Author Topic: Playing in the Sandbox (Read 6362 times)

Cagemarrow · « **on:** August 09, 2012, 08:40:37 AM »

So since there are two spells that allow us to make permanent special sand lets see how many fun ways we can think of use them. It is also available "naturally" in waste land locations if you can't use the spells to make your own and Black Sand at least can be used to create more of itself as each creature killed by it crumbles into more of it. I assume its the equivalent weight in sand but could be 1/2 or 1/3 of that depending on if the DM rules that water in the body dries away leaving only the physical material to convert. The description of the transformation isn't very explicit.

Quote

Black Sand (Sand, pg 111)
Cleric 3, Sand 2 [Necromancy, Evil]

This spell creates an area of sand that does 1d4 points of negative energy damage per round, not a lot but there is no save after the initial casting. The fun part is any creatures that are killed by this energy crumble into black sand themselves. The common thought is that the sand made from the body is permanent and would remain after the spell's effect ends.

Quote

Slip Sand (Sand, pg 121)
Druid 4, Ranger 4, Sand Shaper 3

This spell converts a 10ft cube/level of sand into Slip Sand, a region of frictionless sand that serves as a magical trap. The duration of the spell is permanent and not dismiss-able. Under that assumption any sand gathered from the trap would retain the same properties.

What kind of fun could you have with the sand in question?

Black Sand is perfect for undead or Tomb Tainted characters to use as a source of Fast Healing at 1d4 per round.

With adhesive you could roll the ends of your arrows, bolts, or other ammunition in Black Sand to add an additional 1d4 points of negative energy damage/round to your attacks.

Use Black Sand to poison an assassination target, sprinkle some on their poppy seed muffin or in their pepper shaker. When injested it should slowly kill the target for 1d4 damage per round until they die and crumble into Black Sand themselves.

Slip Sand could be used as a less obvious means of greasing a floor.

Use sovereign glue to make a sandpaper layer of it on the bottom of your sled to make it pull more easily across the ground.

Do the same to coat the outer layer of your armor for a bonus on escape artist and grapple checks.

Garryl · « **Reply #1 on:** August 09, 2012, 09:40:35 AM »

Note that Slipsand is permanent, not instantaneous, so it can be dispelled if you're not careful. Additionally, it would probably revert to normal sand as soon as you took it beyond the spell's range.

Cagemarrow · « **Reply #2 on:** August 09, 2012, 12:03:00 PM »

Very true, you'd have to check with your DM on how it behaves if using the spell as the source of Slip Sand.

As a trap the spell itself is pretty deadly with the ability to dispel it. One caster creates the trap, other teammates bull rush enemies into the pit of Slip Sand, second teammate dispels the effect. Now your enemies are suffocating at the bottom of 10 ft of normal sand. . .all available to do at 5th level.

kitcik · « **Reply #3 on:** August 09, 2012, 12:58:23 PM »

What about Awaken Sand?

Cagemarrow · « **Reply #4 on:** August 09, 2012, 01:03:11 PM »

All I can think is that that would make an awesome character to play.

Make it medium size and I don't even think the level adjust would be that bad. My group normally plays E6 so I hadn't even considered that spell.

kitcik · « **Reply #5 on:** August 09, 2012, 01:08:58 PM »

Make him a caster, load him up with soporific spells, and play him as the Sandman.

Cagemarrow · « **Reply #6 on:** August 09, 2012, 03:22:28 PM »

yep, add in some Sand Shaper for even more fun, or go Warblade/Swordsage for sand swarm kungfu fighting.

Nytemare3701 · « **Reply #7 on:** August 09, 2012, 05:54:01 PM »

I have a dustform warforged with the adamantine plating feat (Don't ask how that worked, the group is weird), and I play him as a mass of compacted adamantine sand that gained sentience in a magic sandstorm. Oh, and he's an artificer, so he uses his sand to manipulate objects. I'm totally adding these two spells to his repertoire.

Cagemarrow · « **Reply #8 on:** August 09, 2012, 06:23:39 PM »

Sounds like a fun character.

Nytemare3701 · « **Reply #9 on:** August 09, 2012, 07:15:08 PM »

It is. He was effectively invulnerable during the first 5 levels of E6, and now he's pumping out gear like nobody's business and using a Command Word whirling blade item as his "boomstick"

EDIT: If he's ever hit by a bludgeoning critical hit, he dies instantly.

Cagemarrow · « **Reply #10 on:** August 09, 2012, 08:45:10 PM »

I take it he has an limitation of not being able to become immune to crits? There are lots of spells that can do that. I would think a crit with electricity would be more fitting to destroy him, as he's already physically smashed.

Here's what I was thinking for the Sand form template based on Awaken Sand.

Sandborn

Sometimes a creature that dies in the waste has its soul absorbed by the sands that bury its body instead of moving on to its normal afterlife. The creature returns to a semblance of life and loses a level as if reincarnate has been cast on the body. It returns in a body of animated sand instead of using the normal chart. Certain orders of Sand Shaper's have learned to mimic this phenomenon with a ritual that consumes 3000 gp worth of Shape Sand and 1000 xp from the converted creature.

Sandborn is an aquired template that can be added to any living creature (referred to hearafter as the base creature).
Size and Type: The base creature's type changes to Construct [Earth] and it gains the augmented subtype. Do not recalculate base attack bonus, saves, or skill points. Size is unchanged.
Hit Dice: Increase to d10
Special Abilities: A Sandborn retains all the special qualities of the base creature and gains those described below.
Unnatural Resiliance (Ex): Sandborn automatically heal hit point damage and ability damage at the same rate as living creatures. Neither the Heal or the Craft skills have any effect on them; however repair spells heal them and both positive and negative energy affect them normally.
Amorphous form (Ex): Your body is composed of particles of sand allowing you to pour through openings small enough for grains of sand to fit through, openings of two size categories or more smaller than you are take a full round to pour through. Your equipment is not altered by this ability and would need to fit through the opening on its own or be left behind.
Elemental Soul (Ex): You can be rebuked like an elemental with the earth type.
Abilities: Same as the base creature, except that as a construct they have no Constitution score.
Advancement: By character class.
Level Adjustment: Same as the base creature. (Becoming a Sandborn involves losing a level so the advantages of the construct type cancel out what would otherwise be a larger adjustment.)

What do people think? Too much?

Sagroth · « **Reply #11 on:** August 10, 2012, 01:13:17 AM »

Sandstormmmmm! Deep hurtinggggg!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wjCjgjk9n0o

(sorry, I saw the thread and couldn't get that MST3K bit out of my head)

linklord231 · « **Reply #12 on:** August 10, 2012, 03:36:34 AM »

Quote from: Nytemare3701 on August 09, 2012, 07:15:08 PM

It is. He was effectively invulnerable during the first 5 levels of E6, and now he's pumping out gear like nobody's business and using a Command Word whirling blade item as his "boomstick"

EDIT: If he's ever hit by a bludgeoning critical hit, he dies instantly.

Aren't you immune to critical hits by virtue of your Construct traits?
The "Construct Traits" description in Sandstorm says you're "not subject to extra damage from critical hits," but the Monster Manual (the primary source on Construct traits), says you're "not subject to critical hits."
Seems to be one of those 'Vampires can't be staked' quirks, where you're immune to your own weakness.

SorO_Lost · « **Reply #13 on:** August 10, 2012, 05:26:31 AM »

Quote from: linklord231 on August 10, 2012, 03:36:34 AM

Aren't you immune to critical hits by virtue of your Construct traits?

The "Construct Traits" description in Sandstorm says you're "not subject to extra damage from critical hits," but the Monster Manual (the primary source on Construct traits), says you're "not subject to critical hits."

And you hit the nail on it's head. In 3.0 (or at least per SS) Dustform Creatures will automatically die from a critical hit. The Construct Type got an update in the 3.5 MMI but SS's text didn't. Logically, when updating Dustform to the 3.5 Rule set, you need to go the way of how it originally worked.

And if you wanted to play nasty with your DM saying he shouldn't stick to the rules as they worked and intended to work. Bring up the FAQ entry on Burst Weapons vs Critical Immunity. Exact call out is "successful critical hit" is why they fail, Dustform has no such "successful" clause...

Cagemarrow · « **Reply #14 on:** August 10, 2012, 08:11:04 AM »

So back to the main topic, what other things can people suggest for using the various sand types?

Egg shell grenades filled with the moon sand could be fun.

Grenade triggered suffocation.

kitcik · « **Reply #15 on:** August 10, 2012, 09:30:01 AM »

Quote from: Cagemarrow on August 09, 2012, 08:45:10 PM

I take it he has an limitation of not being able to become immune to crits? There are lots of spells that can do that. I would think a crit with electricity would be more fitting to destroy him, as he's already physically smashed.

Here's what I was thinking for the Sand form template based on Awaken Sand.

Sandborn

Sometimes a creature that dies in the waste has its soul absorbed by the sands that bury its body instead of moving on to its normal afterlife. The creature returns to a semblance of life and loses a level as if reincarnate has been cast on the body. It returns in a body of animated sand instead of using the normal chart. Certain orders of Sand Shaper's have learned to mimic this phenomenon with a ritual that consumes 3000 gp worth of Shape Sand and 1000 xp from the converted creature.

Sandborn is an aquired template that can be added to any living creature (referred to hearafter as the base creature).
Size and Type: The base creature's type changes to Construct [Earth] and it gains the augmented subtype. Do not recalculate base attack bonus, saves, or skill points. Size is unchanged.
Hit Dice: Increase to d10
Special Abilities: A Sandborn retains all the special qualities of the base creature and gains those described below.
Unnatural Resiliance (Ex): Sandborn automatically heal hit point damage and ability damage at the same rate as living creatures. Neither the Heal or the Craft skills have any effect on them; however repair spells heal them and both positive and negative energy affect them normally.
Amorphous form (Ex): Your body is composed of particles of sand allowing you to pour through openings small enough for grains of sand to fit through, openings of two size categories or more smaller than you are take a full round to pour through. Your equipment is not altered by this ability and would need to fit through the opening on its own or be left behind.
Elemental Soul (Ex): You can be rebuked like an elemental with the earth type.
Abilities: Same as the base creature, except that as a construct they have no Constitution score.
Advancement: By character class.
Level Adjustment: Same as the base creature. (Becoming a Sandborn involves losing a level so the advantages of the construct type cancel out what would otherwise be a larger adjustment.)

What do people think? Too much?

I like it. I would play it for the RP potential.

Nytemare3701 · « **Reply #16 on:** August 10, 2012, 11:07:48 AM »

Quote from: linklord231 on August 10, 2012, 03:36:34 AM

Quote from: Nytemare3701 on August 09, 2012, 07:15:08 PM
It is. He was effectively invulnerable during the first 5 levels of E6, and now he's pumping out gear like nobody's business and using a Command Word whirling blade item as his "boomstick"

EDIT: If he's ever hit by a bludgeoning critical hit, he dies instantly.

Aren't you immune to critical hits by virtue of your Construct traits?
The "Construct Traits" description in Sandstorm says you're "not subject to extra damage from critical hits," but the Monster Manual (the primary source on Construct traits), says you're "not subject to critical hits."
Seems to be one of those 'Vampires can't be staked' quirks, where you're immune to your own weakness.

Since he's a warforged, the living construct subtype negates said immunities.

Cagemarrow · « **Reply #17 on:** August 10, 2012, 11:27:54 AM »

I think people were assuming he was a full construct. He should have light fortification, and should probably be looking to go into the PrC that gives full fortification then. Otherwise an item that grants undead or construct immunities would be high priority if it were my character.

Nytemare3701 · « **Reply #18 on:** August 10, 2012, 02:07:11 PM »

(click to show/hide)

There's Slumber Sand in Sandstorm which is an easily created Save or Die at level 1.

(click to show/hide)

Obviously not a huge deal later, but having some left over just makes your other spells last an extra level or two.

Cagemarrow · « **Reply #19 on:** August 11, 2012, 10:30:59 AM »

Definitely nice, also great since it can push sleep up to affect all NPC's/PC's in E6 that aren't monsters. I'll have to add some of that to my repertoire as well.

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Author Topic: Playing in the Sandbox (Read 6362 times)