Menu
News
All News
Dungeons & Dragons
Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition
Pathfinder
Starfinder
Warhammer
2d20 System
Year Zero Engine
Industry News
Reviews
Dragon Reflections
Columns
Weekly Digests
Weekly News Digest
Freebies, Sales & Bundles
RPG Print News
RPG Crowdfunding News
Game Content
ENterplanetary DimENsions
Mythological Figures
Opinion
Worlds of Design
Peregrine's Next
RPG Evolution
Other Columns
From the Freelancing Frontline
Monster ENcyclopedia
WotC/TSR Alumni Look Back
4 Hours w/RSD (Ryan Dancey)
The Road to 3E (Jonathan Tweet)
Greenwood's Realms (Ed Greenwood)
Drawmij's TSR (Jim Ward)
Community
Forums & Topics
Forum List
Latest Posts
Forum list
*Dungeons & Dragons
Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition
D&D Older Editions
*TTRPGs General
*Pathfinder & Starfinder
EN Publishing
*Geek Talk & Media
Search forums
Chat/Discord
Resources
Wiki
Pages
Latest activity
Media
New media
New comments
Search media
Downloads
Latest reviews
Search resources
EN Publishing
Store
EN5ider
Adventures in ZEITGEIST
Awfully Cheerful Engine
What's OLD is NEW
Judge Dredd & The Worlds Of 2000AD
War of the Burning Sky
Level Up: Advanced 5E
Events & Releases
Upcoming Events
Private Events
Featured Events
Socials!
Twitch
YouTube
Facebook (EN Publishing)
Facebook (EN World)
Twitter
Instagram
TikTok
Podcast
Features
Top 5 RPGs Compiled Charts 2004-Present
Adventure Game Industry Market Research Summary (RPGs) V1.0
Ryan Dancey: Acquiring TSR
Q&A With Gary Gygax
D&D Rules FAQs
TSR, WotC, & Paizo: A Comparative History
D&D Pronunciation Guide
Million Dollar TTRPG Kickstarters
Tabletop RPG Podcast Hall of Fame
Eric Noah's Unofficial D&D 3rd Edition News
D&D in the Mainstream
D&D & RPG History
About Morrus
Log in
Register
What's new
Search
Search
Search titles only
By:
Forums & Topics
Forum List
Latest Posts
Forum list
*Dungeons & Dragons
Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition
D&D Older Editions
*TTRPGs General
*Pathfinder & Starfinder
EN Publishing
*Geek Talk & Media
Search forums
Chat/Discord
Menu
Log in
Register
Install the app
Install
Community
General Tabletop Discussion
*Dungeons & Dragons
Counter to Spike Growth?
JavaScript is disabled. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding.
You are using an out of date browser. It may not display this or other websites correctly.
You should upgrade or use an
alternative browser
.
Reply to thread
Message
<blockquote data-quote="BlackSeed_Vash" data-source="post: 7504217" data-attributes="member: 33580"><p>Don't know anything about PotA so sorry for anything that doesn't work here. If your group has been fighting different cells from the same cult than most certainly the cultist should be learning the player's tactics. And depending upon how famous your players are, any up and coming cult/villain is going to hear about these heroes and should do at least a cursorily investigation to see if they'll be a problem. Remember that fame in only required in the area the cult wants to set up shop, so being the heroes of a tiny village is all that is required.</p><p></p><p>Personally, when I think of cults, at least during gatherings, everyone is dressed the same. Sometimes the wealthier and/or higher ranked members wear a nicer set with the possibility of an extra insignia to designate their elevated status. When in their garb, equip your casters a weapon they are proficient and the non-casters with pouches... that could be used to hold spell components. When they're not "showing their colors" a person can wear whatever they please. Use both the more homogenized outfit and the varying taste in clothing to help confuse the monk. Also, if the cultist receive a warning of the party imminent arrival (such as from an Alarm spell) some can use Disguise Self to change their appearance instead of Invisibility. Last but not least, throw some gish opponents at them; robes can do an excellent job of hiding chain mail underneath them.</p><p></p><p>Having a caster prepare Counterspell or Dispel Magic for Spike Growth is probably one of the simplest counters to the druid. Another simple solution is to give your mooks a short bow and 10 arrows. Have them shoot at anyone not engaging in melee. In addition the mooks should be shouting a warning to anyone who didn't see the spell take affect. That should give them advantage to Perception to see it, since this is a known thing your players do. Then there is the poetic justice of casting silence the druid before s/he get their spell off. Players don't have any right to complain when the cultist are stealing a tactic that has worked so effectively against themselves. You can make use elevation and barriers to help thwart Spike Growth as well. Balconies, ledges more than 15ft up or just plain flies shouldn't have to worry about the spell. </p><p></p><p>Use Spike Growth against your players. Find ways to push or pull your players onto the effect area. The movement will trigger the spell and there is no safe for ally clause. Now your druid needs to decide whether keeping it up is worth the risk to their companion. If you really feel like putting the screws to your players, have another caster drop Grease, Evard's Black Tentacles or the like on top of the Spike Growth.</p><p></p><p>Consider where your mooks are and what they would be doing as your players burst into the room. Sometimes they'll be in one big cluster. Others in small groups or spread thought the room. And maybe there are <em>guests </em>in the room. Whether or not these guests know they are hostages is immaterial. Hell, you could steal from "The Dark Knight" and have the guests in cultist garb with the cultist are in their civilian garb. Wouldn't that cause problems for your players if they intentionally (but unknowingly) harmed/killed a non-cultist; can hear a cultist telling the crowed at the best tavern in town saying, "I witnessed those villainous thugs indiscriminately murdered our guests to achieve their warped sense of justice."</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="BlackSeed_Vash, post: 7504217, member: 33580"] Don't know anything about PotA so sorry for anything that doesn't work here. If your group has been fighting different cells from the same cult than most certainly the cultist should be learning the player's tactics. And depending upon how famous your players are, any up and coming cult/villain is going to hear about these heroes and should do at least a cursorily investigation to see if they'll be a problem. Remember that fame in only required in the area the cult wants to set up shop, so being the heroes of a tiny village is all that is required. Personally, when I think of cults, at least during gatherings, everyone is dressed the same. Sometimes the wealthier and/or higher ranked members wear a nicer set with the possibility of an extra insignia to designate their elevated status. When in their garb, equip your casters a weapon they are proficient and the non-casters with pouches... that could be used to hold spell components. When they're not "showing their colors" a person can wear whatever they please. Use both the more homogenized outfit and the varying taste in clothing to help confuse the monk. Also, if the cultist receive a warning of the party imminent arrival (such as from an Alarm spell) some can use Disguise Self to change their appearance instead of Invisibility. Last but not least, throw some gish opponents at them; robes can do an excellent job of hiding chain mail underneath them. Having a caster prepare Counterspell or Dispel Magic for Spike Growth is probably one of the simplest counters to the druid. Another simple solution is to give your mooks a short bow and 10 arrows. Have them shoot at anyone not engaging in melee. In addition the mooks should be shouting a warning to anyone who didn't see the spell take affect. That should give them advantage to Perception to see it, since this is a known thing your players do. Then there is the poetic justice of casting silence the druid before s/he get their spell off. Players don't have any right to complain when the cultist are stealing a tactic that has worked so effectively against themselves. You can make use elevation and barriers to help thwart Spike Growth as well. Balconies, ledges more than 15ft up or just plain flies shouldn't have to worry about the spell. Use Spike Growth against your players. Find ways to push or pull your players onto the effect area. The movement will trigger the spell and there is no safe for ally clause. Now your druid needs to decide whether keeping it up is worth the risk to their companion. If you really feel like putting the screws to your players, have another caster drop Grease, Evard's Black Tentacles or the like on top of the Spike Growth. Consider where your mooks are and what they would be doing as your players burst into the room. Sometimes they'll be in one big cluster. Others in small groups or spread thought the room. And maybe there are [I]guests [/I]in the room. Whether or not these guests know they are hostages is immaterial. Hell, you could steal from "The Dark Knight" and have the guests in cultist garb with the cultist are in their civilian garb. Wouldn't that cause problems for your players if they intentionally (but unknowingly) harmed/killed a non-cultist; can hear a cultist telling the crowed at the best tavern in town saying, "I witnessed those villainous thugs indiscriminately murdered our guests to achieve their warped sense of justice." [/QUOTE]
Insert quotes…
Verification
Post reply
Community
General Tabletop Discussion
*Dungeons & Dragons
Counter to Spike Growth?
Top