Helmed Horror Immunity

[MrStabby]

If you were a wizard creating helmed horrors, what spells would you chose them to be immune to?

I was thinking Eldritch Blast, Heat Metal and Booming Blade (if SCAG is active) else banishment.

The aim is to have a selection that sound reasonable in advance to make sure i am not tailoring immunities to the players (as their arrival will be unexpected) but would be a selection that a reasonable wizard would add to their creation.

I am not sure how immunity to a spell would be expected to work for things like conjured animals or animated objects, so I might want to stay clear of those unless I have a deeper expectations discussion with my players.

[Millstone85]

Since the helmed horror is already immune to force damage, what would it gain from being immune to eldritch blast? Ignoring the warlock's Repelling Blast invocation, perhaps?

On that note, the helmed horror is also immune to necrotic damage (bye, bye, chill touch) and poison damage (poison spray? eenope), so I call that thing the warlock killer. :smallbiggrin:

[Kane0]

It is very much a warlock's bane. There are few spells a warlock can use on a horror (taken from a level 14 'lock that narrowly survived a fight with a room full of them).
Fireball, Slow and Heat Metal maybe? Acid arrow and scorching ray are also good options.

As an aside, are they affected by force effects like forcecage?

[EvilAnagram]

I would go with Banishment, Hypnotic Pattern, and Heat Metal.

Those all ruin the HH's ability to remain a threat.

[Joe the Rat]

I'm going to have to up-level my anti-warlock "Land of Oz" team, and this will be a perfect replacement for the animated armor.

Fireball, scorching ray, shatter, web/entangle/spike growth/tentacles, heat metal... Banishment...

[MasterMercury]

The three spells suggested by the MM are heat metal, lightning bolt, and fireball.
You could probably exchange lightning bolt for a popular control spell, like entangle or web. Or not.
Shocking grasp? Eliminate a spell that have advantage on metal?

[Goober4473]

The most reliable use of the immunity, in my mind, is whatever their owner's biggest baddest area spells are. Fireball is a great immunity, for instance, not only because it's likely to be cast by their enemies, but it also lets an allied caster toss fireballs into melee without risking harm to the horrors.

[MrStabby]

Since the helmed horror is already immune to force damage, what would it gain from being immune to eldritch blast? Ignoring the warlock's Repelling Blast invocation, perhaps?

Ah, yes, a good point. I swapped the blast into the list at the last minute as I couldn't remember why it wasn't there. It seems an obvious candidate to swap out. On the subject of immunity, charmed is also on the list so Hypnotic pattern is maybe out.

Spike growth is a great spell (as are entangle or web)- but again maybe not so needed for immunity as the Helmed Horror has a fly speed.


The most reliable use of the immunity, in my mind, is whatever their owner's biggest baddest area spells are. Fireball is a great immunity, for instance, not only because it's likely to be cast by their enemies, but it also lets an allied caster toss fireballs into melee without risking harm to the horrors.

Also a very good point, although I am not sure this is the style of wizard i am going for. Still, it is potentially fun.

Shocking grasp was also a good suggestion - given that the horrors will want to hunt down spellcasters this would be good if they were backed into a corner.

[Arkhios]

Spike growth is a great spell (as are entangle or web)- but again maybe not so needed for immunity as the Helmed Horror has a fly speed.


Both Entangle and Web work three-dimensionally, imho. So, if your helmed horror was within the area close enough to be stuck with either of them it's fly speed wouldn't help much, Web isn't just a sticky sheet inches above ground, neither is Entangle only a few inches tall grass. I would think that Entangle would actually rise as high as 5ft. from the ground to be able to wrap around targets.

[MrStabby]

Both Entangle and Web work three-dimensionally, imho. So, if your helmed horror was within the area close enough to be stuck with either of them it's fly speed wouldn't help much, Web isn't just a sticky sheet inches above ground, neither is Entangle only a few inches tall grass. I would think that Entangle would actually rise as high as 5ft. from the ground to be able to wrap around targets.

Entangle is only 5ft high - easy enough to fly over, even indoors. Web can fill a space but it if it is unsupported then it collapses down - so no use outside or in larger rooms. Also for both of these they target strength - the Helmed Horror's highest stat and the HH will get advantage on the save (but not ability check).

[Arkhios]

Entangle is only 5ft high - easy enough to fly over, even indoors. Web can fill a space but it if it is unsupported then it collapses down - so no use outside or in larger rooms. Also for both of these they target strength - the Helmed Horror's highest stat and the HH will get advantage on the save (but not ability check).

Yes, it could fly over them, but only if it wasn't within the area of effect when the spell was cast. My point was that flight in itself doesn't exactly make you immune to being restrained if you were within the area and range when entangle or web is cast. Being immune to restrained condition is another beast altogether.

[MrStabby]

Yes, it could fly over them, but only if it wasn't within the area of effect when the spell was cast. My point was that flight in itself doesn't exactly make you immune to being restrained if you were within the area and range when entangle or web is cast. Being immune to restrained condition is another beast altogether.

I am not sure why it would be on the ground in the first place when it can fly. It isn't a limited ability that needs to be rationed. Even if entangle is cast underneath the Horror it doesn't make a difference to it.

[Maxilian]

I am not sure why it would be on the ground in the first place when it can fly. It isn't a limited ability that needs to be rationed. Even if entangle is cast underneath the Horror it doesn't make a difference to it.

His targets will be most likely on ground, and i think the HH is a melee based mob, so... i imagine they will try to use fly to close distance as fast as they can but they will not leave ground per se, they will basically just fly a couple of feets over the ground to get there faster -Unless there is an effect applied that it will try to avoid-

[MrStabby]

His targets will be most likely on ground, and i think the HH is a melee based mob, so... i imagine they will try to use fly to close distance as fast as they can but they will not leave ground per se, they will basically just fly a couple of feets over the ground to get there faster -Unless there is an effect applied that it will try to avoid-

I suppose it is a trade off for the benefits between being 5ft above ground and being 1 ft above ground.

5ft above ground avoids entangle (and any other 5 ft high effects/fog clouds) and everything 1 ft above ground does. Both can attack targets at ground level.

9 enemies can attack a creature 5ft up vs 8 on the ground (assuming neither fly).

There is no falling damage from 5ft up, so that isn't an issue.

I am just not seeing a case for the HH to remain close to the ground rather than 5ft up. What are the benefits to being lower that I am missing?

[SharkForce]

Entangle is only 5ft high - easy enough to fly over, even indoors. Web can fill a space but it if it is unsupported then it collapses down - so no use outside or in larger rooms. Also for both of these they target strength - the Helmed Horror's highest stat and the HH will get advantage on the save (but not ability check).

just for clarity, web collapses when unsupported, but it does *not* collapse immediately. it will last until the end of the caster's next turn, which may be long enough to cause any target(s) to fall to the ground (provided the DM makes a ruling that the web is not in fact some sort of gravity-defying object that both stays up in the air and restrains any targets in the air as well, and that the target is within 1 round of falling distance to the ground. also provided the DM feels that the creature in question does not need to be able to move to maintain their altitude... so this particular trick may not work on a helmed horror specifically).

additionally, web does target strength to escape, but it targets dexterity to avoid, and escaping requires spending an action, so web immunity doesn't sound like a bad idea to me.

(also web can be placed between 2 objects that intersect a space up in the air, such as between a floor and ceiling, or between the tops of 2 trees, and can even be placed along a flat surface, such as on the ceiling to capture a helmed horror flying 5 feet up in the air without capturing the adventuring party that is 5 feet lower down).