In my session last night, my players were facing a night hag. This was their third time fighting her. Once they realized she was using her heartstone to enter the ethereal plane, they got the idea to target it to destroy it.
Not being sure how to handle it, I just assigned it an AC and hit points. Since it was a magic item, I ruled that it was resistant to all damage. Anyway, long story short, they had fun and finally defeated her.
Did I do this right though? Are there rules in 5e for targeting items worn or held by an opponent?
I think the DMG was pretty open to interpretation when it comes to destroying magical items. So I think you did just fine. You can determine the outcome.
Magic Item Resilience
Most magic items are objects of extraordinary artisanship, assembled from the finest materials with meticulous attention to detail. Thanks to this combination of careful crafting and magical reinforcement, a magic item is at least as durable as a regular item of its kind. Most magic items, other than potions and scrolls, have resistance to all damage. Artifacts are practically indestructible, requiring extreme measures to destroy.
If she was wearing it or is otherwise equipped to her, it's akin to attempting to target a specific part of her body. General practice that I know of is to use her AC with an appropriate penalty. A miss within her AC hits her but not the stone. Resistance ultimately depends on the nature of the item. I imagine that many items fall within the spectrum of "exceptionally fragile" to "indestructible", and may or may not be vulnerable or resistant to anything specific or general.
Not being sure how to handle it, I just assigned it an AC and hit points. Since it was a magic item, I ruled that it was resistant to all damage. Anyway, long story short, they had fun and finally defeated her.
Did I do this right though? Are there rules in 5e for targeting items worn or held by an opponent?
Yes, there are rules for this, and you ruled correctly.
The rules for damaging objects are in the DM's Basic Rules and DMG. They short version is that the DM determines if an attack or source of damage would be effective against a particular object (e.g. a whip isn't going to deal meaningful damage to a steel door.) If so, the DM assigns the object AC and HP based on its material, size, and general sturdiness. And, as wisetiger7 points out, the magic item rules also point out that most magic items have resistance to all damage on top of the immunity to poison and psychic damage that all objects share.
Not being sure how to handle it, I just assigned it an AC and hit points. Since it was a magic item, I ruled that it was resistant to all damage. Anyway, long story short, they had fun and finally defeated her.
Did I do this right though? Are there rules in 5e for targeting items worn or held by an opponent?
Yes, there are rules for this, and you ruled correctly.
The rules for damaging objects are in the DM's Basic Rules and DMG. They short version is that the DM determines if an attack or source of damage would be effective against a particular object (e.g. a whip isn't going to deal meaningful damage to a steel door.) If so, the DM assigns the object AC and HP based on its material, size, and general sturdiness. And, as wisetiger7 points out, the magic item rules also point out that most magic items have resistance to all damage on top of the immunity to poison and psychic damage that all objects share.
Thank you. I thought I was doing it right. Just wanted to make sure. Thanks again.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Dungeonmastering since 1992!
To post a comment, please login or register a new account.
In my session last night, my players were facing a night hag. This was their third time fighting her. Once they realized she was using her heartstone to enter the ethereal plane, they got the idea to target it to destroy it.
Not being sure how to handle it, I just assigned it an AC and hit points. Since it was a magic item, I ruled that it was resistant to all damage. Anyway, long story short, they had fun and finally defeated her.
Did I do this right though? Are there rules in 5e for targeting items worn or held by an opponent?
Dungeonmastering since 1992!
I think the DMG was pretty open to interpretation when it comes to destroying magical items. So I think you did just fine. You can determine the outcome.
Magic Item Resilience
Most magic items are objects of extraordinary artisanship, assembled from the finest materials with meticulous attention to detail. Thanks to this combination of careful crafting and magical reinforcement, a magic item is at least as durable as a regular item of its kind. Most magic items, other than potions and scrolls, have resistance to all damage. Artifacts are practically indestructible, requiring extreme measures to destroy.
If she was wearing it or is otherwise equipped to her, it's akin to attempting to target a specific part of her body. General practice that I know of is to use her AC with an appropriate penalty. A miss within her AC hits her but not the stone. Resistance ultimately depends on the nature of the item. I imagine that many items fall within the spectrum of "exceptionally fragile" to "indestructible", and may or may not be vulnerable or resistant to anything specific or general.
You might also consider what the item is made of. Somewhere in the DMG, it mentions the durability of different kinds of objects.
Thanks for the tips, everyone. I appreciate it.
Dungeonmastering since 1992!
Yes, there are rules for this, and you ruled correctly.
The rules for Making An Attack point out that you can target a creature, an object, or a location. When the rules say you can target an object, they mean any object, whether it's unattended or not.
The rules for damaging objects are in the DM's Basic Rules and DMG. They short version is that the DM determines if an attack or source of damage would be effective against a particular object (e.g. a whip isn't going to deal meaningful damage to a steel door.) If so, the DM assigns the object AC and HP based on its material, size, and general sturdiness. And, as wisetiger7 points out, the magic item rules also point out that most magic items have resistance to all damage on top of the immunity to poison and psychic damage that all objects share.
The Forum Infestation (TM)
Thank you. I thought I was doing it right. Just wanted to make sure. Thanks again.
Dungeonmastering since 1992!