Today I'd like to take a bit of time to discuss one of my favorite things about being a DM.
Being tricky, and today's tricks all involve sling ammunition.
Slings are cheap and generally underpowered, but with a little ingenuity they can pose a very real threat to even high level characters. The slings themselves are generally of no consequence, it all boils down to what you are slinging. I'll give you a few examples.
1. The basic stone.
Using stones is the most basic option available. For a medium creature a sling thrown stone deals 1d3 points of damage and suffers a -1 penalty to hit. The rules state that this is because stones aren't as dense or as round as our next option. Not recommended.
2. Sling Bullets
Smooth? Yes. Round? No.
Bullets are the standard cheap ammunition used with slings in most D&D settings. For a medium creature a sling thrown bullet deals 1d4 points of damage. Still not recommended.
3. Alchemists Fire
Burn my enemies to a crisp? Don't mind if I do!
Using Alchemist's Fire is the first step into a whole new territory for slings. For any creature size this deals 1d6 points of fire damage to the target and 1 point of fire damage to anything within 5 feet of your target. Alchemist's Fire burns for 2 rounds too, so unless the victim spends a full round action to attempt a DC 15 Reflex save (rolling on the ground gives a +2 bonus) they take an additional 1d6 damage. The best part? the attack roll is made against the target's touch AC. Alchemist's Fire doesn't care how armored you are, your world will still burn. Recommended.
4. Holy Water
If you are fighting corporeal undead or evil outsiders then Holy Water makes for an effective ammunition. For any sized creature this deals 2d4 points of damage to the target and 1 point to anyone within 5 feet of the target that is susceptible. Like Alchemist's Fire, this is a ranged touch attack. Recommended when applicable.
5. Acid
H2SO4! You don't have skin no more!
Acid is one of my favorites, simply because it seems like less targets have resistance to acid. For any sized creature this deals 1d6 points of acid damage and 1 point of damage to all targets within 5 feet of the victim. This is a ranged touch attack.
6. Jars
So seemingly innocent...
With jars, slings becomes truly scary. One jar can hold several vials worth of acid at a time, and that's just scratching the surface. Here's what I like to put into jars for slinging. Oozes, Slimes, and Jellies. Nothing quite like a Green Slime being splashed on an opponent. There are more variations then I could list here, so get creative! Remember, the bigger the jar the bigger the specimen in can contain, so a Giant wielding a sling can be a truly devastating foe with the right ammunition.
Also, for fun I decided to include one thing I would not attempt to stuff into a jar for slinging.
Cats
Derp.
I know what you're thinking, "Why not fling cats?". Well, while it's certainly true that getting the cat into the jar is quite easy (just leave the jar on the floor in a room full of cats, snap on the lid once a cat climbs in) it's the logistics of the whole process that get in the way. Cats need oxygen, so your lid will have to have holes in it unless you are intending to sling dead cats at people, which admittedly could work. I imagine that would deal 1d6 points of damage on a hit against normal AC, everyone within 5 feet must make a Fort save against Nausea (dc varies on how long the cat has been dead) or be sickened for 1d4 rounds. That's not what we are talking about though, we are talking about flinging live cats. Cats need food, so you'll have to feed them. Cats produce waste at an alarming rate, if you had holes in your cat jars to allow for food insertion those same holes would work against you when the cat tries to drown itself in urine and cat logs. The smell alone would force everyone within 5 feet of the jar to make Fortitude saves for Nausea (DC variable based on the number of holes in the jar) or be sickened. Also, don't forget that jars full of half-starved urine soaked cats tend to make quite a fuss and will likely give away your position. Not recommended.
If you have any personal favorites please share!
~ Skurilon
No comments:
Post a Comment