Remorhaz

[Trellian]

First of all.. Remorhaz CR 7? Really? I predict that all my characters will be eaten and that they will be burned alive inside the monsters gut.

Second.. magical weapons cannot be harmed unless by weapons of at least as high enhancement bonus. What about special abilities such as a remorhaz' heat? Will magical weapons be immune to that?

 

[Camarath]

What about special abilities such as a remorhaz' heat? Will magical weapons be immune to that?

I see no reason why magical weapons would be immune to the Remorhaz Heat ability.

 

[Crothian]

Well, if a party fights the thing in close combat, they deserve to get killed. There are certain creatures like this that can easily be defeated by using ranged tactics. There are creatures that the CR does seem low when you fight on its turf and giving it advantages.

 

[Elder-Basilisk]

Avoiding close combat with a Remorhaz isn't necessarily within the capabilities of a 7th level party--particularly with the Remorhaz's hide skill.

A 7th level party that spotted the Remorhaz, cast Haste and, of whom EVERY member beat the critter in initiative would have an easy time of staying out of the creature's reach--although, even a dumb creature like a Remorhaz is likely to start burrowing after a couple rounds of being shot by things it can't catch so they might well have to settle for driving it off rather than killing it.

A 7th level party that somehow managed to get everyone flying (Wizard or sorceror with lots of fly spells prepped and who knew the critter was coming) could accomplish a similar trick. However, otherwise, staying out of the creature's way is much easier said than done.

And then, of course, you seem to be assuming that any party that faces one will actually have room to manuever. They won't have that if they're in a standard dungoen or cave environment (as a large amount of D&D encounters are). Normal conditions are favorable for the Remorhaz.

Well, if a party fights the thing in close combat, they deserve to get killed. There are certain creatures like this that can easily be defeated by using ranged tactics. There are creatures that the CR does seem low when you fight on its turf and giving it advantages.

 

[Crothian]

Avoiding close combat with a Remorhaz isn't necessarily within the capabilities of a 7th level party--particularly with the Remorhaz's hide skill.

Wit hthe wide variety of class and character options there are parties that will get killed by it, and other parties that will make an easy time of it. Just becasue one runs into it in its enviroment doesn't mean one has to fight it there. With scouting and tactical retreats it can be easy to turn the encounter into the players advantage. This creature is a tough creature, and rightfully so. But if the DM makes the situation of the encounter favor the creature, then the encounter level should be increased.

 

[Trellian]

Wit hthe wide variety of class and character options there are parties that will get killed by it, and other parties that will make an easy time of it. Just becasue one runs into it in its enviroment doesn't mean one has to fight it there. With scouting and tactical retreats it can be easy to turn the encounter into the players advantage. This creature is a tough creature, and rightfully so. But if the DM makes the situation of the encounter favor the creature, then the encounter level should be increased.

It's "Into the Frozen Waste", one of the free adventures on wotc homepage. The remorhaz attacks from beneath out on the tundra. To avoid a TPK, I will rule that the remorhaz flee if brough to 30 hp, or when he has eaten one creature. I can't think of any way the characters will be able to detect this threat before it's upon them. Maybe a Survival check to notice marks in the ground that tells them that some creature is nearby? Maybe the ground gets noticeable hotter?

 

[Crothian]

Both of those are perfectly fine to use.

 

[Hypersmurf]

Second.. magical weapons cannot be harmed unless by weapons of at least as high enhancement bonus.

Are you playing 3E or 3.5?

-Hyp.

 

[jgsugden]

Run a few mocks battles in advance. See if the creature just seems to be too strong in the planned situation or if it is in fact too strong. If it is too strong, replace it with something else or give the PCs lots of hints that it is coming up so that they can prepare for it properly. D&D has a lot balance issues. If you trust the system without doing mock battles in advance, you'll find a lot of boring battles and a few too many PC deaths.

 

[Elder-Basilisk]

I'd go further than Crothian--not only are both of these perfectly fine to use; they're actually what IMO DM's ought to do in general. A creature that is basically a glorified and unusual animal will generally not fight to the death if it can escape. And a creature that is hunting for food will generally not kill more than it wants to eat if the others flee. (In fact, since there's more meat on your standard pack mule/pack horse, it might go for one of those first. That could also add interest to an adventure if the PCs start to run out of food or lose important equipment).

It's "Into the Frozen Waste", one of the free adventures on wotc homepage. The remorhaz attacks from beneath out on the tundra. To avoid a TPK, I will rule that the remorhaz flee if brough to 30 hp, or when he has eaten one creature. I can't think of any way the characters will be able to detect this threat before it's upon them. Maybe a Survival check to notice marks in the ground that tells them that some creature is nearby? Maybe the ground gets noticeable hotter?