Animate object with poisoned caltrops

[leegi0n]

I'm playing a bard that just reached level 12. Finally, after many moons of playing this character, I'm able to use the animate object spell.

I knew I wanted to use this when I started this character and way back, I had a batch of 30 adamantine caltrops custom made with a small hole running through them, so that I could thread them on a piece of wire.

My intent is to thread the wire through them so that they are one long object and animate that into a construct, which I would then use in combat as a flying mass of barbed wire, basically. I would store them in a jar with some sort of poison in it so that when I went to use them I would give them a good shake, open the jar, dump them on the ground, and animate them, sending them into combat.

How does this work on the technical side? I understand by reading the player's handbook what the damage would be for tiny objects, but how do I add that up considering there are many of them? How do I calculate the poison damage? How are they destroyed by an enemy?

If I understand the rules correctly they are a d10 HD. What would their total hit points be though, since there are many of them?

Finally, do you playgrounders have any creative, flavorful ideas for this?

Thank you in advance for your help.

[unseenmage]

They are no longer tiny objects. You've just made them into one creature. They get their listed slam damage, that's it.

The poison is just poison, it remains unchanged. Though if it is a contact poison it could be added to the Construct's slsm damage.

Now that they are a creature they are destroyed just like any other creature. That they could be destroyed easily as an object was contingent on their being immobile, they are now mobile.

They get the average hp of a Construct of their HD plus the bonus hp for the new larger size. There are no longer many of them, they are now one single creature.


Ideas hmm..
You could toggle them between creature and objects albeit limitedly. Use Animate Objects to relocate them then Dispel it when it is more convenient that they be many caltrops instead.

Animate Objects also animates many smaller objects so making them one object might not be necessary, especially if your goal is that they still function separately.

The Hardening spell and Augment Object spells could increase your Animated Object's durability. On wands or staves maybe?

Consider Invisibility as well if possible.

Shrink Item would allow you to poison more caltrops at once. Shrink item could also let you surprise deploy your barbed wire, surround an enemy with shrunken cloth form wire, then command word it to enlarge and suddenly what was an inconvenience is now a hazard.

[Quertus]

Yeah, you can treat them as one large object, or numerous small ones. Animate Objects affects a total volume - so Animate the jar, the poison, and whatever else you want to fill that volume.

Yes, the "creature" can be "killed" - use Make Whole to get your caltrop back in one piece. Or claim that the "spine" was severed, in the case of the larger construct.

I don't know that you can Harden them, though - I think both spells specify "non-magical". Being under the effects of such spells may disqualify them from Animate Objects, and being Animated may disqualify them from being Hardened.

[bean illus]

What about ...

Animate the wire only?

[liquidformat]

You are better off using animate rope which was available to you starting at level 1. The spell only requires it to be a 'rope like' object and not an actual rope so your homemade barbwire is a valid target of the spell. I think the best way to go is cast animate rope on the 'barbwire' while it is in the jar then throw said barbed wire jar at enemy and command it to enwrap said target.

Granted you will need to talk with your dm on the specifics of how it would actually work from there. Most likely it would have damage of spiked chain.

A similar option I have seen is getting a bag of endless caltrops with other weapon abilities cast on it and then flying around letting it snow on people...

[leegi0n]

What would animate rope look like if I applied heighten spell to it? I can prepare it at six level, if I'm level 12, right? If I were to send that out to entangle somebody; wrap them up and squeeze/slice, while it was covered with poison, what save would they get?

What would that damage look like (how to calculate) with, say, Wyvern poison?...