killing the tarrasque with pure melee

[hawkboy772042]

I would like to know the best strategy to kill the tarrasque with pure melee without any magic. However, potions and magical weapons are allowed.

Thanks in advance.

[Burley]

Tarrasque comes back? Wow...it'd been almost a whole month since the same question was asked. Is that a record?

Okay, read the Terrasque description. It can ONLY be destroyed with Wish or Miracle. That's it. Sure, you could Melee it until it was unconscious if you had the right equipment, but without Wish or Miracle, it'll stand up and eat you.

The End.

[Gorbash]

You can't. Simple as that.

EDIT: ninja'd

[Douglas]

Magic weapons are allowed, which includes the Luck Blade. There's your Wish.

I'll leave the matter of how to pummel it into unconsciousness for someone else.

[Solo]

Crusader with a 1d2 weapon that deals nonlethal damage and the right feats.....

[AKA_Bait]

If you are allowed magical items see if you can get a ring of 3 wishes (or a ring of one wish) or if only weapons, see if you can homebrew a Sword of Wishing or some such thing. As Burley Warlock pointed out, that's pretty much the only way you can actually kill it.

Edit: Bloody ninjas!

[Sir *TIM!!!!!!*]

Unless this Tarrasque is a variant without the Wish-to-keep-dead requirement, I don't think it is possible to kill it without using magic. Using a Bag of Holding+Portable Hole rift to the Astral Plane could send it away, but that doesn't seem to be what you're asking; I think you're asking for the best way to get the Big T 'dead' so it can be perma-killed with a Wish.

Hmm...

It has a nasty 18-20x3 critical, and the grappling+Swallow Whole ability isn't very adventurer-friendly either, so I would honestly stay out of reach (it has only a 20ft movement speed, but a 20ft reach as well. Watch out for the rush--it can move at a speed of 150ft once every ten rounds.

It would help to know the composition of your party, although I assume it's entirely or very nearly entirely melee.

Any strategy to beat the Tarrasque should rely on A. Not being hit. and B. Damaging it as fast as possible because A will happen at some point. It seems like you are getting in close without ranged weapons, so:

Potions and other one or few use items will be very useful. They will deplete your treasury, but are generally more powerful than many-use items. Freedom of movement effects will help too (protection from grappling will make the Tarrasque much less deadly.

Also, keep plenty of healing around, but make sure never to take a break from pounding away at the Tarrasque, because with regeneration 40 it can be at full health--from 0--in about a minute.

Haste, natural armor, and DR effects such as Stoneskin are a must.

[sikyon]

You can also kill it by removing the (Ex) Regeneration ability which provides the resurrection capacity. Polymorph it. Sword of polymorph any object?

[Deepblue706]

You could dual-wield lances and do a spirited charge. Just carry a luck blade in your back pocket, or something.

[Frosty]

Depending on the cheese level, you could build an Uber Charger that can easily deal damage in the thousands in a round. Do that, and cast Wish from an item before Big T has time to regen the damage. Make sure you have a ring of FoM. Make sure you have an item of Wraithstrike. Boost your speed to insane amounts. It wouldn't hurt to have an item of +20 Tumble either, so you can tumble during the charge.

[Rutee]

Tarrasque comes back? Wow...it'd been almost a whole month since the same question was asked. Is that a record?

Okay, read the Terrasque description. It can ONLY be destroyed with Wish or Miracle. That's it. Sure, you could Melee it until it was unconscious if you had the right equipment, but without Wish or Miracle, it'll stand up and eat you.

The End.

Actually, the Tarrasque's regeneration doesn't prevent death from natural causes (In the same way that Death Ward doesn't prevent you from drowning). It's possible to kill it without Wish or Miracle, but it pretty much involves Planar Shift to the Plane of Water, or a plane with Positive Energy.

And at any rate, apparently a Luck Blade can do it..

[senrath]

Actually, the Tarrasque's regeneration doesn't prevent death from natural causes (In the same way that Death Ward doesn't prevent you from drowning). It's possible to kill it without Wish or Miracle, but it pretty much involves Planar Shift to the Plane of Water, or a plane with Positive Energy.

And at any rate, apparently a Luck Blade can do it..

Actually, that's not right:

No form of attack deals lethal damage to the tarrasque. The tarrasque regenerates even if it fails a saving throw against a disintegrate spell or a death effect. If the tarrasque fails its save against a spell or effect that would kill it instantly (such as those mentioned above), the spell or effect instead deals nonlethal damage equal to the creature’s full normal hit points +10 (or 868 hp). The tarrasque is immune to effects that produce incurable or bleeding wounds, such as mummy rot, a sword with the wounding special ability, or a clay golem’s cursed wound ability.

The tarrasque can be slain only by raising its nonlethal damage total to its full normal hit points +10 (or 868 hit points) and using a wish or miracle spell to keep it dead.

[Rutee]

You're not slain when you drown. Good day to that. THe Tarrasque's regeneration doesn't protect against death. It protects against Death Effects, and Death by HP Damage.

[skywalker]

Actually, that's not right:

Luck Blades usually come with wishes installed. It's like a ring of three wishes, but in sword form.

[senrath]

Luck Blades usually come with wishes installed. It's like a ring of three wishes, but in sword form.

I know that part. The that's not right was to the "it can drown". Which apparently it can, my bad. But good luck holding it underwater for 70+ rounds.

[Solo]

I know that part. The that's not right was to the "it can drown". Which apparently it can, my bad. But good luck holding it underwater for 70+ rounds.

Infinite damage Crusader to the rescue!

[senrath]

Infinite damage Crusader to the rescue!

My problem with the 1d2 crusader is that technically you never stop rolling for damage. Meaning that you never actually do any of that wonderful damage, because you've effectively killed the game :P

[Rutee]

I know that part. The that's not right was to the "it can drown". Which apparently it can, my bad. But good luck holding it underwater for 70+ rounds.

Yeah, that's why you port it to the Plane of Water. Your job is done. In about 10 minutes it'll be dead. I think it'd take much longer if you sent it to a Positive Energy Plane (The kind where you gain temporary HP, enough to /explode/..) but should be possible on the same principle.

[Solo]

My problem with the 1d2 crusader is that technically you never stop rolling for damage. Meaning that you never actually do any of that wonderful damage, because you've effectively killed the game :P

And if so, does not the Tarresque also die?

[Rutee]

Well played. Divide by Zero errors do technically kill the tarrasque along with the rest of the universe. And you accomplished yours with pure melee. Very well played, sir.

[RTGoodman]

My problem with the 1d2 crusader is that technically you never stop rolling for damage. Meaning that you never actually do any of that wonderful damage, because you've effectively killed the game :P

I'd dispute this. Aura of Chaos says, "You can continue to reroll as long as a die shows its maxiumum possible result...". So, if you don't want to do so, you don't have to. Or, at least, that's the way I interpret it.

Infinite-Damage Crusader is the way I was going to suggest - hit it enough to where it can't regenerate in one round, and then use a luckblade, ring of three wishes, or whatnot to keep it dead.

[Deepblue706]

My problem with the 1d2 crusader is that technically you never stop rolling for damage. Meaning that you never actually do any of that wonderful damage, because you've effectively killed the game :P

Reminds me of the hypothetical superpower of "Timestop", which never actually implies you can make it start again. Nobody can argue this is unrealistic, because for all we know, people out there know how to do it - it's just they know they can't turn it back on, so they don't bother trying to prove it.

Another niche D&D can successfully emulate!

[elliott20]

This thread


D&D: geeks way of testing out knowledge that humanity was never meant to understand

[Burley]

Okay. So, it's agreed that you can't just Melee the crap out of it. You have to cast Wish or Miracle, be it from a caster, or an item. And, I think using a Ring of Three Wishes, or even a Luck Blade, being an item that casts a spell, counts as casting a spell, and, therefore, isn't killing it with melee. I'm fairly sure the OP didn't mean: What item casts wish for me?

Along with that, teleporting it to a plane to kill it would require a spell, would it not? Even if you found some way to teleport it with only melee (that'd be a pretty amazing crit), it still wouldn't "die". Send it to the Plane of Water, and it'll float around unconcious. That's it. Nobody Wished it dead, so, it floats around in the stages of drowning before actual death.
Also, the Positive 'Explosion" Plane trick wouldn't work, either. Once it gets that many temporary hit points, it explodes...dealing lethal damage...which it's immune to. So...yeah, it'd eventually go unconcious, but, still, nobody has wished it.

I say: It can't be done. If you don't have the right materials, leave the thing alone.

[elliott20]

Burley, this means though, that if the GM wants to bring the creature back, they can totally do it the Marvel way!

"well, actually, Tarrasques require more than that to kill. you see, you just trapped it in a prison of water... for now...."

Sequal-rific!

[Chronos]

The infinite-damage crusader isn't pure melee, though, is it? I thought you needed to cast a spell somewhere in there, to activate the Imbued Healing.

[Rutee]

Along with that, teleporting it to a plane to kill it would require a spell, would it not? Even if you found some way to teleport it with only melee (that'd be a pretty amazing crit), it still wouldn't "die". Send it to the Plane of Water, and it'll float around unconcious. That's it. Nobody Wished it dead, so, it floats around in the stages of drowning before actual death.
Also, the Positive 'Explosion" Plane trick wouldn't work, either. Once it gets that many temporary hit points, it explodes...dealing lethal damage...which it's immune to. So...yeah, it'd eventually go unconcious, but, still, nobody has wished it.

Oh it takes spells. I was objecting to the "It only dies to miracle and wish" stipulation, not saying a theoretical meleer can do it.

And, check the Tarrasque Regeneration bit, if you will. It prevents
1: Death Effects (Drowning and Death by OD of Positive energy are not "Death Effects", similar to how paralysis from Dex 0 is not a Paralysis Effect)
2: Death by HP Damage

Drowning and Deathby OD of Positive Energy are not Death Effects, or Death by HP Damage (There is no damage listed in the explosion. You die. The explosion is the visual effect).

[Funkyodor]

...The tarrasque regenerates even if it fails a saving throw against a disintegrate spell or a death effect. If the tarrasque fails its save against a spell or effect that would kill it instantly (such as those mentioned above), the spell or effect instead deals nonlethal damage equal to the creature’s full normal hit points +10 (or 868 hp).

Bolded for clarity. It states spell or effect, not Death Effect. So, Exploding on the positive plane would make it really angry, then back to full HP very quickly only to explode repeatedly.

Drowning is a gray area. I don't agree that

You're not slain when you drown. Good day to that. THe Tarrasque's regeneration doesn't protect against death. It protects against Death Effects, and Death by HP Damage.

If you are not slain when you drown then you are alive. There is only several status' available. Dead, Unconscious, or Alive.

Another complication is that you have to knock it down to -10 HP on the same round that you use wish. Else it will regenerate some and Wish won't work.

Baleful Polymorph / Polymorph any Object will work if you can get around the Fort save and Spell Resistance.

[Solo]

The infinite-damage crusader isn't pure melee, though, is it? I thought you needed to cast a spell somewhere in there, to activate the Imbued Healing.

Yes, but the point is, he's hitting it with a melee thing.

[Eldariel]

Hulking Hurler. Throw heavy things at it repeatedly. If it's unconscious until the end of the universe, it's effectively dead.

If you really want to do actual melee, make a character with Wings and high speed. Just rack up the damage with enchantments and what not, make dive attacks with Spring Attack, Dervish Dance, Pouncing Charge > Shadow Blink or whatever until it's dead.

I recall Trollbane coating allows you to kill Tarrasque. Something to do with the 'Ques text not covering non-magical effects that prevent regeneration.


Really, I want to see a character that can't solo Tarrasque on level 20. Now that would be something.