Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Lankaster 12-03-07, 03:06 AM	I was wondering, if a Warblade knowing the Strike of Perfect Clarity maneuver is confronted by a huge obstacle, let`s say, a huge boulder, would he be able to use the maneuver on the boulder to destroy it with one swift, mighty swing of his sword? I am asking this for the near future, as a Warblade in my party is planning to learn this maneuver. Thanks in advance! :D
Neutronium_Dragon 12-03-07, 06:02 AM	No, he can't. SoPC is Target: One creature. A boulder isn't a creature, so it's not a valid target. Some maneuvers allow objects to be targeted as well as creatures, but most of those are in the Stone Dragon discipline.
InkBlot 12-03-07, 09:12 AM	Even if you could use Strike Of Perfect Clarity on objects, +100 damage is unlikely to cleave a boulder in two with one swing. Stone has 15 hit points per inch of thickness. So a two-foot-thick boulder will have (24*15) three hundred and sixty hit points. A two-foot boulder is big, but hardly an obstacle. You can hop over it easily enough, even in a hypothetical 5-foot corridor. A five-foot-thick boulder, a real hallway-clogging obstacle, has 900 hit points.
Nadaka 12-03-07, 11:54 AM	However a sword sage with improved unarmed strike and a mountain hammer can totally go through stone walls at the rate of 150 inches per hour. 1d4+2d6 damage every other round while ignoring hardness. Note: I actually got to use this one in game. it was totally awesome when my swordsage and the shifter monk managed to pound our way out of a magically sealed stone room while naked and rescue the rest of the captured party. The only question you need to ask in this situation is how big of a section does the damage cause to be destroyed? if its a fist sized crater, it will take longer before you can get through the opening.
Lokathor 12-03-07, 02:35 PM	I think the DMG mentions that HP values for walls and stuff are per 5ft square.
InkBlot 12-03-07, 09:13 PM	They are. Also note that adamantine weapons ignores the hardness of anything softer than adamantine (e.g., everything). A fighter with an adamantine greatsword and Power Attack can carve through stone walls just as quickly as a swordsage with Improved Unarmed Strike and Mountain Hammer. If you want to bust through big objects in a single swing, you've pretty much got to get a Maul Of The Titans. It deals triple damage against objects. That can be 300 damage in one swing relatively easily, although it would probably come to more on a full attack. At 20th level you'd have three attacks, and each could be about 60 damage easily, so triple that and multiply it by four attacks to get 720. Full attacks with a maul of the titans are more effective than even Ancient Mountain Hammer. Of course, Ancient Mountain Hammer has the benefit of leaving you a move action to jump through the hole you just punched through the wall. edit: For the 20th level full attack, I assumed a medium warblade with a +6 strength modifier wielding a +3 maul of the titans (greatclub) while in Giant's Stance and full power attacking for 20. 40 from two handed power attack + 9 from two handed strength + 2d8 from the effectively large greatclub + 3 enhancement bonus on the maul of the titans = about 60.
Artector 12-03-07, 09:19 PM	However a sword sage with improved unarmed strike and a mountain hammer can totally go through stone walls at the rate of 150 inches per hour. 1d4+2d6 damage every other round while ignoring hardness. Note: I actually got to use this one in game. it was totally awesome when my swordsage and the shifter monk managed to pound our way out of a magically sealed stone room while naked and rescue the rest of the captured party. The only question you need to ask in this situation is how big of a section does the damage cause to be destroyed? if its a fist sized crater, it will take longer before you can get through the opening. The question is... could you dig yourself out of a grave with it?