[3.5 / 3P] Tarrasque Busting!!!

[Souhiro]

That is!

I was thinking... your party of Lvl-10+1d6 characters are the heroes of the kingdom, you bested the dreadful red dragon, you twarthed the evil liche's plan... but then, the messengers bring the news:

A madmen just unleashed the Tarrasque, and he's heading just here.


So... what WOULD you do? What would be your plans against the Tarrasque?

[Psyren]

Level 10? I can beat him at level 7; Summon Undead IV gets you Allips.

[ThiagoMartell]

Level 10? I can beat him at level 7; Summon Undead IV gets you Allips.

Better than that. You can make a sacrifice as a level 1 character and it's pretty easy to get your Knowledge (religion) high enough for a level 4 spell.

[Psyren]

Better than that. You can make a sacrifice as a level 1 character and it's pretty easy to get your Knowledge (religion) high enough for a level 4 spell.

Does that also increase your CL? It's rounds/level so I wanted to be sure they stick around long enough to take him down. On average, it will take 7 hits.

[Souhiro]

Level 10? I can beat him at level 7; Summon Undead IV gets you Allips.

What would the allip do?

I mean.. he can use the 1d4 Wisdom drain, but that woulnd't affect the Big T (Immune to ability damage and mind-affecting effects) Maybe the Big T cannot damage the allip, since it's incorporeal, so our CR 25 monstrosity would focus to the summoner!!

[Psyren]

I mean.. he can use the 1d4 Wisdom drain, but that woulnd't affect the Big T (Immune to ability damage and mind-affecting effects)

Big T is immune to ability damage, not ability drain.

As for coming after my cleric, any form of flight would solve that (e.g. Air Walk.) Allips can fly, so I can summon them in mid-air.

[ThiagoMartell]

Does that also increase your CL? It's rounds/level so I wanted to be sure they stick around long enough to take him down. On average, it will take 7 hits.

All spells gained from sacrifices are either cast at CL 20 or last for 24 hours. Granted, there is a list of effects for sacrifices, but it's not all inclusive ("typical rewards") and you can get lesser planar ally at DC 25 and limited wish ad DC 40, so...

Also, after you take down the Big T, you can sacrifice it to your god.

[Souhiro]

Big T is immune to ability damage, not ability drain.

As for coming after my cleric, any form of flight would solve that (e.g. Air Walk.) Allips can fly, so I can summon them in mid-air.

Impresive!!!
Altough it wouldn't work in 3.5 (Bit T. has been patched, so it wouldn't affect it again)


I was thinking about a more complex, but maybe more redwarding method:


As the most bickass wizzard in the world!! (The title includes the two "!") I would do the following:

- Buy a few scrolls of wish.

- Cast: Contingency + Teleport (My workshop) when I REALLY wish it
- Cast: True Strike
- Cast: Invisibility, Immune to Fear, and then Teleport (Near where the Tarrasque is)
- Cast: Summon Monster (Max. Level allowed) and unleash as many creatures I can
- Cast: Greater Invisibility (Now, we're going to do some damage)
- While the tarrasque is busy fighting minions, I'll use a keen dagger, or something, to cut some hair, some skin, a piece of a nail... ANYTHING from the Big T. And be sure to grab it when they're cut (that's for the lawful-evil GM)
- REALLY WISH I got teleported to my workshop (to set off the "contingent" teleport from before).

- With that, with a lot of money and 12 hours, create a SIMULACRUM of a tarrasque. With more time, or with maybe another wizard, create ANOTHER simulacrum, just to be sure.
- Cast "Sculpt Simulacrum" to make them looks heroic. Wer'e going to save the kingdom, and we're gonna do it WITH STYLE.

- When the Tarrasque is getting near, UNLEASH MY OWN TARRASQUE CORPS
- That's a distraction.

- Cast "True Strike"
- Use the wish scroll: "I WISH THE TARRASQUE WON'T BE ANY LONGER INMUNE TO POLYMORPH"
- True Strike trumphs Spell Resistance.

- Cast again "True Strike"
- Cast BALEFUL POLYMORPH on the Big T, until he fails the saving throw.

- Cast "Charm Animal"

- Enjoy with your pet, the Cat-rrasque: A white haired persian cat with 30HD,

- Go to see the King with your new Tarasque Corps, Caress your Cat-rrasque like Dr. Evil would do.
- Say "I think we're gonna do some changes, here, Mr King"
- Hail to the King, baby.

[Featherman]

I don't think Allips are of any use in actually killing Tarrasque.


The tarrasque can be slain only by raising its nonlethal damage total to its full normal hit points +10 (or 868 hit points) and using a wish or miracle spell to keep it dead.

So draining the ability scores normally won't kill it and lethal damage from things like suffocation don't do much either besides -1 to -9 for dying.

Attack forms that don't deal hit point damage are said to ignore regeneration but Tarrasque is explicitly immune to "incurable or bleeding wounds". Vampire Blood Drain would be a Core way to deal constitution drain without dealing hit point damage and while I don't think there is an exact definition of "bleeding wound" I don't think you can really drain blood without creating a bleeding wound.

Now obviously outside core there are other ways of killing the Tarrasque (as always) but I'd say his immunities are pretty comprehensive against threats that existed at the time.

[Psyren]

Simple is best for me.

Is this a joke thread or were you seriously asking how I'd handle the Tarrasque?


Impresive!!!
Altough it wouldn't work in 3.5 (Bit T. has been patched, so it wouldn't affect it again)

Patched where? Its entry (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/monsters/tarrasque.htm) doesn't mention immunity to ability drain. His SR won't apply because it's supernatural, and his touch AC is 5 so the Allips would only miss on a natural 1.


Anyway, as I said above I'm not sure if you were joking or not, but this:


"I WISH THE TARRASQUE WON'T BE ANY LONGER INMUNE TO POLYMORPH"

is outside the limits of Wish and will likely land you in hot water.

[killianh]

Ubercharger. A couple 1000 damage per attack is pretty useful. All it takes is one good hit and a wish, or a gate to make it someone else's problem :smallwink:

[ThiagoMartell]

Ubercharger. A couple 1000 damage per attack is pretty useful. All it takes is one good hit and a wish, or a gate to make it someone else's problem :smallwink:

Good luck not being grappled by the tarrasque when you charge it

[JeminiZero]

Good luck not being grappled by the tarrasque when you charge it

Just use one of the ToB Charge Maneuvers that explicitly state that they do not provoke AoOs. Something as simple as Battle Leader's Charge (White Raven 2) will do the job.

Alternatively, use AoO DDOS. Have a bunch of disposable summoned creatures charge the big T together. It will use up its AoOs on them. Then once it has run out, have Uber McCharger go in for the actual kill.

Honestly though, damaging the Big T sufficiently is fairly easy. It can't fly, so you can even use attrition tactics. The real issue is trying to finagle a wish at lower than normal levels, to finish it off.

[ThiagoMartell]

Just use one of the ToB Charge Maneuvers that explicitly state that they do not provoke AoOs. Something as simple as Battle Leader's Charge (White Raven 2) will do the job.

Alternatively, use AoO DDOS. Have a bunch of disposable summoned creatures charge the big T together. It will use up its AoOs on them. Then once it has run out, have Uber McCharger go in for the actual kill.

Honestly though, damaging the Big T sufficiently is fairly easy. It can't fly, so you can even use attrition tactics. The real issue is trying to finagle a wish at lower than normal levels, to finish it off.

If you're using summons, you might as well use allips, then what is the point of charging it?

[JeminiZero]

If you're using summons, you might as well use allips

Which is why my first recommendation was to use a low level martial maneuver. :smallsmile:

Summoning non-allips might be the go-to option, if you have summoning, but not summon allip. E.g. if you have a druid/binder, but no wizard/cleric. Or if the only spellcasters available to you, only have level 3 spells.

Also, sometimes for RP reasons, the good-ish caster may decide that he does not want to summon [evil] undead, even if it makes life infinitely easier.

[ThiagoMartell]

Also, sometimes for RP reasons, the good-ish caster may decide that he does not want to summon [evil] undead, even if it makes life infinitely easier.

Well, for RP reasons, the party should attack the tarrasque in epic battle instead of using cheap tricks.

[Psyren]

I don't think Allips are of any use in actually killing Tarrasque.

That's the easiest part actually. Once T's Wis is drained to zero, he will be catatonic:


A character with Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma 0 is unconscious.

Recall that unconscious creatures are considered willing. He also won't recover any Wis on his own, giving you all the time in the world to do the next part.


This effect permanently reduces a living opponent’s ability score when the creature hits with a melee attack.

Combine these two points, so now you can Teleport with him. Teleport only applies a save and SR to objects:


Saving Throw: None and Will negates (object)
Spell Resistance: No and Yes (object)

So you get around both his mammoth save and mammoth SR. The last step is to take him for a dip by teleporting him to the ocean. He will now be trapped in a perpetual cycle of drowning and reviving, and can no longer hurt anyone, until such time as you level up enough to obtain a Miracle/Wish to finish the job. There, encounter overcome.


As far as the morality of summoning undead, just be a Hellbred, or take the small hit to your alignment (per BoVD, evil spells are minor.) Protecting countless innocent lives from the Tarrasque's rampage should easily cancel out a handful of 4th-level spells.

[ThiagoMartell]

That's the easiest part actually. Once T's Wis is drained to zero, he will be catatonic

Sacrifice him and use the resulting wish to stop his regeneration.

[Zale]

Impresive!!!
With that, with a lot of money and 12 hours, create a SIMULACRUM of a tarrasque. With more time, or with maybe another wizard, create ANOTHER simulacrum, just to be sure.

So, the Wizard is level 24? At that point, it'd be better to just epic magic the Tarrasque to the moon.

[Menteith]

So, the Wizard is level 24? At that point, it'd be better to just epic magic the Tarrasque to the moon.

Do you mean send him to the moon, or change him into the moon? Both work, but one is much more amusing to me.

[Zale]

Do you mean send him to the moon, or change him into the moon? Both work, but one is much more amusing to me.

The second would probably be easier. Let's go with that.

[Featherman]

I think I worded it poorly but it is hard to kill the Tarrasque without that Wish/Miracle. You could say that the Tarrasque is defeated once he is unconscious but I think that depends on the DM. It would present a pretty big problem with "farming" if you would get the XP reward for defeating opponents by knocking them unconscious (though there are other ways to do this like using a polymorph subschool spell to transform into something with CR and treasure and intentionally get killed & raised).

It would also be pretty easy for someone bring him back as you would just have restore the wisdom. While he is perhaps harder to rescue from the bottom of the ocean nothing happens after the third round of drowning so drowning really works only once per Tarrasque (and he should probably intentionally drown himself if he has a moment in order to avoid the first and second round of drowning in the future).

[Menteith]

I think I worded it poorly but it is hard to kill the Tarrasque without that Wish/Miracle. You could say that the Tarrasque is defeated once he is unconscious but I think that depends on the DM. It would present a pretty big problem with "farming" if you would get the XP reward for defeating opponents by knocking them unconscious (though there are other ways to do this like using a polymorph subschool spell to transform into something with CR and treasure and intentionally get killed & raised).

It would also be pretty easy for someone bring him back as you would just have restore the wisdom. While he is perhaps harder to rescue from the bottom of the ocean nothing happens after the third round of drowning so drowning really works only once per Tarrasque (and he should probably intentionally drown himself if he has a moment in order to avoid the first and second round of drowning in the future).

Teleport him into space, and give him a push in the general direction of the sun. Sure, he might technically still be alive, but he's really not your problem at that point.

[Psyren]

Even if "drowning" doesn't actually kill him, it doesn't restore his Wisdom either - leaving him unconscious and in the water, thereby restarting the drowning process. It then becomes your responsibility to put him down for good with a Wish/Miracle before some enemy caster comes along to restore him.

[Zale]

Teleport him into space, and give him a push in the general direction of the sun. Sure, he might technically still be alive, but he's really not your problem at that point.

Though Teleporting a Colossal creature would take a very high caster level.

And using Epic magic would still require a ridiculously high spellcraft check, even by the standards of Epic Spells.

It'd be easier to turn it into a pebble then teleport.

[Menteith]

Though Teleporting a Colossal creature would take a very high caster level.

And using Epic magic would still require a ridiculously high spellcraft check, even by the standards of Epic Spells.

It'd be easier to turn it into a pebble then teleport.

Hire a Hulking Hurler who can lift 260,000lb and toss him there, cast a few Reverse Gravities and "juggle" him out of the atmosphere, etc.

[Zale]

Hire a Hulking Hurler who can lift 260,000lb and toss him there, cast a few Reverse Gravities and "juggle" him out of the atmosphere, etc.

1) Turn Tarrasque into a Pebble.
2) Carry pebble around on your person.
3) When bored, throw pebble at someone and cast dispell magic.
4) Watch Tarrasque tear it apart.
5) ????
6) Profit.
7) Repeat.

[ThiagoMartell]

So, the Wizard is level 24? At that point, it'd be better to just epic magic the Tarrasque to the moon.
Just boost your CL. Circle casting works well.

[Souhiro]

So, the Wizard is level 24? At that point, it'd be better to just epic magic the Tarrasque to the moon.
Why do you say that?


You can't create a simulacrum of a creature whose HD or levels exceed twice your caster level.
Yeah, The wizard would need to be Lvl-15 for the plan, or just use a few and expensive scrolls.

[ThiagoMartell]

Why do you say that?


Yeah, The wizard would need to be Lvl-15 for the plan, or just use a few and expensive scrolls.

The tarrasque has 48 Hit Dice.