Falling damage. The momentum gained from falling ua 1d10 for every 10 after the first 10 or 20. It makes sense to me that the force from falling would be the same as both falling and being hit with the falling object. I would also rule a dex saving throw for damage with a success doing no damage and each cow would take damage for the impact as well as any cows that land on them.
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You only lose if you die. Any time else, there's opportunity for a come back.
My Druid just did this and I ruled as follows which I think works really well. Give them a dex saving throw for each cow to completely avoid that cows damage against the casters dc. Each cow does full fall damaged but maxed the damage at the cows health as the cow will immediately disappear and no longer be hitting the creature. Most damage rolls will be over 15 hp but one or two might roll under. This means max damage is 120 (really high but no super important boss monster is likely to fail every save and I’ll explain in a bit what to do if they try it a second time) and average damage (with +6 dex save and dc 16 spell save as I had) is about 60. This is higher than your typical 3rd level spell but it’s an inventive fairly niche use. If he uses this again I will likely tell him that instead of cows being conjured 8 badgers each with 5 health appear because “the cows know what you did and are on strike” this would do a max of 40 damage, very close to the 6d6 of a fireball. But I completely believe that it is not game breaking to let them have their fun once.
My general rules about this kind of thing is that:
1) Spells used creatively are NEVER as effective as a spell of the same level that is designed to attack.
2) This particular falling object idea is so common I have a very specific set of instructions on how I deal with it.
Page 147 of the PHB states that improvised thrown weapons do 1d4 and have a range of 20 ft and 60 ft.
If you want to do more than the 1d4, because of 'falling weight' I rule that I do allow damage of 1d6 per 10 ft, but you need to make a to hit roll without proficiency, after 20 ft you have disadvantage and after 60 ft not only do you have to make a to hit roll without proficiency but the victim ALSO gets a Dex save to negate all damage.
Basically, flying creatures can not just go around killing anyone they want with minor spells.
Also, unless otherwise states, size changes on weapons change their weight, not their total energy, which means damage does NOT increase. The same magic that changes it's size, slows it down.
Note, I DO like to use the hand crossbow of the tree, a magic item with 7 charges that increases the size of it's bolt once fired. Each charge used increases damage by 1d6, to a max of +7d6 if all charges are used to fire a tiny little bolt that grows into the size of a tree. But that is a +1 magic item that is Very Rare, not a cheap thing. (Idea stolen from Nick Pollota's Bureau 13 series.
Technically you are producing a mass of object suspended by nothing by the dimension of 60 feet away. I would estimate that you would have to math that up and in the direction you want it from the 60 feet. You are creating an assumed sentient creature to be injured or die from your intent. First you need to make sure this is something that is allowed by how you manifest your magic. I think most good deities would frown on this if that is the source of your magic. Then you have to determine if this is something that would create a moral dilemma for your character (alignment).
If you can pass those first 2 smell tests, then it is a matter of determining how much damage that much flesh and bone falling on you would cause. A hit roll first would determine if you perceived the correct spot to drop said animal (int based). A dex saving throw to determine if the person could get out of the way in time. And then checking with your DM if they are good with this, and the type of animal that will drop.
It isn't a bad idea, but as a story teller, I might check for a fizzle of the spell due to the difficulty of casting the spell that specifically in a way you were never trained to use the spell. Only through years of practice could you pull that off well. Unless we are using heat seeking cows...... lol
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I am not sure what my Spirit Animal is. But whatever that thing is, I am pretty sure it has rabies!
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Fey love jokes, they're tricksters. And have you ever gone sky diving? I'll tell you, it's a real rush!!!
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I'm going to make this way harder than it needs to be.
Falling damage. The momentum gained from falling ua 1d10 for every 10 after the first 10 or 20. It makes sense to me that the force from falling would be the same as both falling and being hit with the falling object. I would also rule a dex saving throw for damage with a success doing no damage and each cow would take damage for the impact as well as any cows that land on them.
You only lose if you die. Any time else, there's opportunity for a come back.
I'm guessing a d6 per 30ft each cow falls on a reflex / acrobatics (DEX) check would make sense.
I believe there might be an actual falling damage example in the DM's handbook, so there might be something in there you could find.
My Druid just did this and I ruled as follows which I think works really well. Give them a dex saving throw for each cow to completely avoid that cows damage against the casters dc. Each cow does full fall damaged but maxed the damage at the cows health as the cow will immediately disappear and no longer be hitting the creature. Most damage rolls will be over 15 hp but one or two might roll under. This means max damage is 120 (really high but no super important boss monster is likely to fail every save and I’ll explain in a bit what to do if they try it a second time) and average damage (with +6 dex save and dc 16 spell save as I had) is about 60. This is higher than your typical 3rd level spell but it’s an inventive fairly niche use. If he uses this again I will likely tell him that instead of cows being conjured 8 badgers each with 5 health appear because “the cows know what you did and are on strike” this would do a max of 40 damage, very close to the 6d6 of a fireball. But I completely believe that it is not game breaking to let them have their fun once.
Falling objects are common abuse idea.
My general rules about this kind of thing is that:
1) Spells used creatively are NEVER as effective as a spell of the same level that is designed to attack.
2) This particular falling object idea is so common I have a very specific set of instructions on how I deal with it.
Basically, flying creatures can not just go around killing anyone they want with minor spells.
Also, unless otherwise states, size changes on weapons change their weight, not their total energy, which means damage does NOT increase. The same magic that changes it's size, slows it down.
Note, I DO like to use the hand crossbow of the tree, a magic item with 7 charges that increases the size of it's bolt once fired. Each charge used increases damage by 1d6, to a max of +7d6 if all charges are used to fire a tiny little bolt that grows into the size of a tree. But that is a +1 magic item that is Very Rare, not a cheap thing. (Idea stolen from Nick Pollota's Bureau 13 series.
Technically you are producing a mass of object suspended by nothing by the dimension of 60 feet away. I would estimate that you would have to math that up and in the direction you want it from the 60 feet. You are creating an assumed sentient creature to be injured or die from your intent. First you need to make sure this is something that is allowed by how you manifest your magic. I think most good deities would frown on this if that is the source of your magic. Then you have to determine if this is something that would create a moral dilemma for your character (alignment).
If you can pass those first 2 smell tests, then it is a matter of determining how much damage that much flesh and bone falling on you would cause. A hit roll first would determine if you perceived the correct spot to drop said animal (int based). A dex saving throw to determine if the person could get out of the way in time. And then checking with your DM if they are good with this, and the type of animal that will drop.
It isn't a bad idea, but as a story teller, I might check for a fizzle of the spell due to the difficulty of casting the spell that specifically in a way you were never trained to use the spell. Only through years of practice could you pull that off well. Unless we are using heat seeking cows...... lol
I am not sure what my Spirit Animal is. But whatever that thing is, I am pretty sure it has rabies!