From: gregs@meaddata.com (Greg Smith)
Subject: Re: Stoneskin
Keywords: Stoneskin; Haste
Organization: Mead Data Central, Dayton OH
Date: Wed, 22 Jul 1992 17:05:41 GMT
Distribution: na

In article <1992Jul13.193607.16849@meaddata.com>, gregs@meaddata.com (Greg Smith) writes:
|> In article <howitt_resident.1.711003615@halls1.cc.monash.edu.au>, howitt_resident@halls1.cc.monash.edu.au (howitt general access) writes:
|> |> In article <1992Jul9.201640.1@camins.camosun.bc.ca> comptec89033@camins.camosun.bc.ca writes:
|> |> >From: comptec89033@camins.camosun.bc.ca
|> |> >Subject: Re: Stoneskin
|> |> >Summary: Change the duration !
|> |> >Keywords: Stoneskin; Haste
|> |> >Date: 10 Jul 92 04:16:40 GMT
|> |> 
|> |> >Stoneskin's main unbalancing point, to me, is it's duration, not its 
|> |> >effect. Since it lasts for an unlimited time, anyone who knows the 
|> |> >spell will cast it on himself and his companions whenever they are 
|> |> >about to start a dangerous mission (at least up to what he could 
|> |> >afford - diamond dust isn't all that cheap). 
|> |> 
|> |> >A simple solution, which makes Stoneskin a powerful but not 
|> |> >overwhelming 4th-level spell, is to adjust the duration to a much 
|> |> >smaller one. I use one day, same as Invisibility, but others might 
|> |> >want an even shorter duration (1 turn per level ?).
|> |> 
|> |> >Rather than throwing coins, however, our party uses darts aided by a 
|> |> >Haste spell to chip away Stoneskin fast ...
|> |> 
|> |> >BTW, we also have modified the Haste spell. A party of long-lived 
|> |> >demihumans whose fighters all have the two-weapon proficiency and 
|> |> >specialization can be really nasty at double attacks (even if you 
|> |> >don't double the off-hand weapon attacks, see the '5 Attacks per 
|> |> >round' thread). So, we changed Haste to add one attack (just like a 
|> |> >second weapon) but not age the recipient.  A 'Make Haste Slowly' 
|> |> >spell...
|> |> 
|> |> >Jeff Johnson; .sig agnostic 
|> |> 
|> |>   Ok now iv'e read all the stuff in this group about stoneskin. Basically it 
|> |> seems that stoneskin is a hard spell to adjudicate. There are specifics as 
|> |> to what the spell stops. I mean should thrown coins count as attacks etc. 
|> |> Also are you telling me that stoneskin can stop an ancient dragons tail 
|> |> swipe. MMM i don't think so. Basically it's a dodgey spell, it is not 
|> |> explained clearly enough. I found that often it is better to simply not have 
|> |> it in the game. After all there are plenty of other spells to use instead - 
|> |> iron guard for example. Iv'e found that by having stoneskin with unlimited 
|> |> duration and allowing it to be cast on anybody simply means that everyone 
|> |> walks around with it on. I had mage members of my group even put it on 
|> |> horses and familiars and got there familiars to fight in combat-it got 
|> |> really rediculous. These are a few suggestions as to how to limit it-use 
|> |> some or all of them. Firstly limit the time duration to say 1 round per 
|> |> level which is plenty long enough i think, especially if you have clever 
|> |> people in your group who use spells such as contingency so that when they 
|> |> say for examle bang stoneskin pops on. Another way to limit it is the cost-
|> 

What I originally wrote:
|> This doesn't have to be true.  Make diamonds rare.  Better yet, the spell calls
|> for diamond DUST.  Ok, all we need to do is grind up this diamond, one of the
|> hardest substances known (if you are basing SOME stuff from earth).  Big problem.

I've reposted this since I screwed up the distribution.  I also just saw a 
National Geographic show about gems.  I learned the following.  It takes a 
diamond to cut a diamond.  Diamonds are shaped by grinding them on a diamond
studded cutting wheel spinning at very high speeds.  So making diamond dust 
is NOT a trivial task for a low tech world.

|> Now, does anyone know of a spell that you can use to grind up really hard 
|> substances?  One could also require the dust to come from a flawless diamond.
|> Just because the books detail X G.P. for the component, doesn't mean that it has
|> to be freely available for that price.  It seems to me that in many of these
|> campaigns described, the law of supply and demand would dictate a much higher
|> price.  (Senario:  An earthquake collapses the only good diamond mine in the
|> area or it becomes mined out, they accidently run into a drow society, awaken
|> a Balrog, etc.)  (DM hint:  Don't just say one day, oh, diamond dust is now
|> 10,000 GP.)



|> 
|> |> though this becomes useless when people have plenty of money. Also existing 
|> |> spells such as mm etc are good to bring it down. I even invented spells to 
|> |> bring it down, for example a higher level mm spell that does the same 
|> |> damage but has more missiles. Dispel magic is good for bringing down 
|> |> stoneskin. Darts and haste work great too. They really bring down stonekin 
|> |> quickly. There are lots of ways to stuff up stoneskin and i found i needed 
|> |> to use them all to reduce the mages power.
|> |>  
|> 
|> Food for thought,
|> 
|> -- 
|> Greg Smith
|> 
|> DISCLAIMER:  My ideas are entirely my own unless MDC decides to patent them.
|> I am not empowered to speak for Mead Data Central or Mead Corporation.

-- 
Greg Smith

DISCLAIMER:  My ideas are entirely my own unless MDC decides to patent them.
I am not empowered to speak for Mead Data Central or Mead Corporation.