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Thread: PC's dealing stat damage

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    Firbolg in the Playground
     
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    Default Re: PC's dealing stat damage

    I suggest Dex damage/penalties, as they're the most common, and many big monsters (high hit points - the ones you most want to kill with alternative means) generally have low/mediocre Dex.

    Remember, penalties from different sources stack. Reducing an enemy to 0 Dex means that they're Paralyzed. A low Dex and/or Paralyzed enemy is ridiculously easy to hit, and is subject to Sneak Attack, Sudden Strike, and Coup de Grace.

    • Shivering Touch (Frostburn pg. 104):No Save, 3rd level spell, deals 3d6 Dex damage.
    • Net (SRD): Touch Attack to Entangle (-4 penalty to Dex). But note that nets, razor nets, and lasso can't effect creatures more then one size category different then you.
    • Razor Net (Dragon Comp p. 115):Touch Attack to Entangle.
    • Lasso (BoED p. 34): Touch Attack to Entangle.
    • Quick Draw (SRD): Needed for making a full attack with thrown weapons.
    • Spell Storing Weapon (SRD): Useful for delivering spells with weapons, like a net.
    • Tanglefoot Bag (SRD): Ref Save or Entangled.
    • Smiting Spell (PHBII):Useful for delivering spells with weapons.
    • Entangle (SRD): Ref Save or Entangled.
    • Briar Web (Com Div p 156): Cler 3/Dru 2/Ran 2: Ref Save or Entangled + 1d6 poison Dex damage.
    • Entangling Spell (Champ of Ruin): +2 LA, any creature damaged by an energy spell is also Entangled for 1 round, No Save.
    • Touch of Fatigue: Fort Save or Fatigued. Enemy who is already Fatigued becomes Exhausted.
    • Ray of Exhaustion: Touch Attack makes enemy Exhausted. Successful Fort Save still leaves you Fatigued.
    • Dragonborn (Races of Dragon): +0 LA race with Ref Save breath weapon.
    • Entangling Exhalation (Races of Dragon p 101): Breath weapon Entangles.
    • Quicken Breath (Draconomicon p 73): Quickens breath weapon.
    • Entangling Ectoplasm (SRD): Touch Attack Entangles.
    • Ghost template (SRD, +5 LA): Horrific Appearance deals 1d4 Str, Dex, and Con damage
    • Corrupting Touch (Ghostwalk): Touch Attack deals 1d4 Dex damage.
    • Empowered Ability Damage (Libris Mortis, reqs incorporeal undead type): Ability damage deals +50% damage.
    • Rope of Entanglement (SRD): No Save or attack roll, Entangles.
    • Poison: Many poisons deal Dex damage.
    • Poison Master (Comp Scoundrel): Poison deals +1 ability damage per die.
    • Touch of Golden Ice (BoED): Evil enemies hit with unarmed or natural attacks must Save (DC 14 Fort) or take 1d6 Dex damage.
    • Wild Shape/Alter Self/Polymorph: Turn into something that deals Dex damage., like a Giant Centipede or Scorpion Folk or Ettercap, and/or have one as an animal companion or cohort or whatnot.
    • Death Blow (Comp Advent p 106): Coup de Grace as a Standard Action.


    For a relatively low investment (a few Spell Storing weapons) you can quickly impose a -18ish or more or more penalty/damage to an enemy's Dex. The odds of your success are usually very high. It's a great backup option for a Ranger, Factotum, or Rogue-ish character.

    The down side is that tons of mid-high level enemies are immune to Dex damage, poison, fatigue, etc. And DMs will quickly tire of you one-round-one-kill-ing their BBEG, and thus make all/most of their boss characters immune just to challenge you. And some DMs may rule that Entangling effects (even ones from different sources) don't stack, because not all of them spell out their penalties. Some of them just say that you become Entangled, and the description of Entangled and the FAQ say nothing about what happens if you become Entangled a second time. So it's not worth a significant investment.