Instant Death
- Thread starter Minosis
- Start date
Ringmereth
First Post
Avoid those situations.
Of course, that's not always an option. As a wizard, a simple Invisibility (preferably the Improved or Greater version) might help you avoid getting targeted for long enough to take out the sources of save-or-die effects. Alternately, appearing to be a smaller threat than the rest of the party will cause your buddies to get targeted, and not you.
If you want to flat-out resist them, your big priority is boosting your saving throws, especially Will and Fort. Having high saves is generally a good thing anyway, so investing in a Cloak of Resistance is money well spent. If you're headed for Incantatrix, Iron Will is a prerequisite, and +2 to Will saves is cool. Items that boost your saving throw abilities (dex, con, and wis) shouldn't be too expensive, and help out with other stuff, too. If you don't want to spend a bunch of permanant items, Cat's Grace, Bear's Endurance, and Owl's Wisdom work too.
A good catch-all defense against death effects is Antimagic Field. Sure, you're useless when you put it up, but if you're fighting primilarily magic users, they're just as useless, and might waste a few spells on you, too. Spell Turning has a good chance of protecting you from at least one death effect, if that's what your foes throw at you first. At real high levels, your best friends are Protection from Spells, Prismatic Sphere, and, above all, the uber Moment of Prescience.
Finally, if you've got a cleric who can cast Persistant spells, Spell Immunity, Greater Spell Immunity, and Spell Resistance all are great to have in general. If you don't, spell resistance items are nice, though most aren't cost-effective for the protection you get from casters of your level or above.
Of course, that's not always an option. As a wizard, a simple Invisibility (preferably the Improved or Greater version) might help you avoid getting targeted for long enough to take out the sources of save-or-die effects. Alternately, appearing to be a smaller threat than the rest of the party will cause your buddies to get targeted, and not you.
If you want to flat-out resist them, your big priority is boosting your saving throws, especially Will and Fort. Having high saves is generally a good thing anyway, so investing in a Cloak of Resistance is money well spent. If you're headed for Incantatrix, Iron Will is a prerequisite, and +2 to Will saves is cool. Items that boost your saving throw abilities (dex, con, and wis) shouldn't be too expensive, and help out with other stuff, too. If you don't want to spend a bunch of permanant items, Cat's Grace, Bear's Endurance, and Owl's Wisdom work too.
A good catch-all defense against death effects is Antimagic Field. Sure, you're useless when you put it up, but if you're fighting primilarily magic users, they're just as useless, and might waste a few spells on you, too. Spell Turning has a good chance of protecting you from at least one death effect, if that's what your foes throw at you first. At real high levels, your best friends are Protection from Spells, Prismatic Sphere, and, above all, the uber Moment of Prescience.
Finally, if you've got a cleric who can cast Persistant spells, Spell Immunity, Greater Spell Immunity, and Spell Resistance all are great to have in general. If you don't, spell resistance items are nice, though most aren't cost-effective for the protection you get from casters of your level or above.
daemonslye
First Post
don't put your torch into the dark mouth of the green demon face on the wall. just... don't.
~D
~D
mzsylver
Explorer
Gnome Power!!
Check out the Gnome Battle Cloak from Races of Stone. Put the Death Ward upgrade on it. Try to get more than one in case your first cloak gets used in an encounter!
Heh. Reminds of of an encounter with a Banshee and 4 Dreadwraiths. I dont even know how I made my initial Fort save vs. the Banshee's wail... but then the other wizard cast an Antimagic Field and we played cards until the others dealt with the threat.
Check out the Gnome Battle Cloak from Races of Stone. Put the Death Ward upgrade on it. Try to get more than one in case your first cloak gets used in an encounter!
Ringmereth said:
Heh. Reminds of of an encounter with a Banshee and 4 Dreadwraiths. I dont even know how I made my initial Fort save vs. the Banshee's wail... but then the other wizard cast an Antimagic Field and we played cards until the others dealt with the threat.
PrinceZane
First Post
Agree with the saves boost and all.. but another thing that I don't think anyone has mentioned...
Traps...
Hopefully you've got a rogue with a keen eye for traps that could be avoided with a good disable device and the risk of rolling a save not needed...
As an exDM one of my favorite things was a 200 ft drop onto a pit of spikes, or a painting on the wall (appraise of 5000gp) with a symbol of death behind it....
Traps...
Hopefully you've got a rogue with a keen eye for traps that could be avoided with a good disable device and the risk of rolling a save not needed...
As an exDM one of my favorite things was a 200 ft drop onto a pit of spikes, or a painting on the wall (appraise of 5000gp) with a symbol of death behind it....
NimrodvanHall
First Post
if possible try to obtain a scarab of protection (sr20 and absorbs op to 12 death effects, inflict spells +harms or 12 energy drain attempts) 32k
in Complete Adventurer if you use that is an item that allows you to substitute a concentrationcheck in stead of a fort safe 1/dayits about 2k
these are my advises
about instant death, in 3.0
at about lvl 17 we were fighting a half-fiend and my yet unharmed wizard was among those attacked with a horrid wilting, i make my safe, and the DM calls out the dmg 102 half that for those who make the safe. that was the firt time my DM realised i had only 47 hp, due to con 10 and no constitution items.....
in Complete Adventurer if you use that is an item that allows you to substitute a concentrationcheck in stead of a fort safe 1/dayits about 2k
these are my advises
about instant death, in 3.0
at about lvl 17 we were fighting a half-fiend and my yet unharmed wizard was among those attacked with a horrid wilting, i make my safe, and the DM calls out the dmg 102 half that for those who make the safe. that was the firt time my DM realised i had only 47 hp, due to con 10 and no constitution items.....
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