Explosive Runes Question

[BardicDuelist]

Allright, here goes:

When the caster makes himself immune to explosive runes, does this mean the damage as well if it is triggered?

[Lord Nyax]

I don't think you can make yourself immune to explosions.

*heads off to try*

[BardicDuelist]

A lot of things that you do in D&D simply can't be done in the real world.

To revise what I put: you can make yourself immune to triggering the spell, but do you also make yourself immune to the effects?

[Belteshazzar]

I sure hope not because otherwise I have been using it completely wrong. I would simply cover my cloths and skin with those runes in every language i know and charge into battle "Whoooo! I am da bomb foo, no really. See it says so on my shirt right here, whoops sorry bout all that lethal force damage but I warned you."

[BardicDuelist]

I hope that was sarcasm....

But yes, that was a plan one of my players had, I wanted more input to see if it would work.

They also wanted to know if shield could block explosive runes (or grand some kind of cover/concelment) and if the spell had to have line of effect to a target (not just the target being with in ten feet).

[brian c]

I hope that was sarcasm....

But yes, that was a plan one of my players had, I wanted more input to see if it would work.

They also wanted to know if shield could block explosive runes (or grand some kind of cover/concelment) and if the spell had to have line of effect to a target (not just the target being with in ten feet).

You can make yourself immune to triggering it so that you don't accidentally set it off, but once it's been set off it's just an explosion, no way to make yourself immune to that (well, none that's relevant to this discussion).

I would say that if you have total cover, maybe you only take 1/2 damage from the explosion, but otherwise it's basically an explosion, and everything within 10ft, no matter how heavily armored or shielded, is getting blasted.

[BardicDuelist]

I meant the spell "shield". It blocks magic missiles, so they reasoned that it might have some effect on the force explosion form explosive runes.

[asqwasqw]

Shield blocks pure magic (aka magic missle) and I think it provides AC, which also does not help. Explosions do not equal magic or are stopped by AC. If you cast the spell fireball, it is fire damage, not magic damage. So I would say shield does not block.

[Starsinger]

I meant the spell "shield". It blocks magic missiles, so they reasoned that it might have some effect on the force explosion form explosive runes.

But it doesn't stop Mordenkainen's Sword or any of the Bigby's hand spells. Shield makes you immune to magic missiles. Now, if Explosive Runes said it shot off missiles I could see this reasoning working. But really, it smells to me like your players are trying to pull a fast one.

[OzymandiasVolt]

Shield only blocks things that say they are blocked by it.

[brian c]

I meant the spell "shield". It blocks magic missiles, so they reasoned that it might have some effect on the force explosion form explosive runes.

Ah. No, that shouldn't block it then, for reasons stated already.

[TheOOB]

Doesn't the ardent savant PrC gain some resistance to force effects?

[Tokiko Mima]

If a normal shield would block the explosion, then sure. But I don't think that it does. Shield provides +4 shield AC, and negates magic missile spells (specifically.) That's all it does.. it does not protect you from force effects or damage of any kind, except for that single spell.

[ZeroNumerous]

Round 1: Spell Immunity - Explosive Runes.
Round 2-11: Cover self in explosive runes.
Round 12: Run at BBEG.
Round 13: ????
Round 14: Win.
Round 15: Sell junk in town.
Round 16: Profit.

[kpenguin]

Why again would the enemies be reading stuff in the middle of combat? I can't imagine someone saying "huh, he has some interesting writng non his helmet/shield/armor. Why don't I spend some time to read them while he's slashing/stabbing/whacking/casting/shooting?"

[ZeroNumerous]

Guess what. Erase. First level spell. You can willingly fail any check or save, ergo, cast Erase and willingly fail the check. Failing on a Dispel Magic or Erase check auto-sets off the Runes.

Literacy optional.

[Arbitrarity]

Why don't we just do that with a bag of holding and N pieces of paper?

Area dispel magic! *Deliberate fail*.

Boom! Boom! Booboobooboom!

Oh, I'm sorry Mr. Dragon. You dies instantly, no save.

EDIT: You dump the pieces of paper out. Duh :P.

[ZeroNumerous]

Because a bag of holding keeps the objects in it in a pocket dimension. You couldn't affect it unless you had a way to affect objects in different dimensions. Though you -could- take a sticky-note pad, fill it with Explosive Runes over the course of two weeks (using all your spell slots at the appropriate level and above to cast Explosive Runes) then have the fighter go in, throw it at the dragon, then try your area dispel.