| Sakoyo |
Hi. I have a few questions about Wind Walk that I'm not sure how to handle. First, here's the description of the spell:
You alter the substance of your body to a cloudlike vapor (as the gaseous form spell) and move through the air, possibly at great speed. You can take other creatures with you, each of which acts independently.
Normally, a wind walker flies at a speed of 10 feet with perfect maneuverability. If desired by the subject, a magical wind wafts a wind walker along at up to 600 feet per round (60 mph) with poor maneuverability. Wind walkers are not invisible but rather appear misty and translucent. If fully clothed in white, they are 80% likely to be mistaken for clouds, fog, vapors, or the like.
A wind walker can regain its physical form as desired and later resume the cloud form. Each change to and from vaporous form takes 5 rounds, which counts toward the duration of the spell (as does any time spent in physical form). As noted above, you can dismiss the spell, and you can even dismiss it for individual wind walkers and not others.
For the last minute of the spell's duration, a wind walker in cloud form automatically descends 60 feet per round (for a total of 600 feet), though it may descend faster if it wishes. This descent serves as a warning that the spell is about to end.
My party is trying to sneak into a fort and decided to use Wind Walk to get there. They're doing it at night to make it harder to be seen. The fort has 4 watch towers with 1 Stone Giant in each. They want to go to each watch tower, transform back to normal form and get a surprise round on the Stone Giant to kill it before it has a chance to raise alarms.
I'm not really sure on how this should be handled. Would the giant automatically notice them in cloud form once they get within 60ft or should it do some kind of perception check? If it needs to do a perception check, would it have to do it when they get there and each round of transformation back to normal?
Also, the description for Gaseous form says that you can't cast spells with verbal components. Does this mean that while in mist form you can't talk?
Thanks for any help you can give me.
| Nothing |
Just because they can't cast any spells with verbal, somatic, or material components doesn't mean that they can't talk or gesture, it just means that any speech or movement is warped by the spell too much to use in the delicate art of spellcasting.
Moving at 600 ft per round at night, I wouldn't worry too much about any chance of being spotted (The party can move to 600 feet from the first tower, the guards can fail a perception check at -60 [plus darkness penalties], and the next round the party moves onto the watch tower, and then combat starts).
The real problem is that it takes 5 whole rounds to get back to physical form, during which time the party can't attack or cast spells, unless the caster dismisses the spell. If the spell is dismissed, the party needs to find another way to get to the other towers.
LazarX
|
I would give the giants a perception check to notice that the "clouds" are moving rather strangely. I believe that giants have low-light which will remove some of the night advantage.
The 80 percent chance to be taken as "clouds" in my mind assumes that the PC's are aloft, when they are closing to attack towers, that bet is at least somewhat off. I would run it as an opposed stealth vs. perception with the standard guard assumption of taking 10 on their perception checks. I would give the PC's a +5 or 10 bonus on their stealth rolls on approach.. if there is anything they can hide behind while they transform, that would be the deciding point.
| Nothing |
Even with lowlight vision, if the PCs are using stealth the giant has at least -60 to see them until they arrive.
The moment they reach the first watchtower it will depend on the exact situation. Normal Stone Giants have darkvision 60', so unless the party can find some way to get cover or concealment from him they will be automatically spotted when they hit 60'. If there's something on the watchtower they can hide behind, then they can make stealth checks (with the appropriate movement penalties) vs the giant's +12 perception for him not to notice them.
In any case, as soon as combat starts the other watchtowers can make a DC: -10 perception check (plus any range penalties) to notice the sounds of combat unless he can be killed immediately or someone casts silence.
Lowlight vision doesn't matter at all in this situation, unless there's some 300' radius light sources, because the giants will still see based on the prevalent lighting condition (dim or darkness).
| DungeonMastering.com |
The real problem is that it takes 5 whole rounds to get back to physical form, during which time the party can't attack or cast spells, unless the caster dismisses the spell. If the spell is dismissed, the party needs to find another way to get to the other towers.
So if the caster Dismisses the spell, the creature who was Wind Walked instantly returns to solid form? Why would that be the case instead of them needing the standard 5 rounds to transition?
| DungeonMastering.com |
Reason I ask is that this happened to our party last gaming session & the having to wait 5 rounds until transformed caused us to take a lot of damage in the interlude.
I've seen some people post that dismissing the spell instantly transforms the party while others say it still takes the 5 rounds.
But why would you dismiss the spell entirely if it still took 5 rounds? Why not keep it up just in case?