Dealing With The Fun Of Area of Effect Spells

[JiffyPopTart]

Lots of archers. A squad of 20 hobgoblins charging willy-nilly is scary. A squad of 20 hobgoblins shooting 40 rapid shot from conveniently out of fireball range at the wizard is deadly.

DS

 

[Ourph]

A squad of 20 hobgoblins shooting 40 rapid shot from conveniently out of fireball range at the wizard is deadly.

With the range modifiers (fireball range is 400ft + 40ft/level after all, and a composite Longbow has a range increment of 110ft) and the -2 for Rapid Shot those hobgoblins are going to be hard pressed to hit anything, especially if the Wizard has an AC over 10. You're talking about a Hobgoblin with a +2 to ranged attacks taking at least a -10 to his attack roll at that distance. If I were the caster, I wouldn't be much worried about that at all.

 

[helium3]

So I guess no one likes wild magic anymore?

It's so last week.

The best suggestions i've seen so far are to fashion encounters that make fireball a less useful tactic. It can be done in a variety of different ways.

 

[VirgilCaine]

Granted, zombies don't charge well

Zombie Wolves. They keep their base speed.

 

[D'karr]

Zombie Wolves. They keep their base speed.

But aren't they still limited to single actions. That drops their charge movement to just their base speed. Even at 50' speed, depending on terrain, they might be hard pressed to engage on their first round. Then it's fireballs away.

 

[Victim]

With the range modifiers (fireball range is 400ft + 40ft/level after all, and a composite Longbow has a range increment of 110ft) and the -2 for Rapid Shot those hobgoblins are going to be hard pressed to hit anything, especially if the Wizard has an AC over 10. You're talking about a Hobgoblin with a +2 to ranged attacks taking at least a -10 to his attack roll at that distance. If I were the caster, I wouldn't be much worried about that at all.

The range penalties to attack aren't relevant if the caster already has a high AC. If you need a natural 20 to hit, then you still need a natural twenty to hit when shooting at -20 from a thousand feet away. 40 shots -> ~2 hits a round -> ~9 damage without bonuses. Those hobgoblins can start shooting from 11 hundred feet, so that 9 damage will add up.

 

[Black_Swan]

Since you seem to be using undead..maybe some sort of burrowing undead creature would be a nifty surprise?

Start off the combat as per usual with a swarm of zombies..and then have the creature come up right underneath their feet. That should shake them up a bit.

What about a combination of flying creatures and land based ones?

 

[WhatGravitas]

Start off the combat as per usual with a swarm of zombies..and then have the creature come up right underneath their feet. That should shake them up a bit.

That sounds very cool, indeed... consider it *yoinked*!

 

[JiffyPopTart]

The range penalties to attack aren't relevant if the caster already has a high AC. If you need a natural 20 to hit, then you still need a natural twenty to hit when shooting at -20 from a thousand feet away. 40 shots -> ~2 hits a round -> ~9 damage without bonuses. Those hobgoblins can start shooting from 11 hundred feet, so that 9 damage will add up.

Exactly. Its just a hail of arrows in the general direction of the wizard in the hopes that something sticks. Kind of like real life squads of archers, eh?

DS

 

[Cabled]

So I guess no one likes wild magic anymore?

The problem is more that wild magic is sort of a one trick pony. Encounter it enough that it's solved the OP's problem, and you've got so much wild magic around that you wonder why there are any spellcasters left at all. It'd work once...it's not a solution to the bigger problem.