Killer Combo

[Drawmack]

My party has just reached fifth level and the sorcerer has found his own smack down combo.

1) Cast flamming sphere on a creature.
2) Back that up with magic missles every round it's in effect.


Now I am all for finding and using killer combos. But when it's used in 80 - 90% of the battles and makes one player seriously outshine the rest of the party I get a little tired of the tactic.

First let me state. I WILL NOT punish a player for finding a good combination and using it to the maximum effect. There will be no nerfing of spells of xp reduction for doing this period.

Now what I do want to do is throw things at the party that are immune or at least well prepared against this particular combination. That is not punishment but more so a find a new tactic thing. For example: there isn't undead in every encounter for the cleric to destroy. So what creatures are immune or prepared for this combo?

 

[Destil]

Anything with:

An okay reflex save (reflex negates is flaming sphere's weak point)
A shield spell (no MM for you)
A broach of Shielding (dito)
Fire Resistance of 7 or so (what speher should deal on average)

Shoudn't be to hard. A preparied level one wizard could easily be nearly immune (shield + endure elements).

 

[Darklone]

I wouldn't consider this a killer combo...

2d6 per round with Reflex negates and a few magic missiles... Well. I've seen worse happen.

Immune against it? Enemy rog/sor or rogue/wiz or bard with Endure Elements and Shield spell.

An enemy sorcerer with Endure Elements on his whole group?

But I see your problem rather in this: Magic Missile is crappy to counter.

Edit: Sigh, Destil was faster

 

[Hypersmurf]

Anything with Invisibility, or anything with Blindsight and Darkness, is untargettable by the sorcerer's Magic Missiles. Likewise, anything that blinds the sorcerer prevents targetting, and anything that deafens him (thunderstones, thunderstones, thunderstones) gives a 20% spell failure chance.

Anything that reaches melee range with the sorcerer forces concentration checks to get the spells off or he provokes AoOs - especially if you can flank him so he can't just 5' step away.

Flaming Sphere can only attack one creature at a time, so swarm them with lots of little opponents. Until next level, he doesn't have Fireball...

A combat in a room knee-deep in oil should dampen his enthusiasm for fire spells.

Flaming Sphere needs material components... components the sorcerer doesn't have after the Ethereal Filchers make their midninght raid... (Ah, Ethereal Filchers... is there nothing they can't do? )

And there's always Quaal's Feather Token: Tree.

-Hyp.

 

[Darklone]

And there's always Quaal's Feather Token: Tree.

-Hyp.

You mean, hiding in full cover behind the tree, hopping out and back into cover with Shot on the Run and your favorite crossbow of slaying?

 

[Hypersmurf]

You mean, hiding in full cover behind the tree, hopping out and back into cover with Shot on the Run and your favorite crossbow of slaying?

You see? I knew it could be used somehow.

It's the perfect magic item.

[happy sigh]

-Hyp.

 

[hammymchamham]

Yes, my charecter bought 10. Who cares if he's a Celestial, and can fly. I need more!

 

[Stalker0]

Well last time I checked, you have to concentrate to move flaming sphere, so have the enemy take a 5foot step every round. The sorc has to concentrate to move the sphere, meaning no magic missiles that round.

 

[hammymchamham]

its a MEA to move the sphere

 

[MarauderX]

Throw a large number of ranged rogues at them. The flaming sphere will be almost ineffective as long as the rogues are sufficiently spread out, and the magic missles run out after a while. The sorcerer that was once a great at taking down melee guys will be expended before the slow fighters can engage the rogues, and even if they can get in melee, the rogues shouldn't stand anywhere close to one another.

Meanwhile, the sorcerer might be the main target of 3 or more of the rogues which makes for some nasty ranged warfare. Having partially hidden snipers raining down on the party can get deadly quickly, as a fighter that wades in to find them will be one of likely targets of most of them, and any ranged fire will have severe negatives to hit them. A posse of 3rd level rogues might tear them apart in a surrounding ambush.