How OP are Ravids?

[RoboEmperor]

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[Psyren]

That depends on how you "employ them." They're always neutral, live on the PEP, and the few that get to the Material "wander aimlessly."

Also, their objects are powerful but explicitly don't use elaborate tactics. A 1st-level illusionist could probably lure them away while the fighter bashes the Ravid's skull in or the rogue sneaks up and shanks it.

[JDL]

First, the description in the Ravid creature entry specifically says the target object is random. The Ravid doesn't choose the object it's animating.

Second, the duration of the effect is 1 round per caster level. Whatever object it animates only stays active for 2 minutes.

Third, planar binding only lasts a maximum of 1 day per caster level. Once the Ravid returns to its home plane the fun's over.

Finally, the Ravid has to be within 20 feet of the object to animate it, and it's only got about 16 hp. A decent AoE spell from an enemy spellcaster would be enough to kill it.

There's plenty of better ways to exploit Lesser Planar Binding than this monster. If you want to spend three and a half hours every morning prepping this though, feel free.

[Necroticplague]

No. At best, you get a short-term, weak meatshield tied to a very fragile creature. It's definitely not high-op, and I'm not even sure it's really that good.

[Necroticplague]

You have to consider it's free, and infinite. Quantity over quality right? XD. Also, do-able at level 9. I plan on doing this only at levels 9-10. So at that level, is having a couple "permanent" expendable 16d10 constructs fighting for you OP?

And your answer was no :P.

Note the part where its descriptions says "Once per round, a random object within 20 feet of a ravid"

It's random, so you can't guarantee a 16 HD object. It's once per round, and has a relatively short duration, so you can't simply spam until you get what you want. It's only one object (unlike the spell), so the ability to have it mass-produce is somewhat limited.

As for the level, I took that into consideration. By that level, flight and ranged combat are both relatively common things to exist, as do AoE effects. Considering the fragility of the Ravid itself, even a relatively weak lightning bolt (at that level, an average one does 31.5, almost twice the ravid's HP) can crumple this. In addition,the animated objects themselves are slow moving, can't fly, have abysmal touch AC and horrible saves. Nothing but a big wall of HP you use to try and get soft cover. Of course, that's assuming it animates the big stuff, instead of the weaker small pieces of rubble lying around.

So yes, my answer is 'no', no need for the condescending smiley.

[Grek]

High OP lesser planar bindings include: Lantern Archons (Greater Teleport & Continual Flame at will), Quasit (Commune), Imp (Also Commune), Formian Taskmaster (At Will Dominate Monster), Succubus (All sorts of good powers, plus wight army) Nightmare (Astral Projection/Etherealness), Shadow Mastiff (100' Fear Effect), Yeth Hound (Same, but Flying instead of Invisible), Babau (At Will Dispel Magic) and Efreet (Wishes).

Ravids are better employed as guards. Clear out a 20' circular room and put only Gargantuan sized weapons in it. Tell the Ravid to stay in the middle and kill anyone who enters without saying the password.

[Chronos]

Until now I've been using lesser planar binding solely for succubi for suggestion/charm monster spam,...
Yes, of course that's why you're binding them. We believe you. Not that there's anything wrong with that. I mean, every seventh-level wizard goes through that phase at some point or another.

[Doomeye56]

Yes, of course that's why you're binding them. We believe you. Not that there's anything wrong with that. I mean, every seventh-level wizard goes through that phase at some point or another.

AKA Wizard Puberty.
Find their beards going white and their pointed hats start to flop over.

[lytokk]

I recently did a session involving ravids inside of a library. Party was ECL 7 I believe. They had a heck of a time getting through the books, bookcases, desks, lamps, basically everything that wasn't nailed down. I wouldn't say ravids are overpowered, but if they're hiding in a library, it would be pretty dang hard to find them.

[Telok]

Hollow iron statues with windows? Stuff the ravid inside and there's only one object it can animate. The windows allow it to see out (does it need to?) while blocking line of effect. That might work.

[Snowbluff]

Note the part where its descriptions says "Once per round, a random object within 20 feet of a ravid"

It's random, so you can't guarantee a 16 HD object. It's once per round, and has a relatively short duration, so you can't simply spam until you get what you want. It's only one object (unlike the spell), so the ability to have it mass-produce is somewhat limited.

For the record, randomness is a horrid argument when you can manipulate the variables so easily.

[Necroticplague]

In which case, you've removed the "constantly creating new ones" aspect that made this even remotely powerful, instead saying " is getting a Gargantuan animated object under your command at level 9 OP"? Which would be "no", by both logic and by the CR system. A CR7 creature is a minimal challenge to a ECL 9 party, and this is one that lacks any useful special qualities. A whole bunch of hit points and hardness makes it pretty beefy, but its slow speed, inability to fly, and poor defences doom it. It can't even block for you, because its so large that a good chunk of creatures can share space with it.

[eggynack]

Corrected that, and yes, that would've been a better topic question as it explains exactly what I'm trying to accomplish XD. You're good at cutting through the bs :)
But that's not what's happening. If you're getting several expendable creatures, then you have to skip the no other objects armor, or else the ravid could use those other creatures instead. Thus, you have to choose between several and expendable, and gargantuan/huge and permanent. Neither outcome is all that powerful. You can also get all four factors if you keep the ravid as a sentry, rather than an adventuring buddy, but that takes repeated input, still relies on relatively fragile core creatures (because you're not using statue armor here), has a weird underlying weakness to a foe throwing a bunch of small and medium objects into a room and waiting, and is intrinsically rather less useful than something that can follow you around.

[daremetoidareyo]

Fabricate a wall of iron into what looks like a giant modern day bull dozer, instead of wheels, make skis. Lesser planar bind that ravid into the hollow cavity with in the bull dozer, so that the animate objects affects more likely than anything else, the vehicle into which he was summoned. Make sure it has eyeholes. The ravid, then becomes this instrument of destruction, ready to destroy entire villages from total cover.

It's a creative way to cause havoc. Not necessarily the best. (felldrain cold snap comes to mind)

[Sith_Happens]

This is what I plan on doing.
1. Wall of stone
2. Fabricate 3 hollow gargantuan statues.
3. Ravid flies into one, stays about 20ft above the ground, and activate its animate objects aura.
4. Once gargantuan statue #1 is animated, he flies into #2, then #3
5. Throughout the travels, have the statues stay within 20ft of each other so when one stops after 2minutes, it's re-animated the next round.

The problem with this plan is it means you aren't doing the following instead:

1. Wall of Stone.
2. Fabricate 20 solid colossal statues.
3. Buff the Ravid's defenses to your satisfaction.
4. Have the Ravid weave back and forth among the statues (whose spaces it can share due to size difference) in such a way that all or almost all of them are animated at any given time.

[Rubik]

Hollow out the object to be animated, then place the ravid inside. No AoE to outside the object, so it can't affect anything but the object you want animated. Make the hollow part of the object out of glassteel or something, so it can see you and follow your directions to attack enemies with its pet.

[edit] Damn. Looks like I was ravid'd.

[Psyren]

One wrinkle in this strategy. Ravids are too dumb for complex tactics, and they don't have a language, so you can't even spell out what they need to do. How is this Ravid-Dreadnought supposed to work exactly?

[Rubik]

One wrinkle in this strategy. Ravids are too dumb for complex tactics, and they don't have a language, so you can't even spell out what they need to do. How is this Ravid-Dreadnought supposed to work exactly?Telepathy, I guess.

You're a wizard!

There's an app a spell for that!

[ben-zayb]

As usual Assume Supernatural Ability fare, the feat could break this ability a spell level earlier.

[SiuiS]

I lesser planar bind to enslave one or two. Have them cast animate objects a few gargantuan objects persistently. Use those animated objects to kill all opposition throughout the day.

If the rabid animates the object, how do you control it?

[Coidzor]

Are you a Wizard who hasn't banned Necromancy?

If so, then you want Haunt Shift from Libris Mortis. Transform one of your less than stellar undead minions into a haunting presence that possesses an object and makes it into an Animated Object. Combine with Fabricate (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/fabricate.htm) and Wall of Stone (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/wallOfStone.htm) for fairly tough minions that only cost you the onyx you need to animate the skeleton or zombie you put in them in the first place. Or a 2nd level spell every few days after the initial set up if acquiring the undead from the wild using Command Undead.

At level 11, one can use Hardening (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/divine/spells/hardening.htm) and Stone Metamorphosis(Underdark) or Wall of Iron (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/wallOfIron.htm) for stronger animated object bodies, too, though Wall of Iron does raise the cost to around 75 gp minimum per Haunt Shift possessed animated object.

[Coidzor]

How does hardness make an animated object stronger?

The more hardness an animated object has, the better it is at its job of absorbing damage for the party, since it's basically a combination of Damage Reduction and Energy Resistance. IIRC it also applies to attacks that bypass DR and ER but don't specify that they bypass Hardness, too.