How do you deal with Hardness 20? (Spoilers for The Infernal Syndrome)

[billd91]

From the additional rules:

Energy Attacks: Energy attacks deal half damage to most objects. Divide the damage by 2 before applying the object's hardness. Some energy types might be particularly effective against certain objects, subject to GM discretion. For example, fire might do full damage against parchment, cloth, and other objects that burn easily. Sonic might do full damage against glass and crystal objects.

So you'll need to deal at least 42 points of damage with an energy attack to have it inflict damage (other than fire, to which that particular monster is immune), but for a party of that level, that shouldn't be impossible.

I would recommend not halving the damage done by energy before applying the hardness. That applies to objects, sure, but animated objects have a creature type of construct. They're not your typical objects. They're hit points are calculated differently as are their saves and a variety of other topics. They should take damage more like a creature than a standard object.

My players have been working their way through the campaign with a gnome witch, a halfling rogue, a halfling ranger (specialized in staff sling attacks), and a dwarf monk. The rogue had a magic adamantine dagger, the ranger a few adamantine bullets (he always buys a mix for just such occasions), and the witch bought a wand of lightning bolts at 10th level casting power. I recall the cage being a bit more of a challenge than the fiend it holds, but only a little bit.

They had much more trouble with Zovarue, in fact.

 

[blargney the second]

.Magic missile should do it. Force usually bypasses hardness.

 

[ShinHakkaider]

The module is The Infernal Syndrome. It's the penultimate encounter (and you *must* defeat it to complete the adventure).

Liebdaga’s Cage CR 8
XP 4,800
Advanced animated object (Pathfinder RPG Bestiary 14)
N Medium construct
Init +1; Senses darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision; Perception –3

DEFENSE
AC 22, touch 10, flat-footed 21 (+1 Dex, +12 natural, –1 size)
hp 52 (4d10+30)
Fort +1, Ref +2, Will –2
Defensive Abilities hardness 20; Immune construct traits, fire

OFFENSE
Speed 30 ft.; chained
Melee 3 slams +11 (1d8+8 plus 1d6 fire plus grab)
Space 10 ft.; Reach 10 ft.
Special Attacks constrict (1d8+8 plus 1d6 fire)

TACTICS
During Combat The cage cannot leave this chamber, and remains animated as long as there are visible targets. The cage itself is red hot, and inflicts additional fire damage on each hit. In addition, for every cooling chamber left active, the cage gains 2 points of fast healing—the stats here assume all five cooling chambers are deactivated.
Morale The cage fights until destroyed.

STATISTICS
Str 26, Dex 12, Con —, Int —, Wis 5, Cha 5
Base Atk +4; CMB +13 (+17 grab); CMD 24

SPECIAL ABILITIES
Chained (Ex) Liebdaga’s cage can effectively move at a speed of 30
feet as if under the effects of air walk, as it moves by shifting its
position in the room by lengthening or shortening the chains
that hold it in the room. It cannot leave area F37 at all.

LOL. I know this encounter and adventure. And once the PC's defeat the cage there's chance that they have to still fight WHAT'S IN THE CAGE.

LOL. Good times.

And yes I'm being sarcastic.

 

[Loren Pechtel]

1) Plink. It's not going to heal, nothing about a time limit was mentioned. When your spells/buffs run out you can rest and have at it again the next day.

2) Go to town, get a wall of stone scroll. Buff the fighter, he engages while drawing it to the limit of it's motion while doing so. The wizard drops a wall of stone *JUST* behind it.

Note that it's a *SLAM* attack--the cage runs down whoever it's going after. A properly placed wall of stone will keep it from making any substantial movement, thus substantially cutting it's damage potential. It can't break down the wall.

Now the fighter whacks at it with a reach weapon with impunity. So long as his max damage roll is 21 or better the cage dies eventually.

 

[zag01]

TACTICS
During Combat The cage cannot leave this chamber, and remains animated as long as there are visible targets.

Improved Invisibility on any character capable of 20+ dmg per hit. Everyone else stays out of the room/chamber.

If you're not 'visible' the cage shouldn't be animated, only an object, presumably with the same hardness. Beat it to death without fear of counter attacks.

 

[blargney the second]

Plane shift should do the trick too, I would assume.

 

[MerricB]

"Typical" adventure? That monster of a boss is anything but typical.. You can't build it according to the normal rules for Animated Objects (between fire damage, fast healing, etc).

Actually, although this monster is quite unusual, there are enough DR creatures out there with DR types you probably aren't prepared for that high-damage fighters are *generally* preferable to many-attack low-damage fighters.

 

[RithTheAwakener]

By the Core book and Bestiary rules, animated objects are not immune to critical hits. This makes sense, as they turn from being an object, to being a construct which can be critically hit.

For some reason the Pathfinder OGC has additional animated object rules, which offers a redundancy statement of "immune to non-lethal damage" (which is already in construct rules) and "immune to critical hits", which is not in the construct description. There is quite the disconnect there between a construct like a golem, which is an object manufactured and then magically animated, and an object, which is manufactured and can be magically animated.

If it is really intended to have that extra rule redundancy from PF OGC, then it should also have a Break DC based on object rules, which should be from 23-26ish DC. So a new tactic would be: Bull Strength a burly party member, everyone else Aids Another. Roll Strength check vs Break DC for glory.

 

[MerricB]

Plane shift should do the trick too, I would assume.

Probably not so much for this specific encounter, and it's a little outside the suggested level range, but it *would* work.

Cheers!

 

[MerricB]

How long do we have to defeat it?

As long as you like - sort of. The adventure wants to imply that you're under a time limit (like a nuclear reactor melting down), but it undermines that by allowing you as long as you like. Not that my players knew that.

Our play of the adventure actually had the best warrior of the group, enlarged, bull's strength and hacking away with it with a 2-handed weapon, whilst I fudged a lot of rolls that meant he would have been grabbed. Freedom of Movement would have worked - but it's a fairly new party to Pathfinder/3E.

Summon Monster (or Nature's Ally) IV? Bring in a creature like a Rhino (powerful charge 4d6 + 12 averages 26 damage before we buff the rhino) or a bison (Gore attack averages 19 points before buffing)? That's available to a wizard, cleric or druid, or even an 18 CHA bard. Seems like most parties would have at least one of those four options (especially with only the core rules to choose from).

That's an option: the cleric of the group could do so.

Cheers!