Lair Assault: Attack of the Tyrantclaw

[Taed]

To further optimize for this Lair Assault, I'm thinking of giving my Storm Warden a Mark of Warding ("Whenever one of your powers grants a bonus to a defense, increase that bonus by 1.") (It also specifically makes the mark penalty -3.) Clearly, it would come in use with Form of Mountain's Thunder, which gives a +1 AC bonus.

But what else would be considered "bonus to a defense"? Note that it does not say "defense scores".

There's Nature's Abundance, which gives cover ("-2 penalty to attack rolls") for anyone in the zone, which could certainly be viewed as a bonus to defense. So, that bonus should be augmented. But there's a strong case to say no in that it affects the attack roll specifically.

Then there's Boiling Cloud, which gives concealment ("-2 penalty to attack rolls") for anyone in the cloud, which then would be the same idea as the cover argument.

The Warden also has a few powers which grant temporary hit points ("They're a layer of insulation that attacks have to get through before they start doing damage to you."), and that seems like a defense. Normal hit points don't seem like a defense, but temporary ones do, at least to me.

Then lastly, there's resistance, where Form of Mountain's Thunder also give a resist 3 all. Like temporary HPS, resists are certainly a type of defense, but it in this context?

Is there a definition of what constitutes a "defense" in that context of Mark of Warding? Opinions or rules? Of course, the more cheese it gives, the better for Lair Assault!

 

[keterys]

A defense bonus is a specific defined thing. A bonus to AC, fortitude, reflex, or will. Not cover, concealment, attack penalties, or resistance to damage.

 

[Zuche]

I had eight players show up on Thursday, which meant running two tables. We got started about an hour late for various reasons, several of which I should be able to avoid if this ever happens again.

One advantage to running two tables is that any time a player took too long to take a turn, I switched to the other table. By the time I resolved that action, the other table's turn tended to go a lot more quickly. (Have you ever noticed that the people who take the longest turns tend to be the ones that get the least into character?) Unfortunately, this didn't speed things up quite enough to make up for the initial delay, and one group opted to resign after two hours of play. The second group carried on for another two hours after that.

They might have lasted longer if the wizard hadn't been such easy pickings for the pterodactyl, or if the group had focused on that creature earlier. His visions of avarice managed to catch a lot of enemies, including the tyrannosaur in the tar, and that helped make up for how little damage they could otherwise dish out. Two orcs lost full turns escaping from both the zone and the tar, and the triceratops were forced to leave the field as a result of that combination. The tyrannosaur finished of the (party's) druid and his companion in the first round and severely injured everyone else, just before getting forced into the tar, slowed and being knocked prone.

The survivors hoped this lucky break would turn things around, only to discover that the creature could still reach the fighter without having to move, and devoured him on the spot. The warlord managed to get the wizard up in time to keep his zone running, but the pterodactyl made sure that wouldn't happen again, and then there was one.

Access to a tablet sped things up enough to make up for the delay it cost to record stat blocks on it, though it would have helped if I'd had been able to set that up prior to the adventure. (I wasn't expecting to have use of it, as it wasn't mine. I now have to see if I can't acquire one of my own before next month's big event here, because it was a huge help.) Another delay was caused by counter confusion, as I only had one set and forgot to write down which colour (from the generic Encounters set) represented which group of orcs. Since the DM who runs the program on Tuesdays prefers to use minis, I'll see if I can't snag the second set from him for next time. If not, I've got other orc tokens I can use that should make it easier.

(Eight is always a rough number. One less and I'd have asked the guy with the tablet to handle record-keeping for me, as he did after his table packed it in. One more, and I'd have had him run the second table. Funny how this happens to me at least once a season, yet we usually wind up short-handed for the Tuesday sessions.)

 

[Zuche]

Last Tuesday's group didn't make it to the end of the second round, as two triceratops and their riders managed to find a hole in the defenses. I will review the rules for creatures squeezing into smaller spaces with the DM who ran the encounter, however, as the triceratops should not have been able to avoid the tar pits and still cover the distance they did. Even that might only have bought them another round.

It also didn't help that the archer ranger opted to fight from one of the towers, instead of from atop one of the crates, where Cobra Strike would have offered him a degree of control over the minion rush. Live and learn...

The next challenge will be constructing an extremely simple to run controller for an event at month's end, as I've been asked to put together pregenerated characters for drop-in players. It's tempting to just throw in another striker and boost the control options available to the sorcerer. (The Collateral Damage card might just be an elemental sorcerer's best friend in Lair Assault.)

 

[Zuche]

Before I report this week's results (and head off to run it again), does anyone have a suggestion for easier ways to keep everything on the map straight before it's turned over? It can get crazy with a party of six that likes to use a lot of crates and zones, especially if they opted to play on nightmare mode. Tracking damage to crates could also be a hassle, but having the players look after that works best.

Hyacinth dropped in round three twice this week. The party of four on Tuesday made the mistake of disconnecting line of effect between the dryad and their healer, but since the healer spent those last two rounds unconscious, that was kind of academic. They also put up that barricade a little bit too late, as both storm conjurers managed to drop limited used powers on Hyacinth first. The wizard's attempt to seal a breach on the eastern front would have worked better if she'd hit the minions before they created the breach -- they have to do a better job of crippling charging attacks granted by savage demise. A mounted pterodactyl finished the job.

On Thursday, the monk did his best to take the storm conjurers (first wave) out of commission as quickly as possible, but suicidal commitment to their objective proved effective enough that they were able to kill Hyacinth with only minimal assistance from Pin- the ankylosaurs. I felt sorry for the ranger, as his critical hit on the second storm conjurer triggered the savage demise that killed their employer. It could even have been avoided, if the cleric hadn't decided to delay healing Hyacinth until the third round.

 

[Feetz]

Before I report this week's results (and head off to run it again), does anyone have a suggestion for easier ways to keep everything on the map straight before it's turned over? It can get crazy with a party of six that likes to use a lot of crates and zones, especially if they opted to play on nightmare mode. Tracking damage to crates could also be a hassle, but having the players look after that works best.

We had a polycarbonate sheet over the map. So when it was time we lifted the sheet up just enough to pull out and flip over the map. We did it that way 4 times and it worked great.

 

[jelmore]

I got to DM it for the first time today, and everything was fine...

...until a PC pulled out a Pixie Music Box on round 2. I was completely caught off-balance by it. It's not technically a magic item, so it doesn't fall under the limitations on consumable items. I did look at the character sheet at the start but it's just a line item under Equipment; there's not even an item card for it. (As it turned out, he had 3 of them.)

I adapted as best as I could: the PC had actually set the PMB down at his feet and he was at the base of one of the walls, so it didn't cover the entire map. I ruled that if he left the square without taking the box, I could target it separately. (As a Tiny item, it would have AC 10, Fort 10, and Reflex 5; I would rule it is fragile, which gives it only 1 HP.)

One of the players had DMed it before and had encountered the PMB; they had ruled that the dinosaurs didn't have to leave the area but could not attack, so I went with that. I also decided that crates could be attacked freely. Afterwards, I grabbed a copy of Heroes of the Feywild to look at the item in context, and probably would have had the dinosaurs move at best speed to the perimeter of the effect.

I was unable to destroy the box before the 5th round. To make matters worse, the small crates were all stacked around Hyacinth; when she grew and pushed the boxes away from her, it built a little cage which she had to poke enough holes in to squeeze her way through in order to get away. On the plus side, it also meant that the PCs couldn't slide her into the adjacent tar field.

This is annoying because now I have to assume that any PC in future sessions could have one or more Pixie Music Box, completely nullifying the dinosaurs. I could say that they can't take them, but on what grounds? Given that it is official Organized Play, I feel there's a limit to how far out of the box I can step when making rulings. The rules of Lair Assault specifically state that ANYTHING in ANY official 4e source is fair game, and the game is aimed at CharOp fanatics and min-maxers. So congrats! You reprogrammed the Kobayashi Maru!

(At the same time, there's some satisfaction as a DM of beating the PCs with one hand tied behind my back. I will be putting a LOT more thought the order and placement of my NPCs.)

There is probably little chance of WotC issuing errata for the Pixie Music Box—at least before the season ends—but if they DO decide to change it, make it so the box has to be used as part of an extended rest (which the item description implies is the intended use). That should close up the exploit.

 

[jelmore]

Before I report this week's results (and head off to run it again), does anyone have a suggestion for easier ways to keep everything on the map straight before it's turned over? It can get crazy with a party of six that likes to use a lot of crates and zones, especially if they opted to play on nightmare mode. Tracking damage to crates could also be a hassle, but having the players look after that works best.

You do have the miniature erasable map, right?; I jotted down on mine where Hyacinth, the crates, and the turrets were at the start; at the end of round 4, I added the PCs and NPCs.

 

[Taed]

With respect to the Pixie Music Box... If I were DMing, I would point out that the text of the item implies that the item is to keep away wandering critters. It would thus not affect critters that are controlled by others (namely the riders and other orcs) and it would not affect those that are hostile or that had been attacked first.

That said, I would let them keep it. Any dino that is ridden would ignore it since they are being controlled. Any dino which they manage to dismount the rider without damaging the dino mount would become placid, but would not leave the area (the item text says that they wouldn't approach but would not say that they would leave if already in the area), but wouldn't attack. Any orcs that arrive would hear the infernal racket coming from the box and attempt to destroy it. Once they do, they then have all the orcs and any remaining (undamaged) dinos to deal with all at once (instead of spread out over rounds). Given that, the item would work against the party, not for them.

 

[jelmore]

With respect to the Pixie Music Box... If I were DMing, I would point out that the text of the item implies that the item is to keep away wandering critters. It would thus not affect critters that are controlled by others (namely the riders and other orcs) and it would not affect those that are hostile or that had been attacked first.

The real problem is that the Pixie Music Box is clearly not intended for use in combat; I think it's supposed to be a magical version of those ultrasonic devices that keep insects away from your picnic table. It's a poorly-worded item that happens to break this particular encounter pretty badly. For example, what kind of action does it take to activate? I could argue that "While the music is sounding, natural beasts won’t approach or attack anyone in the sound’s area" means they can't even walk towards a PC—or other NPCs, even.

Here's how I would handle Pixie Music Boxes if I don't ban them from the challenge (and barring any errata from WotC):
* An active PMB must be carried in one hand or set down in order to have any effect. A PMB that is tucked back into a pouch or into clothing is muffled and has no effect.
* Any active PMB carried by a PC who dies while in tar automatically ends its effect, as does one carried by a PC who dies from falling or being dropped. (It's a hollow acorn, for crying out loud!)
* If any PMB is active, the orcs are smart enough to recognize what they are. If a PC carrying one dies or gets knocked unconscious, any adjacent orc can take a standard action to search their body and destroy any PMBs, active or not, that the PC carries.
* A PMB has low enough stats (Tiny object; AC 10; Fort 10; Reflex 5; Will —; 1 hp) that any NPC targetting an unattended one destroys it with one shot.
* Dinosaurs leaving the area of effect can still attack objects such as crates. That includes an unattended PMB.

Keep in mind, too, that players who rely on the PMB to beat the challenge will not get any awards that require the dinosaurs to be able to attack. If they have one going from the first round, any dinosaurs are likely to turn around and leave the encounter immediately; that will keep them from getting Mass Extinction, too. And every round they delay using the PMB—to farm awards, for example—is one that the DM can use the dinosaurs to their full effect.