"Taming" the Tarrasque... Possible? [Archive] - Wizards Community

"Taming" the Tarrasque... Possible? [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
rex_subterrae1008
05-21-07, 02:39 PM This may seem like a stupid question, but I was looking through MM1 and saw the Tarrasque... Is it possible to cast something like Dominate Monster or Charm Monster on it to control it somewhat? I didn't see anything about those kind of spells in its description, but noticed it had a Will save of +20, so I was wondering... By the way, I think it's hilarious how its Str is 45, but its Int is only 3... lol.
Domriso
05-21-07, 03:40 PM As far as I know it should be possible by RAW. But, think about it. The tarrasque is a one of a kind creature, possessing incredible regeneration and invulnerability. Beyond that, the tarrasque sleeps for enormous amounts of time, then comes out and devours an entire nation. You would think someone would have thought of this before.
snakeman830
05-21-07, 03:50 PM I plan on doing this in my campaign. Oh, I don't have a character (like most DMs, i do better without one), but having the BBEG have the single hardest to kill creature in the core books at his command? How can I pass that up?
MushroomSpore
05-21-07, 08:59 PM You would think someone would have thought of this before.

For all you know, they did. Play it up like a cult of the Immortal Beast, or the usual plot device of "big bad evil wizard planning to harness the eclipse/planetary alignment/monster that wakes up every thousand years for his own purposes."

If the tarrasque has been around forever, that doesn't mean the people who've tried to control it, however briefly in the eternal scheme of things, still would be. ;) This is a beast that wipes out civilizations.
Varl
05-21-07, 09:32 PM As far as I know it should be possible by RAW.

Oh no...

You would think someone would have thought of this before.

They often do, as they're sliding down the esophageal passage.
DragonLich
05-21-07, 09:57 PM If you were to try this I would say go for it. But in my campaign after the few days he's been awake he would go to sleep. You could control him up to the point where he flopped down and slept. This keeps the every thousand years of terror to just that.
jareddm
05-22-07, 12:10 AM I remember reading in the World's Largest Dungeon of a guy who controlled the Tarrasque with a wish. The drawback was if he ever went more than 5(10?) feet from it, he immidietly lost control of it. I'd say that's a pretty fair deal to have the big guy on your side.
eggplantm
05-22-07, 08:32 AM Check this out. The tarrasque is a magical beast so a druid or ranger could use their animal empathy ability to possibly move the tarrasques disposition to helpful with a high enough diplomacy check.

This trick is not magical. All it requires is a very good diplomacy roll. Then you have a tarrasque that thinks you are its best friend and will happily let you ride its back and tell it where the best food is.
snakeman830
05-22-07, 09:02 AM Two problems with this, I'm afraid.

Wild Empathy only works on Magical beasts with Int of 1 or 2. the Tarrasque has an Int of 3.

But, if you ignore that:

The Tarrasque can't tell you where the best food is, it's eaten it all;)
(okay, it's because it can't speak).
Domriso
05-22-07, 06:34 PM I thought about the Handle Animal before myself, but that wouldn't quite work either... And when I first started playing DnD the tarrasque was something I spent a while on, trying to discover loopholes. Can't say I did that much of a good job, but I thought of some possibilities, such as that stated above.
Now I'm babbling, but it's still an interesting concept.
Sudnji_cas
05-22-07, 07:07 PM Well if there's only one Tarrasque it doesn't have any parents, and you can't tame creatures without parents, right? Domination is a completely different thing on the other hand, and I guess it could be possible.
MushroomSpore
05-22-07, 07:08 PM Well if there's only one Tarrasque it doesn't have any parents, and you can't tame creatures without parents, right?

What the heck? :confused:
Whisper_Swiftblade
05-22-07, 07:10 PM how about trapping it and turning it into a familiar? now that is what I call an improved familiar.
jareddm
05-22-07, 09:36 PM What the heck? :confused:

I think he means that in order to properly train an animal, you have to raise it from when it was young.
rex_subterrae1008
05-23-07, 10:23 AM how about trapping it and turning it into a familiar? now that is what I call an improved familiar.

Now there's an idea... lol. What would the bonus to your skills be? +3 to "Destroy Everything in Sight"?
Garonak
05-23-07, 05:19 PM If a player in my campaign actually managed to make the tarrasque his familiar... well darn... I'd just give anything he'd want...
vardock
05-23-07, 06:30 PM there is a PrC in the Dungeonscape called beast heart adept that can make a special enpathy check that does affect magical beasts with a intelligence above 2. that could work. there is also a spell , I think it is called true domination, that would make it your slave permanently.
fiendish_platypus
05-23-07, 06:37 PM I just had a cool idea. An epic level Beast Heart Adept riding the Tarrasque. The Tarrasque could be it's Beast Companion thing...y-ma-bob.
bloodtalon
05-23-07, 11:23 PM i would say no
he is a force of nature and one step below a demi god
i bet he could take most demi and lesser gods if he wanted to and they were dumb enough to stay and fight him
fiendish_platypus
05-24-07, 08:09 AM i would say no
he is a force of nature and one step below a demi god
i bet he could take most demi and lesser gods if he wanted to and they were dumb enough to stay and fight him

I don't think so, considering a Core-Only Dragon could beat him up (looking only at CR).
rex_subterrae1008
05-24-07, 09:18 AM I just had a cool idea. An epic level Beast Heart Adept riding the Tarrasque. The Tarrasque could be it's Beast Companion thing...y-ma-bob.

That would have to be one big exotic saddle... lol.

I don't think so, considering a Core-Only Dragon could beat him up (looking only at CR).

Ummm... It might be able to beat it up, theoretically, but the Tarrasque regnerates itself... Somehow I doubt a Dragon would know Miracle or Wish to keep it dead...
vardock
05-24-07, 09:47 AM Great worm dragons definitely have the caster level to cast wish, and few would refuse to learn such a powerful spell.
Shaunboy
05-24-07, 11:10 PM The Terrasque was dominated in an epic campaign my friend was running.

In order to effectively do so requires multiple spell casters all casting "Dominate Monster" and crossing their fingers that one of them succeeds.

Matter of fact, I would say the somatic component for casting "Dominate Monster" on this creature would be crossing your fingers!

-RSBrehm
obrysii
05-25-07, 10:43 AM Ummm... It might be able to beat it up, theoretically, but the Tarrasque regnerates itself... Somehow I doubt a Dragon would know Miracle or Wish to keep it dead...

Great Gold Wyrms, Great Silver Wyrms, and Great Red Wyrms all, at least, have access to both Wish or Miracle.

Additionally, they have a better chance at knowing you need to use Wish or Miracle than the PCs, as they have thousands of years of experience and lore to work with, as well as Int, Wis, and Cha scores in the 30s.

Great worm dragons definitely have the caster level to cast wish, and few would refuse to learn such a powerful spell.

They'd probably pick up Miracle, since it's the more potent of the two. Although the more egomaniacs might pick Wish instead.
One_WingedAngel
05-27-07, 02:56 PM One way that you could make this task a little easier would be to have a lvl 16+ warlock in the party. With a little patience, the warlock can fly around Big T's head (he lacks ranged attacks) casting Utterdark Blast (2 negative levels on a failed Fort. save) until it critically fails a few saves.

Either that or summon an allip...
psy001098121
05-28-07, 10:58 PM I don't think so, considering a Core-Only Dragon could beat him up (looking only at CR).

There are some powerful creatures out there with a given high CR rating, but in practice it takes much more than the given CR to take them down for good. A few that come to mind are Acererak, Tenebrous, and the DnD interpretation of Cthulu. Crazy high CR's, but in practice it took maybe four parties instead of four players.

I know I took it out of context a bit, but remember, should you fail, you have a rather miffed Tarrasque on your hands.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
rex_subterrae1008 05-21-07, 02:39 PM	This may seem like a stupid question, but I was looking through MM1 and saw the Tarrasque... Is it possible to cast something like Dominate Monster or Charm Monster on it to control it somewhat? I didn't see anything about those kind of spells in its description, but noticed it had a Will save of +20, so I was wondering... By the way, I think it's hilarious how its Str is 45, but its Int is only 3... lol.
Domriso 05-21-07, 03:40 PM	As far as I know it should be possible by RAW. But, think about it. The tarrasque is a one of a kind creature, possessing incredible regeneration and invulnerability. Beyond that, the tarrasque sleeps for enormous amounts of time, then comes out and devours an entire nation. You would think someone would have thought of this before.
snakeman830 05-21-07, 03:50 PM	I plan on doing this in my campaign. Oh, I don't have a character (like most DMs, i do better without one), but having the BBEG have the single hardest to kill creature in the core books at his command? How can I pass that up?
MushroomSpore 05-21-07, 08:59 PM	You would think someone would have thought of this before. For all you know, they did. Play it up like a cult of the Immortal Beast, or the usual plot device of "big bad evil wizard planning to harness the eclipse/planetary alignment/monster that wakes up every thousand years for his own purposes." If the tarrasque has been around forever, that doesn't mean the people who've tried to control it, however briefly in the eternal scheme of things, still would be. ;) This is a beast that wipes out civilizations.
Varl 05-21-07, 09:32 PM	As far as I know it should be possible by RAW. Oh no... You would think someone would have thought of this before. They often do, as they're sliding down the esophageal passage.
DragonLich 05-21-07, 09:57 PM	If you were to try this I would say go for it. But in my campaign after the few days he's been awake he would go to sleep. You could control him up to the point where he flopped down and slept. This keeps the every thousand years of terror to just that.
jareddm 05-22-07, 12:10 AM	I remember reading in the World's Largest Dungeon of a guy who controlled the Tarrasque with a wish. The drawback was if he ever went more than 5(10?) feet from it, he immidietly lost control of it. I'd say that's a pretty fair deal to have the big guy on your side.
eggplantm 05-22-07, 08:32 AM	Check this out. The tarrasque is a magical beast so a druid or ranger could use their animal empathy ability to possibly move the tarrasques disposition to helpful with a high enough diplomacy check. This trick is not magical. All it requires is a very good diplomacy roll. Then you have a tarrasque that thinks you are its best friend and will happily let you ride its back and tell it where the best food is.
snakeman830 05-22-07, 09:02 AM	Two problems with this, I'm afraid. Wild Empathy only works on Magical beasts with Int of 1 or 2. the Tarrasque has an Int of 3. But, if you ignore that: The Tarrasque can't tell you where the best food is, it's eaten it all;) (okay, it's because it can't speak).
Domriso 05-22-07, 06:34 PM	I thought about the Handle Animal before myself, but that wouldn't quite work either... And when I first started playing DnD the tarrasque was something I spent a while on, trying to discover loopholes. Can't say I did that much of a good job, but I thought of some possibilities, such as that stated above. Now I'm babbling, but it's still an interesting concept.
Sudnji_cas 05-22-07, 07:07 PM	Well if there's only one Tarrasque it doesn't have any parents, and you can't tame creatures without parents, right? Domination is a completely different thing on the other hand, and I guess it could be possible.
MushroomSpore 05-22-07, 07:08 PM	Well if there's only one Tarrasque it doesn't have any parents, and you can't tame creatures without parents, right? What the heck? :confused:
Whisper_Swiftblade 05-22-07, 07:10 PM	how about trapping it and turning it into a familiar? now that is what I call an improved familiar.
jareddm 05-22-07, 09:36 PM	What the heck? :confused: I think he means that in order to properly train an animal, you have to raise it from when it was young.
rex_subterrae1008 05-23-07, 10:23 AM	how about trapping it and turning it into a familiar? now that is what I call an improved familiar. Now there's an idea... lol. What would the bonus to your skills be? +3 to "Destroy Everything in Sight"?
Garonak 05-23-07, 05:19 PM	If a player in my campaign actually managed to make the tarrasque his familiar... well darn... I'd just give anything he'd want...
vardock 05-23-07, 06:30 PM	there is a PrC in the Dungeonscape called beast heart adept that can make a special enpathy check that does affect magical beasts with a intelligence above 2. that could work. there is also a spell , I think it is called true domination, that would make it your slave permanently.
fiendish_platypus 05-23-07, 06:37 PM	I just had a cool idea. An epic level Beast Heart Adept riding the Tarrasque. The Tarrasque could be it's Beast Companion thing...y-ma-bob.
bloodtalon 05-23-07, 11:23 PM	i would say no he is a force of nature and one step below a demi god i bet he could take most demi and lesser gods if he wanted to and they were dumb enough to stay and fight him
fiendish_platypus 05-24-07, 08:09 AM	i would say no he is a force of nature and one step below a demi god i bet he could take most demi and lesser gods if he wanted to and they were dumb enough to stay and fight him I don't think so, considering a Core-Only Dragon could beat him up (looking only at CR).
rex_subterrae1008 05-24-07, 09:18 AM	I just had a cool idea. An epic level Beast Heart Adept riding the Tarrasque. The Tarrasque could be it's Beast Companion thing...y-ma-bob. That would have to be one big exotic saddle... lol. I don't think so, considering a Core-Only Dragon could beat him up (looking only at CR). Ummm... It might be able to beat it up, theoretically, but the Tarrasque regnerates itself... Somehow I doubt a Dragon would know Miracle or Wish to keep it dead...
vardock 05-24-07, 09:47 AM	Great worm dragons definitely have the caster level to cast wish, and few would refuse to learn such a powerful spell.
Shaunboy 05-24-07, 11:10 PM	The Terrasque was dominated in an epic campaign my friend was running. In order to effectively do so requires multiple spell casters all casting "Dominate Monster" and crossing their fingers that one of them succeeds. Matter of fact, I would say the somatic component for casting "Dominate Monster" on this creature would be crossing your fingers! -RSBrehm
obrysii 05-25-07, 10:43 AM	Ummm... It might be able to beat it up, theoretically, but the Tarrasque regnerates itself... Somehow I doubt a Dragon would know Miracle or Wish to keep it dead... Great Gold Wyrms, Great Silver Wyrms, and Great Red Wyrms all, at least, have access to both Wish or Miracle. Additionally, they have a better chance at knowing you need to use Wish or Miracle than the PCs, as they have thousands of years of experience and lore to work with, as well as Int, Wis, and Cha scores in the 30s. Great worm dragons definitely have the caster level to cast wish, and few would refuse to learn such a powerful spell. They'd probably pick up Miracle, since it's the more potent of the two. Although the more egomaniacs might pick Wish instead.
One_WingedAngel 05-27-07, 02:56 PM	One way that you could make this task a little easier would be to have a lvl 16+ warlock in the party. With a little patience, the warlock can fly around Big T's head (he lacks ranged attacks) casting Utterdark Blast (2 negative levels on a failed Fort. save) until it critically fails a few saves. Either that or summon an allip...
psy001098121 05-28-07, 10:58 PM	I don't think so, considering a Core-Only Dragon could beat him up (looking only at CR). There are some powerful creatures out there with a given high CR rating, but in practice it takes much more than the given CR to take them down for good. A few that come to mind are Acererak, Tenebrous, and the DnD interpretation of Cthulu. Crazy high CR's, but in practice it took maybe four parties instead of four players. I know I took it out of context a bit, but remember, should you fail, you have a rather miffed Tarrasque on your hands.