Big Bag of Holy Water

[DMDan0076]

A player in my group has this idea for combating really tough undead. Simply fil a bag of holding with vials of holy water and then fly over the undead and turn the bag inside-out, dumping all the vials on top of the bad guy.

A single vial of holy water deals 2d4 damage with no save.

How do i calculate the damage for the whole bag? If it is simply 2d4 damage per vial then almost any encounter using this tactic will be over in one round. It seems a little overpowered if that is how it works.

Thanks for the help.

 

[Vorput]

see this thread, comparable question with good answers.

http://www.enworld.org/showthread.php?t=201316

 

[Drowbane]

A player in my group has this idea for combating really tough undead. Simply fil a bag of holding with vials of holy water and then fly over the undead and turn the bag inside-out, dumping all the vials on top of the bad guy.

A single vial of holy water deals 2d4 damage with no save.

How do i calculate the damage for the whole bag? If it is simply 2d4 damage per vial then almost any encounter using this tactic will be over in one round. It seems a little overpowered if that is how it works.

Thanks for the help.

As mentioned in the other thread, the Holy Water Deluge (tm) would cap at either 10d4 damage (similar to a dunking in scalding hot water) or 20d4 (similiar to a dunking in Lava).

However, allowing either is a recipe for silliness.

 

[Rhun]

What's with all the crazy holy water questions lately? Are DMs beseiging their PCs with powerful undead?

 

[frankthedm]

What's with all the crazy holy water questions lately? Are DMs beseiging their PCs with powerful undead?

Have you looked at some of the undead in some supplements? Nasty as heck. Plus TBH the cost is negligible at higher levels in comparison to the treasures higher CR undead and Fiends pay out. 25 gallons only cost 5000 GP. Putting down higher CRs can still be be economical depending on how much it takes.

 

[frankthedm]

As mentioned in the other thread, the Holy Water Deluge (tm) would cap at either 10d4 damage (similar to a dunking in scalding hot water) or 20d4 (similiar to a dunking in Lava).

However, allowing either is a recipe for silliness.

Immersing a fiend into a Big font of holy water does not sound that silly. Costly mayhap.


I say contact is 2d4, whether pint or gallon, full immersion is 20d4 much like lava, acid or fire. I would also rule this giant font of holy water ruined after the first round of having something so foul within it.

 

[Thurbane]

Looks like someone needs to research a Decanter of Endless Holy Water.

 

[Dross]

Looks like someone needs to research a Decanter of Endless Holy Water.

I was going to say that!

A few Q's
What makes the player think that all the flasks hit the undead anyway? Not even a touch attack roll required?
If a vial will do splash damage, would it be 2d4, or say 1 hp damage?
Will just dropping a vial from a low height break it automatically? Even if it hits the undead?

What would the players argue for if they were being drenched from above with vials of acid?

 

[Vorput]

I kind of want to trap an evil vampire lord now, subdue him somehow, and drown him in holy water... that'd show the jerk!

Or even better- kill a lich, drop his phylactery into a pit of holy water with adamantine bars across the top and let the lich be burned alive (ish) everytime it starts to regenerate...

Good character aren't nearly devious enough. Anyway, to answer the original question-

I agree with the general consensus of maxing it out at 10d4 (possibly even making immersion maxed at 10d4- if for no other reason than simple balance).

Vorp

 

[mvincent]

As mentioned in the other thread, the Holy Water Deluge (tm) would cap at either 10d4 damage (similar to a dunking in scalding hot water) or 20d4 (similiar to a dunking in Lava).

However, allowing either is a recipe for silliness.

It actually sounds like an expensive (and time consuming) one-shot attack that will average about 25 or 50 points of damage. At the level where characters can afford this, they can likely do better with full attacks or spells or somesuch.

I've actually done something like this before. It was certainly fun, but had rather unremarkable damage compared to the rest of the party (and was extremely costly).