For how long is the victim of a Screaming Bolt shaken?
The caster level is 5 and it's based on Doom. Does that determine the duration, or is it just 1 round by default?
Well, the rules seem sort of unclear. Doom targets only a single creature, screaming bolts target everyone within 20 feet of the path of the bolt, so there is already precedent for it doing its own thing. At my table, I'd probably rule that the duration would be short. Likely a d4/d6 rounds or similar. However, that is not RAW but how I would rule it at my table (after discussing it with the players). By RAW, the duration is infinite, since it simply states that the target is shaken and gives no conditions for its removal. However, RAW is often silly. Talk to your DM, or if you are the DM, discuss it with your players.
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I cannot find "Screaming Bolt" anywhere. Where is it? That should help me help you. Alternately, you can post the entire text of the spell/ability/whatever.
Core p.475
Screaming Bolt
Aura faint enchantment; CL 5th
Slot none; Price 267 gp; Weight 1/10 lb.
DESCRIPTION
These +2 bolts scream when fired, forcing all enemies of the wielder
within 20 feet of the path of the bolt to succeed on a DC 14 Will
save or become shaken. This is a mind-affecting fear effect.
Construction
Requirements Craft Magic Arms and Armor, doom; Cost 137 gp
I would rule it as Doom cast by a 5th level caster. Refer questions about it against Doom unless otherwise specified
Thanks Harkaelian. I ended up just running a basic Google search and found it.
Does the "one round" end at the start of my next turn, or the end of my next turn? My thought is to use this in conjunction with Shatter Defences so it make a big difference.
Thanks for the official answer but do we have somewhere to confirm that James, as a specific or general rule? I know that the Sleep Arrows don't have a duration either. I'm sure there are other items lacking duration that my players might run into.
Creative Director
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Does the "one round" end at the start of my next turn, or the end of my next turn? My thought is to use this in conjunction with Shatter Defences so it make a big difference.
Since the effect begins when you shoot the screaming bolt on your turn, it should end at the start of your next turn.
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Creative Director
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Thanks for the official answer but do we have somewhere to confirm that James, as a specific or general rule? I know that the Sleep Arrows don't have a duration either. I'm sure there are other items lacking duration that my players might run into.
At this point, this is as official a ruling as it gets. The book should certainly have listed a duration for a screaming bolt and a sleep arrow's effect, and that's something that I'll have to talk to Jason about perhaps including in an upcoming errata if that hasn't already been included in the next round of errata.
For sleep arrows, the sleep effect should last until the sleeping creature wakes up, either because he woke natural after 8 hours or because he was jostled awake by an ally or took damage or made a Perception check to hear something that would wake him up. Of course, in the middle of a combat, that would be a DC 0 Perception check for the sleeping creature to hear the sounds of battle, making sleep arrows more or less a 1 round duration effect in battle anyway.
Thanks for the official answer but do we have somewhere to confirm that James, as a specific or general rule? I know that the Sleep Arrows don't have a duration either. I'm sure there are other items lacking duration that my players might run into.At this point, this is as official a ruling as it gets. The book should certainly have listed a duration for a screaming bolt and a sleep arrow's effect, and that's something that I'll have to talk to Jason about perhaps including in an upcoming errata if that hasn't already been included in the next round of errata.
For sleep arrows, the sleep effect should last until the sleeping creature wakes up, either because he woke natural after 8 hours or because he was jostled awake by an ally or took damage or made a Perception check to hear something that would wake him up. Of course, in the middle of a combat, that would be a DC 0 Perception check for the sleeping creature to hear the sounds of battle, making sleep arrows more or less a 1 round duration effect in battle anyway.
So you're telling me that an arrow that is based off of sleep induces natural sleep??? Then please tell me why ANYONE would ever buy a sleep arrow when drow poison is available. Drow poison has 1 minute minimum duration of "unconsciousness" and the sleep arrow only has 1 round natural sleep?
Saves: Drow 14, arrow 11
Cost: Drow 75, arrow 132 (66 to make yourself, only 9 gold saved)
And the drow poison has the added benefit of enhanced DC for iterative attacks. I'm sorry but I just don't buy your rulings at all on this one.
reading over the item I agree with James conclusions about the sleep arrow (ie it is the same conclusion I would have come to). Had the arrow said it made somebody fall asleep as the sleep spell, I would say that normal noise wouldn't wake them up, but as it is they simply fall into a 'natural' sleep.
as for it being weaker then drow poison, I would guess that most GMs make drow poison somewhat hard to come by (unless you play an underdark game).
Plus poisons are sort of taboo in lots of places, so you have to deal with not only finding a place to buy them, but making sure your group (and any society you want to be a part of) is okay with you doing so.
reading over the item I agree with James conclusions about the sleep arrow (ie it is the same conclusion I would have come to). Had the arrow said it made somebody fall asleep as the sleep spell, I would say that normal noise wouldn't wake them up, but as it is they simply fall into a 'natural' sleep.
as for it being weaker then drow poison, I would guess that most GMs make drow poison somewhat hard to come by (unless you play an underdark game).
Hard to come by? It is the cheapest poison on the list, per raw price=availability. At its price its easier to come by than a chain shirt while shopping.
yeah, because those drow are on every street corner selling their poison.
if you refuse to use some sort of common sense while interpreting the rules you have much bigger problems then whether drow poison makes sleep arrows worthless or not.
yeah, because those drow are on every street corner selling their poison.
if you refuse to use some sort of common sense while interpreting the rules you have much bigger problems then whether drow poison makes sleep arrows worthless or not.
Just because the drow are the ones who discovered/used-to-a-fault/mass-produced said poison doesn't mean that they are the only ones capable of creating it. in fact considering its price and low creation DC it's a great place for an apprentice apothecary to start learning with. As you said, common sense, nowhere does it say that only drow are capable of its creation.
if everybody was using it, then I doubt it would still be called 'drow' poison.
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Just because the drow are the ones who discovered/used-to-a-fault/mass-produced said poison doesn't mean that they are the only ones capable of creating it. in fact considering its price and low creation DC it's a great place for an apprentice apothecary to start learning with. As you said, common sense, nowhere does it say that only drow are capable of its creation.yeah, because those drow are on every street corner selling their poison.
if you refuse to use some sort of common sense while interpreting the rules you have much bigger problems then whether drow poison makes sleep arrows worthless or not.
Maybe its made from a fungus common in the underdark but doesn't occur on the surface world. So perhaps only the drow can manufacture it and they might have a monopoly on its distribution. Still, that wouldn't explain the low cost. That loses me.
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Just because the drow are the ones who discovered/used-to-a-fault/mass-produced said poison doesn't mean that they are the only ones capable of creating it. in fact considering its price and low creation DC it's a great place for an apprentice apothecary to start learning with. As you said, common sense, nowhere does it say that only drow are capable of its creation.
I agree on this.
Now about the sleep arrow inducing natural sleep and not the sleep spell... In certain circumstances natural sleep is probably pretty cool. Taking out a couple guards on the way into somewhere, not wanting to kill them. Gives the party plenty of time to do what they need to and escape past the still-dosing guards....|
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if everybody was using it, then I doubt it would still be called 'drow' poison.
So nobody but a dwarf can drink dwarven ale? Or elves can only drink elven wine? I like Irish beer.....but I'm not Irish. I drink Italian coffees, love German sausage, and I carry a European mens' handbag. Guess some of that stuff needs to be renamed since they can't retain their country's descriptor if too many people from out of that country/region use it.
Thinking on this more, it would be funny if the drow didn't actually invent the poison (even funnier if they didn't use it at all), it was just named after them (similar to french fries in our own world).
another benefit of sleep arrows is that they do not deal lethal damage, so I can see them being issued to town guards and such if the civic government can afford them.
as a side note ALL of those naming conventions are thoroughly modern ones Fakey. Historically people did not often use such regional terms for things until the mid to late 20th century.
I'd allow screaming arrows (and sleep bolts) in my games with out hesitation.