Monster attack bonus and mutiple attacks?? UPDATED 9/19

[Artoomis]

Ok, you have to let us know though...or do you have a story hour where it will appear?

Maybe I'll write take good notes and write it up as a one-shot deal - just the culminating battle. I'll let you know one way or the other - that seems only a fair exchange for your help.

 

[reapersaurus]

EDIT: Actually the numbers did check out. So this is how it is done.

umm.. no. Just because your 'numbers' check out, does not mean that's 'how it is done.'

I seem to remember in Savage Species how they detailed how it only took 2 arms to use a greatsword, and how IF the creature used more than one set of arms, they would get a STR bonus for using more.

Artoomis - AFAIK, by the rules, the greatsword + 2 claws + 1 bite + constriction is right.

 

[Artoomis]

umm.. no. Just because your 'numbers' check out, does not mean that's 'how it is done.'

I seem to remember in Savage Species how they detailed how it only took 2 arms to use a greatsword, and how IF the creature used more than one set of arms, they would get a STR bonus for using more.

Artoomis - AFAIK, by the rules, the greatsword + 2 claws + 1 bite + constriction is right.

Hmmm.... More strength bonus for more hands? Fascinating - how much more? This could be the most effective tactic.

 

[Nellisir]

Without looking, I'm with reapersaurus on this one. Greatsword (iterative attack) + 2 claws + bite + constrict.

The drider's natural attack (bite) does seem to become a secondary attack during the full attack action.

Savage Species; pg 42: Each additional hand adds 1/2 str bonus damage, so this guy does x2 str bonus with 3 hands, and 2 1/2 with 4 hands.

Cheers
Nell.

 

[Camarath]

Without looking, I'm with reapersaurus on this one. Greatsword (iterative attack) + 2 claws + bite + constrict.

I agree with thatas well and here is some rule support.

Some creatures combine attacks with natural and manufactured weapons when they make a full attack. When they do so, the manufactured weapon attack is considered the primary attack unless the creature’s description indicates otherwise and any natural weapons the creature also uses are considered secondary natural attacks. These secondary attacks do not interfere with the primary attack as attacking with an off-hand weapon does, but they take the usual –5 penalty (or –2 with the Multiattack feat) for such attacks, even if the natural weapon used is normally the creature’s primary natural weapon.

 

[Artoomis]

I promised an update on how this went in actual combat, so here it is:

First, some background. This monster (a Chosen Son of Set) also had wings and the Hover feat. It also could summon help of various sorts. It was going to hover (raising a cloud of dust and debris) to give it time to summon help, and then take out party members one at a time while the party was busy fighting a large number of creatures. This was the immediate prelude to the final battle, where the big bad lich/cleric was waiting. The lich was observing the whole combat magically, and so would be prepared, plus he would know how well the party did. He aslo would have had time to cast all his prep spells, including summoning a lesser Son of Set to saty betwen him and the party.

The idea was that the party would use up a large portion of their assets defeating the Son of Set and then wet their pants when the lich cast M's disjunction on them and wiped out all their spells plus a few items. At this point, the players were supposed to think they had a real significant chance of losing the battle and, worse yet, had no effective means of escape.

In actual fact, I pre-determined the M's Disjunction would have taken out the artifact-caused antimagic field AND destroyed one artifact, while at the same time wiping out the lich's spell-casting abilities, making him only a minor threat to this 16th -level party, despite his 21 hit die.

What REALLY happened: The intiative order was regrettable in that the Son of Set went last. This was most unfortunate for him. The halfling paladin did a full-up, fully buffed (including the Holy Sword spell) Ride-By attack for about 110 points of damage that bypassed the 20/Good DR.

This was followed up by the bard casting an Empowered Great Shout, further damaging the Son of Set. So far the Plan would still work, though.

Then the raging barabarian charge in with Power Attack and Power Lunge, doing about 100 more points of damage (reduced by 20 points of DR). Bye bye Son of Set. Taken down to -4

Drat!!

The son of Set had regeneration, but he was quickly dispatched with much massive damage followed up with acid and fire.

All my plans and preparations ruined by the quirks of the intiative dice.

The lich did indeed get his M's disjunction off, and the battle quickly wound down after that, what with very P.O.'d Planater appearing (because of the destroyed artifact) and all.

After that, the party got to hobnob with a god for a while, getting items restored and/or improved, but balanced out by having to give up their 3,000,000 g.p. value diamond statue.

 

[Nail]

I promised an update on how this went in actual combat, so here it is:...

Excellent, Atoomis! Thank you.

What were the tactics of this beast supposed to be?

 

[mikebr99]

[note to self]
Roll init behind screen... so the best laid plans don't get waylaid...

YMMV


Mike

 

[Artoomis]

Excellent, Atoomis! Thank you.

What were the tactics of this beast supposed to be?

I noted that above, but I'll add in a bit more.

Note that it was allowed one extra standard action (but not a move) as a special feature of the creature (not from a feat or spell).

Round 1: Fly up, Hover, (getting full concelament), call a lesser son of set in to help - who would in turn call 1-12 Minions of Set each round.

Round 2. Continue to call in 1-6 Minions of Set every round. Move and Hover - attempting to get one member of the party inside the cloud of derbis raised by the hover.

Round 3. Rinse and repeat, eliminating one member of the party at a time if possible.

This guy was going to make every attempt to stay out of the combat if possible. As far as he was concerned, all the creatures he would call into help him were expendable.

The party was supposed to be so busy fighting off threats form every direction that it would not be able to concentrate on him.

Has had 212 hit points which, as it turns out, was about 10 too few!! Drat it.

I was very tempted to cheat and give him a few more hit points on the fly, but that would not have been fair. I am not entirely above dooing such things, mind you.

I would also note that he survived two massive damage saves, which were rolled out in the open, as are nearly all my rolls as a DM.

Finally, Minions of Set are only about 9HD, and so would not be too tough at all for this 16th-level party. They were just supposed to keep everyone busy.

On the good side, my turn as DM is now over, and I can focus in simply being a player again!

 

[Nail]

Round 2. Continue to call in 1-6 Minions of Set every round. Move and Hover - attempting to get one member of the party inside the cloud of derbis raised by the hover.

Cool.

...but man, is that a lot of summoning! A "Su" ability? Otherwise each summons might have been a full round action.

Anyway: very nice to see a fellow honest DM. I, too, roll everything out in the open. *Especially* monster attack and damage rolls. Heh, heh.