by Josh Komon

Created on: November 30, 2009

Any long time Dungeons and Dragons players are sure to know the Tarrasque. Arguments can be made that such and such a monster is more difficult to defeat, for this reason and that, and in some cases, those arguments are legitimate. However, when it comes right down to brute destructive power, there is no equal.

The very first problem with attempting to defeat the Tarrasque, is that it has an enormous aura of fear. While low level combatants probably wouldn't be much help anyway, they cannot come anywhere near it. This means now lucky hits, no clerical support, no nothing. Only the bravest fighters will be able to stand up to this behemoth.

The second problem is that only the strongest weapons will be able to injure this beast. We're talking weapons with the highest level of enchantments. To make matters worse, most magic has zero effect. Your magic user can cast as many fireballs as he likes, the effect will be less than amazing.

The third problem is that any damage inflicted on the monster is regenerated at an alarming rate. This means that once the battle begins, the party has to keep the damage coming just to keep from losing ground.

The fourth problem in fighting the Tarrasque, is that its arsenal is quite impressive. The weakest attacks would kill most fourth level characters in one hit. The strongest attack, its bite, would take out most eight level characters in one hit. That's impressive, even without the Vorpal effect, which can easily behead even the strongest characters.

The fifth and final problem with defeating the Tarrasque is finishing it off. Through a miracle, your party was able to reduce the Tarrasque well into negative hit points, now what? Well, you need to use a Wish spell to seal the monster away. The Tarrasque could be brought to minus one thousand hit points, forced through a meat grinder, then disintegrated, and it would still regenerate from whatever speck of dust remained.

So, to defeat this 'not hardest beast' all you need to do is gather an army of high powered warriors, fight it till its well beyond dead, then hire a wizard to Wish it away. No problem for most. But in the real world, or the real fake world anyway, your party is going to be six characters or less. To have a chance at defeating the Tarrasque, the party should consist of four warrior types, equipped with heavy armor, and big, powerful, magical weapons. One or two cleric/priest types need to be there, with regenerative spells, healing spells, and of course a Full Resurrection or two. Lastly, while he'll be unlikely to be much use during the battle, you need to have a magic user with a Wish spell prepared to finish the job. It's just that easy.

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