My PCs want to use a Lyre to avoid fighting a Calikang.
Lyre of building
This is the map
[img]https://imgshare.io/images/2021/04/23/soluzione.jpg[/img]
There is a well in the ceiling at 6 meters, within the reach of the Calikang (4,2m tall 3m reach), they want to build a wall as in the drawing, forcing him in a section of the room. The wall needs 30 minutes to be built, I guess: how will the Calikang react? Is it going to oppose the making of the walls, by slamming it? I guess it is but not sure, this is a quite unusual way to use the item.
PS I'm not even sure it can be put in such a narrowed space.
calikang
The thing isn't overly smart, but it's not dumb. It also has Improved Initiative, so it is probably used to going first... don't survive to 15HD going last. Both of these details point to it, at the very least, NOT sitting around for half an hour as walls magically appear to box it in place.
Does it literally not have anything better to do for the next 30 minutes rather than be boxed into the corner of a room by a magically appearing wall?
This is my idea as well, yet I didn't want to discourage my players. But I guess it would mean turning (more than) a blind eye on it. Thanks.
...yeah. It's a humanoid with Int8. That's well within the average range for a human being. This thing knows what's going on.
I think the only point where something would have a low enough intelligence that it wouldn't understand what's happening would be at animal-levels of intelligence. And even then, having its ability to roam about restricted is unpleasant and would elicit some kind of reaction, even if the creature didn't understand exactly what was going on.
Tbh, the Calikang would probably climb the wall while it's being built, as to reach the PC's. He does have 6 arms after all. Or he would simply Air Walk over the wall towards them, either one.
how strong is it?
If very, maybe it wants to push to wall over on the puny people on the other side, otherwise, yeah it's probably not sticking around to be trapped.
The calikang's strenght is 25.
It could also cast a lightning through the well and roast the bard. There is nothing about it in the description of the item, but I think that the user should see the place she is going to shape, which means that she must be at the bottom of the well, visible to the calikang.
To be fair, I think warning your players that it's obvious to their characters that this creature isn't going to stand around for half an hour is a good idea. This isn't a strategy or a tactical gambit that could either succeed or fail. It's just common sense.
To be fair, I think warning your players that it's obvious to their characters that this creature isn't going to stand around for half an hour is a good idea. This isn't a strategy or a tactical gambit that could either succeed or fail. It's just common sense.
Done, thank you all
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A lyre of building can be an amazing tool, it does have limitations however. The bard should be required to see the construction area. As such (assuming he's looking down the well), he cannot see properly to section it off. He could seal off the well.
Also, while the wording says that it magically constructs buildings and such, I am almost positive most people read that as it constructing buildings with available material. There would have to be usable construction materials at hand. Unless there's a huge pile of stone or bricks down there (enough for making all those walls of any suitable height and thickness), they're going to have to drop those down there first. While I might possibly allow it to build from piles of rubble from broken walls (rather than just repairing the walls), there's nothing in the description about it scrapping or otherwise demolishing other objects (like walls or the stones of a well) to build things (nothing about it tearing things down at all). While it can dig a trench or ditch, this is clearly read as being on normal ground, not being used to dig a trench through the roof of a castle or a ditch through a city wall, causing damage. It can't even move a door from one doorway to another.
If a PC argues that it says 'magically constructs' as meaning it creates the materials out of nothing, then you'd have to agree that it can make an ice igloo in a desert (even if it does start melting immediately). And if you do that, you'd have to allow them to just make buildings out of solid steel from nothing, and if that... why not a sailing ship in the middle of the ocean, or a building of diamond or adamantine.
So, yeah, it's a good plan, if they have time, can see what they're building, and the bard isn't interrupted (causing him to wait 1 week to try again). And assuming there isn't just another way out or the creature doesn't just smash the wall down when they're done.
To people making that argument, I would point to the Lyre text:
The lyre is also useful with respect to building. Once a week, its strings can be strummed so as to produce chords that magically construct buildings, mines, tunnels, ditches, etc. The effect produced in 30 minutes of playing is equal to the work of 100 humans laboring for 3 days. Each hour after the first, a character playing the lyre must make a DC 18 Perform (string instruments) check. If she fails, she must stop and cannot play the lyre again for this purpose until a week has passed.
It clearly states that the effect is equivalent to the work of 100 humans working for 3 days. Human laborers need the materials to build something. And you can get as many normal laborers as you want, but they will never be able to build a edifice made of diamond.
What about digging a tunnel? It can be done without any material.
thank you
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The Lyre of Building is a "game wrecker." Especially if you have a high constitution/high perform character. Basically play for 24+ hours with forced march and make yourself whatever you want. (seriously, 4800 man hours/hour = 115200 man hours. Which is a two man team working for 27 years... in a day). 55 man years of work. (basically a whole modern adult life +10 years).
Anyway, that aside, you do need materials. But not tools. So you can harvest from around you (trees, dirt, stone, etc...). It's rough, but doable.
Now, would a Calikang let you bury it? No. And would it get "in the way" so you can't build someplace? Probably. There's nothing saying it can't completely bugger up the works. I mean, sure you have 100 men working for three days, but imagine if there was a Calikang in their way? How much work will they get done? None. That's how much. None.