Ioun Stone Protection

[DementedFellow]

Okay, so we all know these Ioun stones will circle around the character in a 3ft circle. Some grant really extraordinary magic. Funnily enough, we're not going to be concerned with any of them. We want the dull gray ones.

Let's say you start out with 15000 gp. Dull gray Ioun stones cost 25 gp. This means you could conceivably have 600 stones. Think of the AC boost. Attacker would have to Break through the circle of stones in order to hurt you. Consequently, you couldn't attack either. Unless you were a caster, then you've got your own little portable sanctuary. Granted, you can still be hurt by Area spells and whatnot, but arrows are virtually harmless.

Any thoughts?

[BRC]

Ion stones provide no protection against the faling rocks your DM will drop on you

[Crow]

I don't think this would help you all that much since all the stones need to be about 3 feet from your head. That means your entire lower body will be exposed.

[Kizara]

It works like this:

1) 1 Dull gray Ioun Stone grants 0 AC bonus.

2) Infinate Dull Gray Ioun Stones also grant 0 AC bonus.

My thoughts. Also, stop trying to kill catgirls.

[olelia]

So..protection vs blunt force head trauma? >.>

[The_Snark]

It's not terribly helpful, but they got rid of this type of ioun stone in 3.5.

[Felius]

I don't think this would help you all that much since all the stones need to be about 3 feet from your head. That means your entire lower body will be exposed.

And there would be around 600 rocks blocking your vision.

But it might work if you are a halfling and measures less the 3 feet.

[tyckspoon]

It's not terribly helpful, but they got rid of this type of ioun stone in 3.5.

Still there, actually; burning out spell-absorbing stones still creates them. They just don't have a separate table entry any more.

[DementedFellow]

And there would be around 600 rocks blocking your vision.

But it might work if you are a halfling and measures less the 3 feet.

This is kinda what I had in mind actually.

[Signmaker]

There's always the issue that the stones will bang in to each other, and that you yourself will be distracted (hello, spinning objects all around your head?) and that your vision will be obscured.

[Nebo_]

This is going on the list of stupid things that people think will work, but obviously won't.

[MCerberus]

I wonder how long it would take someone to go insane if there were a light or continual flame cast on a dull gray...

[LibraryOgre]

I wonder how long it would take someone to go insane if there were a light or continual flame cast on a dull gray...

Actually, that sounds like a really good use for a Dull Gray... cast light (or CL) on it and have a hands-free light source.

I am STEALING that idea.

[The_Snark]

Still there, actually; burning out spell-absorbing stones still creates them. They just don't have a separate table entry any more.

They don't have a listed cost for burnt-out stones, though. Finding hundreds of them could be problematic.

In any case, I've always seen ioun stones as being easy to knock out of the air, meaning that they wouldn't block any serious weapon attack.

[DementedFellow]

They don't have a listed cost for burnt-out stones, though. Finding hundreds of them could be problematic.

In any case, I've always seen ioun stones as being easy to knock out of the air, meaning that they wouldn't block any serious weapon attack.

Well, considering that they have 10 hit points and a hardness of 5, weapon would have to do a lot of considerable damage to get past them to the halfling inside. Not to mention that they have an AC of 24. Picture slashing into a rolling orb of stones. With that high AC for an cheapo magic item, it could conceivably happen that they would merely, "roll with the punches" and no damage is given at all to the stones or the person "wearing" them.

[Crow]

Yes, they "roll with the punches" and the maul plows on through to the halfling under them...

[MCerberus]

Actually, that sounds like a really good use for a Dull Gray... cast light (or CL) on it and have a hands-free light source.

I am STEALING that idea.

That's essentially all they're good for... unless you can convince your DM that you can inscribe REALLY TINY explosive runes and sell the thing to your enemies.

One of my fighters had one. I kept thinking how annoying the little bugger would be.

[The_Snark]

The thing is, you don't have to smash through them—you'd just need to knock them out of the air, or aside a bit. They're not at all hard to budge from their orbits. A club is just going to bat the stones aside on its way to the halfling in the center.

It's like trying to claim that a bead curtain is an impenetrable barrier.

You might be able to wrangle concealment out of it, but you'd suffer all the same drawbacks they would.

[LibraryOgre]

They don't have a listed cost for burnt-out stones, though. Finding hundreds of them could be problematic.

http://www.d20srd.org/srd/psionic/items/basics.htm

Psionicists like them. A 1 point cognizance crystal costs 1000gp, but can be reused. Given that Dull Greys have value about on par with a 1st level scroll, by a 1st level caster (i.e. can only be used once, by those with the ability to access those powers normally), I would say that a reasonable cost would be equal to that of a 1st level scroll by a 1st level caster, or about 25gp. That it floats instead of residing in a scroll case is a bit of a wash... while more accessible, it is also more vulnerable.

In any case, I've always seen ioun stones as being easy to knock out of the air, meaning that they wouldn't block any serious weapon attack.

Ioun stones have AC 24, 10 hit points, and hardness 5.

[RTGoodman]

It's not terribly helpful, but they got rid of this type of ioun stone in 3.5.

Actually, they're still around, hidden in the Expanded Psionics Handbook, I believe. I don't know if it has the cost, but you psionic characters can suck one power point out of a dull gray ioun stone, and thus disintegrating it.

Gimme a minute and I'll find the price.


EDIT: Found them, but they don't have a price, and apparently I got ninja'd anyway.

[LibraryOgre]

That's essentially all they're good for... unless you can convince your DM that you can inscribe REALLY TINY explosive runes and sell the thing to your enemies.

One of my fighters had one. I kept thinking how annoying the little bugger would be.

I'm somewhat influenced by "Rhialto the Marvellous." One of the characters in the book had spent several hundred (thousand?) alone with nothing but his IOUN stones (which absorbed spell levels, incidentally) and had named them. He had dozens.

[MCerberus]

Ioun stones have AC 24, 10 hit points, and hardness 5.

I think what was meant is that if you hold a steel plate in the path of an ioun stone, the thing doesn't just zip through it ripping a hole in the thing, it just makes a thunk and falls down.

[LibraryOgre]

I think what was meant is that if you hold a steel plate in the path of an ioun stone, the thing doesn't just zip through it ripping a hole in the thing, it just makes a thunk and falls down.

I read "a serious weapon attack" as attempting to play baseball with someone's head comets.

[Ozymandias]

The thing is, you don't have to smash through them—you'd just need to knock them out of the air, or aside a bit. They're not at all hard to budge from their orbits. A club is just going to bat the stones aside on its way to the halfling in the center.

Mr(s) Snark, how many bashes does it take to get to the halfling center of an Ioun stone pop?

Just One.

I think the AC/Hardness is irrelevant, as the stones aren't the target but an impediment thereto.

[Collin152]

If you get enough of them, can a gnome use them as a platform to shot his crossbow from?
If so, chalk up one more use for both ion stones and Gnomes.

[MCerberus]

I read "a serious weapon attack" as attempting to play baseball with someone's head comets.

Okay that's it. Time to create rules for Ioun Stone baseball.

@V I'm a computer programmer. I live my whole life with *klink* *fall down*, unfortunately.

[DementedFellow]

I think what was meant is that if you hold a steel plate in the path of an ioun stone, the thing doesn't just zip through it ripping a hole in the thing, it just makes a thunk and falls down.

I'm still of the opinion that it wouldn't "fall down". Think of the asteroid belt. Are we do assume that when two asteroids smash into each other they will no longer be affected by the gravitational pull and will plummet straight down?

If someone held something in the way, chances are they would go around or change course. Not go *klink* and fall down.

[Crow]

If someone held something in the way, chances are they would go around or change course. Not go *klink* and fall down.

So what you're saying is that the stones would move to avoid the blow that is coming towards the halfling...

[Collin152]

No, they'd resist the obstruction in an effort to continue their orbit.

[DementedFellow]

Mr(s) Snark, how many bashes does it take to get to the halfling center of an Ioun stone pop?

Just One.

I think the AC/Hardness is irrelevant, as the stones aren't the target but an impediment thereto.

It would give concealment bonus to AC. Besides, where would you attack? How deep? You're looking at a 40-50% miss chance and even if you get a 9/10ths concealment - that's still a +10 concealment bonus to AC.