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View Full Version : What does a Slam Attack LOOK like?



benthehater
2007-06-10, 12:40 PM
I know what a sword does. I know what a punch or kick does. I know what a claw or bite does.

But what does the slam do? How do you describe it in that mode?

The Vampire's mocking laugh echoed in the chamber as he nimbly dodged the axe kick from Brazen the Monk, while hopping over the horizontal slash from Geffrin's Dwarven War Axe. In retort he delivered unto Brazen a ...

A what?

... a slam.

With his?

... slam attack.

No no, with the description, what he did he slam Brazen with? His head? Is it a headbutt?

No, it's not a headbutt.

Well what is it?

It's ... it's a slam attack. Just shut up and take your damage.

You don't know what it is, do you?

No, now let's move on.

Is it kung fu?

No, it's not kung fu.

Can we pretend it's kung fu?

No. Moving on.

Can we houserule it as kung fu?

No.

I'm just going to imagine it as kung fu since I like that.

Oh look, your character just died.

Starsinger
2007-06-10, 12:42 PM
When I first heard the term, Slam Attack, I assumed it was the creature picking up it's target, and slamming them into the ground. Then I was politely told by the DM that I was wrong. Slam Attacks were like a body tackle. Why being tackled by a Vampire leads to energy drain I don't know.

I think it's one of those terms, like subdual damage, that they just made up and have no idea what it is.

Rama_Lei
2007-06-10, 12:44 PM
Well certain creature, like treants which have slam attacks, give the impression of being bludgeoned with a large blunt object, in this case the attacker.

Ranis
2007-06-10, 12:44 PM
It's a very generic classification of a noncommittal attack category for monsters or creatures that don't have natural weapons or weapon-weapons.

As to what it looks like, well, that varies depending upon what creature it is. For a vampire, I would imagine it as something of a tackle. For something like a skeleton/vampire, I'd consider it a claw attack that missed with the claw and just slammed against the enemy it was targeting.

Inyssius Tor
2007-06-10, 12:45 PM
Here's the actual definition. (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/specialAbilities.htm#slaporSlam) The Monster Manual: it has a lot more stuff than one might think!

Citizen Joe
2007-06-10, 12:45 PM
You know when Kirk uses both hands in a single attack, usually as a 'finishing' move. That's a slam attack.

Yuki Akuma
2007-06-10, 12:46 PM
The Monster Manual describes slam attacks thusly: "The creature batters opponents with an appendage, dealing bludgeoning damage."

Well, that clear that up. *sigh*

Edit: Damn you, Simu-Tor.

Wraithy
2007-06-10, 12:57 PM
i thought slam was just stumbling into someone (mosh pit but lazier) usually involving your own shoulder being broken

purple gelatinous cube o' Doom
2007-06-10, 01:00 PM
As far as I can tell, the creature just bashes you with an appendage, preferably a noodly looking one.

Sutremaine
2007-06-10, 01:08 PM
Punch, stamp, knuckles across the mouth, headbutt, elbow, knee, clothesline, tentacle slap... I really don't care as long as it delivers the appropriate amount of bludgeoning damage and doesn't break versimilitude, and apparently neither does the MM.

Attilargh
2007-06-10, 01:10 PM
A vampire's Slam Attack is clearly a weaker version of the Five Point Palm Exploding Heart Technique, except it does not make your heart explode.

Ćdit:

Punch, stamp, knuckles across the mouth, headbutt, elbow, knee, clothesline, tentacle slap... I really don't care as long as it delivers the appropriate amount of bludgeoning damage and doesn't break versimilitude, and apparently neither does the MM.
On a more serious note, those are all unarmed strikes (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/equipment/weapons.htm#unarmedStrike). What makes a mummy's punch deadlier than a boxer's punch?

Amphimir Míriel
2007-06-10, 01:15 PM
A slam attack by a treant is just it clubbing you with one of its branches...

A slam attack by a vampire is just a glorified name for a slap

At least that's how I see it... :smallwink:

Illiterate Scribe
2007-06-10, 01:21 PM
What does it look like?

Like THIS!

(sorry; martial arts, like sarcasm, come across badly on the internet)

I'm still giggling at the 'slap attack' option though; is this just stuff like tail slap, or is there anyone who deals damage with the back of their hand?

DraPrime
2007-06-10, 01:38 PM
Slam attacks vary from creature to creature. A zombie slam attacks by hitting you with that rotten meaty arm. A vampire slam attacks you by ramming its body into you. Or at least that's how I imagine it. It's all about how you picture it in your mind. Just imagine something that involves some kind of slamming.

Sutremaine
2007-06-10, 01:51 PM
...those are all unarmed strikes (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/equipment/weapons.htm#unarmedStrike).
They're also attacks that are made by an appendage and deal bludeoning damage.


What makes a mummy's punch deadlier than a boxer's punch?
The mummy's physiology (and that of other creatures with slam attacks) is better suited to delivering telling blows than the boxer's, allowing it to not only more easily score a telling blow, but to put more of its power behind the blow. This is why slam attacks do more damage and apply more Strength bonus than unarmed strikes. :smallbiggrin:

Were-Sandwich
2007-06-10, 02:27 PM
I always pictured a vamp's slam attack as some kind of vampire kung-fu.

Yuki Akuma
2007-06-10, 02:29 PM
A mummy-punch is harder than a boxer-punch because mummies, being undead, have none of those silly psychological blocks humans have that prevent them from using all of their muscle power at once, lest the force break our puny living bones.

This is why zombies are stronger than humans.

Diggorian
2007-06-10, 02:56 PM
You know when Kirk uses both hands in a single attack, usually as a 'finishing' move. That's a slam attack.

LOL, Polish Hammer (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polish_hammer) for the win!! :smallamused:

Slam attacks are what the SRD describes them to be, threateningly lethal slaps/punches/bashings.

What I've portrayed them to look like in game is a very powerful blow:

Unarmed attack hit-- "The monk quick jabs you in the face. You roll with the blow and ready to return the favor."

Slam attack hit-- "The Earth elemental bashes you with a fist like a granite sledge. You slide back a few feet on your toes as world seems to shift backwards. Through sheer tenacity you recover your wits, intent to repay the creature."

Unarmed miss-- "You dodge away from his haymaker deftly."

Slam miss-- "Dropping to a knee barely avoids the golem's strike. It knocks a head sized chunk out of the marble pillar behind you with a deafening crash."

It's mainly a matter of extremity.

Rama_Lei
2007-06-10, 03:13 PM
This is a vampire/mummy slam attack

http://www.moviepoopshoot.com/comics101/images/2004/may12/bitchslap.jpg

ocato
2007-06-10, 03:20 PM
...which book had Namor as a pimp in it??

Krimm_Blackleaf
2007-06-10, 04:20 PM
I'm under the impression that slam attacks function just like unarmed strikes. They take a part of their body and hit you with it, be it them ramming their shoulder into you, punching you, kicking you, kneeing, elbowing, headbutting and so forth.

PinkysBrain
2007-06-10, 04:39 PM
Vampires can only do it if they have a hand free. Personally unless it doesn't say specifically and/or it just doesn't make sense (non humanoid) I rule that a slam is done with a fist.

Reptilius
2007-06-10, 04:43 PM
I always pictured a vamp's slam attack as some kind of vampire kung-fu.

Exactly! Haven't any of you seen Buffy? All the demons inexplicably know kung fu.

Beleriphon
2007-06-10, 04:49 PM
...which book had Namor as a pimp in it??

The motion lines are going the wrong way for him to be be a pimp. But yes, that would seem to indicate a Slam attack to me.

EvilElitest
2007-06-10, 04:49 PM
Considering that it drains energy, i think a Vampire's slam attack is simple him smashing his enemy with his first as hard as he can. I always imagine it open palmed, while sucking the life out of his target
from,
EE

Demented
2007-06-10, 07:11 PM
The vampire approaches you from behind and punches you. By punches you, I mean that he leaps forward with open palms and batters you mercilessly with unnaturally hard, bone-cracking blows, crushing and twisting flesh with his fingers' grasp. You can feel the internal organ damage like an unmedicated tooth feels a dentist's drill.

Undead are simply better at assault and battery than normal humans are.

Matthew
2007-06-10, 07:13 PM
Ever see John Carpenter's Vampires (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p4YHgVXjFhA)? Bad film, but an awesome first twenty minutes. The Vampire Master does some stuff that I would imagine being 'Slam' Attacks...

Maerok
2007-06-10, 07:14 PM
I've always seen it as a tackle or a haymaker of a natural attack.

....
2007-06-10, 07:19 PM
Go watch the ending part of X-Men 3. See what Beast is doing to people? Those are slam attacks.

AtomicKitKat
2007-06-11, 12:44 AM
With a vampire, I see it as like a Buddha Palm(fingers up, palm towards enemy, thrust it flat against the chest), literally punching your chi right out of you(and absorbing it in turn).

For bigger things, like Golems, I see it as a sort of casual swat, where they just backhand you with the forearm, sweeping you aside.

Iku Rex
2007-06-11, 01:26 AM
When I first heard the term, Slam Attack, I assumed it was the creature picking up it's target, and slamming them into the ground."Art of the Slam" MMA highlight video [link]. (http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&videoID=1347801772)

(No, not all that relevant to the thread. :smallsmile: I thought of that vid and wanted to share. To do a "real" slam in DnD you'd need something like the "Throw Your Foe to the Ground" rule from Rules of the Game (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/rg/20050308a) combined with the Improved Trip feat for an attack roll to deal damage with the slam.)

Roderick_BR
2007-06-11, 08:10 AM
As pointed in the SRD: "Slap or Slam" It's just a common hit, really. A creature with hands will hit you with it, although it may not be a punch. A vampire could hit you with a close fist, or slap you with the back of his hand. It's up to the DM to choose the flavor.
Heh... it reminds me my friend playing a 1st level monk against zombies.
Me - "The zombie hits you with a slam attack. You take " - roll 1d6 - " 3 points of damage"
Monk - "Wait, the zombie deals 1d6 points of damage with an unarmed attack? Like me? That zombie fights Kung-Fu?!"

Tengu
2007-06-11, 08:19 AM
http://www.memoram.com/AD_slam.jpg
Replace the ball with your opponent.


Seriously though, I think that slam is an improved version of unarmed strike, just like monk's attacks, except that there's less kung-fu and more brute force.

If you want to see a vampire using his slam attack, look no further than at Slayer from Guilty Gear.

SpikeFightwicky
2007-06-11, 09:04 AM
LOL, Polish Hammer (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polish_hammer) for the win!! :smallamused:


That's what it's called! When referencing it, my gaming group always called it the 'Federation Smash', though Picard always does a 3 hit combo with it.

Ever play Heroes of Might and Magic? I figured that the zombies, golems, mummies, vampires (anything that pummels you) are all doing 'Slam' attacks.

NullAshton
2007-06-11, 09:44 AM
HULK SMASH!

That's basically what a slam attack is. Using brute force in order to deal lethal damage. Sort of like a normal everyday person getting a -4 to hit in order to deal lethal damage with unarmed strike. Except.... no penalty or something.

Dareon
2007-06-11, 10:10 AM
What does it look like? Simple.

Find a frying pan. Hold it up to your face so that the bottom is pressing against your nose. Imagine it being a lot more painful. Now go wash your nose.

As said, it's just a hit from an appendage. What qualifies as an appendage is up to you.

Vodun
2007-06-11, 10:33 AM
Animated Objects get slam attacks, so what does it qualify as if it was a very small object, like a beer mug or something of similar size?

Ghal Marak
2007-06-11, 10:38 AM
Animated Objects get slam attacks, so what does it qualify as if it was a very small object, like a beer mug or something of similar size?

Um... the whole thing spontaneously flying into your face? I dunno. I would think stuff like that could do nothing... other than spill your drink.:smallbiggrin:

Diggorian
2007-06-11, 11:48 AM
Animated Objects get slam attacks, so what does it qualify as if it was a very small object, like a beer mug or something of similar size?

Spinning as it leaps, the beer mug nicks your nose for 1 point of bludgeoning. You raise your warhammer to shatter the attacker ... but pause. How many times have you slammed a few back at a pub? How many times have you struck mugs with a friends?

"Alright, that makes us even cup. I'll not ..."

**THUD**

The barstool's long legs sweep you to the ground. The moment of doubt passes, continuing the most bizarre bar fight of your adventuring career.

Aquillion
2007-06-11, 01:16 PM
I think it's sort of weird that vampires get one, though. I can see a Treant or Golem crudely slamming its limbs against an enemy, but a vampire?


DM: "You fools! None of you will leave my lair alive!", the vampire says. Then, leaping gracefully down off of his coffin and bearing his teeth wickedly, he proceeds to windmill his limbs around like a frantic spaz, slamming them against Throgor repeatedly.

Throgor: :smallconfused:

DM: ...it's an energy draining attack.

Throgor: :smallconfused: :smallconfused: :smallconfused:

Yuki Akuma
2007-06-11, 01:22 PM
I think it's sort of weird that vampires get one, though. I can see a Treant or Golem crudely slamming its limbs against an enemy, but a vampire?


DM: "You fools! None of you will leave my lair alive!", the vampire says. Then, leaping gracefully down off of his coffin and bearing his teeth wickedly, he proceeds to windmill his limbs around like a frantic spaz, slamming them against Throgor repeatedly.

Throgor: :smallconfused:

DM: ...it's an energy draining attack.

Throgor: :smallconfused: :smallconfused: :smallconfused:

A slam attack doesn't have to be crude. I generally imagine vampires using an open-palm punch, personally.

....
2007-06-11, 01:24 PM
I think it's sort of weird that vampires get one, though. I can see a Treant or Golem crudely slamming its limbs against an enemy, but a vampire?


DM: "You fools! None of you will leave my lair alive!", the vampire says. Then, leaping gracefully down off of his coffin and bearing his teeth wickedly, he proceeds to windmill his limbs around like a frantic spaz, slamming them against Throgor repeatedly.

Throgor: :smallconfused:

DM: ...it's an energy draining attack.

Throgor: :smallconfused: :smallconfused: :smallconfused:

I don't think the vampires are just flailing their arms around. I just imagine that, since vamps have super strength, their blows are incredibly more powerful than a normal humans.

It'd be like someone swatting you, but instead of your face just stinging, its like someone just hit you with a baseball bat.

LotharBot
2007-06-11, 01:57 PM
Bite attack: with the mouth. Slash, Pierce, Bludgeon all in one.
Claw attack: hitting you with sharp fingers. Slashing and piercing.
Slam attack: the same hitting motion, but without sharp fingers. Bludgeoning.
Gore attack: stabbing through something, usually with horns. Piercing.
Sting attack: stabbing through something with a tail, often with poison. Piercing.
Tentacle attack: like a slam, but usually with extra reach. Bludgeoning, sometimes slashing.

From http://www.systemreferencedocuments.org/35/sovelior_sage/monsterTypes.html - scroll down to "natural weapons"

Demented
2007-06-11, 02:42 PM
Tentacle attack: Because we just had to rub it in that you're getting hit by a long, thick, wet, rubbery noodle.

Cubey
2007-06-11, 02:44 PM
When it gets to vampiric slams, I have to second Slayer. His moves (the normal ones, because every has superhuman moves in Guilty Gear) are mostly laidback hits which wouldn't do anything but annoy the opponent if not his overwhelming strength. They include:
-straightforward jabs, "gentleman getting his hands dirty" style
-slower, wide, hooking punches
-backhand hits, including a forward lunge + backhand uppercut combo
-slow, wide kicks - like everything, done in a laidback way, he actually does a semi-dance move as he kicks forward
-tackles
-puff smoke in enemy's eyes (from the pipe he always carries in his mouth), followed by a low kick to their ankles to make them tumble to the ground

For a more "powerhouse" approach, I suggest reading the Carrot vs Wolfgang fight from The Fifth Elephant. Okay, he was a werewolf, but it still fits.

benthehater
2007-06-11, 02:45 PM
Thanks for the replies everyone, you've helped me come to a kind of satisfactory conclusion.

Creatures with live flesh, basic animal type physiology, without natural weapons like claws & bites, are doing unarmed strikes.

Creatures with strange* physiology, without natural weapons like claws & bites, are doing slams.

What clued me in was the post stating that undead flesh doesn't function like normal living flesh. Then the fact that slams are shared by treants, and golems it kind of become clear. It's a bludgeoning blow with an apendage, used by creatures whose body is operating just differently enough than a living creature's, entitling them to more damage than an unarmed strike.

So, our vampire guy is twisting his torso into a backhanded blow, the deceptive strength of his undead flesh adding a level of power and impact that would be physically impossible for a normal person, until you consider that the vampire is fighting you with a body that's very not normal.

It's a principle that's wildly different than the monk's ability with unarmed strikes, since their discipline and mastery of it makes their attacks better; it's the sheer improved violence of the slam is what causes more damage.

Thanks guys!

PhallicWarrior
2007-06-11, 03:25 PM
I always thought that a slam attack was simply a running bellyslam.

phantomhermit
2007-06-11, 04:14 PM
with an unarmed humanoid or monstrous humanoid- they intertwine the fingers on both their hands, lift them up and bash [slam] you with them. that is how i have always seen it. using both hands at the same time, one way or another.

Diggorian
2007-06-11, 04:30 PM
Another fan of the Polish hammer (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polish_hammer), eh?

Like AtomicKitKat, I envision the vampire slam as a preternaturally hard open palm strike that leaves the flesh cold and gray for a moment to show the energy drain.

Frosty Flake
2007-06-11, 07:09 PM
I always just figured a slam attack is what the five fingers said to the face... But then again, I play a pretty pimp Warforged.

Matthew
2007-06-11, 08:25 PM
That's what it's called! When referencing it, my gaming group always called it the 'Federation Smash', though Picard always does a 3 hit combo with it.

Ever play Heroes of Might and Magic? I figured that the zombies, golems, mummies, vampires (anything that pummels you) are all doing 'Slam' attacks.
Also known as the Kirk Punch, amongst other things...

Dausuul
2007-06-11, 09:47 PM
For undead slams, I would tend to describe slam attacks as more grabbing, twisting, and crushing... but that's mostly for dramatic effect.

Jarawara
2007-06-11, 10:16 PM
When your players ask what a Zombie Slam Attack looks like...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D3Lr70lwaVg&mode=related&search=

...show them this video.

Sound effects are real, they play in the background whenever Slam Attacks are done.
And yes, Zombies do breakdance.

Dareon
2007-06-12, 05:06 AM
Spinning as it leaps, the beer mug nicks your nose for 1 point of bludgeoning. You raise your warhammer to shatter the attacker ... but pause. How many times have you slammed a few back at a pub? How many times have you struck mugs with a friends?

"Alright, that makes us even cup. I'll not ..."

**THUD**

The barstool's long legs sweep you to the ground. The moment of doubt passes, continuing the most bizarre bar fight of your adventuring career.
I'm sigging this. :smallbiggrin:

Orzel
2007-06-12, 05:32 AM
Slam attack

Look up Hugo from the Street Fighter series.
Monster Latriat
Giant Palm Bomb
Hammer Frenzy

All slam attacks

Callix
2007-06-12, 06:07 AM
When I think vampire slams, I think Buffy. I know you've all seen it. You're posting in a D&D forum. Of course you've seen at least one buffy fight scene. You know how a fairly straightforward punch sends people flying back 10ft? That's a slam attack.

NullAshton
2007-06-12, 08:28 AM
When I think vampire slams, I think Buffy. I know you've all seen it. You're posting in a D&D forum. Of course you've seen at least one buffy fight scene. You know how a fairly straightforward punch sends people flying back 10ft? That's a slam attack.

Actually that's more like a slam attack with Awesome Blow.

Jayabalard
2007-06-12, 09:02 AM
there are several examples of slam attacks here (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MRkiouh5NEI)

Citizen Joe
2007-06-12, 09:09 AM
A slam is an unarmed attack where you shout "POW!" "BAM!" "WOOF!" in order to distract adventurers from realizing they should get an attack of opportunity against you.

EDIT: Oh, for a vampire drain smash, see the wraith attack in Stargate: Atlantis TV show. It grabs your chest with an open palm and sucks the life out of you that way.

AtomicKitKat
2007-06-12, 10:09 AM
I remembered what I wanted to say at last. A type of Slam would be like a Sumo Slap. You know, that thing they do where they squat and alternately thrust their palms towards you? Those are slams.

Diggorian
2007-06-12, 11:29 AM
I'm sigging this. :smallbiggrin:

Thanks. Harkens back to my 2nd edition days and our infamous out-house mimic or it's cousin the privy mimic, "It pays you back for the s**t it takes." :smallamused:


Actually that's more like a slam attack with Awesome Blow.

I agree, but that would be a cool houserule if all slam attacks had a weaker version of Awesome Blow to fully communicate the difference between it and a punch.

If a slam attack hits a smaller opponent by more than 5, opponent slides back 5ft unless that square is occupied.

MegasquidMan
2007-06-16, 09:55 PM
ok, for tl:dr (too long: didn't read) reasons, here's my interpretation of a vampire's slam attack:

Most likely a backhand, or a hammer swing (two fists balled up, and swung together).

For another example: let's say a monster with no hands has a slam attack. Does it have a tail? If it does, imagine a tail attack, but the monster swings it like one would swing a bat.

Mphelan
2007-06-16, 11:46 PM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Umaj-A8uDJE

Like this, maybe? :smallsmile:

Drider
2007-06-17, 09:31 AM
I kinda always thought "slam" would be a bodyslam, like with an ozze managing to jump at you (or be launched) and "slamming" you with its whole mass. but vampires would'nt seem like the type to bodyslam...maybe headbutting if they're head bangers...

Peregrine
2007-06-17, 10:16 AM
A slam attack, at least for a creature of humanoid form (if not Humanoid type), is just an unarmed strike by another name. It might be a punch, kick, elbow, clothesline... The mechanical difference is that a slam is a natural attack, not an unarmed strike, which gives it some different properties.

I've occasionally wondered whether Improved Unarmed Strike should just give creatures a natural weapon in place of an unarmed strike. The weapon type would be a slam. But it would involve some changes that I haven't fully investigated yet... (In particular, natural weapons use multiattack penalties, unarmed strikes use multiweapon penalties.)