I have a question that just came up in a convention we are currently at.
a Large Air Elemental turned into a whirlwind grabbed two players who failed their saves and flew 100ft into the air and then dropped the players.
Here's the question:
Is using whirlwind an action or is just being in the creatures reach enough to trigger the characters in the whirlwind
What is the damage:
Do the players take 5d6 damage from the whirlwind attack and 10d6 for being dropped 100ft up?
Thanks
Greetings, fellow traveller.
What happened in sequence:
PC1 comes into contact with whirlwind or the Elemental enters (with a move action) her square without provoking an attack of opportunity, afterwards the same happens to PC2 - it cannot engulf two PCs at the same time, since the whirlwind is only 5 feet wide at its base (see below).
After coming into contact --> 1st REF save, fail: take damage as if hit by Elemental's slam attack.
Immediately a 2nd REF save or be picked up bodily, automatically taking damage (see above) each round.
Falling damage is 1d6/10 feet.
Slam attack of a large Air Elemental is 1d8+4
For transformation from Air Elemental to whirlwind, I would say it is a standard action to do so for the Elemental, since it uses a SU ability (transformation therefore does not provoke an AoO either).
Ruyan.
The whirlwind is always 5 feet wide at its base [...] but it must be at least 10 feet high.
The whirlwind form does not provoke attacks of opportunity, even if the creature enters the space another creature occupies. Another creature might be caught in the whirlwind if it touches or enters the whirlwind, or if the whirlwind moves into or through a creature’s space.
[...]
A creature that comes in contact with the whirlwind must succeed on a Reflex save [...] or take damage as if it were hit by the whirlwind creature’s slam attack. It must also succeed on a second Reflex save or be picked up bodily [...] automatically taking the indicated damage each round.
[...]
Creatures trapped in the whirlwind cannot move except to go where the whirlwind carries them or to escape the whirlwind. Trapped creatures can otherwise act normally, but must succeed on a concentration check (DC 15 + spell level) to cast a spell. Creatures caught in the whirlwind take a –4 penalty to Dexterity and a –2 penalty on attack rolls. The whirlwind can have only as many creatures trapped inside at one time as will fit inside the whirlwind’s volume. As a free action, the whirlwind can eject any carried creatures whenever it wishes, depositing them in its space.
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I mostly agree with R.V.
I wish to point out that the falling damage is 10d6, but the last 10 feet fallen can be reduced. Read the Acrobatics(Jump) description. Also, monks may be able to avoid some of the damage if a vertical surface is nearby.
I'm not so sure about only picking up one PC, though. The quoted text says that the whirlwind must pass through the PC's square, but that's the only requirement. I would assume that a PC picked up bodily by the whirlwind would no longer be at the base anyway (although this isn't relevant based on the quoted description). So I'd say both PCs could be picked up and carried as long as other rules are followed (does the whirlwind have a weight limit or does the quote about "as will fit inside the whirlwind's volume" mean that weight isn't important?).