Beholder's Ray Attacks

[shilsen]

Save or Die is important at higher level because the parties lives are a part of thier resourses at high level play.

True, but they don't have to be. The game functions just fine without taking that approach.

 

[Nifft]

Maze is decent as a death-alternative. It takes you out of the fight for sure.

Cheers, -- N

 

[Infiniti2000]

Will this have any real affect on the game?

A beholder without finger of death or disintegrate is a chump. What, is it not going to use the blasty-ray on the nasty hobbitses? You need to do more than just swap out a 7th-level effect with another one that does not do the beholder as much good.

 

[hong]

I made instakill spells in my previous game deal 4d6 Con on a failed save. Nasty, but not quite instant death for most PCs.

Now, because the recalculating that happens when stats change is annoying, I might have it do 2d6 per caster level like disintegrate. Save for half.

 

[hong]

Maximised enervation.

Save or Die is important at higher level because the parties lives are a part of thier resourses at high level play.

What, so being beaten to death the old-fashioned way is just mostly dead, as opposed to all dead?

 

[Plane Sailing]

I may keep the Disintegrate spell in case it uses the spell on something other than a PC. But if anyone has a good idea for a spell to swap with Disintegrate; I'm open to suggestions.

Pah! Disintegrate isn't save or die any more - it is save or take some damage (avg 7 per caster level, probably what a fighter of that level will do on a full attack). Fire away at the PCs!

If you do change finger of death to 'save or at -8' (or -5 or whatever), I recommend making it clear to the players that "fred is zapped and slumps to the ground, his life ebbing away" - that way they know they have an opportunity to do something before it is too late for fred; more fun all round.

 

[FunkBGR]

A bunch of people didn't like it, but I used it to great effect a couple sessions ago -

http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/dd/20061028a

Monster Makeover of the Beholder!

EDIT: Forgot to mention, a lot of it's save or die spells have been replaced with different abilities.

 

[Ogrork the Mighty]

It depends what you're trying to do, but if you don't want to kill them but still want them to "feel the pain" then just putting them to -8 isn't very good on its own. Maybe say they're incapacitated for the rest of the encounter. Otherwise players will figure out good counters to the save or die-lite ramifications and take advantage of your generousity.

 

[robberbaron]

If you don't want save or die, how about save or blow a leg off?