TuggyNE
2012-10-08, 01:13 AM
Based on the recent speed of sound with a white dragon discussion, I'm pondering how to upgrade this for actual direct combat usability*. My preferred approach, rather than supersonic faceplanting, is to actually drop bombs. Well, rocks anyway.
The attack pattern is roughly as follows:
Set up contingency teleport
Pick up bag of pre-shrunk boulders
Take off, build up speed downward toward target
Shortly before impact, speak the command word for the boulders at the proper time
Contingency goes off, teleport to safe location high in the sky for deceleration, leaving boulders behind perforce
In a bit more detail, step 0 requires a CL of at least 15, but since this is already an advanced great wyrm (using epic rules (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/epic/monsters/dragonAdvanced.htm)) that's not an issue. Step 3 can be done by free action speech; if that's not considered kosher, readying an action; if that's too slow, celerity or a Belt of Battle. Step 3 also assumes that the bag will channel the sudden boulder expansion away from the dragon, and will not prevent the command word from being heard by the boulders**. Step 4's trigger is "When I am within 100' of ground and descending at least 200' per round"; the destination is e.g. a prepared spot with one or more Immovable Rods, carefully studied to minimize mishaps. Light carrying capacity is, at Str 37 + 12 advancement, almost 7500 pounds, which comes to about 30 million pounds of rocks before shrinking.
The result? Approximately 1500 ten-ton boulders (120d6 each, including distance) falling from the sky abruptly at the cost of a sixth-level, fifth-level, and perhaps fourth-level spell slot, and a great deal of preparation. Reflex saves for all! The boulders can later be retrieved and repacked, except for any that break. And the best part? This all works by RAW, Rule of Cool, and physics (somewhat bent by acceleration, but otherwise intact).
*In theory only for the most part; I have no intention of using this as "Stuka's rocks fall, everyone dies".
**It is perhaps possible to make the command word for the boulders part of the verbal components for teleport; in this case, cost of the attack is a single fifth-level slot and a couple charges from the Belt of Battle, and contingency is not necessary.
The attack pattern is roughly as follows:
Set up contingency teleport
Pick up bag of pre-shrunk boulders
Take off, build up speed downward toward target
Shortly before impact, speak the command word for the boulders at the proper time
Contingency goes off, teleport to safe location high in the sky for deceleration, leaving boulders behind perforce
In a bit more detail, step 0 requires a CL of at least 15, but since this is already an advanced great wyrm (using epic rules (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/epic/monsters/dragonAdvanced.htm)) that's not an issue. Step 3 can be done by free action speech; if that's not considered kosher, readying an action; if that's too slow, celerity or a Belt of Battle. Step 3 also assumes that the bag will channel the sudden boulder expansion away from the dragon, and will not prevent the command word from being heard by the boulders**. Step 4's trigger is "When I am within 100' of ground and descending at least 200' per round"; the destination is e.g. a prepared spot with one or more Immovable Rods, carefully studied to minimize mishaps. Light carrying capacity is, at Str 37 + 12 advancement, almost 7500 pounds, which comes to about 30 million pounds of rocks before shrinking.
The result? Approximately 1500 ten-ton boulders (120d6 each, including distance) falling from the sky abruptly at the cost of a sixth-level, fifth-level, and perhaps fourth-level spell slot, and a great deal of preparation. Reflex saves for all! The boulders can later be retrieved and repacked, except for any that break. And the best part? This all works by RAW, Rule of Cool, and physics (somewhat bent by acceleration, but otherwise intact).
*In theory only for the most part; I have no intention of using this as "Stuka's rocks fall, everyone dies".
**It is perhaps possible to make the command word for the boulders part of the verbal components for teleport; in this case, cost of the attack is a single fifth-level slot and a couple charges from the Belt of Battle, and contingency is not necessary.