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Reading through the Whispering cairn, I noticed that the Wind Warriors are listed as specifically wearing Ceramic Plate Mail armor.
Realizing that the party is handed a wand of Shatter, which specifically mentions ceramics in its spell description, it got me wondering how the Shatter spell would affect the Wind Warriors. I came up with this (add to monster description):
Shatter Vulnerability (Ex): Targetting A Wind Warrior with a Shatter spell erodes the ceramic armor that protects the elemental force inside. On a failed save, the wind warrior's Natural armor bonus is reduced by one point, unitl the natural bonus is entirely negated, leaving it only with its dex bonus to AC.
Should this reduce its CR at all? Thoughts? Better suggestions?
Shidara
Reading through the Whispering cairn, I noticed that the Wind Warriors are listed as specifically wearing Ceramic Plate Mail armor.
Realizing that the party is handed a wand of Shatter, which specifically mentions ceramics in its spell description, it got me wondering how the Shatter spell would affect the Wind Warriors. I came up with this (add to monster description):
Shatter Vulnerability (Ex): Targetting A Wind Warrior with a Shatter spell erodes the ceramic armor that protects the elemental force inside. On a failed save, the wind warrior's Natural armor bonus is reduced by one point, unitl the natural bonus is entirely negated, leaving it only with its dex bonus to AC.
Should this reduce its CR at all? Thoughts? Better suggestions?
Shidara
I never would have noticed this myself, but now that you've pointed it out (thanks, by the way!), I'm simply going to rule that the Shatter spell will affect the Wind Warriors as though they were crystalline creatures. They aren't, really, but I've always thought that was a bit too specific a description, and liberally allow the damage to apply to any creature composed of materials specifically listed as being broken by the spell's are of effect (crystal, class, ceramics, etc). This will simplify things as far as the Wind Warrior's vulnerability, along with giving the PCs a much-needed edge in a potentially VERY deadly encounter.
I suspect that the placement of the wand of shatter is as deliberate as any magic item's placement in an adventure. The wand give the astute wizard PC an opportunity to be very effective against the Wind Warriors (3d6 damage, Fort save for half). This shouldn't alter the EL of the encounter as I doubt most players will remember the wand after dealing with the Land remains and Filge. By the time they return to the Whispering Cairn, they'll be a full stregnth, likely third level, and really wanting to whack some monsters.
I suspect that the placement of the wand of shatter is as deliberate as any magic item's placement in an adventure.
Absolutely right. The wand of shatter is an excellent tool to use agaist the wind warriors and their ceramic armor. It doesn't alter the CR of the monsters or the EL of the encounter, though.
I also ruled that the wand of shatter dealt damage to the wind warriors as if they were crystalline creatures. I felt the encounter was very hard and thought this was a perfect opportunity to reward the PCs for their cleverness by ruling that their idea would work. Not only did the wand save their butts, but I awarded a Hero Point to the wizard for thinking to use it!
What effect would using the Wand of Shatter have on the Wind Warriors exactly??
Against crystalline creatures, shatter deals 1d6 points of sonic damage per caster level. The wind warrior's physical body is made of ceramic armor animated by elemental air. It's that armor that would take the hit; ceramic is close enough to crystal (in my opinion) that shatter would have the same effect on it.
Therefore, the wand of shatter (caster level 3) deals 3d6 damage per use to a wind warrior, with a DC 13 Fortitude save halving the damage done.
You need to be fifth level to take the Feat Craft Wand but shatter is only a second level spell. Unless it specifically states otherwise, wands are treated as being the minimum level of potency. Thus the shatter spells are only at a caster level of three. I suspect the Feat's 5th level prerequisite is for game balance to eliminate the possibility of hordes of 1st level wizards crafting wands of magic missiles/burning hands/charm person and terroizing the countryside with them. By the time they take the Feat, they're likely to be after wands of fireballs/lightning bolts/etc.
I must really suck then...9th level wizard and made my first wand (I have had the feat since 5th) and it was magic missile at first level caster.Oh, you can MAKE wands of higher caster level than the minimum (metaspell feats are involved I think). But "standard" wands are at the minimum level...
No metamagic feats involved...you can set the Caster Level of a wand (or scroll or potion, for that matter) to anything you like, as long as it is not above your own caster level or below the minimum Caster Level required to cast the spell in question. Of course, the higher you set the CL, the more expensive the item is to craft
...It's that armor that would take the hit; ceramic is close enough to crystal (in my opinion) that shatter would have the same effect on it.
You're absolutely correct about ceramics having crystalline lattices! You must've been a Chemisty major or minor in college!
OK. Here's the Shatter spell: "Area or Target: 5-ft.-radius spread; or one solid object or one crystalline creature
Saving Throw: Will negates (object); Will negates (object) or Fortitude half; see text
Shatter creates a loud, ringing noise that breaks brittle, nonmagical objects; sunders a single solid, nonmagical object; or damages a crystalline creature.
Used as an area attack, shatter destroys nonmagical objects of crystal, glass, ceramic, or porcelain. All such objects within a 5-foot radius of the point of origin are smashed into dozens of pieces by the spell. Objects weighing more than 1 pound per your level are not affected, but all other objects of the appropriate composition are shattered.
Alternatively, you can target shatter against a single solid object, regardless of composition, weighing up to 10 pounds per caster level. Targeted against a crystalline creature (of any weight), shatter deals 1d6 points of sonic damage per caster level (maximum 10d6), with a Fortitude save for half damage."
Taking the first option, Area, you basically have a 5 ft radius sphere. Will negates though.
So, if a player casts invisible, then walks up to the Wind Warrior with the wand and the Warrior doesn't detect the player and the player uses the wand on it, I'm thinking that the player KILLS the warrior if the warrior fails the Will save.
On page 47, middle column, 2nd paragraph of Issue 124 says,
"Suits of ceramic cermonial plate armor and swords were infused with minor air spirits to create these graceful soldiers"
If there is no ceramic cermonial plate armor, then nothing is holding the air spirits there; they were infused. So, no more warrior. Poof! I got stuck on infusion. I took that as they were tied together. From Merriam-Webster, "infusing: to cause to be permeated with something (as a principle or quality) that alters usually for the better"
I'm really new to this so I may have goofed this up as a DM but that's how I played it. The shatter wand, in one shot obliterated ALL of the armor that was infused to the air spirit and pretty much killed it; I was thinking it was like ripping the shell off of a turtle only worse (gross <grin>).
The only question I have, "Was the ceramic magic or not?" If it was, then he couldn't do it. I flipped a coin and said it wasn't magic. I probably goofed that too.
They still almost got their butts kicked before they thought about this and had to flee the room once, heal and regroup. So, it wasn't a cake walk and really gave them a scare. It was fun. That's when they took stock of what they had and the Wizard remembered the description of the Warriors, "An ancient suit of ceramic armor . . . " the rest is history.
Any thoughts?
My PCs were having a tough time with the wind warriors, having lost lost both of their meat shields in the first half dozen rounds of combat, and the sorcerer having exhausted all of his Magic Missile uses.It became apparent early on in combat that they had missed the ceramic armour implications so after a few DM descriptives about the armour 'shattering' whenever they were dealt damage and the ceramic pieces dissolving as they fell eventually triggered a response from the rogue who yelled at the sorcerer 'to try the blasted wand he wanted soo badly earlier on'. Zip Zap POOF and the wind warriors were no longer a problem, a TPK was avoided (1 death, critical hit when you're on single digits is not the best...) and the players all left happy thinking they'd saved the day and beaten the big bads :)
my group left the cairn to rest and recuperate after finding the wand of shatter, then went and did the true tomb. they also sold off most of the "not-immidiatly useful that we can see" loot that they had found, including the wand of shatter.
-growl-
the wind warriors almost TPK'd them, instead taking out 2 of 3 gestalt characters and leaving the third at 1 hit point sprinting out of the room.
they keep playing the kick-in the door route, and It's gonna get them fully killed off at least once. we're just moving into hall of harsh reflections - but I'm betting that the TPK will come in spire of long shadows - the library, with all the swords of kyuss is going to be a very ugly encounter, if they just kick in the door.
OK. Here's the Shatter spell: "Area or Target: 5-ft.-radius spread; or one solid object or one crystalline creature
Saving Throw: Will negates (object); Will negates (object) or Fortitude half; see text
Shatter creates a loud, ringing noise that breaks brittle, nonmagical objects; sunders a single solid, nonmagical object; or damages a crystalline creature.
Used as an area attack, shatter destroys nonmagical objects of crystal, glass, ceramic, or porcelain. All such objects within a 5-foot radius of the point of origin are smashed into dozens of pieces by the spell. Objects weighing more than 1 pound per your level are not affected, but all other objects of the appropriate composition are shattered.
Alternatively, you can target shatter against a single solid object, regardless of composition, weighing up to 10 pounds per caster level. Targeted against a crystalline creature (of any weight), shatter deals 1d6 points of sonic damage per caster level (maximum 10d6), with a Fortitude save for half damage."
Taking the first option, Area, you basically have a 5 ft radius sphere. Will negates though.
So, if a player casts invisible, then walks up to the Wind Warrior with the wand and the Warrior doesn't detect the player and the player uses the wand on it, I'm thinking that the player KILLS the warrior if the warrior fails the Will save.
The area attack of Shatter would not have worked on the Wind Warriors. If you notice, it states that when used against a creature of the appropriate type (which the Wind Warriors are), it does 1d6 damage per caster level (3rd for the wand) against a single creature with a fortitude save allowed for half damage. The Wind Warriors aren't valid targets for the area effect, first because they are creatures and not objects, and second because they certainly weigh more than the 1 pound per caster level limit on that version.