caltrop-filled hole

[Fitz10019]

If you fill a ten-foot-deep hole with caltrops, and a person enters the square above it, what should happen? 'Just wondering...

[LordOfCain]

They would probably fall in, take 1d6 points of damage, and then suffer the effects of the caltrops. Maybe they might take extra points of damage if the DM is feeling ornery.

[Curmudgeon]

They have a chance to be affected by a caltrop.
Each time a creature moves into an area covered by caltrops (or spends a round fighting while standing in such an area), it might step on one. The caltrops make an attack roll (base attack bonus +0) against the creature. For this attack, the creature’s shield, armor, and deflection bonuses do not count. If the creature is wearing shoes or other footwear, it gets a +2 armor bonus to AC. If the caltrops succeed on the attack, the creature has stepped on one. The caltrop deals 1 point of damage, and the creature’s speed is reduced by one-half because its foot is wounded.

[Strigon]

Interestingly enough, by that definition, even if you're bull-rushed into a hole filled with them, and fall flat on your back, if a caltrop hits you, you "stepped on it". Quite definitively, your back fell into a huge layer of caltrops, most of which you were completely unaffected by, but you might have stepped on one.

Actually, by that definition as well, footwear doesn't affect the chance of a caltrop penetrating your foot; it affects the chance of actually stepping on one. Funny how that little phrase makes things so illogical.

[LordOfCain]

It doesn't say whether the AC bonus just applies to the attack by the caltrops, so could you put caltrops on the ground, put on shoes, and be a better fighter?

[martixy]

Well yea. Also by RAW snakes and marilith are immune to the slowing effect due to not having feet, so no wounding occurs. You might also argue "stepping" is a foot-specific action too. :smallbiggrin:

[LordOfCain]

And it doesn't even say that the AC bonus applies just when on caltrops, so I could imagine some extreme cheese in which a fighter's shoes grant him extreme defensive abilities FOR FREE.

[Strigon]

Well yea. Also by RAW snakes and marilith are immune to the slowing effect due to not having feet, so no wounding occurs. You might also argue "stepping" is a foot-specific action too. :smallbiggrin:

Actually, I think this is up to the DM's discretion; it later says:


The DM judges the effectiveness of caltrops against unusual
opponents. A Small monstrous centipede, for example, can slither
through an area containing caltrops with no chance of hurting itself,
and a fire giant wearing fire giant-sized boots is immune to normalsize
caltrops. (They just get stuck in the soles of his boots.)

I'm pretty sure snakes count as unusual opponents. Personally, I'd rule that they're immune, since I can't see how a snake would slither on top of a caltrop instead of just pushing it around or moving around it, but that's up to the individual DM.

Although, if a snake is affected by caltrops, it has stepped on one. No questions asked.



And it doesn't even say that the AC bonus applies just when on caltrops, so I could imagine some extreme cheese in which a fighter's shoes grant him extreme defensive abilities FOR FREE.
"Say, Brynvald, how come you never take those ratty shoes off, anyhow?"
"Take these off? These are my lucky shoes! I stepped in some caltrops with these babies on a few years back; ever since then, they've protected me as much as my trusty shield!"