Level 20 Reached

[Numion]

Re: Re: Re: Level 20 Reached

I was thinking the same thing. Yeah, it's supposed to cost 5000 XP per casting.

He usually uses Miracles to replicate lower level wizard spells. Teleport Without Error or Polymorph Self usually. Or Mass Teleport.

edit: Quite funny that he once popped two Miracles just to visit Ye Olde Magic Shoppe in another town. What do you think about that?

 

[Numion]

We're doing the Bastion right now! We just got to it this past Saturday, but we haven't entered it yet. I must say, though, that a 21st level rogue, with a ring of blinking and a +5 short sword (holy, bane vs. evil outsiders) comes in real handy when fighting demons. I roll 14d6 every time I hit one of these guys. Get me hasted and spring attacking, and I can usually take out a Balor in a couple of rounds.

So your opinion is that the Rogue is viable at higher levels? That's good to hear As to the lingering SA damage, I think that each sneak attack should cause it's own lingering damage on the next round. (If that was the question.)

 

[toberane]

So your opinion is that the Rogue is viable at higher levels? That's good to hear

Are you implying that the rogue is not viable at low levels! Blasphemer!



Seriously, I have played rogues almost exclusively since 3E came out. I had never been a fan of thieves before then, but rogue, particularly with a slight enhancement of a level or two of fighter or ranger, kicks some serious butt. Regardless of level, I find that my rogue usually deals as much combat damage (or close to it) as the fighters. With the help of feats like improved initiative, expert tactician, and a really good tumble skill, you can frequently put yourself in a position to do a lot of sneak attack damage, and liberal use of the tumble skill and the Spring Attack feat, you can avoid getting hit much.

No, I've played 1st level rogues, 5th level rogues, and now, 21st level rogues (actually Rog17/Fight2/Rang2). They are all really great characters. I try to play them as swashbucklers, usually, and I have had some really fun characters the last couple of years.

As to the lingering damage, my DM's point is that I can easily get 6 attacks a round, all of them sneak attacks (possibly 7 attacks if hasted, or 8 attacks if hasted and using the expert tactician feat.) With a ring of blinking, those are all sneak attacks. If I hit will all 8 attacks in a round, that's 72d6 of sneak attack damage that round. Next round, if I hit with all 8 again, that's a repeat of the 72d6 sneak attack damage plus another 72d6 sneak attack damage for the current round. And so on. Thus my DM's concern.

 

[Frosty]

SPOILER ALERT! - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
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Did anyone else run into this problem? We went to speak to Deseus (or however it's spelled) and he's being guarded by a solar and a planetar (or some other celetial beings like that.) When you meet him, you find out that not only is he not evil, he was once rather noble. Our DM told us that the module said explicitly that he would not part with the section of the soul totem voluntarily, and we needed it to get into the Bastion.

However, we have two Paladins in our party, and one fighter who spoke with Corellon Latherian while her fighter was temporarily dead, and came back Lawful Good bearing Corellon's mark on her breast. We were not about to kill this guy, and he was not going to give the soul totem to us. We had no problem running around chopping demons to bits, but we couldn't bring ourselves to raise a hand against this sad ex-deity.

Our DM got out of it by allowing everyone to make diplomacy checks, and if we could make a total combined score of 150 between the five of us, we could convince him to give it up.

Good thing we have a party full of charismatic, diplomatic people.

We didn't like it but we had to attack Deseus. The first time around we got a severe beating and had to flee. The next day we used the portal again and managed to defeat him. He failed his save this time and went insane from a prism spray-spell. As we had killed all his companions we took his soul totem and left him to rot in his forever-prison. Not exactly our finest hour but still a small price to pay to save the world.

We did try the diplomacy approach but it didn't work. Your DM made a good call in allowing it.

 

[Andor of the Blade]

To toberane:

BASTION SPOILER
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One thing I really enjoyed about the module was that there opponents you didn't want to fight. In fact several "encounters" were with beings you wanted as allies.

When our group did it, we used Desayeus's nobility to our advantage. We had discovered by then that Arshardalon had entered the Bastion and was devouring the unborn souls. He had used a piece of the Soul Token to gain entry. The former god was furious upon hearing this news.

There was no way he could leave his prison, but he really wanted to kill Arshardalon. He was very excited when told that there was a way.

1) He had to lend the Soul Token to the the party.
2) The sorceror used Polymorph Any Object to turn him into a small statue which was then hidden inside a pouch.
3) Upon gaining entry to the Bastion, the PAO spell was dispelled.

Had Desayeus survived against Arshardalon, it may have provided a redemption and allowed him to regain his godhood (or so the argument was presented to him).

By the way, did you kill Eco, or figure out another way around that problem?

 

[Frosty]

To toberane:

BASTION SPOILER
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By the way, did you kill Eco, or figure out another way around that problem?

We had Kord order her to step aside. Honestly, we went to Ysgard and asked Kord up front and, being a diety, he understood why we asked, given the circumstances.

We've followed Kord since day one and we have met him before. The first time he did have the kord-paladin killed though.

 

[toberane]

By the way, did you kill Eco, or figure out another way around that problem?

As I mentioned earlier, we have two paladins, a cleric, and a fighter who bears the mark of Corellon Latherian ever since she died a little while ago (she seems to share some kind of bond with Corellon). So we just had everyone pray to their gods (The DM made us make our prayer requests out loud) and luckily, no one mentioned the Bastion in their prayer (that would have cut the connection to our deities ouot immediately). The we went and stood by Eco, and after a moment, when our gods had interceded, she allowed us in. Had anyone mentioned the Bastion in our prayers, we probably would have all been SOL.

Regardless, the paladins and the Corellion follower would have out and out refused to fight eco and the Solar. They were concerned about the fate of the universe and all, but they weren't about to do anything that would screw up their immortal souls.

As for Deseus, he let us have the soul totem on the condition that we were to return it when we are done with it (as long as we are still alive, that is) and we had to attempt to intercede with the gods on his behalf to try to get his godhood reinstated.

 

[Andor of the Blade]

Frosty and toberone:

Thanks for the replies. It's great to see alternatives to smashing everything work (and showing high level PCs developed enough to play their character, not just being stomping machines).

Good playing!