The Hammer

[rbetieh]

If Durkon gets his hammer back right here and now (ep 1211), will it shrink back to normal size? What if he hands Minrah a short sword, would it become a greatsword?

[dancrilis]

Depends on how the spell works but based on the likely standard spell Righteous Might - the hammer would default to normal size if she lets it go and a short sword would become a larger short sword.

[Worldsong]

WE ARE THE HAMMER!

Sorry.

In any case I imagine that being given the hammer would cause the size to adjust.

[EmperorSarda]

[rbetieh]

Depends on how the spell works but based on the likely standard spell Righteous Might - the hammer would default to normal size if she lets it go and a short sword would become a larger short sword.

So, what happens if she throws the hammer, would it suddenly start accelerating even more due to constant Force and mass loss?

[dancrilis]

So, what happens if she throws the hammer, would it suddenly start accelerating even more due to constant Force and mass loss?

It would still hit the same round it was thrown I believe - but would hit like the normal version of the weapon rather then the larger one (from the spell).

[rbetieh]

I wonder how far back The Giant planned to answer this question with "I'm not going to answer"....

[The Pilgrim]

It would still hit the same round it was thrown I believe - but would hit like the normal version of the weapon rather then the larger one (from the spell).

Yep. throwing weapons revert to their normal size and make regular damage according to their normal size.

Projectiles fired from a projectile weapon, though, do damage according to the firing weapon increased size.

It's magic, it doesn't needs to be consistent.

[rbetieh]

Yep. throwing weapons revert to their normal size and make regular damage according to their normal size.

Projectiles fired from a projectile weapon, though, do damage according to the firing weapon increased size.

It's magic, it doesn't needs to be consistent.

Does that mean you dont get the +3 with Projectile and you do with thrown?

[Gurgeh]

+3 what? Size category changes work by changing the damage dice, not by giving static bonuses.

Thrown weapons would still benefit from the increased strength that the spell grants, since the wielder's stats aren't reduced retroactively. The same would apply to ranged weapons, providing they allow a strength bonus in the first place.

[Anymage]

So, what happens if she throws the hammer, would it suddenly start accelerating even more due to constant Force and mass loss?

Trying to apply real world physics to game mechanics is a fool's errand. Look up the commoner rail gun for the classic example.

[Fyraltari]

Trying to apply real world physics to game mechanics is a fool's errand. Look up the commoner rail gun for the classic example.

Is that a commoner with a rail gun, a rail gun shooting commoners, a rail gun made out of commoners or a commoner with a rail gun made out of commoners shooting commoners?

[Peelee]

Is that a commoner with a rail gun, a rail gun shooting commoners, a rail gun made out of commoners or a commoner with a rail gun made out of commoners shooting commoners?

...or are you just happy to see me?

ETA: to actually answer your question, IIRC it's a bunch of commoners lined up. The first one passes an object to the second one. The second one passes that object to the third one. The third one passes that object to the fourth one, etc. etc., all of which happens in one round (6 seconds). By the millionth commoner, the object is going at a small fraction of the speed of light.

[Fyraltari]

...or are you just happy to see me?

No, no, no, no, that's commoner, with an o and only one word.

ETA: to actually answer your question, IIRC it's a bunch of commoners lined up. The first one passes an object to the second one. The second one passes that object to the third one. The third one passes that object to the fourth one, etc. etc., all of which happens in one round (6 seconds). By the millionth commoner, the object is going at a small fraction of the speed of light.

Wait, how does this work?

Also I was actually kind of expecting a pile of commoners each standing on the next one's palms, Cirque du Soleil-style and all launching the guy above in the air at the same time or something. Kind of disapointed.

[The Pilgrim]

With the peasant railgun you can accelerate a shortspear to near the speed of light.

It still inflicts 1d6 damage + the Strength Bonus of the first peasant in the line.

[Peelee]

With the peasant railgun you can accelerate a shortspear to near the speed of light.

It still inflicts 1d6 damage + the Strength Bonus of the first peasant in the line.

Imean, in theory you could accelerate another peasant to near the speed of light, if the other peasants have enough strength to pass the one off like a shortspear. Which might make Fyr a bit happier.

[Fyraltari]

No but seriously, how does that loophole work? Is there a rule saying that commoners can pass objects to and fro in no time? And if that's the case why a gradual accelaration rather than the objects instantly going at lightspeed?

[Grey_Wolf_c]

Wait, how does this work?

Each round of combat takes exactly 6 seconds, by definition. Everyone is allowed to have 1 turn per round. If a million peasants are in the same combat, they can use their action to pass an object along a line. (Ignore that the first peasant in the line is 5 million feet from the last one, and thus likely in a different county entirely, so it cannot possibly be in the same combat). An object passed along the chain moved 5 million feet (1.5 km, in real units) in 6 seconds (~250,000 m/s, if I've done the math right... which would be a lot easier to tell if dead king's locomotion appendages hadn't been involved).

Grey Wolf

[Fyraltari]

Each round of combat takes exactly 6 seconds, by definition. Everyone is allowed to have 1 turn per round. If a million peasants are in the same combat, they can use their action to pass an object along a line. (Ignore that the first peasant in the line is 5 million feet from the last one, and thus likely in a different county entirely, so it cannot possibly be in the same combat). An object passed along the chain moved 5 million feet in 6 seconds.

Grey Wolf

Okay I get it, nothing specify that it takes a round for the thing to go from peasant A to peasant B, so players can argue peasant A and B both pass the thing to their respective neighbour in the same round and so on and so forth.

[Grey_Wolf_c]

Okay I get it, nothing specify that it takes a round for the thing to go from peasant A to peasant B, so players can argue peasant A and B both pass the thing to their respective neighbour in the same round and so on and so forth.

Correct.

GW

[The Pilgrim]

Imean, in theory you could accelerate another peasant to near the speed of light, if the other peasants have enough strength to pass the one off like a shortspear. Which might make Fyr a bit happier.

That would inflict about 2d6 of bludgeoning damage, plus str bonus. Rolling -4 to hit because it's an improvised weapon, unless the last peasant is proficent in throwing people.

Also the thrown peasant has to weigth 100lb maximum for an average 10 str peasant to toss him down the line (100lb is the maximum carry capacity for a str 10 character). So it has to be a really tiny peasant.

EDIT: Also, a peasant would count as a gargantuan-sized weapon, meaning a medium-sized creature can't use it at all. You'll need a larger sized creature at the start of the line to make the throw.

[Wizard_Lizard]

...or are you just happy to see me?

ETA: to actually answer your question, IIRC it's a bunch of commoners lined up. The first one passes an object to the second one. The second one passes that object to the third one. The third one passes that object to the fourth one, etc. etc., all of which happens in one round (6 seconds). By the millionth commoner, the object is going at a small fraction of the speed of light.

Slight problem here. They all have to be in the correct order because initiative.

[Peelee]

Slight problem here. They all have to be in the correct order because initiative.

Simple solution - they function like DM controlled monsters, who can take their turns at the same time in whatever order DM decides.

Or, even simpler, any who have their turn occur before they get handed the object readies their action to pass of the object once it gets handed to them.

[Fyraltari]

That would inflict about 2d6 of bludgeoning damage, plus str bonus. Rolling -4 to hit because it's an improvised weapon, unless the last peasant is proficent in throwing people.

Also the thrown peasant has to weigth 100lb maximum for an average 10 str peasant to toss him down the line (100lb is the maximum carry capacity for a str 10 character). So it has to be a really tiny peasant.

EDIT: Also, a peasant would count as a gargantuan-sized weapon, meaning a medium-sized creature can't use it at all. You'll need a larger sized creature at the start of the line to make the throw.

Okay but here me out, here.


Commoner babies.

[Peelee]

Okay put here me out, here.


Commoner babies.

They would definitely not do 2d6 bludgeoning damage, is the problem.

[Fyraltari]

They would definitely not do 2d6 bludgeoning damage, is the problem.

Commoner babies wearing helmets?

[Peelee]

Commoner babies wearing helmets?

Now you're thinking like a D&D player!

[SirKazum]

Isn't the use of readied actions an integral part of the Commoner Railgun? If all commoners ready their actions, they're guaranteed to all act instantly the precise moment the stick reaches them.

In either way, things like this illustrate what's the problem with smart-ass loopholes that utilize a mixture of rules taken literally to the exclusion of common sense and real-world science: either the situation works according to RAW rules (in which case, as someone noted, the railgun's damage is exactly the same that it would have if the last commoner in the line was the only one there and just threw the object normally), or things work according to science and/or common sense (as much of it as applicable in a fantasy setting), in which case the stick would only travel each round as much as it should in the real world and attain a velocity that people could pass it with in the real world. (FWIW, I'd say the reasonable way to play it is a mix of the two approaches; RAW by default to make it generally consistent, changing RAW by rule-0 when it stops making sense.)

[The Pilgrim]

Commoner babies.

The Church of Loki approves.

[EmperorSarda]

If Durkon gets his hammer back right here and now (ep 1211), will it shrink back to normal size?

Based off comic 591, yes it would shrink.