Crab Battle!

[shadow_archmagi]

What are the rules for fighting two Apparatus Of The Crab against each other?

My DM recently ran a game with a major city that had a Colosseum, and we registered for a crab battle. CRAB BATTLE.

Ultimately, we had no idea how to work the system, so both sides just made sunder attacks and the dice favored me, so I was able to rip the enemy crab's arms off first.

But the DM (and I) said it would probably be a good idea to go find REAL rules for crab battles! (OILIOLIOLOLO)

[Yora]

You have to attack their weak points.

[Jair Barik]

in order to inflict MASSIVE DAMAGE

[The Dark Fiddler]

I'm confused by what you mean. I'm sure it would just be a normal battle, except with the crabs battling.

Although I don't think Critical Hits would work. So no massive damage.

Edit: Well, here's the SRD entry on it. http://www.d20srd.org/srd/magicItems...ratusoftheCrab

[TheCountAlucard]

OLIOLIOLIOOO!

Thanks for that, friend.

[PapaNachos]

Hey, I'm the DM in question. I didn't plan out rules for how it would work before hand (I figured they would just watch.) Unfortunately they collectively made some good rolls and managed to get a sponsor and a crash course in how to operate these things.

Unfortunately we quickly discovered that 15 hardness is a problem when you only do 2d8 damage and have 200 hp. Ultimately we decided to ignore the hardness have just have them hit and sunder each other into submission.

[AstralFire]

This picture is relevant to this thread.


Also, Apparati of the Crab are awesome; I even made an improved version two years ago. I think making them bypass each other's hardness was a good call, though.

[Jair Barik]

Okay shadow_archmagi what you must do is this. Make a massive wager against the sponsors, bookies, organisers and players that your crab can beat any of the other crabs and whats more could take on multiple crabs simultaneously. Now take 360,000 gp (on't care how you get this, steal it, sell the crabs for it, take it as the upfront money from the bets whatever) and go buy yourself a seige crab or greater eige crab and a circlet. Now argue that your submission is still a crab and the rules don't deny it access and go kill everyone else with your DR 15/adamantium, your AC 37 and your 4 claw attacks per round for 2d6+10 damage with +21 to hit.

[PapaNachos]

I forgot to mention earlier that we also had some trouble figuring out what feats could be applied. I figured that combat feats like improved sunder could be applied, if the pilot(s) had it. I also said no magic for the fight, since it was in an arena and we were already fudging everything else.

Perhaps some of you have an idea of how we could go about making a battle system for this. Hopefully integrating targeting specific parts of the crab and allowing for customization.

[Jair Barik]

There was a construct battling thread in the style of robot wars a little while back. Really though the nature of the apparatus prevents any interesting fights between them without major changes to how they work.

[AstralFire]

This looks like a job for me!

[Myshlaevsky]

Okay shadow_archmagi what you must do is this. Make a massive wager against the sponsors, bookies, organisers and players that your crab can beat any of the other crabs and whats more could take on multiple crabs simultaneously. Now take 360,000 gp (on't care how you get this, steal it, sell the crabs for it, take it as the upfront money from the bets whatever) and go buy yourself a seige crab or greater eige crab and a circlet. Now argue that your submission is still a crab and the rules don't deny it access and go kill everyone else with your DR 15/adamantium, your AC 37 and your 4 claw attacks per round for 2d6+10 damage with +21 to hit.

Siege crabs are real? Oh wow, my life is complete.

[Lord Loss]

I haven't seen a thread this peculiar in quite a while...

[Callos_DeTerran]

Siege crabs are real? Oh wow, my life is complete.

You didn't know about Siege Crabs? Seriously? Those things are awesome, especially for a spellcaster to hide in as a mobile armor platform.

That said, I could see about building crab mechs (via Doomstriders or DragonMechs rules) if you want to use them, lemme know.

[mistformsquirrl]

This is the kind of thing the word "Epic" was created to describe. <. .>

...Though is it wrong to want several automated repeating crossbows and a light ballista on my war-crab? <.<

[Arakune]

This is the kind of thing the word "Epic" was created to describe. <. .>

...Though is it wrong to want several automated repeating crossbows and a light ballista on my war-crab? <.<

It costs extra, but we the designers are seriously thinking about a special edition that have those options as standard features.

[shadow_archmagi]

This is the kind of thing the word "Epic" was created to describe. <. .>

...Though is it wrong to want several automated repeating crossbows and a light ballista on my war-crab? <.<

I was very sad when the DM told my artificer that it was against the rules to modify them.


*sniff*

All I wanted was a laser cannon!

[RTGoodman]

If there is indeed a crab battle, my money's on this one:

Spoiler

Show

This may solve some issues.

Divine Pseudonatural Paragon Advanced Monstrous Crab (CR 33)

Spoiler

Show

N Huge Outsider (extraplanar, aquatic, augmented vermin)
Init +13; Senses darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision, scent, Listen +42, Spot +37
Languages Aquan
AC 86 (Size -2, Dex +13, Luck +15, Insight +12, Natural +35, Deflection +3), touch 51, flat-footed 73
hp 544 (16 HD)
Immune mind-affecting effects, transmutation, energy drain, ability drain, ability damage, aging
Resist fire 10, cold 10, electricity 35, acid 35
DR 15/epic
SR 80
Fort +34, Ref +28, Will +28
Spd 280 ft. (56 squares)
Melee epic tentacle +78 (2d8+46) or
Melee epic claw +78 (2d6+46) or
Melee 5 epic tentacles +78 (2d8+46) and
Melee 2 epic claws +78 (2d6+46)
Space 15 ft.; Reach 15 ft.
Base Atk +12; Grp +82
Atk Options constrict 4d6+46, improved grab, rotting constriction
Abilities Str 63, Dex 36, Con 39, Int 18, Wis 36, Cha 17
SQ amphibious, fast healing 20, constant insight, spell-like abilities, alternate form
Divine Rank 0, domain SLAs (Ocean, Water, Celerity, Animal, Watery Death), grant spells
Feats ToughnessB, Combat Reflexes, Improved Grapple, Power Attack, Awesome Blow, Multiattack, Improved Multiattack
Skills Balance +42, Climb +55, Hide +27, Jump +55, Listen +42, Move Silently +31, Spot +37, Tumble +42

Amphibious (Ex): Although an advanced Huge monstrous crab is aquatic, it can survive indefinitely on land.

Constrict (Ex): An advanced Huge monstrous crab deals damage equal to twice its normal claw damage plus its Strength bonus on a successful grapple check.

Improved Grab (Ex): To use this ability, an advanced Huge monstrous crab must hit with a claw or tentacle attack. It can then attempt to start a grapple with a +13 bonus as a free action without provoking attacks of opportunity. If it wins the grapple check, it establishes a hold and can constrict.

Rotting Constriction (Ex): Once the creature has hold of an opponent, each successful grapple check it makes during subsequent rounds permanently drains 2d4 points of Constitution. At the same time, the creature regains 10 lost hit points.

Constant Insight (Su): The creature makes all its attacks with a +15 insight bonus. The creature is not affected by the miss chance that applies to attacks against a concealed target. This bonus is included in the statistics above.

Spell-Like Abilities (Sp): At will—blur, dimension door, shield, unhallow. Caster level 35th.
At will—obscuring mist, fog cloud, water breathing, control water, ice storm, cone of cold, acid fog, horrid wilting, elemental swarm, calm animals, hold animal, dominate animal, summon nature's ally IV, commune with nature, antilife shell, animal shapes, summon nature's ally VIII, shapechange, entangle, mark of the outcast, control water, rushing waters, dehydrate, drown, contagious fog, horrid wilting, mass drown, endure elements, sound burst, water breathing, freedom of movement, wall of ice, freezing sphere, waterspout, maelstrom, elemental swarm, expeditious retreat, cat's grace, blur, haste, tree stride, wind walk, mass cat's grace, greater blink, time stop. Caster level 25th.
3/day—greater dispel, see invisibility, haste. Caster level 15th.

The DCs are Charisma-based.

Alternate Form (Su): At will, a pseudonatural creature can take the form of a grotesque, tentacled mass (or another appropriately gruesome form), but all its abilities remain unchanged despite the alien appearance. Changing shape is a standard action. Other creatures receive a -1 morale penalty on their attack rolls against pseudonatural creatures in this alternate form.

GOD OF CRABS.

[Jade_Tarem]

If there is indeed a crab battle, my money's on this one

It's super effective!

[Cieyrin]

I swear I saw a greater device of kwalish somewhere that instead of a crab or lobster, it took the shape of a dragon and it could fly! Bet it was a Dragon magazine, too. Damn Tinker Gnomes!

EDIT: Damn it, now I want to make a Gnome Artificer/Maester riding about in his modded Device of Kwalish. @_@
EDIT THE SECOND: I need to throw some Mech Jockey into the Gnome Artificer, too...

[Myshlaevsky]

You didn't know about Siege Crabs? Seriously? Those things are awesome, especially for a spellcaster to hide in as a mobile armor platform.

That said, I could see about building crab mechs (via Doomstriders or DragonMechs rules) if you want to use them, lemme know.

Naw, it's alright. It's just that a wee while ago I was collaborating on a setting that had Moby D- The White Whale as one of its gods. We came up with the idea of volcano-worshipping evil dwarves that used these huge biological horrors to attack the coastal & waterborne fortresses. Siege crabs.

Even if the ideas are different in execution, the knowledge that someone else arrived at the awesome contained in those two words long before us is satisfying.

[Cieyrin]

You didn't know about Siege Crabs? Seriously? Those things are awesome, especially for a spellcaster to hide in as a mobile armor platform.

That said, I could see about building crab mechs (via Doomstriders or DragonMechs rules) if you want to use them, lemme know.

We definitely need more DragonMechs on the forum and if this is the excuse to make them, I say do it!

[Yora]

Mecha Fantasy. That could be fun.

Climbing a siege crab and fighting all the goblins and ogres to get to the sphere of force that contains the power crystal.

[mistformsquirrl]

DragonMech is something I've always been sorry for not picking up... I may just have to remedy that in the near future >.< since the time I skimmed over it awhile back it looked rather interesting.

That's the setting with the world being mostly uninhabitable due to constant meteorfall, so the cities themselves are giant walking mecha, right?

[Cieyrin]

DragonMech is something I've always been sorry for not picking up... I may just have to remedy that in the near future >.< since the time I skimmed over it awhile back it looked rather interesting.

That's the setting with the world being mostly uninhabitable due to constant meteor fall, so the cities themselves are giant walking mecha, right?

Yes it would, though it's the moon coming closer to the world and the lunar bedrock getting hauled off by gravity to cause devastating lunar rains across the game world.

[Callos_DeTerran]

We definitely need more DragonMechs on the forum and if this is the excuse to make them, I say do it!

See, it's weird you say that because I just got my Dragonmech books back today. I'll whip up some quick...crab-mech variations and put them up in here.

EDIT: Sharikov, I was talking about making them for the OP, not to replace siege crabs. Those are awesome.

[Berserk Monk]

Crab battle? That's lame. What your DM should have done is had two Man-Bear-Pigs go head to head.

[Cieyrin]

Crab battle? That's lame. What your DM should have done is had two Man-Bear-Pigs go head to head.

This is lame?:

[AstralFire]

The awesome pictures in this thread are overloading it.

[Scarlet Tropix]

Monk, You dare deny the pure awesomeness that is Crab Battle?!?