So our party encountered a War Bull outside some stone tower we have not gotten to explore yet. It kicked our butts (we are 5th level) so my character breaks off and tosses a rope over a tree (used dimensional slide to get it way up there) while its 3 poppets (Huey Dewey and Louie) tied the other end around the 100lb anvil from Louie's haversack. We manage to get it get it about 55 feat in the air before our bard cavalier taunts the bull and runs under. The bull follows and the Gm has me roll an attack to drop the anvil. I roll a nat 20 then a 19. So as we burst into laughter we tried to figure out what is the crit mod on a falling anvil?
For reference we ended up saying 1d6 per 10ft and a X3 mod. I roll over 50 damage and killed the bull by dropping the anvil on its head.
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I'd go with any improvised weapon having a crit of 20/x2 myself.
A body itself falling takes 1d6 per 10', but falling objects don't necessarily do 1d6/10 foot damage.
An anvil falling 50' (almost 20m) will be falling for less than 2s, and be travelling at about 15 m/s. The end of your average greatclub being swung around by a warrior is probably travelling at about that speed and with a similar mass.
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20/x2.
It's not a weapon, but an improvised weapon. No need to give it expanded crits or multipliers. Then everyone will carry anvils and spend days setting them up everywhere.
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20/x2.
It's not a weapon, but an improvised weapon. No need to give it expanded crits or multipliers. Then everyone will carry anvils and spend days setting them up everywhere.
*pops out of hole*
Eh that's a good point Doc!...Now which way was it to Las Vegas again?
Yeah I'd say just give it a lot of base damage and fall damage. Their used to be a formula in older D&D for calculating fall damage with weight and let me tell you that got op quick. So the fire giant falls on you and he weighs about 5000 pounds 10 feet so take 580d6. etc.
I don't see any reason the anvil should be more then 20x2 Its not like its made to hit a critical spot.
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20/x2.
It's not a weapon, but an improvised weapon. No need to give it expanded crits or multipliers. Then everyone will carry anvils and spend days setting them up everywhere.
*pops out of hole*
Eh that's a good point Doc!
...Now which way was it to Las Vegas again?
Keep going straight, then take the left at Albuquerque.
1} As has been said, it's - by definition - an improvised weapon; 20/x2.
2} It's only a hundred pounds. Equivalent of a large dog or typical child. That falling on a bull even from 55 feet high isn't apocalyptic. Sure, an anvil is (much) more dense, but still, the potential energy isn't all that high.
Cool story though. Good thinking.
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You are assuming this is a normally sized anvil. This may not be a valid assumption.1} As has been said, it's - by definition - an improvised weapon; 20/x2.
2} It's only a hundred pounds. Equivalent of a large dog or typical child. That falling on a bull even from 55 feet high isn't apocalyptic. Sure, an anvil is (much) more dense, but still, the potential energy isn't all that high.
Cool story though. Good thinking.
Are you suggesting an extra large, less dense 100 lb. anvil? Or a smaller, unusually dense 100 lb. anvil?
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This is the most awesome thread that has ever existed on these boards.
At the risk of sounding ignorant, what are the stats for a war bull? it doesn't sound like something that should be a problem for a 5th level party (not that I want to detract from such a cool story), but I can't find it listed in the bestiaries.
FWIW, a small child has been the cause of many deaths; prior to the universal introduction of car seats, small children hurtling through the air and hitting the back of an adults head was the commonest cause of death. All it would require is sufficient momentum and a lucky hit for the anvil to kill the bull; no-one would doubt that they got a lucky hit so the only question is whether they had enough momentum.
And I don't think the size matters, only mass and velocity.
I'd go with any improvised weapon having a crit of 20/x2 myself.
A body itself falling takes 1d6 per 10', but falling objects don't necessarily do 1d6/10 foot damage.
An anvil falling 50' (almost 20m) will be falling for less than 2s, and be travelling at about 15 m/s. The end of your average greatclub being swung around by a warrior is probably travelling at about that speed and with a similar mass.
Wait. Who's swinging 100lb greatclubs?
Wait. Who's swinging 100lb greatclubs?I'd go with any improvised weapon having a crit of 20/x2 myself.
A body itself falling takes 1d6 per 10', but falling objects don't necessarily do 1d6/10 foot damage.
An anvil falling 50' (almost 20m) will be falling for less than 2s, and be travelling at about 15 m/s. The end of your average greatclub being swung around by a warrior is probably travelling at about that speed and with a similar mass.
Crud the Barabarian. He straps a small child to his warclub before going into battle.
RPG Superstar 2011 Top 32
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If you actually want official rules:
Falling Objects
Table: Damage from Falling Objects
Object Size Damage
Small 2d6
Medium 3d6
Large 4d6
Huge 6d6
Gargantuan 8d6
Colossal 10d6Just as characters take damage when they fall more than 10 feet, so too do they take damage when they are hit by falling objects.
Objects that fall upon characters deal damage based on their size and the distance they have fallen. Table: Damage from Falling Objects determines the amount of damage dealt by an object based on its size. Note that this assumes that the object is made of dense, heavy material, such as stone. Objects made of lighter materials might deal as little as half the listed damage, subject to GM discretion. For example, a Huge boulder that hits a character deals 6d6 points of damage, whereas a Huge wooden wagon might deal only 3d6 damage. In addition, if an object falls less than 30 feet, it deals half the listed damage. If an object falls more than 150 feet, it deals double the listed damage. Note that a falling object takes the same amount of damage as it deals.
Dropping an object on a creature requires a ranged touch attack. Such attacks generally have a range increment of 20 feet. If an object falls on a creature (instead of being thrown), that creature can make a DC 15 Reflex save to halve the damage if he is aware of the object. Falling objects that are part of a trap use the trap rules instead of these general guidelines.
Based on what I can find online, a hundred pound anvil is only 1-2 feet in each dimension, so it's Small. Dropped between 30 and 150 feet it does 2d6 damage. I'd give it the standard 20/x2 crit rating so 4d6 on a crit.
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Keep going straight, then take the left at Albuquerque.*pops out of hole*
Eh that's a good point Doc!
...Now which way was it to Las Vegas again?
No! Left takes you to....
...Oh dear, he's gone already.
The only correct answer is: whatever would be funniest. In this case I'd allow it, but not if you tried to set it up every fight. Lady Luck doesn't favor those who seek her blessings.
By RAW it's 20/x2, but I'd happily allow a x4 for sheer cosmic awesome. It's not every day you crit something with an anvil.
If you actually want official rules:
Based on what I can find online, a hundred pound anvil is only 1-2 feet in each dimension, so it's Small. Dropped between 30 and 150 feet it does 2d6 damage. I'd give it the standard 20/x2 crit rating so 4d6 on a crit.Falling Objects
Table: Damage from Falling Objects
Object Size Damage
Small 2d6
Medium 3d6
Large 4d6
Huge 6d6
Gargantuan 8d6
Colossal 10d6Just as characters take damage when they fall more than 10 feet, so too do they take damage when they are hit by falling objects.
Objects that fall upon characters deal damage based on their size and the distance they have fallen. Table: Damage from Falling Objects determines the amount of damage dealt by an object based on its size. Note that this assumes that the object is made of dense, heavy material, such as stone. Objects made of lighter materials might deal as little as half the listed damage, subject to GM discretion. For example, a Huge boulder that hits a character deals 6d6 points of damage, whereas a Huge wooden wagon might deal only 3d6 damage. In addition, if an object falls less than 30 feet, it deals half the listed damage. If an object falls more than 150 feet, it deals double the listed damage. Note that a falling object takes the same amount of damage as it deals.
If I were GM, I'd modify that on the fly, because size alone doesn't mean a whole lot whereas mass and shape do. A wicker chair is size small (and bigger than an anvil), but I think most of us realize that it's not going to do much damage no matter how far it drops.
Due to an anvil's density and composition, I'd bump it up two levels on the size scale and one level on the distance scale. So 4d6 base, 8d6 from distance.
Which makes a little more sense: most people IRL hit by a falling anvil would be splattered.
Based on what I can find online, a hundred pound anvil is only 1-2 feet in each dimension, so it's Small. Dropped between 30 and 150 feet it does 2d6 damage. I'd give it the standard 20/x2 crit rating so 4d6 on a crit.
Hrm... A piano dropped from a similar height would do the same damage. Consequently, an average Pig Farmer (9 hp) stands a good chance of surviving an anvil/piano encounter.
If I were GM, I'd modify that on the fly, because size alone doesn't mean a whole lot whereas mass and shape do. A wicker chair is size small (and bigger than an anvil), but I think most of us realize that it's not going to do much damage no matter how far it drops.
Due to an anvil's density and composition, I'd bump it up two levels on the size scale and one level on the distance scale. So 4d6 base, 8d6 from distance.
Which makes a little more sense: most people IRL hit by a falling anvil would be splattered.
With the 3.5 D&D rules, the weight actually mattered. Unfortunately, a lot of things don't have a listed weight. Size, on the other hand, is easily determined. At least weight does have some impact with the Pathfinder rules - you halve the damage if things are made from lighter materials.
Pathfinders rules for falling objects leaves much to be desired, but at least they are easier to use than 3.5 D&Ds (where you pretty much had to make up an objects weight on the fly).
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This is the most awesome thread that has ever existed on these boards.
I don't know Zhayne.
I think the 'grappling a succubus' thread that never goes away forever, is a hard-to-beat contender.I'll be commenting on that thread, just to bring it up in the posts for you.
:)
The "Funniest PFS moments?" thread will have you splitting your sides.
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At the risk of sounding ignorant, what are the stats for a war bull? it doesn't sound like something that should be a problem for a 5th level party (not that I want to detract from such a cool story), but I can't find it listed in the bestiaries.
FWIW, a small child has been the cause of many deaths; prior to the universal introduction of car seats, small children hurtling through the air and hitting the back of an adults head was the commonest cause of death. All it would require is sufficient momentum and a lucky hit for the anvil to kill the bull; no-one would doubt that they got a lucky hit so the only question is whether they had enough momentum.
And I don't think the size matters, only mass and velocity.
For a war bull, use the stats of a coyote. Don't forget to equip with either a small parasol or a printed sign with the word "Help!" written on it, so that the creature can use it when hit.
/cevah