Exploiting weakness or matching up opponents that will pound the player is not too hard.
Examples:
A group of level 1 Sorcerer's (4 to 6) with Magic Missile or Negative Channeling Clerics will bypass his defenses (there are some monsters like Helm Horrors that work in a similar way).
I can go with a Barbarian style build Str 16 +2 Race = 18, Con 14 which rages to Str 22 Con 18. That gives +6 Attribute to hit plus levels (4 to 6) is +10 to +12. A feat of weapon focus for +1 and then toss in a bonus or two from Bless (or Bardic Song or other morale booster) and Magic Weapon and I've got someone(s) hitting on +13 to +17.
I've got an opponent coming up soon that will be tossing lightning bolts (wife he inadvertently abandoned in his back story but made no attempt in four levels to contact and has been trying to date other NPCs in the mean time).
I can attempt immobilizer spells (hold person and such) but Will Saves are his best save and his Eidolon has given him Evasion which makes Reflex saves all or nothing (web spell might work).
I've used shadows with their touch attacks to send him scurrying for cover behind the rest of the group.
The balancing act is to not put too much of this stuff in but enough to make sure that he is not cake walking. Still, the more of this stuff I put in the more the rest of the group may feel a price for example if the Barbarian design gets loose or takes out the Power Gamer then the question is will the rest of the group be able to handle the barbarian?
I agree, that I can't really ask the player to give up the concept or what makes the concept fun. He has almost half a year invested in the character and it would be wrong to end it when I've got ways to play on the weaknesses.
I also have a fair amount of CR to work with as the group is seven players (though I need to be flexible to handle nine as a couple of players float in from week to week).
The number of fights they go through in a day goes up and down which means I can often put in larger fights.
I wrecked up half the party last Saturday with a fight against skeletons that were +3 to hit and +2 dam wielding long spears and halberds. The group's cleric is a negative chaneller, most of the group did not have blunt attacks, and the skeletons got the drop on the group as they moved along a hallway. After the fight it took most of their healing magics to put them back into fighting shape and that was the first encounter of the set.
-------------------
You are correct the damage reduction is alignment and not magic. My mistake.
Examples:
A group of level 1 Sorcerer's (4 to 6) with Magic Missile or Negative Channeling Clerics will bypass his defenses (there are some monsters like Helm Horrors that work in a similar way).
I can go with a Barbarian style build Str 16 +2 Race = 18, Con 14 which rages to Str 22 Con 18. That gives +6 Attribute to hit plus levels (4 to 6) is +10 to +12. A feat of weapon focus for +1 and then toss in a bonus or two from Bless (or Bardic Song or other morale booster) and Magic Weapon and I've got someone(s) hitting on +13 to +17.
I've got an opponent coming up soon that will be tossing lightning bolts (wife he inadvertently abandoned in his back story but made no attempt in four levels to contact and has been trying to date other NPCs in the mean time).
I can attempt immobilizer spells (hold person and such) but Will Saves are his best save and his Eidolon has given him Evasion which makes Reflex saves all or nothing (web spell might work).
I've used shadows with their touch attacks to send him scurrying for cover behind the rest of the group.
The balancing act is to not put too much of this stuff in but enough to make sure that he is not cake walking. Still, the more of this stuff I put in the more the rest of the group may feel a price for example if the Barbarian design gets loose or takes out the Power Gamer then the question is will the rest of the group be able to handle the barbarian?
I agree, that I can't really ask the player to give up the concept or what makes the concept fun. He has almost half a year invested in the character and it would be wrong to end it when I've got ways to play on the weaknesses.
I also have a fair amount of CR to work with as the group is seven players (though I need to be flexible to handle nine as a couple of players float in from week to week).
The number of fights they go through in a day goes up and down which means I can often put in larger fights.
I wrecked up half the party last Saturday with a fight against skeletons that were +3 to hit and +2 dam wielding long spears and halberds. The group's cleric is a negative chaneller, most of the group did not have blunt attacks, and the skeletons got the drop on the group as they moved along a hallway. After the fight it took most of their healing magics to put them back into fighting shape and that was the first encounter of the set.
-------------------
You are correct the damage reduction is alignment and not magic. My mistake.