How to Reliably Survive a Tornado, Pre-Epic [3.5]

Greetings and Salutations, friends! The manuscript you’ve just no doubt purchased from your local vendor (or found in his trash) is a recounting of how one can reliably survive an encounter with the mother of all foes; the dreaded Tornado.

Most balk at the idea of crossing paths with this fearsome enemy to man, and most should. Tornadoes are as dangerous as they are windy. Now, you may encounter this beast one day on a journey of your own, so it is necessary to pay heed to what it is capable of.

A Tornado is CR 10, however, it is capable of killing just about any PC that may cross it. According to the SRD:

“Those who come in contact with the actual funnel cloud are picked up and whirled around for 1d10 rounds, taking 6d6 points of damage per round, before being violently expelled”.

Falling damage may apply afterwards, which can deal as much as 20d6 damage. All things considered, one who gets sucked into a tornado can be dealt a grand total of 80d6 damage; which is not a boat you want to be in, my friend. This baby can deal up to 480 points of damage to you, which is nothing to scoff at (the odds of this are approximately 5.596 × 10^(-63)).

With the proper character structure, you will never have to worry about this absurdly unlikely event ever happening to you. Your character must own all of the following:

- 20 levels of d12 HD class
- an effective CON of 46
- A Potion of Aid

A Dwarf Barbarian does the trick very well (starting CON 20, +8 from mighty rage (gained at level 20), +6 from a CON-boosting item, +5 from levels, +5 inherent bonus from 5 consecutive wishes, and Improved Toughness).

On average, a d12 HD will grant you 6.5 HP. Add average HP each level (with max at first), drink your potion (get average roll), and you will have 471 HP. This means that at the very worst, you will be knocked to -9 HP at the end of your encounter (unless it picks you up again).

Now, should you expect to join a tornado-heavy game, and have drawn the ire of the cosmos, you know how to stay alive. Take that, universe!

A ring of Feather Fall or the like will also help a lot, removing that pesky 20d6 falling damage.

Or be a Master of Many Forms 7, and turn into something with regeneration... Be sure to pick up steadfast determination (you get Endurance as a bonus feat if you enter the class right, anyway) to avoid death from massive damage!

Rope Trick

Control Weather. Fight fire with fire.

Turn ethereal or incorporeal.

Interestingly enough, it turns out objects are mentioned nowhere in the Tornado's entry. A Necropolitan or similar undead is fine. :smallbiggrin:

Control Winds will tame wicked tornadoes four levels and 10 minutes earlier than Control Weather ever will.

Cast Stormrage.

Don't tell your DM to roll for weather. No seriously! My group told me to (said it could be fun), and I rolled a tornado. I nerfed it (they are level 3) so everyone lived, but really, it was a TPK waiting to happen. :smallannoyed:

Also, by a Frenzied Berserker. When it damages you, fly into a deathless frenzy. There, you outlast the tornado. :smalltongue:

How about using stone shape on self? How would that affect damage?

Of course, the barbarian plan works better than spellcasting because of Concentration problems inside a 300+ km/h whirlwind!

Alter Self/Polymorph/Wild Shape/Metamorphosis into something with a Burrow speed. Cast Stone Shape to make a shelter of solid rock. Cast Meld Into Stone and wait for it to pass. Be capable of outrunning it.

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Originally Posted by Stupendous_Man

Rope Trick

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2nd level spell > CR10 environmental threat. :smallamused:

I agree that rope trick works quite well.

I think that having a dig speed and/or getting underground would work pretty well, not as easy as having the party spellcaster cast a single 2nd level spell, but still.

Cast Teleport.

On average a tornado deals 115.5 plus 70 falling damage. The tornado advances at 250 feet per round. Casting it and getting the party inside takes 1 round plus a round per party member. Not to mention concentration checks in high wind. The DM has a 1% chance of rolling severe weather.

And beating it with a 2nd level spell? On a 3rd level caster? Did you really prepare that in your highest level spell slot? Plus it takes 1 round per party member to enter plus a round to cast. If the tornado's that far away you might be able to run for cover or just get lucky and it won't even come for you. That hardly seems like a challenge anyway.

Psssh, how about I do it with a level 1 character, with no special prep?
Ranger 1
Max survival w/ 14 wis => +6 mod.
gear: rations, camping stuff, etc.

Take a 10 on the DC 15 survival check to predict weather a day in advance. Walk 24+ miles away whenever a tornado is predicted. No special prep necessary.

With 2 levels, an 18 wis, feats, knowledge(nature) and knowledge(geography) bump you can get survival up to 18, allowing you to predict the tornado 3 days in advance.

Avoiding the tornado really isn't that hard. I think it's CR 10 when you actually defeat it or accidentally walk right into one.

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Originally Posted by bosssmiley

2nd level spell > CR10 environmental threat. :smallamused:

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i lol'd :smallbiggrin:

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Originally Posted by UglyPanda

I agree that rope trick works quite well.

I think that having a dig speed and/or getting underground would work pretty well, not as easy as having the party spellcaster cast a single 2nd level spell, but still.

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For a Druid, that's not a problem - Summon Nature's Ally II (you'll also need Speak with Animals) can get you a Dire Badger, which has a special Dig speed - it leaves a usable tunnel. For another caster, you'll need Summon Monster III, for a Celestial Dire Badger - with the bonus that the Speak With Animals spell isn't needed, as Celestial Dire Badgers technically understand Common.

Stormcaster Capstone. Immune to being blown away, knocked down or checked by winds.
But that takes so much effort to get to 15th level to beat a CR 10 challenge without trying

Stormlord is much more fun (And involves worshiping Talos for extra fun). At 3rd level storms have no effect on you (Anything thrown by them even... They somehow miss you). 6th level, you can fly during storms.

And if you want to claim these abilites don't affect tornado's, they are listed under "Powerful Storms" in the DMG, and are in the table "Wind Effects"
Tornado, who needs to worry.

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Originally Posted by Chineselegolas

Stormcaster Capstone. Immune to being blown away, knocked down or checked by winds.
But that takes so much effort to get to 15th level to beat a CR 10 challenge without trying

Stormlord is much more fun (And involves worshiping Talos for extra fun). At 3rd level storms have no effect on you (Anything thrown by them even... They somehow miss you). 6th level, you can fly during storms.

And if you want to claim these abilites don't affect tornado's, they are listed under "Powerful Storms" in the DMG, and are in the table "Wind Effects"
Tornado, who needs to worry.

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I feel not enough attention is being given to my "Be a horrid undead monster" suggestion.

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Originally Posted by Chineselegolas

Stormcaster Capstone. Immune to being blown away, knocked down or checked by winds.
But that takes so much effort to get to 15th level to beat a CR 10 challenge without trying

Stormlord is much more fun (And involves worshiping Talos for extra fun). At 3rd level storms have no effect on you (Anything thrown by them even... They somehow miss you). 6th level, you can fly during storms.

And if you want to claim these abilites don't affect tornado's, they are listed under "Powerful Storms" in the DMG, and are in the table "Wind Effects"
Tornado, who needs to worry.

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Stormsinger. Literally dispel the tornado with your voice. And then in the next round, make it your own. >D

Did...nobody understand the point? I...I'm...this...idfbgspkjgf

I can take "Dude, that's just not a funny joke" but, this...actually depresses me.

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Originally Posted by Deepblue706

Did...nobody understand the point? I...I'm...this...idfbgspkjgf

I can take "Dude, that's just not a funny joke" but, this...actually depresses me.

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You presented a way to survive a tornado, a task that quite a few of my friends have done, that required level 20. We decided to find much easier ways of doing it. It's not depressing, it's the playground. :smallbiggrin:

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Originally Posted by Sstoopidtallkid

It's not depressing, it's the playground. :smallbiggrin:

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can i sig that? because that is just pure win...

-UGNG

Sure. my subliminal messages will be spread by you forever!!!1!

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Originally Posted by Sstoopidtallkid

You presented a way to survive a tornado, a task that quite a few of my friends have done, that required level 20. We decided to find much easier ways of doing it. It's not depressing, it's the playground. :smallbiggrin:

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Finding an easier way to do it completely misses the idea. I was trying to provoke "lol, tornadoes".

And I wanted a way to set up a joke that involves grappling your foes and dragging them with you into a tornado as viable means of dealing damage.

You know, good old nonsense.

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Originally Posted by Deepblue706

You know, good old nonsense.

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Nonsense? This. Is. PLAYGROUND!

Yeah, I know. Close enough.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Deepblue706

Did...nobody understand the point? I...I'm...this...idfbgspkjgf

I can take "Dude, that's just not a funny joke" but, this...actually depresses me.

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I love to take jokes literally for precisely this reason.

Anyway, if you're looking for nonsense, just head over to the weekly monk thread.

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Originally Posted by monty

Anyway, if you're looking for nonsense, just head over to the weekly monk thread.

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lol, monks.