What does it take to neutralize a horrid skull?

[Michael Thayne]

At first glance, you'd think a horrid skull would be easy to destroy, but it's not so clear to me that this is true. They have 5 HP and are Brittle but not Unnatural, which means they don't automatically die at -1xHP the way some monsters do. Also, it's unclear if their attack requires them to be "conscious". It seems like this distinction could matter quite a lot if the horrid skull is mixed in with other enemies, such that destroying it quickly is important tactically. What have people done in their games?

[Dalin]

With no defenses, it's safe to AoA it and it will be destroyed after taking 30 injury. DR 2 isn't much of an obstacle for the melee templates. While I haven't used one in my games yet, I can't imagine it lasting more than a second or two once the PCs find it. Sir Yvor, from Delvers to Go, would, on average, deal 24 injury with an AoA double.



I was just reading about these recently. I'm eager to use one soon.

[Michael Thayne]

Originally Posted by Dalin

With no defenses, it's safe to AoA it and it will be destroyed after taking 30 injury. DR 2 isn't much of an obstacle for the melee templates. While I haven't used one in my games yet, I can't imagine it lasting more than a second or two once the PCs find it. Sir Yvor, from Delvers to Go, would, on average, deal 24 injury with an AoA double.

I was just reading about these recently. I'm eager to use one soon.

It's not safe to All Out Attack if other monsters are around, though. Having other monsters around might also make you want to attack from a safe distance away, which will often means using less-powerful ranged alternatives to those big melee attacks.

[Dalin]

Originally Posted by Michael Thayne

It's not safe to All Out Attack if other monsters are around, though. Having other monsters around might also make you want to attack from a safe distance away, which will often means using less-powerful ranged alternatives to those big melee attacks.

True. I might use it in an encounter that would otherwise be a simple slog-fest (Sir Yvor kills another zombie, 24 to go...) requiring interesting tactics that divert one of the main damage dealers. Perhaps the party charges into the field together, attempting to protect the biggest damage dealer while they pulverize the skull.

I feel like this foe gives the GM a lot of leeway in terms of challenge level, depending on the tactical setup and how well hidden it is (and whether the PCs will have any knowledge of how the skull works).

I must admit that even after playing DFRPG extensively since it came out, I still haven't internalized all the different traits and how they play with the standard attack system. I assume that the skull would be -5 to hit because it only has the face and skull hit locations. Face would be the better choice because the skull would have another 2 DR, right? (Or is the whole skull 2 DR?) Since it doesn't have eyes, the -9 for attacking the eyes wouldn't make sense. An impaling attack versus the face would have be x1 injury due to Unliving, but attacking the skull would be x4, right? But wait, No Brain treats skull hits as face hits. So does it all boil down to: -5 to hit, DR 2, no wounding modifiers for imp, crushing, or cutting, and injury penalties for PI?

I can imagine some sort of Horrid Skull soccer/quiddich/Tlachtli as an arena sport in Hellsgate. Hmm.

[Anthony]

I agree unclear if unconsciousness matters for psychic scream, depends on whether that's an ability it can turn on and off. However, it's not that hard to get it to -HPx5 (and it can die before then anyway); a knight with weapon master and striking ST 17 does 3d+6 cutting with a broadsword and attacks twice at 12 (20, -3 for rapid strike, -5 for SM), which is about 50% to annihilate it in one turn and essentially guaranteed in two.

[Balor Patch]

Originally Posted by Dalin

I assume that the skull would be -5 to hit because it only has the face and skull hit locations. Face would be the better choice because the skull would have another 2 DR, right? (Or is the whole skull 2 DR?) Since it doesn't have eyes, the -9 for attacking the eyes wouldn't make sense. An impaling attack versus the face would have be x1 injury due to Unliving, but attacking the skull would be x4, right? But wait, No Brain treats skull hits as face hits. So does it all boil down to: -5 to hit, DR 2, no wounding modifiers for imp, crushing, or cutting, and injury penalties for PI?

Yes, the stat block says SM -5 and DR 2 and that's what you use. Also, Unliving does effect imp.

[Plane]

Checking Monsters 37...

Although the name 'psychic scream' makes me think you could knock them out, the IQ 0 and "more artifact than monster" makes it sount not only non-sapient, but non-sentient to boot. It would be like trying to knock out a radio.

The safest thing might just be to run away from it (get beyond 16 yards) or maybe to toss it down a well.

With 5 HP, you would need to inflict 3 damage to knock it back 1 yard. It might be reasonable to treat it as "Skinny" (-2 for purposes of knockback... there's just not that much meat on those bones) so that it got knocked around 1 yard per damage instead. That might make it a little easier to kick it away from vulnerable allies. No weight is listed so I'm not sure how far you could throw it... skinny characters with ST 6 or less can go as low as 40, but I think a skull should be even less... a human head with all the flesh on it and the brain inside it is probably 10-15 pounds so I would think an empty skull (it has "no brain") might be around 5 pounds, allowing it to be thrown pretty far.

If knocking it out to stop the scream isn't on the table, one idea for an alternative (though this would be a house rule) is maybe even though it's a "psychic" scream to have it somehow be tied to the jaw, which you could target at -6 to hit and if you broke the jaw and if you do enough to do a major wound (more than half HP, so 3 dmg) you would "cripple" the jaw and disable the scream?

Normally doing a major wound to creatures makes them do a HT check for "knockdown" and failing it forces a "Do Nothing" so maybe you could treat that as temporarily interrupting the scream. Even if you can't be knocked unconscious you can still be stunned, usuually.

I don't know how to designate the difference between always-on innate attacks that require you (and force you if able) to make a series of attack/ready maneuvers to maintain them vs no-maintenance always-on powers which would work even if you're asleep.

[Michael Thayne]

Originally Posted by Anthony

I agree unclear if unconsciousness matters for psychic scream, depends on whether that's an ability it can turn on and off. However, it's not that hard to get it to -HPx5 (and it can die before then anyway); a knight with weapon master and striking ST 17 does 3d+6 cutting with a broadsword and attacks twice at 12 (20, -3 for rapid strike, -5 for SM), which is about 50% to annihilate it in one turn and essentially guaranteed in two.

Okay, but what if there's an army of zombies between the knight and the horrid skull? Maybe the Scout could reach it with an arrow, but that will do a lot less damage. The wizard could use a huge fireball on the skull, but is that worth the FP?

OTOH if you really buy into the idea that the skull is an inanimate object, then applying the rules for damage to objects 0 HP would mean it stops working but maybe an evil necromancer could fix it, while -HP means it's "dead" (and probably unrepairable, given Brittle).

[Anthony]

Originally Posted by Michael Thayne

Okay, but what if there's an army of zombies between the knight and the horrid skull?

You kill the zombies while sucking up the damage, then hunt around for the skull. Bear in mind that the skull can apparently be inside of a container, which might be a lot more durable than the skull.

[Dalin]

Originally Posted by Balor Patch

Yes, the stat block says SM -5 and DR 2 and that's what you use. Also, Unliving does effect imp.

I missed the SM adjustment. Glad that's built-in. I was confused about the attacks. I meant that impaling will be x1 (i.e., "no wounding modifier") but forgot that cutting will still get its 1.5 multiplier. So cutting attacks are the way to go. (This feels a tad off to me... crushing feels like it would be the best approach for destroying an old skull.)