Rogue PC in undead-loaded adventure

RichGreen

Adventurer

• Nov 27, 2005

• #1

Hi,

I'd like some advice from my fellow EnWorlders! I'm currently running an adventure called The Winding Way from Dungeon #117.

This adventure is full of undead, and I mean full of them. All of the combat encounters are with undead, and the player who is playing a rogue feels like a spare part as she can't use her sneak attack and deal out lots of damage as usual. Her PC is a halfling rogue 13/duelist 2 with a ring of blinking, who does 1d4+2 damage with her melee attacks and 1d6+2 with arrows. She doesn't have any ranks in Use Magic Device and in today's session didn't do a lot as some of the monsters had DR 5/slashing and she uses a rapier and a shortbow. Is there any advice anyone can give me to make the adventure more fun for her next session or any advice for her on other stuff to try, or ways for her PC to make a bigger contribution. Oh yeah, and she's my girlfriend so I want her to be having fun during the game!

Looking back on it, I should have chosen a different adventure!

Cheers


Richard

 

Last edited: Nov 27, 2005

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just__al

First Post

• Nov 27, 2005

• #2

Traps, lots of traps. Ideally, you could place a trap that she could disable in a way that it could be deliberately triggered in a direction. Then maybe it will occur to the party that they could lead the undead to the trap and then using another disable device roll, trigger the trap on the undead.

Failing that, you need to introduce the necromancer responsible for or aiming to gain control of all the undead and the necromancer's party.

There's got to be something there that isn't undead. Maybe carrion crawlers or something else that isn't immune to crits/sneak attack.

 

ForceUser

Explorer

• Nov 27, 2005

• #3

There is a spell in Complete Adventurer that allows a rogue to sneak attack undead for a single round of attacks. Have her find a magic item that allows her to cast this spell three times per day. Then she can use it verses the important undead the party faces.

 

Stormborn

Explorer

• Nov 27, 2005

• #4

Have the party stumble across the body of a halfling paladin who came loaded with lots of single use antiundead items - Undead bane arrows made for a Small bow, a pendant of a halfling deity that casts Disrupt Undead but only works for halflings, or even a Small +1 slashing weapon that she could use while in combat with undead etc. Although, the best advice has probablly already been given- a limited spell use item that allows SA against undead (although it sounds a little hokey to me, but thats just me and my players) and ltos of traps. Oh, and encourage some ranks in UMD for just such a future emergency.

 

the Jester

Legend

• Nov 27, 2005

• #5

Throw in a few non-undead monsters, a few traps or a few chances for the rogue to shine via her skill use.

I wouldn't make wholesale changes in the adventure, however; there should always be instances where one class gets to shine while others don't. In this case, clerics and paladins are the shiners; in a dungeon full of traps it's the rogue's turn. And that's key: everyone should get a turn- but it's not always everyone's turn. If that makes sense.

 

Crothian

First Post

• Nov 27, 2005

• #6

Let the player figure out a way. Sneak attack is one part of a very well rounded and interesting class. I never felt right as a DM and making things easy for one class just becasue the player was unable to use the class. I'd be more likely to just talk to her about another character instead of purposelyt placing things in there so she can feel useful.

 

Kurotowa

Legend

• Nov 27, 2005

• #7

Strip the adventure down and rebuild it. Honestly, I'm coming to believe that no adventure module should be run out-of-the-box. By being built so they'll fit any party loosely they're built so they fit no party well. I'd suggest you change encounters so there are non-undead fights, tweak the undead so there's less DR/slashing, and look hard at her skill list to see what non-damage contributions you can offer her. If none of those can be done while keeping the module intact, then just accelerate the adventure to get it over with.

There's never a reason to stick to a module when it doesn't fit you group.

 

Torm

Explorer

• Nov 27, 2005

• #8

Evil sub-commanders. Undead are great minions, but not too bright - as the party is getting closer and closer to the BBG, maybe they start running into some living evil cleric or necromancer "mini-bosses" running around with the undead?

 

A

Aust Diamondew

First Post

• Nov 27, 2005

• #9

As far as DR X/slashing goes tell her to use a club

 

Child of Hypnos

First Post

• Nov 27, 2005

• #10

In The Ghostwalk campaign option theres a magical property for edged weapons called truesilver which allows sneaks and crits on undead. problem with this of course is that then everyone will want one but its an option if your desperate, drop a truesilver rapier in the loot somewhere. its equivalent to a +1 bonus.