How many wizards does it take to screw in a lightbu- I mean, kill Elminster?

[FreeXenon]

Anyone who was deciding to take on one of the most powerful wizards in all the realms would most likely have done a lot of research on him. Talking to everyone who has ever dealt with: past lovers, past allies, past pupils, enemies and so on. It is not unreasonable that a well funded or extremely motivated entity might know of this given the appropriate amount of time and/or resources. Say a red Szass Tam, Fzoul, some Shade Princes or perhaps chosen minions of Cyric.

 

[zen_hydra]

Sure. But why would you cast Dimensional Anchor unless you knew about Elminster's ostensibly secret spell? There simply doesn't seem to be a reason that doesn't involve "I read about Elminster's stats as a player and want to apply that metagame knowledge in actual play!"

...because anyone with any experience fighting a high level arcane caster knows that a powerful wizard will just teleport away when facing overwhelming odds.

You don't need to know about his specific defenses to guess at what they might entail.

 

[FreeXenon]

it looks like in the upcoming Grand History of the Realms a person just might have the chance to take a whack at El with Mystra being potentially whacked.

 

[Tarek]

Remember, the current Mystra isn't the same Mystra that Elminster... had a deep relationship with.

 

[frankthedm]

Sure. But why would you cast Dimensional Anchor unless you knew about Elminster's ostensibly secret spell? There simply doesn't seem to be a reason that doesn't involve "I read about Elminster's stats as a player and want to apply that metagame knowledge in actual play!"

Now you are reaching.

He is a spellcaster. Vast majority of those have one way or another to flee without using thier feet. Unless you WANT a spell caster to get away, you Dimensional anchor them first round. Because if the fight is not going their way, they don't give thier attackers a second round.

Also you Layer up those Dimension Achors. This way a single dispel magic ONLY can strip one of the spells at a time unless the caster want to target HIMSELF with the dispel, automaticly dispelling every spell he has cast on himself in the process.

Targeted Dispel...
You automatically succeed on your dispel check against any spell that you cast yourself.

 

[Wolfwood2]

Basically, you have two options. First, change how magic works (or knock it out of existence) as I mention previously. Second, find and take control of Safehold. And, really, that latter option sounds like great campaign fodder.

Arguably, none of the conditions of Elminster's Evasion apply to 'Trap the Soul'.

 

[frankthedm]

Arguably, none of the conditions of Elminster's Evasion apply to 'Trap the Soul'.

Have fun finding the right size gem!

 

[FreeXenon]

Good point. That would be quite the large gem. You might possibly find something like that as either a relic or sorts or perhaps somewhere on the Elemental planes. Getting it would be an epic quest all on its own.

 

[Wolfwood2]

Have fun finding the right size gem!

One Wish alone won't get me there, as it can only create an item of 25,000 gp value and I think El has 30-ish HD.

However, taking wish-provided inherent bonuses as an example, I think a reasonable DM would allow two Wishes cast in immediate succession to produce a gem of sufficient value.

 

[(Psi)SeveredHead]

I think I already took care of this in Dragon #359.

Cheers,
Cam

Details?