What happens if a Goblin Skull Bomb...

[hotflungwok]

So my players found a chest with a Goblin Skull Bomb in it:

An ember glow lights the beady eyes of this blackened, burned out goblin’s skull. It is very brittle and shatters if dropped on solid ground. When a goblin skull bomb breaks, the very last creature to touch it bursts into a raging magical flame, automatically suffering 5d6 points of fire damage and also catching fire should it fail a Reflex save (DC 13). If this kills the creature, its body burns away in one round, leaving behind only a pile of ash and the creature’s blackened, burned-out skull, which is a new goblin skull bomb. If the target survives the fire, doesn’t have a skull, or if its skull is destroyed before another creature touches it, it does not create a new goblin skull bomb.

A skull bomb can be used as a thrown weapon with a range increment of 10 feet. If the attacker hits, the skull shatters, immolating the target as described above. If the attacker misses, the skull breaks upon the floor or another nearby hard surface and the attacker bursts into flame. Touching the skull using gloves, gauntlets, or handheld items such as tools or weapons counts as touching the skull. It can be safely moved using spells (such as mage hand or telekinesis) or attacked with ranged weapons (hardness 0, 1 hp).

They didn't know what was in the chest (also some gold and a few other misc magic items), and didn't actually try to open it. One of the players picked the chest up and smashed it on the ground, apparently in an attempt to avoid any traps (they don't have a rogue). Now, this was after killing all the ogres in the cave, to whom the chest previously belonged.

So, of course the skull breaks. But, the last being to touch it is now dead. And the player who broke it didn't touch it. So what happens?

I ruled it burst into flames and damaged one of the misc magic items. Is there a better resolution to this?

[Vizzerdrix]

Nothing says the skull bursts into flames, just the last critter to touch it. Id have one of the bodies burst into flame and start a fire in the cave.

Edit- but that second half says touching it with a tool or weapon counts. Hmm...

[Lord of Shadows]

I ruled it burst into flames and damaged one of the misc magic items. Is there a better resolution to this?

Consider...


When a goblin skull bomb breaks, the very last creature to touch it bursts into a raging magical flame, automatically suffering 5d6 points of fire damage and also catching fire should it fail a Reflex save (DC 13).


A skull bomb can be used as a thrown weapon with a range increment of 10 feet. If the attacker hits, the skull shatters, immolating the target as described above. If the attacker misses, the skull breaks upon the floor or another nearby hard surface and the attacker bursts into flame. Touching the skull using gloves, gauntlets, or handheld items such as tools or weapons counts as touching the skull. It can be safely moved using spells (such as mage hand or telekinesis) or attacked with ranged weapons (hardness 0, 1 hp).
It would appear that the PC who "picked up" the chest used a "tool or weapon" to pick up the bomb. Therefore, that PC suffers the described damage.

Some interesting reading over on the Paizo forums (https://paizo.com/threads/rzs2kanx?Goblin-Skull-Bomb) with the creator:


"If I had the luxury of editing, I would say that someone who touches a skull bomb gets a 'bad feeling' about it, or some other intuitive warning as the weapon attunes to them."

And... from a question to the author on the same Paizo forum:



(What about) crushing damage when in a backpack? The description seems to imply that striking the "ground" is what sets it off. How is the top floor of a three-storey building the same as the ground, but different than falling on your backpack?
"This is a very good point, and yes, it's one I dodged. One might also imagine a character falling off a ladder and shattering all the alchemist's fire in his backpack (not good), but it's not something the core rules cover so I saw no need to go there for the skull bomb.

In MY game? Oh yea. A character with one of these in a backpack (which wasn't also an extra-dimensional space) would be gulping every time he fell prone."

So, the orig author dodged the question, but indicates that in his home game, one of these in a backpack could easily go boom...

I vote for boom... with the included save to avoid catching fire. Smashing a treasure chest to avoid traps should fall into the "Famous Last Words" category.

[Lord of Shadows]

Alternatively, one of the Ogres could burst into flame and create a new Skull Bomb..

[Zanos]

I'd go for one of the ogres too. I wouldnt apply a curse to a player for touching a chest containing a cursed item, and a chest certainly isnt something I would describe as "handheld".

[hotflungwok]

So 1 vote for the player, 1 vote for boom (with cites), and 2 votes for ogres. I kinda like how applying it to an ogre should result in another goblin skull bomb for the party to play with. I might retcon it.

[unseenmage]

I'd go for one of the ogres too. I wouldnt apply a curse to a player for touching a chest containing a cursed item, and a chest certainly isnt something I would describe as "handheld".

Except that the OP described it as being hand held in this situation.

Player suffers the bomb

[Hand_of_Vecna]

The last touched by tag being transmitted through tools and weapons is kinda metaphysical. While I can understand some people arguing that the chest was a tool for touching the skull it seems to open a big can of worms.

Does bumping a table with the skull on it and knocking it over trigger the switch? What if the skull didn't fall off the table and break, but just tipped over or visibly shook on the table?
Will Goblin skull bombs placed on a wall kill the crew of a trebuchet firing on the wall?

Seems better to read "tool or weapon" strictly and have an ogre body burn up.

[Rijan_Sai]

I'm going to add another voice saying have the ogre burst into flame and become the new bomb. I like Hand_of_Vecna's example of bumping a table and knocking one off; there's just not that... "personal" connection that (most) curses seem to require.

Besides, wouldn't it be more fun to have the party be going back out, and being able to describe to them a scene of immolation with a " blackened, burned out [ogre’s] skull," with an "ember glow light[ing] the beady eyes..."? :smallbiggrin:

[unseenmage]

Bumping the table isnt anything like literally picking up the box the skull is in, by hand, and smashing the thing.

[Zanos]

Bumping the table isnt anything like literally picking up the box the skull is in, by hand, and smashing the thing.
Handheld means something designed to be held in the hands.

Merely because something is being held with hands does not make the object handheld. If a great wyrm picks up a house, it isn't going to trigger every skull bomb in it.

[unseenmage]

Handheld means something designed to be held in the hands.

Merely because something is being held with hands does not make the object handheld. If a great wyrm picks up a house, it isn't going to trigger every skull bomb in it.

Sweet. Means I can move goblin skull bombs via my boots.

Not designed to be held in hand.

Or a rock. Not designed at all.

[Hand_of_Vecna]

@unseenmage

So where would you stand on kicking the table or the chest the skull is on? Or the scenario of the trebuchet?

As I said my stance is metaphysical so obviously the boot triggers it. Clothes are well established to effectively be a part of the person wearing them in D&D with spells that only target objects not working on them and clothes always being included with the wearer on things that only effect the wearer.

A rock used to prod or thrown at the skull is clearly an improvised tool/weapon.

In the scenario described by the OP either the chest was being used as a tool/weapon on the skull by the PC or the skulls movement was incidental to moving the chest.

[unseenmage]

@unseenmage

So where would you stand on kicking the table or the chest the skull is on? Or the scenario of the trebuchet?

As I said my stance is metaphysical so obviously the boot triggers it. Clothes are well established to effectively be a part of the person wearing them in D&D with spells that only target objects not working on them and clothes always being included with the wearer on things that only effect the wearer.

A rock used to prod or thrown at the skull is clearly an improvised tool/weapon.

In the scenario described by the OP either the chest was being used as a tool/weapon on the skull by the PC or the skulls movement was incidental to moving the chest.
Using a box to relocate its contents is absolutely using said box as a tool.
That the goal was to relocate the contents to the outside of the box is incidental.