks and under doors (Dimension Door - lite)
2. Fly slowly (Fly-like substitute)
3. Become almost invisible (weak substitute for Invisibility)
And many other things I can't think of right now, but I'm sure are there.

[Gwendol]

It makes you slip away from a lot of things: web, entangle, etc. And if you are an ogre mage, you can still use your SLA's (like cone of cold). It's not bad.

[Sunken Valley]

What I mean is, I am a DM. One of my Big bads (Ogre Mage) uses this tactic. This is how I think it will go down.

I'm using Gaseous Form to escape! Ha Ha!
You're just slowly floating.
Give me a minute! Give me a minute!
Magic!
AAAAH!

[Diarmuid]

If you're plan is to just slowly float away, then yes that's a bad idea.

If you instead plan to seep into the ground and then make your way to a safe distance, or seep under some locked doors, or through the crack in the cave...etc then it's a much smarter option.

[Gwendol]

Ogre mages are special:

Flight (Su)

An ogre mage can cease or resume flight as a free action. While using gaseous form it can fly at its normal speed and has perfect maneuverability.


So no, the ogre mage will fly away at its usual fly speed (40') and out of range will cover the party in a cone of cold before drifting away.

[Sunken Valley]

I've remembered another problem with G form. Vampires. When a Vampire hits 0hp, it goes gaseous. But Gaseous form does not grant invulnerabillity. That makes no sense. Is the vampire gas somehow unkillable.

[Gwendol]

I'm looking at the SRD and this is what it says:

Gaseous Form (Su)

As a standard action, a vampire can assume gaseous form at will as the spell (caster level 5th), but it can remain gaseous indefinitely and has a fly speed of 20 feet with perfect maneuverability.


But on the gaseous form once it has reached 0 hit points the SRD notes:

Any additional damage dealt to a vampire forced into gaseous form has no effect. Once at rest in its coffin, a vampire is helpless. It regains 1 hit point after 1 hour, then is no longer helpless and resumes healing at the rate of 5 hit points per round.
So, it stops taking damage at that point.

[Thomasinx]

What I mean is, I am a DM. One of my Big bads (Ogre Mage) uses this tactic. This is how I think it will go down.

I'm using Gaseous Form to escape! Ha Ha!
You're just slowly floating.
Give me a minute! Give me a minute!
Magic!
AAAAH!

More like

Ogre: "Watch as I collapse this dungeon we're in!"
Players: "You'll die too!"
Ogre: "Pfft... Gaseous Form! ..." *floats away through a crack*

Followed by lots of reflex saves to dodge falling rock as the players try to get out. Extra points if the place is dimension locked.

Edit:


I'm looking at the SRD and this is what it says:


But on the gaseous form once it has reached 0 hit points the SRD notes:

So, it stops taking damage at that point.

No. That's the vampires special version. Look at the gaseous form spell.
http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/gaseousForm.htm

[Diarmuid]

He was specifically responding to the question about unkillable vampire gas.