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<blockquote data-quote="ScotMartin" data-source="post: 3304822" data-attributes="member: 5110">Hey everyone.&nbsp; I am reading an adventure in preparation for running it and I came upon an encounter that struck me as... well... &quot;mean&quot;.&nbsp; I thought I'd post about it and get some opinions.&nbsp; Now, I'll be leaving out a lot of surrounding details to avoid identifying the specific adventure, just in case someone else happens to be playing it.&nbsp; (any of my players who happen to be reading this... go away)In this encounter, the players should be around 6th to 7th level, and they come upon an evil 5th level cleric.&nbsp; This cleric is holding a scroll of Circle of Death and the adventure states it's what he uses on the first round of combat.&nbsp; Circle of DeathNecromancy [Death]Level: Sor/Wiz 6Components: V, S, MCasting Time: 1 standard actionRange: Medium (100 ft. + 10 ft./level)Area: Several living creatures within a 40-ft.-radius burstDuration: InstantaneousSaving Throw: Fortitude negatesSpell Resistance: YesA circle of death snuffs out the life force of living creatures, killing them instantly.The spell slays 1d4 HD worth of living creatures per caster level (maximum 20d4). Creatures with the fewest HD are affected first; among creatures with equal HD, those who are closest to the burst’s point of origin are affected first. No creature of 9 or more HD can be affected, and Hit Dice that are not sufficient to affect a creature are wasted.Material Component: The powder of a crushed black pearl with a minimum value of 500 gp.So, the cleric will have to make a caster level check, needing a 7 or higher on a D20 to successfully cast it.&nbsp; If he does, he'll then get roll 11d4 for hit dice (average 27).&nbsp; This means 3-4 of the party members will have to make DC 19 Fortitude checks, or die.&nbsp; Even a 7th level dwarven fighter with a 16 Con needs a 9 or better, and that's a best case scenario.Extenuating Circumstances:&nbsp; 1.&nbsp; The characters should be expecting trouble, there will be no surprise round for the bad guy.&nbsp; They may hold actions in an attempt to disrupt his spellcasting, but they may also just try to take him down as fast as possible knowing that an enemy cleric at their levels doesn't usually have something so devastating.&nbsp; 2.&nbsp; Buying higher level scrolls is a trick favored by one of the players.&nbsp; So, you could argue what's good for the players, is good for the bad guys.&nbsp; Anyway, I'm curious what others think.&nbsp; Is this too mean?&nbsp; Would you be okay with this as a player if you ran into it?&nbsp; Thanks,-Scot</blockquote>

[QUOTE="ScotMartin, post: 3304822, member: 5110"] Hey everyone. I am reading an adventure in preparation for running it and I came upon an encounter that struck me as... well... "mean". I thought I'd post about it and get some opinions. Now, I'll be leaving out a lot of surrounding details to avoid identifying the specific adventure, just in case someone else happens to be playing it. (any of my players who happen to be reading this... go away) In this encounter, the players should be around 6th to 7th level, and they come upon an evil 5th level cleric. This cleric is holding a scroll of Circle of Death and the adventure states it's what he uses on the first round of combat. Circle of Death Necromancy [Death] Level: Sor/Wiz 6 Components: V, S, M Casting Time: 1 standard action Range: Medium (100 ft. + 10 ft./level) Area: Several living creatures within a 40-ft.-radius burst Duration: Instantaneous Saving Throw: Fortitude negates Spell Resistance: Yes A circle of death snuffs out the life force of living creatures, killing them instantly. The spell slays 1d4 HD worth of living creatures per caster level (maximum 20d4). Creatures with the fewest HD are affected first; among creatures with equal HD, those who are closest to the burst’s point of origin are affected first. No creature of 9 or more HD can be affected, and Hit Dice that are not sufficient to affect a creature are wasted. Material Component: The powder of a crushed black pearl with a minimum value of 500 gp. So, the cleric will have to make a caster level check, needing a 7 or higher on a D20 to successfully cast it. If he does, he'll then get roll 11d4 for hit dice (average 27). This means 3-4 of the party members will have to make DC 19 Fortitude checks, or die. Even a 7th level dwarven fighter with a 16 Con needs a 9 or better, and that's a best case scenario. Extenuating Circumstances: 1. The characters should be expecting trouble, there will be no surprise round for the bad guy. They may hold actions in an attempt to disrupt his spellcasting, but they may also just try to take him down as fast as possible knowing that an enemy cleric at their levels doesn't usually have something so devastating. 2. Buying higher level scrolls is a trick favored by one of the players. So, you could argue what's good for the players, is good for the bad guys. Anyway, I'm curious what others think. Is this too mean? Would you be okay with this as a player if you ran into it? Thanks, -Scot [/QUOTE]

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