The acid pit spell says
In addition, exposed items carried by a creature in the pit may be harmed. Refer to Table 9–2: Items Affected by Magical Attacks (Core Rulebook 216). Items are affected one at a time in the order listed on the table, and must make Fortitude saves after 3 consecutive rounds in the acid or gain the broken condition.
What does the bolded section mean? Does it mean that one item per turn (the first applicable one from the table) takes damage until it breaks, then the next one starts taking damage? Do I roll the four objects most likely to be damaged as with a critically failed spell save?
Bumping (and necroing) this because it came up yet again and I still don't have a good answer. Any suggestions?
By the wording, it seems like you just go in the order stated on the table. No random roll. And it also seems like you don't even roll damage on the items. It seems like they make a save or end up broken.
Magic runes glowing with dark energy appear around Foxy's hand.
As this thread is the first one that comes up when you google the effect of Acid Pit on items and it got no extensive answer yet that saves the one searching for enlightment, I will try to shed some light on it by sharing my thoughts.
In addition, exposed items carried by a creature in the pit may be harmed. Refer to Table: Items Affected by Magical Attacks.
Items are affected one at a time in the order listed on the table, and must make Fortitude saves after 3 consecutive rounds in the acid or gain the broken condition. Objects with the broken condition (regardless of how they became broken) must make a Fortitude Saving Throw each round spent within the acid or be destroyed. The walls of the pit are quite slippery and have a Climb DC of 30.
1st Shield
2nd Armor
3rd Magic helmet, hat, or headband
4th Item in hand (including weapon, wand, or the like)
5th Magic cloak
6th Stowed or sheathed weapon
7th Magic bracers
8th Magic clothing
9th Magic jewelry (including rings)
10th Anything else
It is only referencing the table so we run with only the table and the description given in the Acid Pit spell.
Example: A creature falls into the pit - A demon wolf from the CC AP. The Acid pit cast lasts 9 rounds. The wolf has no shield. But he has a magical breastplate. This breast plate now gets a saving throw. Which raises the question what the modifier is for the roll.
Usually a harmful spell allows a target to make a saving throw to avoid some or all of the effect.
...
(object) The spell can be cast on objects, which receive saving throws only if they are magical or if they are attended (held, worn, grasped, or the like) by a creature resisting the spell, in which case the object uses the creature’s saving throw bonus unless its own bonus is greater. This notation does not mean that a spell can be cast only on objects. Some spells of this sort can be cast on creatures or objects. A magic item’s saving throw bonuses are each equal to 2 + 1/2 the item’s caster level.
Since a +1 brestplate has only a CL of 3 resulting in a fort save of +3 we'll take the save of the wolf (+9) as the breastplate is worn. As DC for that roll we take the DC of the Acid Pit spell, as we have nothing else given.
After being three rounds exposed to the acid the breast plate rolls a fort save. If it fails the save it gains the broken condition. And from there on it would have to roll a fort save every round until the spell ends or it is destroyed on a failed save. It it is destroyed, we move on to the next item on the list.
Now starts the guesswork.
I assume that if the breastplate makes it's first save, then it isn't affected by the acid at all for the rest of duration of the spell and we move on to the next item on the list.
For our wolf the next relevant item on the list would be his +1 falchion in hand. I assume, that it was not affected yet and gets two rounds free of rolls and only has to save after the third round.
Now we're back at saving for an item, as described above.
Lather, rinse, repeat.
Played out (ignoring the wolf who has no chance of getting out):
Nothing
Nothing
The +1 Breastplate gains the broken condition
The +1 Breastplate is destroyed
Nothing
Nothing
The +1 Falchion makes the save and is unaffected.
Nothing
Nothing
And then the Acid Pit Spell ends.
Feel free to point out wrong assumptions if you find some.
Yes, there's a very, very important point you're missing.
As soon as the victim of the pit is dead, all his items become untended. So they all dissolve as soon as they miss their saving throw - simultaneously.
Thanks for pointing out that I forgot that case.
Your suggestion sounds logical. But as the rule to affect one item after another doesn't make sense to start with from a logical standpoint, I don't see why I should leave the item destruction progression given by the Acid Pit spell only because the creature wearing/wielding them is dead.
But if you argue that a dead creature is no longer a creature and so this part of the spell doesn't apply anymore, then I'd say the saving throw/broken/destroyed part also no longer applies and you have items swimming in acid for 2d6 points of acid damage per round.
Which would use standard object breaking rules:
Energy attacks deal half damage to most objects. Divide the damage by 2 before applying the object’s hardness. Some energy types might be particularly effective against certain objects, subject to GM discretion. For example, fire might do full damage against parchment, cloth, and other objects that burn easily. Sonic might do full damage against glass and crystal objects.
Which means that the damage done vs. the hardness of magical objects would be neglectable.
Even though I forgot to consider this part (as the wolf from the example died in the last round of the pit) I'd stay with my original post and simply apply the acid pit rules until the pit ends, using the Fort Save modifier of the item (+3) as soon as the wolf dies and no longer provides his higher bonus.
Foxy, your description of damage to items sounds spot on. Since said items are magic, they should get a save to avoid dissolving in the acid, but once they miss it, by all means use "energy attacks" rule for the dissolving part. I would think that scrolls, books, leather, wood and other organics would get zero hardness protection, while metalic objects might still get to apply some or all of their hardness, and gems, glass or crystal objects would be effectively immune to destruction from the acid.
I have no idea whether the PF rules ever get into such minutiae, though. Still, it seems logical enough that players wouldn't question a DM ruling it this way.
Ever since the creation of this spell (in 2011?) wizard guides and forum discussions have pointed out that this spell has a major drawback of robbing the party of loot. YMMV.