Earth elementals/constructs and cleric domains

[boxstop7]

I need some opinions. I'm playing a level 7 cleric of Moradin, and my domains are Earth and Good. According to the PHB, the Earth domain allows me to "turn/destroy air creatures as a good cleric turns undead" and to "rebuke/command earth creatures as an evil cleric rebukes undead". I should give some background:

In our game, we've encountered creatures representing air, fire and water. We know the earth creature is coming b/c one of our players has dreams that foretell certain things. We saw the creation of this creature from a slab of rock. So my question is this: in your opinion, would my cleric be able to rebuke/command this "earth creature" when it finally appears? What is meant/implied by the use of "creature" in the PHB explanation? Our DM has an extreme case of "me vs. them" attitude, and I'm almost positive he'll claim that the creature is a construct and immune somehow (or otherwise hose me on this). But the blasted thing was made from a hunk of rock. As per my understanding, the domain allows me to turn air elementals and rebuke earth elementals. Does this also mean that I would be able to rebuke/control clay or stone golems? I'm confused as to how I should interpret this. Any help or opinions on the matter would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

~Box

 

[Maitre Du Donjon]

You can turn creatures that have the (Air) descriptor and rebuke creatures that have the (Earth) descriptor. You can't rebuke clay or stone golems since those don't have the (Earth) descriptor. You could rebuke a stone giant, a salt mephit, etc. but not a stone golem. Chances are, like you said, that the DM will create the creature so its not affected by your power...

I'm not going to start on the "DM is out to get you" thing, because it's not a rules issue... but i'd hate to be in your place.

Maitre D

 

[boxstop7]

Thanks, MD. That clarified things a little bit. Just b/c I'm bored, I'll give some more info on the "me vs. them" mentality...

Like I said, we've encountered the air, fire and water versions thus far. I've been peeved on several occasions. First, we get no AoO when these things cast spells, b/c their concentration numbers are so high. He doesn't even allow us to attempt it. Second, these things have yet to roll saves (with one exception, a single reflex save). Fort saves haven't come up, and the damned things have a will save bonus so high they don't even have to roll. Even our 11th level wizard can't make them roll a will save. Third, there's the spell resistance. The wizard is 4 levels higher than my cleric, and he rolled a natural 20 and added the appropriate numbers and STILL didn't get through the friggin' thing's SR!!! *sigh* I'm beginning to wonder if there's a point to playing in this game any longer.

~Box

 

[Maitre Du Donjon]

Ack.

Maybe your strategy should be to use spells to buff up as much as possible and take the creatures down purely in melee, if the DM has made them so they're basically protected from magic..

That, of course, will probably not resolve the problem, since if you DO find a way to beat the creature, and henceforth the DM, chances are he'll probably be peeved even more and get back at you all with more invulnerable monsters...

When a game isnt fun anymore, its not a game anymore, and if its not a game anymore, you don't have to play.

But maybe, just maybe, the DM wants to give you a big challenge so that the players can feel they've overcome a big threat, and fel proud of themselves, and he's just going at it all wrong. It'd suck having to do this, but maybe you'll have to have The Talk (tm) with the DM...

Anyways, good luck!

Maitre D

 

[shilsen]

Thanks, MD. That clarified things a little bit. Just b/c I'm bored, I'll give some more info on the "me vs. them" mentality...

Like I said, we've encountered the air, fire and water versions thus far. I've been peeved on several occasions. First, we get no AoO when these things cast spells, b/c their concentration numbers are so high. He doesn't even allow us to attempt it. Second, these things have yet to roll saves (with one exception, a single reflex save). Fort saves haven't come up, and the damned things have a will save bonus so high they don't even have to roll. Even our 11th level wizard can't make them roll a will save. Third, there's the spell resistance. The wizard is 4 levels higher than my cleric, and he rolled a natural 20 and added the appropriate numbers and STILL didn't get through the friggin' thing's SR!!! *sigh* I'm beginning to wonder if there's a point to playing in this game any longer.

~Box

Yikes! Your DM doesn't allow you to take AoOs or even bother to roll saves? He does know that a 1 on a save is an automatic failure, right? Sounds like you need to to have a talk with your DM, as Maitre Du Donjon suggested.

 

[boxstop7]

DM doesn't play automatic crits/failures. We played earlier today, actually, and one of the critters rolled a 20 on me. I've taken to buffing myself, as MD suggested (Bull's Strength, Shield of Faith, etc.) and the 20 + attack bonus wasn't enough to clear my AC. He called it a miss. So I can't gripe too much about that. What bugs me is that I'm new to this group (been playing with them for 3 weeks), and the other players just seem to accept, and in some cases defend, the DM's tactics. And to slather salt and lemon juice into the wound even further, we get crappy XP for the encounters. We're a group of 4 characters, and we typically get about 700-1000 XP for each one of these things we take out. Overpowered enemies + undercounted XP = one unhappy dwarven cleric.

~Box

 

[Maitre Du Donjon]

I see your dilemma...

An unhappy dwarven cleric could be a gone dwarven cleric

And it must also suck being 4 levels lower than the rest of the party... At what level are the others? If your average party level is 9 or 10, 700-1000XP a creature probably means you're fighting CR 10 or 11 creatures, which would represent a good challenge. It would be normal for your party to deplete a lot of ressources for fighting each creature... The party will be worn out before you can go through all of them

Maitre D

 

[boxstop7]

This game has been running for about a year now. The body count in this campaign has been unbelievable. We almost lost our half-orc fighter tonight, and it would have been his fourth character in this game. The other two players are on their third characters of the campaign. Two players left the game and had gone through 3 characters a piece. This single campaign has killed off more characters than I've had die in 7 years of role-playing. And yes, it does SUCK to be 4 levels below the party.

~Box

 

[melkoriii]

Yikes! Your DM doesn't allow you to take AoOs or even bother to roll saves? He does know that a 1 on a save is an automatic failure, right? Sounds like you need to to have a talk with your DM, as Maitre Du Donjon suggested.

This is a misnomer. 1's and 20's are not auto pass/fail.

in the PHB when they say "Like a attack roll" They are refering to the "you roll a d20" NOT that 1's and 20's are auto pass/fail.

The offical rule is d20 + Base Save + Stat vs. DC. Thats it.

This keeps getting spread as offical on the boards and its very annoing as it is not core rules.

 

[melkoriii]

This game has been running for about a year now. The body count in this campaign has been unbelievable. We almost lost our half-orc fighter tonight, and it would have been his fourth character in this game. The other two players are on their third characters of the campaign. Two players left the game and had gone through 3 characters a piece. This single campaign has killed off more characters than I've had die in 7 years of role-playing. And yes, it does SUCK to be 4 levels below the party.

~Box

Start your own game dude. This DM is a "Im God" DM and you should never play a a game run by one of them. Seems to me ther are enought players to start your own.

When its not fun. Play with some one else.