Encounter Design Help Wanted (brief)

[BradfordFerguson]

(not sure if I'm posting to the right forum)

Help needed by 10am eastern Saturday (June 16th)

(1)

I'm running a game where the PCs are going to face a ghoul cleric flanked by two ogre skeletons. They will square off on a platform that is no bigger than 30' square (30'x30') and will have an evil desecrated altar in the middle. There is also an artifact (I'm imagining a black crystal ball) that allows the ghoul cleric to raise armies of undead.

The ghoul cleric 5 (5th level cleric) is fairly smart. It buffs itself as it hears the PCs coming and may even cast sanctuary and simply keep the ogre skeletons in front of him and heal them as they take damage. My question is, in such a tight area, would the cleric prepare silence and cast it after he's done buffing? The spell could both help and hurt.

The PCs are 3rd level, they have a 6th level NPC cleric with them (I may bump down to 5th level) and a couple of 1st level monks. The NPC will not immediately realize the altar is affected by desecrate (I would think? Would you agree?), will first try to turn and then will cast consecrate after she fails. I don't want the NPC cleric to star , so I'm hesistant to have her do ideal actions to start.

Thoughts?

 

[crazy_monkey1956]

Possibly allow the NPC cleric a Knowledge (Religion) check to recognize the desecrate, rolled in plain view of the Players so they know you aren't cheating for the NPC. I would skip the silence though as that effectively eliminates the ghoul's capacity to cast anything unless he wants to leave his safe zone.

 

[Doug McCrae]

My question is, in such a tight area, would the cleric prepare silence and cast it after he's done buffing?

I think he'd be better off casting hold person on the party tank, spiritual weapon or bulls strengthing himself and wading in.

 

[Clueless]

If you still want to use the silence spell and your cleric happens to have a bag of holding - he could use a move equivalent when he wants to cast to put whatever object the silence spell is on into the bag to give himself a round to work with.

 

[BradfordFerguson]

Thanks for the tips, folks.