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Old 07-24-2019, 02:45 PM   #1
Steve Plambeck
 
Join Date: Jun 2019
Default Creating "nukes" with the Blast spell?

Probably many or even all of us have used the strategy of placing a Blast Trap spell on an arrow or crossbow bolt, setting the trigger condition to simply "when the arrow hits it's target", and gone into combat with this warhead at the ready.

Since the spell lasts 24 hours and can be cast multiple times on the same item (up to 5 per the Expunge spell example in the rules), you can build quite a "nuke" if you know you're going to use it the next day. Having overnight to prepare, my own favorite wizard once saved his party by placing 5 successive 12 ST Blast Trap spells on a crossbow bolt, resting 3 hours after each casting. It took him a half hour longer than 12 hours to do that, as he missed his DX roll twice and had to wait 15 minutes more each of those times to regain the wasted ST point. Yes, it did 10+10 damage. We were being sent after a really big monster, "was" being the operative word here. It turned a 21-hex Roc into fried chicken for everyone. In game time, the adventure lasted 1 melee turn.

But I have a question! I did that so long ago (20+ years) I cannot recall how that day's GM ruled on this.

Does the adjacent hex damage caused by a 12 ST or 24 ST Blast Trap spell count for every hex of a multi-hex creature (or multi-hex target of any kind such as a 3 hex wall) that's in the blast's range???

Say a 3 hex Giant steps on a gem with a 12 ST Blast Trap spell on it, set to go off when anyone but the wizard who created it steps on or touches it. This size Blast Trap spell does 2d6+2 damage to anything in the hex where it's touched, but it also does 2d6 damage to anything in each of the adjacent hexes.

The Giant takes the 2 dice +2 damage in the hex he steps on the gem, that much is for sure.

But would you charge the other 2 dice damage to the Giant for each of it's other two hexes? After all, those body parts are in adjacent hexes to the one taking the 2+2 damage.

If so, then in the case of a 3-hex Giant it would take 6+2 damage. A 4-hex Dragon would also take 6+2, with one of its 4 hexes unaffected (not that that would make any difference).

How would/have you played it?

Last edited by Steve Plambeck; 07-24-2019 at 02:51 PM. Reason: I'm an awful typist!
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