D&D 3E/3.5 3.5 - how many spell like abilities do you use with a creature

[Shades of Eternity]

something that I've been wondering for a while now is with regards to creatures with spell-like abilities and spells in general.

namely how many can you use in a combat before it becomes unwieldy?

Which creatures in 3.5 are easy to use with them

which creatures do you plain old forget about theire spell like abilities?

thanks guys

 

[RUMBLETiGER]

I'm assuming you're asking us as DMs.

namely how many can you use in a combat before it becomes unwieldy?

Depends. If you goal is to kill your PCs and leave it up to them to work to stay alive, use everything you've got. If your goal is make the combat challenging and memorable, use what's interesting and makes them enjoy the fight. I rarely fight to kill my PCs. I aim for a tie, and leave it up to them to win the fight. If that means choosing not to use every ability or the most powerful abilities (Because they'd die), then still do some memorable things.

Which creatures in 3.5 are easy to use with them

If you read the entry thoroughly for each creature before you use it, than all of them. With that said, classic monsters such as Dragons, Beholders, Mind Flayers and Rust Monsters are all easy to use because everyone has in their mind what sorts of things this creature is about to do. Because of this, you as the DM can choose to differently. Everyone expects the dragon to breathe fire, Beholder's eyebeams and the Mind Flayer to try to eat their brain, so have those creatures cast spells first, or at interesting times throughout the combat.

which creatures do you plain old forget about theire spell like abilities?

Dragons casting spells. I forget they're natural sorcerers. The times I do remember end up really cool.

 

[Shades of Eternity]

keen, thanks

out of curiousity, which spell like abilities are easier to remember then others?

 

[javgoro]

keen, thanks

out of curiousity, which spell like abilities are easier to remember then others?

I already answered to the original question in RPG.net (under another screen name), so I won't repeat myself, and instead address this bit. Normally, the ones that are easier to remember are those that either:

a) You cast before the fight begins, note down the effects, and roll with it.
b) The ones that are on par with simply pummelling the players in melee.

 

[Empirate]

Usually, monster SLAs fall in three categories:

1. Defining ability. The monster wouldn't be the same without it. These abilities will often be the reason why you're using the monster in the first place. In other cases, these abilities are part and parcel of what the monster can do, or are just that iconic, anyway. Definitely use these abilities (or at least keep them in mind) if you use the monster, else it just won't feel 'right'!

Examples: Aboleth's various illusions; Treant's Animate Trees; Efreeti's Grant Wish; Night Hag's Etherealness; Duergar's Enlarge and Invisibility; Kraken's Control Weather and Control Winds; Annis Hag's Disguise Self etc.


2. Just-a-whole-bunch-of-stuff: many many SLAs, often usable more than 1/day, or even at will. These abilities give the monsters that possess them lots and lots of extra options, none of which can be said to be 'typical' of the monster in question. Taken together, though, they provide quite a bit of versatility and tactical flexibility. Some may buff the monster and its allies, some may provide an escape route, some are purely offensive and so on. This basically makes the monster feel like a secondary (or in some cases even primary) caster. You will very likely use some, but never all SLAs of this kind of monster.

Examples: Many Outsiders, especially Devils, Demons, and Angels, but also stuff like Inevitables, or the Barghest and Couatl; Green Hag; Half-Celestial/Half-Fiend creatures; most Genies; Lamia; many Fey; Ogre Mage; Nightshades etc.

3. Purely fluff abilities: some monsters have SLAs that are pure fluff and don't really do much to make them more powerful. In many cases, these SLAs are only usable a very limited number of times/day. Using these in combat is often a waste of an action - but on the other hand, they just might come in handy from time to time. Mostly, they're used to establish the creature's identity in non-critical situations, and for roleplaying or occasional utility.
Note that these SLAs might actually be the reason why your Conjurer or Druid summons these things. As I said, they're handy. Just not that good in a fight.

Examples: Stone Giant Elder's Stone Shape etc.; Aasimar's Light; Drow's Darkness etc.; Unicorn's Cures; Lantern and Hound Archon's Continual Flame etc.; Red Dragon's Locate Object; Formian Worker's Cure Serious and Make Whole; all creatures with a Detect XYZ ability.



Note that the separation of (Sp) abilities from (Ex) and (Su) abilities is completely arbitrary if you apply the categories I formed above.

 

[Shades of Eternity]

I already answered to the original question in RPG.net (under another screen name), so I won't repeat myself, and instead address this bit. Normally, the ones that are easier to remember are those that either:

a) You cast before the fight begins, note down the effects, and roll with it.
b) The ones that are on par with simply pummelling the players in melee.

keen.

I guess that's the question at hand.

when building a monster, when would you use a spell-like ability as opposed to just plopping on a special ability?

like for myself, I can see invisibility as a pain to keep track of when you can just list it under the senses in the monster stat block.