[Epic] Beating high SR

[Stalker0]

I'm dming a one time epic game, and one thing I noticed is the very very high SR my players can get, with items like the mantle of epic SR (SR 40). The players are 25th level.

Besides the epic spell penetration feat.... which preety much blows goat chunks, is there any other good way to beat that made SR besides just taking out the mantle?

 

[the Jester]

Homebrewed items or spells. I have converted the old 2e Lower Resistance spell- I just posted it in another thread, you might find it useful:

LOWER RESISTANCE
Abjuration
Level: Sor/Wiz 5, Clr 5, Drd 7
Components: V, S, M
Casting Time: 1 action
Range: Close (25’+5’/2 levels)
Target: One creature
Duration: 2 rounds/level
Saving Throw: None
Spell Resistance: Yes (see text)

This spell causes the target to lose some degree of spell resistance for a time. Though it is not allowed a saving throw the target’s SR applies, but your spell penetration roll receives a +6 competence bonus. If you succeed the target’s SR drops by half your level.

 

[jodyjohnson]

Use Supernatural abilities.

SU are not subject to SR. Arcane Fire from Archmage is SU.
Could be some other SU abilities. Summoning spells and others ignore SR.

 

[FireLance]

Use Conjuration spells! (See this thread).

 

[Darklone]

"Envelop the wall" feat in KoK PG... Kinda heighten spell but for each level that you raise the spell slot, you gain a +2 to beat the spell resistance.

 

[Pax]

"Envelop the wall" feat in KoK PG... Kinda heighten spell but for each level that you raise the spell slot, you gain a +2 to beat the spell resistance.

Unapproachable East has the "Fortify Spell" metamagic, with the exact same mechanic: for every level you add to the base spell, you get a +2 bonus (which stacks), to SR penetration checks.

There's also classes that give Spell Power (which will still help penetrate SR, in 3.5e).

 

[Archer]

Heighten Spell always needed a boost and now you can have a fortified spell which penetrates SR and has a higher DC save and bypasses globes of invulnerability.

 

[Pax]

Heighten Spell always needed a boost and now you can have a fortified spell which penetrates SR and has a higher DC save and bypasses globes of invulnerability.

Where in the nine hells did you get THAT silly idea?

Fortify Spell's only benefit is to give you +2 to SR checks. It does NOT up the ACTUAL level of the spell (any more than Empower does).

A 24 Intelligence, 18th level wizard with no SP/GSP/etc feats, casting a [/i]Fortified (+6) Fireball[/i], will roll 1d20+30 to penetrate SR (18 form caster levels, +12 form Fortify Spell metamagic). The spell required a 9th-level slot to prepare, but is still a 3d level spell in all ways; Minor Globe of Invulnerability still works against it, and the save is still that of a 3d level spell (20 for our example wizard).

Fortify spell is a variable-cost Metamagic, whose benefit is a bonus equal to double it's cost. It is NOT Heighten-spell-with-something-extra. Not even CLOSE.

With that said: the example wizard would probably have been better off using Heighten +3 and Fortify +3 at the same time, resulting in a 6th level spell, cast from a 9th level slot, with a +6 bonus to SR checks.

 

[Endur]

Arcane Fire from the Archmage PRC. It was made to destroy SR monsters. (Supernatural, so SR doesn't affect it).

 

[James McMurray]

Of course, blowing a 9th level spell slot only gains you 14d6 damage, which isn't a heck of a lot in an Epic setting.