Crystalline

[Yeril]

Now alot of spells in D&D, such as Shatter and Shout, say that the spell does damage/more damage vs crystalline creatures.


Eg. Any exposed brittle or crystaline object or creature takes 1d6 points of sonic damage per caster level (Maximum 15d6).

Eg. Targeted against a Crystalline creature (of any weight), Shatter deals 1d6 points of damage per caster level (maximum 10d6), with a fortitude save for half damage.

But Im not exacly sure on what is defined as "crystalline" because the only creatures I would think of as crystalline would be the glass golem, but thats not even core so what could be defined as crystaline? would a creature made of rock like a stone golem be crystalline? What about earth elementals? What about a gargoyle who only have rock-like skin? what about Iron golems are they crystalline? :smalleek:

So what Im realy asking is, what creatures are classified as Crystalline?

[Lord Lorac Silvanos]

Very few.

The Glass Golem is also the only specific creature I can think of on the top of my head. (Creatures made of rocks do not qualify)

The only CORE creature would be an animated object made of glass.

[CthulhuM]

Except for the one very obvious choice (the crystalline troll from MM3), there really isn't any clear definition. Dealing d6/level damage to one target with a save for half isn't an exceptionally powerful ability, so I'd probably be generous and allow it to apply to creatures made of metal or stone (so yes to the golems and earth elementals, no to the gargoyle). It's really up to the individual DM though.

[Starsinger]

And Crysmals I believe.. those little psionic crystal scorpions..

[Ryuuk]

Psicrystals and Psion Killers would also be crystalline.

[Fax Celestis]

The issues arises because of a holdover from 2e's shatter, I believe, which damaged crystalline creatures...and, if I recall, there were more of them then.

[Metal Head]

I've never actually seen many crystalline creatures. There's not much point in having either of those spells unless you know you'll need to destroy lots of crystalline stuff.

[Admiral Squish]

Psionic things can be made of crystal. It's a special material.

[Worira]

Shatter is an awesome spell.

[Wooter]

Glass isn't crystalline, it's an amorphous solid. That's pretty much the opposite of crystalline.

[Fax Celestis]

Glass isn't crystalline, it's an amorphous solid. That's pretty much the opposite of crystalline.

Glass is also shatterable via resonance, though not as easily as, say, fine crystal. Given the name of the spell (shatter) and the fluff text of the spell, I'm fairly certain that glass counts.

[Lord Lorac Silvanos]

Glass isn't crystalline, it's an amorphous solid. That's pretty much the opposite of crystalline.

Yes, but the designers of D&D either did not care or did not know, so a Shatter spell will affect a stained Glass Golem.

[kieza]

I once ran a campaign where a MBEG (Minor Bad Evil Guy) was a person's mind preserved inside a giant crystal for centuries. They could wander around as an image (using the stats for a 3rd level sorcerer ghost), they were quite insane, and they were almost invincible if the crystal was intact (Fast Healing 5, for a CR 3).

The cleric leveled up in the battle immediately preceding this boss, gaining access to Shatter, and for some reason decided to prepare it the next day. Goodbye, boss fight.

[Fax Celestis]

I suppose on that note it'd work on Brains in Jars too.

[Lord Lorac Silvanos]

I suppose on that note it'd work on Brains in Jars too.

Brilliant, just brilliant!

[DementedFellow]

What you do is wait until you're in the villain's china shop...

[Idea Man]

The Realms has gem golems, so they're likely candidates to be zapped. Weird things, too. Ruby golems get regen, emerald golems get teleport circles (useful tool for the owner, useless in combat), and dimond golems cast true strike before every attack (no, not quickened, but I'll bet it hits).

[RTGoodman]

Some other possibilities (from Monster Manual III):

-Gulgar (http://www.wizards.com/dnd/images/mmiii_gallery/83007.jpg) - maybe. They have crystal-like protrusions growing from them, and have a trait called "Crystalline Bone," but it doesn't mention any disadvantage from spells like shatter.

-Susurrus (http://www.wizards.com/dnd/images/mmiii_gallery/83060.jpg) - a weird, glass/mirror-lookin' anti-undead aberration. It's definitely crystalline enough for me.

-Crystalline Troll (http://www.wizards.com/dnd/images/mmiii_gallery/83068.jpg) - it's right there in the name...


EDIT: Also, aren't the psionic dragons all gem dragons or something like that? I don't know where they're statted or anything, but they might be crystalline enough to count.

[Thamir]

I suppose on that note it'd work on Brains in Jars too.

Well not really, all it does is take the brain in the jar out of its casing, it could still fight though its size would be reduced to tiny, since a fight usually lasts for less than a minute I would rule a brain in a jar can survive that.

It might work on a psi-forged. An would dragon shards be counted as crystalene? If they were I would rule that creatures with implanted shards take damage.

[The Professor]

Psicrystals and Psion Killers would also be crystalline.

Emphasis mine.

If you're gunning one of those down, you're a cruel and terrible person that deserves a one-way trip to Baator.