I’m here for it, if they earn it. I love players having OP bullshit magic, but it’s no fun unless they work for it. Changing magic artifacts isn’t easy; everything about them is intrinsic to how they work. This is why wizards are useless without their cookbooks detailing every little step, and sorcerers always get weird side effects with their “fuck it, we ball” casting. This is where you tell the players that they’re going to need to return to the forge that cast the ring, or find a way to get help from someone high up in the jeweler’s guild or something like that. Sure, you could always try to DIY your magic canon, but you’re basically doing fantasy electrical engineering with vibes and a screwdriver; ask yourself, what could go wrong?
I was thinking they could do it as many times as they wanted. But every time they use it that way they have to roll a d20 to see if they broke it. And then they have to roll Con to see if they took damage firing it, and whether they remain standing.
The problem is with this specific case. A 12 pound cannonball is going to end a lot of fights before they even start. There’s not a lot of ways to have non boss enemies take that kind of projectile and say they aren’t dead right away.
Either that or come up with some flavor for it not coming back to full size/weight. Effectively allowing them to have a +1/2/3 weapon. I’m all for giving players stuff that makes them feel powerful and giving them fluff fights for the same reason. But some stuff really does need push back.
That’s how I run my table. I am a merciful god, but also a petty god if you reach for the heavens a little too hard. D&D magic already screws with thermodynamics to the point where free energy just exists, so I try to draw a line just short of where anyone figures that part out.
In the back of my mind, I’m always asking the question: “Why wasn’t this loophole exploited in the world already?” That usually prompts a suitable response.
you’re basically doing fantasy electrical engineering with vibes and a screwdriver; ask yourself, what could go wrong?
Exactly. In the situation that OP raises, I ask myself: “Does Newton or Gandalf win this argument?”
I’m here for it, if they earn it. I love players having OP bullshit magic, but it’s no fun unless they work for it. Changing magic artifacts isn’t easy; everything about them is intrinsic to how they work. This is why wizards are useless without their cookbooks detailing every little step, and sorcerers always get weird side effects with their “fuck it, we ball” casting. This is where you tell the players that they’re going to need to return to the forge that cast the ring, or find a way to get help from someone high up in the jeweler’s guild or something like that. Sure, you could always try to DIY your magic canon, but you’re basically doing fantasy electrical engineering with vibes and a screwdriver; ask yourself, what could go wrong?
I was thinking they could do it as many times as they wanted. But every time they use it that way they have to roll a d20 to see if they broke it. And then they have to roll Con to see if they took damage firing it, and whether they remain standing.
The problem is with this specific case. A 12 pound cannonball is going to end a lot of fights before they even start. There’s not a lot of ways to have non boss enemies take that kind of projectile and say they aren’t dead right away.
Either that or come up with some flavor for it not coming back to full size/weight. Effectively allowing them to have a +1/2/3 weapon. I’m all for giving players stuff that makes them feel powerful and giving them fluff fights for the same reason. But some stuff really does need push back.
That’s how I run my table. I am a merciful god, but also a petty god if you reach for the heavens a little too hard. D&D magic already screws with thermodynamics to the point where free energy just exists, so I try to draw a line just short of where anyone figures that part out.
In the back of my mind, I’m always asking the question: “Why wasn’t this loophole exploited in the world already?” That usually prompts a suitable response.
Exactly. In the situation that OP raises, I ask myself: “Does Newton or Gandalf win this argument?”