Hiding fom Magic Missle

[Felon]

Only problem with that approach is that uber stealth is often accompanied by high reflex saves and evasion. Still there are a few non-reflex area effect spells. Glitterdust comes to mind...

Yep. Hell, spike stones.

 

[Lord Pendragon]

Quick question, one of my players has some insane bonuses to HIDE. My next BBEG has MM... Can the PC be targeted while hidden?

No.

If not any ideas for giving this player a scare, other that loading the BBEG with spot bonuses?

Others have mentioned ways to negate hiding. Personally, I suggest you avoid totally negating a skill that the player has obviously invested a lot of the character's resources into. Having your most powerful abilities completely circumvented sucks, from a player's perspective.

I suggest a potion that gives the BBEG a good, but not unbeatable, Spot check. As a potion it negates the need for the BBEG to spend all his skill points in Spot, and also circumvents the need for the BBEG to have some kind of super-spot magic item the PCs can get a hold of. Have the potion give the BBEG just enough Spot so that it's a fair challenge for the PC to succeed, rather than an automatic success.

You could also give the BBEG a few minions with the True Seeing ability (or Scent, Tremorsense etc). Let the BBEG be fooled (thus giving the PC good value for his ability,) but provide enemies that won't be fooled, to keep the PC from feeling too invincible.

As always, moderation is key IMO.

 

[Endur]

I've always thought that magic missile required targeting. Either you can see, or you can hear the target so well that you may as well see him, or you are touching or using blindsense etc.

 

[Rkhet]

...but provide enemies that won't be fooled, to keep the PC from feeling too invincible.

As always, moderation is key IMO.

There's a conundrum: by twinking the Big Bad so that the PC do not automatically succeed when they have invested in Hide, but not twinking it when they don't invest, then those skill points are essentially wasted, since from the PC's perspective, they get the same chances regardless.

 

[Space monkey]

I would do it the way Tolken did in the Hobbit. Bilbo has a great amount of hide, the Dragon does not know where he is but still knows he's there because he can sence him.

I don't know what rules you would use for this but, it allows your player to enjoy his ranks in hide...and you to have a BBEG who is not made helpless by the fact his enemy is hidden.

 

[Storyteller01]

Non-magical method: Chirping floors, similar to those used in Japan, and a few well placed bells. Combine this with a single hallway access watched by two guards and several tanglefoot bags. Invisibility = squak from floor = tied up or inconvenienced invisible rogue. How to deal with the problem without alerting the BBEG...

Magical method: Fairy fire (permanent) on the door way, activated as the BBEG walks in using a password. ANything walking in will be unable to hide for X rounds while the fire coats them, unless your rogue is also good finding/disarming magical traps. A potentially killer combo, but you give them the opportunity to deal with it.

 

[IcyCool]

There's a conundrum: by twinking the Big Bad so that the PC do not automatically succeed when they have invested in Hide, but not twinking it when they don't invest, then those skill points are essentially wasted, since from the PC's perspective, they get the same chances regardless.

Auto-succeeding all the time is boring. I do believe tha op is asking for tactics to use for this one particular BBEG. Making it challenging on occaision is a good thing. Negating his skill all the time is a bad thing.

 

[Warehouse23]

Just a thought-- any BBEG whose primary attack method is magic missile will have invested in skills (e.g., spot) or magics (e.g., fairy fire) which let him use his powers. Afterall, you don't become a BBEG by being an easily defeated chump. Depending on the dungeon setting, I like the idea of watery floors (water draining from rocks, for example) which cast reflections of a hiding PC (a negative modifier to hide) or splash about (a positive spot check modifier). Remember, if PCs can hide/take cover from a BBEG, he can do the same ot them!

 

[Silveras]

I would do it the way Tolken did in the Hobbit. Bilbo has a great amount of hide, the Dragon does not know where he is but still knows he's there because he can sence him.

I don't know what rules you would use for this but, it allows your player to enjoy his ranks in hide...and you to have a BBEG who is not made helpless by the fact his enemy is hidden.

As an aside, Smaug could not see Bilbo because Bilbo was wearing the One Ring, which made him invisible.

On topic, my advice would be NOT to go too far out of your way to thwart the PC's Hide skills. Remember to apply the rules about needing cover or concealment properly, of course, and occasionally toss in a place where there is no place to hide.

As for the BBEG, smart BBEGs get to be that way by not putting themselves in places where someone can strike at them from hiding (they tend to keep expendable minions between themselves and such locations).

 

[Lord Pendragon]

As an aside, Smaug could not see Bilbo because Bilbo was wearing the One Ring, which made him invisible.

If we're converting that scene to D&D, I'd imagine that actually the One Ring made Bilbo ethereal. Otherwise Smaug's blindsense would have told him exactly where the hobbit was.