Need help killing a Tarrasque!

[Warren Peace]

Hey War here again and my players did the unthinkable and awoke the Tarrasque (probably because they wouldn't become sacrifices to keep it asleep)

So here is my current party of players:

A Cleric, Level 15, With a Duskblade/Wizard, Level 13

A Ranger, Level 15

A Fighter, Level 15

A Paladin, Level 15

A Kensei, Level 15, With a Psionic Warrior Monk, Level 13

So I have a pretty high level group that has summoned the Tarrasque from its resting place and it's eating up the entire countryside.

My question to you is are they high enough to take it on? or should I as a DM let it go about its rampage and send it back to sleep and they just avoid it.

No group of mine or any group of my friends has ever faced a Tarrasque yet and it's iconic for it's tremendous power and appetite. So do you think they would do fine against it? They have a wand of 1 Wish spell and they are pretty darn powerful in a fight. But I would really rather make them face it once I knew they could handle it rather than decimate them all with one go.

What levels were you when you faced / pit your players against the Tarrasque? Thanks for all the help and with any info you give me :smallsmile:

[Emperor Tippy]

Big T is a decent challenge for a level 8 or so party. Level 15 shouldn't have any problem.

Phantom Steed for flight plus a few castings of Forcecage (use a Greater Rod of Quicken) to box it in and it is stuck in a box it can't get out of for the next day or so.

At that point you just stand back and blast it to the negatives before Wishing it away.

[Waker]

The thread has been open for more than 5 minutes and no one has chimed in to say the tarrasque is a weak encounter? Odd.
Anyways, the tarrasque is succeptable to flying opponents, incorporeal opponents and ability draining attacks.

[Story]

The hardest part of killing the Tarrasque is being able to afford a Scroll of Wish.

Anyway, it's main weaknesses is the inability to fly. You can even just dig a big pit and drown it if you want. (Someone did the stats on the hardness of rock and how far T could tunnel before drowning, but I don't remember it.)

[Mithril Leaf]

Considering a well optimized build can grapple Big T into submission around level 12 or so by himself, your party should be just fine. It's pretty easy to take him out with a weak party and good tactics.

[Warren Peace]

Huh interesting. So pretty much give my players a way to fly and big T is toast ^.^ sounds like a plan to me!

[eggynack]

You can take down a tarrasque pretty trivially as a 7th level wizard. First, you cast fly, and hover out of range of the tarrasque's attacks. Then, you cast summon undead IV for an allip, and the allip just kinda kills the tarrasque. I think there are lower level ways to get an allip, but the important thing to note is that 7 is a smaller number than 13 or 15.

[Emperor Tippy]

You can disable T at level 2 with a Monk, solo, if you want.

[Regitnui]

You can disable T at level 2 with a Monk, solo, if you want.

Seriously? A level two monk take on the biggest monster in the Manual solo and win? Does that involve ridiculous amounts of optimization, or can any level 2 monk do it?

And personally, I'd throw the Leviathan at my players. (Book of Elder Evils, I think.:smallfrown:)

[Mithril Leaf]

You can disable T at level 2 with a Monk, solo, if you want.

Alright, this one eludes me. Do share if you would. I know the bard tricks, the cleric tricks, and the typical wizard tricks. No idea how a single level 2 monk would kill Big T.

[Emperor Tippy]

Seriously? A level two monk take on the biggest monster in the Manual solo and win? Does that involve ridiculous amounts of optimization, or can any level 2 monk do it?

And personally, I'd throw the Leviathan at my players. (Book of Elder Evils, I think.:smallfrown:)


Alright, this one eludes me. Do share if you would. I know the bard tricks, the cleric tricks, and the typical wizard tricks. No idea how a single level 2 monk would kill Big T.

Big T isn't immune to negative level's, its touch AC is 5, and its carapace only reflects "all rays, lines, cones, and even magic missile".

Big T has a 20 foot movement speed.

Level 2 WBL is 900 GP.

A wand of Fell Drain Acid Splash costs 750 GP (375 if you use an Arcane Thesis Invisible Enlarged Acid Splash). Take Arcane Schooling or Magical Training (with Acid Splash as one of your spells) so that you don't need to UMD.

I would buy two of the cheaper wands.

Proceed to kite around big T taking pot shots with your dinky little 1d3 orbs from 50 ft. away. Hit fifty times (again against AC of 5) and big T has no more levels. That makes him dead which according to his regeneration gives him nonlethal damage equal to his full normal HP + 10. Wait a round for it to get back up (even though it has no HD) and then hit it again, this brings it from 30 HP to negative 800 or so HP.

Big T defeated for 750 GP at ECL 2 with a monk.

[Regitnui]

Wow... I guess that's one of the bigger failings of RAW right there. Guess to really challenge the lvl15 party, you'll have to ramp even that up.

[Tokiko Mima]

Big T isn't immune to negative level's, its touch AC is 5, and its carapace only reflects "all rays, lines, cones, and even magic missile".

Big T has a 20 foot movement speed.

Level 2 WBL is 900 GP.

A wand of Fell Drain Acid Splash costs 750 GP (375 if you use an Arcane Thesis Invisible Enlarged Acid Splash). Take Arcane Schooling or Magical Training (with Acid Splash as one of your spells) so that you don't need to UMD.

I would buy two of the cheaper wands.

Proceed to kite around big T taking pot shots with your dinky little 1d3 orbs from 50 ft. away. Hit fifty times (again against AC of 5) and big T has no more levels. That makes him dead which according to his regeneration gives him nonlethal damage equal to his full normal HP + 10. Wait a round for it to get back up (even though it has no HD) and then hit it again, this brings it from 30 HP to negative 800 or so HP.

Big T defeated for 750 GP at ECL 2 with a monk.

Isn't Big T immune to energy drain?

[soapdude]

Isn't Big T immune to energy drain?

I think Tippy is playing off the fact that nothing in the Fell Drain feat specifically mentions "Energy Drain", just "negative levels". Yes, Energy Drain causes negative levels, but that doesn't necessarily mean that all negative levels are caused by Energy Drain.

[Gildedragon]

Yeap immune to energy drain, but not ability drain (damage yes, drain no).

[ShadowFireLance]

Tippy really needs to stop collecting Wins, otherwise he's gonna cause a win-plosion.

[iDesu]

Proceed to kite around big T taking pot shots with your dinky little 1d3 orbs from 50 ft. away.

Can't the tarrasque just use its rush ability to catch up the monk and smack it?

[Emperor Tippy]

I think Tippy is playing off the fact that nothing in the Fell Drain feat specifically mentions "Energy Drain", just "negative levels". Yes, Energy Drain causes negative levels, but that doesn't necessarily mean that all negative levels are caused by Energy Drain.

Pretty much.

Although even if you rule the other way it's not that hard (but the level does go up a bit thanks to WBL). Trait Removal can rip off those immunities (or Big T's regeneration actually).

[Emperor Tippy]

Can't the tarrasque just use its rush ability to catch up the monk and smack it?

That's what your Tower Shield is for. It provides total cover.

Might possibly need a patsy commoner to take the hit for you.

[Jeff the Green]

Have the cleric and/or wizard use summon undead iv/v/iv to get a bunch of allips, possibly while invisible or flying.

[Tokiko Mima]

Huh... on that reading, Fell Drain is the most awesome metamagic ever. You can land it on almost anything. Constructs and Undead types (to my knowledge) aren't specifically immune to negative levels, just energy drain. You are being silly by not metamagicing anything you can with Fell Drain.

For my cheesy solution, I would spam fly around, casting Mind Fog (http://http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/mindFog.htm) at Big T's nostrils until it takes, then swoop in with Feeblemind (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/feeblemind.htm) (because why not? Also, the spell doesn't do ability damage, it just lowers scores to 1), and follow with Magic Jar (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/magicJar.htm). Now you are the Big T! Ride 'em cowpoke!

[Jbr208]

I took a look at the SRD a minute ago to take a look at the Big T. I don't know if the level 2 monk actually works for defeating him - admittedly I could very easily be wrong, I've read a lot of Tippy's work and haven't known him to be wrong in questions of optimization. My concern comes from a single ability I saw in the SRD entry:

Rush: "Once per minute, the normally slow moving [Big T] can move at a speed of 150 feet."

The main thing keeping the monk alive is the Big T's low movement speed, that one round of 150 foot speed ought to be enough to close the distance and immediately destroy the monk with a charging bite attack. Did I miss something somewhere?

Edit: and swordsaged

[Emperor Tippy]

All you need is a single Scroll of Maximized Memory Rot (add Easy Meta: Maximize, Invisible, Sanctum, and Arcane Thesis to negate the level increase) (druid 5 spell), guaranteed to drop Big T in one round with no chance of failure as it does 1d6 points of Int drain before it allows a save to prevent future damage.

Big T only has 3 Int.

[Arcanist]

Tippy really needs to stop collecting Wins, otherwise he's gonna cause a win-plosion.

He's been on fire today for some reason :smallconfused:

[Emperor Tippy]

He's been on fire today for some reason :smallconfused:

My signature is full. It makes me sad.

[Jbr208]

He's been on fire today for some reason :smallconfused:

"Today":smallconfused:

[Arcanist]

My signature is full. It makes me sad.

Ah, tragedy :P At least I've avoid the "privilege" of being sig quoted :smalltongue:


"Today":smallconfused:

Good point! Tippy has been nuclear today since EVERYDAY he is on fire... In fact, I dare say that we use him as a cheesy replacement for our win-powered reactors :smalltongue:

[Gildedragon]

So... the Big T isn't Tarrasque but Tippy?

[Waker]

Good point! Tippy has been nuclear today since EVERYDAY he is on fire... In fact, I dare say that we use him as a cheesy replacement for our win-powered reactors :smalltongue:
What do you think is the half-life on Tippy?

So as has been pointed out, the issue isn't making it so the party can defeat the Tarrasque, but rather make it so they don't steamroll him. I would make it contiguous with the Ethereal Plane, make its natural attacks and natural AC have the force component, give him True Seeing and let him launch spikes as a ranged attack. Those are just a few quick ideas.

[Gildedragon]

Breath weapon? A roar for sonic damage, acid for its bile? every 1d4 rounds a piece, 150 ft cones?

[Mithril Leaf]

He's been on fire today for some reason :smallconfused:

Better be searing fire.

[Twilightwyrm]

What do you think is the half-life on Tippy?

So as has been pointed out, the issue isn't making it so the party can defeat the Tarrasque, but rather make it so they don't steamroll him. I would make it contiguous with the Ethereal Plane, make its natural attacks and natural AC have the force component, give him True Seeing and let him launch spikes as a ranged attack. Those are just a few quick ideas.

Would also need to make it immune to ability damage. That Int 3 is a VERY inviting target.

[Mithril Leaf]

Would also need to make it immune to ability damage. That Int 3 is a VERY inviting target.

YOU NEED TO SPECIFY DRAIN.

That right there is the reason he's vulnerable to Allips.

[The Random NPC]

What do you think is the half-life on Tippy?

So as has been pointed out, the issue isn't making it so the party can defeat the Tarrasque, but rather make it so they don't steamroll him. I would make it contiguous with the Ethereal Plane, make its natural attacks and natural AC have the force component, give him True Seeing and let him launch spikes as a ranged attack. Those are just a few quick ideas.

Or you could build a better Tarrasque. (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=101587)

[Chronos]

You can actually do a lot to improve the Tarrasque just by giving it different feats (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=87000). One that didn't get mentioned in that thread is the combination of Shape Soulmeld: Crystal Helm and Open Chakra: Crown, which makes all of its attacks [force] (and also incidentally helps a bit with Will saves, which is also useful).