Trying to understand the woundwyrm's ability: Maw of the abyss

[Kol Korran]

The woundwyrm is as I understand, a dragon of corruption, destruction, chaos and the powers of the abyss. It has this "Maw of the abyss" ability.The ability has a cool name, and the visual I imagine looks cool, but I'm just not getting it. The ability's descriptions is as follows:

Originally from the PFSRD: (The full monster entry here) (https://sites.google.com/site/pathfinderogc/bestiary/monster-listings/dragons/woundwyrm)

Maw of the Abyss (Su)
As a full-round action, a woundwyrm can attempt to suck creatures and unattended objects in a 15-foot cone into a vortex in its maw. This acts as a drag combat maneuver (CMB +30) against creatures, and acts as a Strength check with a +10 bonus to break objects. Unattended objects weighing less than 100 pounds are automatically drawn into its maw. Creatures and objects alike take 1d12 points of sonic damage per round within the cone. While using this ability, a woundwyrm cannot speak, use its breath weapon, or make attacks or attacks of opportunity with its bite attack.
This seems very... lackluster. A drag in a 15 foot cone, that can cause 1d2 damage, but makes the wyrm unable to do a lot of it's basic attacks, and it's aa full round action...

I'm feeling like I'm missing something here, and that is what happens when a creature or object is "sucked into a vortex in it's maw". The ability never quite specifies what happens then- a bite attack? Swallow whole? Something else?

Did anyone encounter this? If so, what did you do?

[Fouredged Sword]

It looks like it attempt to break all objects within the effect. Basically a super sunder that can't be opposed by your CMD. If your equipment isn't tough enough to survive the break check you lose it. Your wizard is now naked.

[Kol Korran]

It looks like it attempt to break all objects within the effect. Basically a super sunder that can't be opposed by your CMD. If your equipment isn't tough enough to survive the break check you lose it. Your wizard is now naked.
The +10 to break objects is as I gathered for attended objects, but unattended items get drawn into the maw and... then what? Also, creatures get dragged to the maw and... then what? What happens at the maw? :smallsigh:

I think the entire ideas is that this vortex thingy pulls stuff towards it, might break stuff that can't be pulled and so on, but what happens at the vortex?

Sigh... I'm not sure there is an answer, might be an oversight...

[the_david]

Isn't it just a positioning strike? Reach is 10, or 15 for bite, so that doesn't seem to do a lot. He only gets 1 opportunity attack per round. Snatch maybe? Maybe for his breathweapon, but as players have a full round to act before it can attack, it's not likely. maybe you could position them into your Entropic Breath, but that doesn't seem plausible as it would disperse the cloud and it wouldn't be of much use anyway.

if it would be able to use it during flight it would be a vertical cone with the targets being dragged up? I don't know, it seems limited.

[BWR]

The +10 to break objects is as I gathered for attended objects, but unattended items get drawn into the maw and... then what? Also, creatures get dragged to the maw and... then what? What happens at the maw? :smallsigh:
The bit about breaking comes before the 'unattended objects' bit. It's a bit of a DM's call since it doesn't explicitly state that everything in the area has a chance of being broken, but I'd rule it that way.

[avr]

Except as a show-off ability ("the dragon lands on the supply cavern and inhales everything there into its maw!") it doesn't look relevant, you're right.

[Kol Korran]

So... Its seems like some sort of either a useless ability, or neglect in writing what it was supposed to do.
SO what I think is that something should be written for it instead? I think something should happen when someone enters the maw/ Vortex. But what should it be? Some sort of great damage, but also some sort of a secondery effect. Since it's the "maw of the abyss", I'm assuming some sort of a chaotic destructive effect. I suck at this kind of things (Making abilities and balance) Any ideas?

My idea is some great damage (More than the breath due to it's many limitations) to ability scores (One random physical, one random mental, suffer 2d8 damage each), and 1d3 items need to make a saving throw or become inactive for 1d6+CL minutes. If the save fails by 10 or more, the item is destroyed. Otherwise this works just like aa breath weapon- usable once every 1d4 rounds.

How does that sound? To weak? Too powerful? Bland?

[Tommy_Dude]

I think I just had an A-HA! moment. The dragon has burrow. It goes underground, points up, sucks everything including the dirt away. You are now in a pit with a burrowing dragon. That's about the best tactic as-written that I can see for it.

[Abrasis Mindlef]

Swallow whole requires the target to be in the *maw* of the swallowing creature first.

Typically, this is achieved via Bite, then grapple with bite(possibly as free action with the grab ability tied to bite).

On the next turn, the grappled creature can be swallowed.


Apparently, this ability allows the woundwyrm to get a whole bunch of stuff into its maw, then swallow everything it caught in the cone on its next turn.

#EDIT:

Huh, I could've sworn woundwyrms had swallow whole...Apparently, I've been mistaken.

Disregard my thoughts above.