Battle vs. Frenzied Berserker

[Hypersmurf]

Whoa, you can Take 10 on ability checks? I had no idea. In fact, I thought you explicitly couldn't... Perhaps this is 3.0 I am thinking? This even came up in our last session and I told the DM they couldn't Take 10 on ability checks. I feel sheepish

Guess I learned something new, heh...

You explicitly can:
Checks without Rolls
A skill check represents an attempt to accomplish some goal, usually while under some sort of time pressure or distraction. Sometimes, though, a character can use a skill under more favorable conditions and eliminate the luck factor.

Taking 10: When your character is not being threatened or distracted, you may choose to take 10. Instead of rolling 1d20 for the skill check, calculate your result as if you had rolled a 10. For many routine tasks, taking 10 makes them automatically successful. Distractions or threats (such as combat) make it impossible for a character to take 10. In most cases, taking 10 is purely a safety measure —you know (or expect) that an average roll will succeed but fear that a poor roll might fail, so you elect to settle for the average roll (a 10). Taking 10 is especially useful in situations where a particularly high roll wouldn’t help.

Taking 20: When you have plenty of time (generally 2 minutes for a skill that can normally be checked in 1 round, one full-round action, or one standard action), you are faced with no threats or distractions, and the skill being attempted carries no penalties for failure, you can take 20. In other words, eventually you will get a 20 on 1d20 if you roll enough times. Instead of rolling 1d20 for the skill check, just calculate your result as if you had rolled a 20. Taking 20 means you are trying until you get it right, and it assumes that you fail many times before succeeding. Taking 20 takes twenty times as long as making a single check would take. Since taking 20 assumes that the character will fail many times before succeeding, if you did attempt to take 20 on a skill that carries penalties for failure, your character would automatically incur those penalties before he or she could complete the task. Common “take 20” skills include Escape Artist, Open Lock, and Search.

Ability Checks and Caster Level Checks: The normal take 10 and take 20 rules apply for ability checks. Neither rule applies to caster level checks.

-Hyp.

 

[ainbimagh]

The lack of items such as scrolls is my fault. The game has been very fast-paced with little down time. Battles have been intense and usually versus foes with little or no magic items.

To explain what I have said above about equipment, so as not to contradict myself: the items they have are deity granted. Everyone got armor/weapon/misc. item. As well as a few abilitiies.

Crothian: Normal tactics are decent, involving the fighter and barbarian engaging in melee. The cleric does sometimes as well. The rogue usually moves into position for SA. Druid usually summons. The wizards vary quite a bit on tactics.

Most items they have, and spells, are damage dealing.

Wizardess:
Zero-level Wizard spells: 4 per day
Detect Magic
Resistance
*Ray of Frost*
Detect Poison
Daze
Flare
*Light*
Dancing Lights
Ghost Sound
Disrupt Undead
*Mage Hand*
Mending
Open/Close
Arcane Mark
Detect Magic
*Prestidigitation*
Read Magic

First-level Wizard spells: 4 (3+2) per day
Feather Fall
Mage Armor
Magic Missile
Magic Missile
Protection from Evil

Second-level Wizard spells: 4 (4+1) per day 5
*Cat's Grace*
*Mirror Image*
*Scorching ray*
*Spider Climb*
*Protection From Arrows*


Third-level Wizard spells: 3 (3+1) per day 4
*Haste*
*Lightning Bolt*
*Wind Wall*
*Fireball*

Fourth-level Wizard Spells: 1 (1+1) per day 2
*Leomund's Secure Shelter*
*Phantasmal Killer*

Staff:
Resist Energy
Gust of Wind
Melf's Acid Arrow
Fireball
Sleet Storm
Stoneskin
Stone Shape


Wizard:
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯Spell Lvl 0¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
Arcane Mark
Dancing Lights
Daze
Detect Magic*
Detect Poison
Disrupt Undead
Flare
Ghost sound
Light*
Mage Hand
Mending
Open/Close*
Prestidigitation
Ray of Frost
Read Magic*
Resistance*

¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯Spell Lvl 1¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯

Charm Person*
Mage Armour
Magic Missile
Shield*
Sleep
Colour Spray*
Burning Hands**
Hold Portal
Identify

¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯Spell Lvl 2¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯

Horn of Belshan*
Claws of Darkness
Darkbolt**
Spectral Hand*

¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯Spell Lvl 3¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯

Vampiric Touch***
Displacement*

Staff:
Bestow Wound
Darkbolt
Shriveling
Hell's Power
Flesh Ripper
Gutwrench


I'll have to double-check what the druid has...

Wow you should um... educate your wizards on how horrible their prepped spelllist is..

 

[airwalkrr]

With what little info I have given, does this encounter look like it might need to be scaled back?

With two wizards in the party, I doubt it. They should have the ability to fly between them, not to mention other hampering abilities (like grease, slow, etc.) to keep the FB occupied. The druid should come in handy for this as well (entangle, spike stones, etc.).

The big question is whether or not the PCs know it is a frenzied berzerker. If they know you like to pull really dangerous PrCs out with the villains, then they are likely to be careful and realize a frothing barbarian probably has a little more to her. But if they are very naive and trust you implicitly to never give them a challenge they can't handle, they might throw caution to the wind, resulting in several deaths.

I doubt it will be a TPK, since the FB barely has enough activations to even kill the entire party before her frenzy ends, and with that large of a party, she will probably be out of hp by that time. But a number of deaths would not surprise me.

 

[Hypersmurf]

With two wizards in the party, I doubt it. They should have the ability to fly between them, not to mention other hampering abilities (like grease, slow, etc.) to keep the FB occupied.

... or... not

Does Color Spray count?

-Hyp.

 

[airwalkrr]

... or... not

-Hyp.

Yea I just read the rest of the thread. I mean, I thought surely every wizard knows that fly is a necessity. Apparently not...

 

[Palskane]

They certainly haven't prepared for this particular type of encounter, and they know I pull out powerful baddies for them.

They also certainly do not know that this woman is a FB. She has already confronted them, stated her intent, and given them a chance to cease and desist. Combat is imminent.

However, there is no reason I can't make her something else more applicable to the situation and throw a FB at them later on. Combat has not yet been engaged.

 

[SlagMortar]

Wizard casts haste. Everyone uses their fancy new movement rate to run away for 7 rounds while frenzy duration expires.

 

[Darklone]

Wizard casts haste. Everyone uses their fancy new movement rate to run away for 7 rounds while frenzy duration expires.

Actually that's IMHO the best tactic for this group.

 

[Palskane]

Well, going from the general consensus it seems that maybe I should change this encounter. Since they have already run into her I suppose I could change her to straight barbarian...

Educating my players on their spell-lists will be forthcoming...

 

[ainbimagh]

Well, going from the general consensus it seems that maybe I should change this encounter. Since they have already run into her I suppose I could change her to straight barbarian...

Educating my players on their spell-lists will be forthcoming...

Yes they lack some of the staple control spells like...

grease
glitterdust
evards black tentacles

also might want to have them consider from PHB II

celerity line