-
The VOIDRUNNER'S CODEX is LIVE! Explore new worlds, fight oppressive empires, fend off fearsome aliens, and wield deadly psionics with this comprehensive boxed set expansion for 5E and A5E!
How did 'Righteous Might' affect your game?
- Thread starter Marimmar
- Start date
Elrik_DarkFury
First Post
OOOOOooooootttttssss. 
__________________
The Wizard
__________________
The Wizard
Elder-Basilisk
First Post
In general, a good way to prevent uberbuff spells from being too effective is to limit the times the PCs can prebuff (is the BBEG in this room where we hear ritual chanting or is this just the evil underclerics engaging in a ritual prayer in preparation for the main ritual--we don't know until we kick in the door and if we wait until we know, we don't have our buffs running when we do).
However, there is a second way: lay the smack down quickly. The quicken spell feat, Quicken Spell Like Ability feat, and quicken breath weapon feat (Draconomicon IIRC) are there for a reason. Evil clerics who cast quickened divine favor and unleash a power attacking strength domain full round attack of smites (Destruction domain +extra smiting) will force the cleric to either start healing or get into the action before he's fully buffed. A wizard who starts out with a wall of force and a quickened ray of enfeeblement to reduce the fighter to wizard strength and follows up with an acid fog+quickened scorching ray will force the party to do something other than buff in the early rounds. If the bad guys (or the PCs for that matter) are laying the smack down at full power starting from round 1, the entire combat will generally not last very long and the cleric who spends two rounds buffing will find that it's often all over but the shouting by the time he's ready to do something productive.
And, if you have Complete Arcane, Reciprocal Gyre is the complete answer to all your anti-buffing needs. Reciprocal Gyre with a metamagic rod of chain spell makes Scry+buff+teleport into scry+buff+teleport+die.
However, there is a second way: lay the smack down quickly. The quicken spell feat, Quicken Spell Like Ability feat, and quicken breath weapon feat (Draconomicon IIRC) are there for a reason. Evil clerics who cast quickened divine favor and unleash a power attacking strength domain full round attack of smites (Destruction domain +extra smiting) will force the cleric to either start healing or get into the action before he's fully buffed. A wizard who starts out with a wall of force and a quickened ray of enfeeblement to reduce the fighter to wizard strength and follows up with an acid fog+quickened scorching ray will force the party to do something other than buff in the early rounds. If the bad guys (or the PCs for that matter) are laying the smack down at full power starting from round 1, the entire combat will generally not last very long and the cleric who spends two rounds buffing will find that it's often all over but the shouting by the time he's ready to do something productive.
And, if you have Complete Arcane, Reciprocal Gyre is the complete answer to all your anti-buffing needs. Reciprocal Gyre with a metamagic rod of chain spell makes Scry+buff+teleport into scry+buff+teleport+die.
Storminator
First Post
For a while I did Hall of the Fire Giant King and faced a RM + DP cleric.
For pure melee fun, I gave a pair of fire giants long spears and the Large and in Charge feat. They stopped the cleric cold, and she got pounded on a couple times.
She still whomped giants, but they made her work for it.
PS
For pure melee fun, I gave a pair of fire giants long spears and the Large and in Charge feat. They stopped the cleric cold, and she got pounded on a couple times.
She still whomped giants, but they made her work for it.
PS
Nifft
Penguin Herder
Yeah... if a group of adventurers teleported out after looking at my lair, I sure wouldn't be there when they got back!
O'course, IMC, teleportation magic makes a loud noise -- D.Door makes a *bamph!* and Teleport makes a thunderous boom. Plane Shift.... ooo, that sucker shatters glass.
-- N
O'course, IMC, teleportation magic makes a loud noise -- D.Door makes a *bamph!* and Teleport makes a thunderous boom. Plane Shift.... ooo, that sucker shatters glass.
-- N
Ridley's Cohort
First Post
In my experience, uncertainty over timing is a huge balancing factor for the powerful round per level buffs. If the DM keeps the players guessing when the big combats will occur, the PCs will either have to hold them tight or risk wasting the spells. If you want to spend the first 2-3 rounds of combat making yourself an unstoppable killing machine, I am sure your dead allies will be very impressed.
In a recent battle in one camapign I play in, we were making a sortie into G2. The place is crawling with Frost Giants. We know it. They know we are coming.
The Cleric was planning on the Divine Power + Righteous Might trick. He never pulled the trigger. Either the immediate opposition was so weak that the regular fighters could take 'em out easily themselves, or the opposition was so brutally violent that the fighters were begging for healing at the end of round 1.
The Cleric just plain gave up on the DP+RM tactic. Buffs were too slow. Better to unload a spell with a real immediate effect like Hold Monster, Greater Command, or healing.
BTW, a DM can also slow down the pace to similar effect. Wall spells, fogs, triggered partial collapses, traps, escape spells can all be used to good effect by the bad guys. If you tempt the party to hurry because of their spells, it may also cause the party to partially split up if their travel speeds are different -- that can force the party to change its game plan if even for a round or two.
In a recent battle in one camapign I play in, we were making a sortie into G2. The place is crawling with Frost Giants. We know it. They know we are coming.
The Cleric was planning on the Divine Power + Righteous Might trick. He never pulled the trigger. Either the immediate opposition was so weak that the regular fighters could take 'em out easily themselves, or the opposition was so brutally violent that the fighters were begging for healing at the end of round 1.
The Cleric just plain gave up on the DP+RM tactic. Buffs were too slow. Better to unload a spell with a real immediate effect like Hold Monster, Greater Command, or healing.
BTW, a DM can also slow down the pace to similar effect. Wall spells, fogs, triggered partial collapses, traps, escape spells can all be used to good effect by the bad guys. If you tempt the party to hurry because of their spells, it may also cause the party to partially split up if their travel speeds are different -- that can force the party to change its game plan if even for a round or two.
Teleporting into solid objects is usually considered a bad thing, right? So, I'm thinking a real cheap way of proofing important areas against teleport is to have lots and lots of strings hanging from the ceiling - it won't make it hard to walk around or anything, but they'll sure ruin a teleporter's day.
Herremann the Wise
First Post
If you want to be real Rat Bastardly, then throw in an Eldritch Giant (CR 15) from Monster manual III as some sort of leader or mystic of the Giant Clan. Rinse and Repeat Quickened Greater Dispel Magic (Caster level 20th) all day along with Quickened MMs, 300+ hps and pluses to hit that will crack through most AC's most of the time.
I normally don't like targetting a particular PC but if you want to give them a challenging finale these guys are pretty cool. I threw four of them against my party of three PCs (17th level) and they had a dickens of a time. The high level Blackguard and Sorcerer did not help either. A session to remember.
Best Regards
Herremann the Wise
I normally don't like targetting a particular PC but if you want to give them a challenging finale these guys are pretty cool. I threw four of them against my party of three PCs (17th level) and they had a dickens of a time. The high level Blackguard and Sorcerer did not help either. A session to remember.
Best Regards
Herremann the Wise
