Restricting Monster Movement

[Lookoo]

Hello,

I am a new member only because I can't recall my former handle, but I obviously haven't posted in a long time. I am currently playing a v3.5 game limited to the 3 core books. The party is having difficulty handling itself in the Underdark, largely because they can't stop monsters from running away. I knew coming here would be my best bet for finding a solution.

To provide a few specifics, we're currently a party of 12. We have 3 clerics, 3 wizards, 4 fighters, 1 monk, and 1 rogue. We average 12th level, but for a lot of players this is their first time playing such a high-level game. The other day two (HD advanced) bulettes popped out of the floor and swallowed two characters whole. The fighters ignorantly charged one at a time, took damage, got grappled and swallowed. Now full, the bulettes went back underground.

Aside from not charging one at a time, how would you guys have handled the situation?

The second situation we're facing is there's a dragon we encounter every once and a while. If we manage to get it in the lower digits, it just retreats. It's fly speed is 350 feet. None of us can follow it. How do we restrict it to the floor?

Thanks.

 

[Vegepygmy]

We average 12th level, but for a lot of players this is their first time playing such a high-level game. The other day two (HD advanced) bulettes popped out of the floor and swallowed two characters whole. The fighters ignorantly charged one at a time, took damage, got grappled and swallowed. Now full, the bulettes went back underground.

I'm not sure what to make of this. Bulettes don't have the "swallow whole" ability, so how did that happen? They don't even have improved grab, so they aren't particularly effective grapplers. Any attempt to grapple the fighters should have provoked an attack of opportunity from the fighter in question, and I'd expect a 12th-level fighter to be able to hit a bulette's 22 AC pretty easily. The damage dealt by the AoO would then stop the grapple attempt. And bulettes have only animal-level intelligence, so after the first attempt fails, I'd expect them to give up trying to grapple. So how did all these fighters wind up getting grappled in the first place?

The second situation we're facing is there's a dragon we encounter every once and a while. If we manage to get it in the lower digits, it just retreats. It's fly speed is 350 feet. None of us can follow it. How do we restrict it to the floor?

Are you enforcing the aerial maneuverability rules? Dragons are generally poor flyers; in an underground environment, it's unlikely they'll be able to stay in the air very long.

 

[frankthedm]

I'm not sure what to make of this. Bulettes don't have the "swallow whole" ability, so how did that happen?

Adding special attacks is part of advancing monsters. Improved grab and swallow whole are a very reasonable addition on a gargantuan creature called of all things a Landshark.

Adding Special Abilities
You can add any sort of spell-like, supernatural, or extraordinary ability to a creature. As with a class level, you should determine how much, or how little, this ability adds to the creature’s existing repertoire. A suite of abilities that work together should be treated as a single modifier for this purpose. If the ability (or combination of abilities) significantly increases the monster’s combat effectiveness, increase its CR by 2. Minor abilities increase the creature’s CR by 1, and truly trivial abilities may not increase CR at all. If the special abilities a monster gains are not tied to a class or Hit Die increase, this CR increase stacks.

A significant special attack is one that stands a good chance of incapacitating or crippling a character in one round. A significant special quality is one that seriously diminishes the monster’s vulnerability to common attacks. Do not add this factor twice if a monster has both special attacks and special qualities.

Make sure to "scale" your evaluation of these abilities by the monster’s current CR.

 

[Lookoo]

Are you enforcing the aerial maneuverability rules? Dragons are generally poor flyers; in an underground environment, it's unlikely they'll be able to stay in the air very long.

We have a visibility of 60 ft. The dragon takes off it's max movement backwards. After 60 feet, I can't really tell where it goes. We're in a very open area right now. I don't think we'd have the same problems in small tunnels.

 

[NewJeffCT]

The second situation we're facing is there's a dragon we encounter every once and a while. If we manage to get it in the lower digits, it just retreats. It's fly speed is 350 feet. None of us can follow it. How do we restrict it to the floor?

Thanks.

You're underground - try to find an area where the dragon's movement is limited - tunnels with low ceilings and/or 5/10 foot wide corridors.

Dragons are average (younger ones) to clumsy (older) fliers at best, so any sort of twist/turn is going to cost them movement. So, any sort of winding corridors would help as well in slowing it down.

To slow it down, have one of the wizards cast Slow on the dragon. Or, something like Ray of Exhaustion to slow it down. You shouldn't have a problem scoring a ranged touch hit on a dragon... Since your 3 wizards can cast at least level 6 spells, you should be able to have two or three of them have readied actions to cast Wall of Force, Wall of Iron or Wall of Stone to also limit the dragon's movement.

Something like the spell Seeming could make the entire party appear to be creatures that are the dragon's allies (drow, duergar, orcs, etc)

What dragon has a fly speed of 350 by the way? Most of the 'standard' SRD dragons are between 150-200/round? If it double-moves, it loses its attacks for the round (unless it has a quickened breath weapon or spell)

 

[concerro]

Hello,

I am a new member only because I can't recall my former handle, but I obviously haven't posted in a long time. I am currently playing a v3.5 game limited to the 3 core books. The party is having difficulty handling itself in the Underdark, largely because they can't stop monsters from running away. I knew coming here would be my best bet for finding a solution.

To provide a few specifics, we're currently a party of 12. We have 3 clerics, 3 wizards, 4 fighters, 1 monk, and 1 rogue. We average 12th level, but for a lot of players this is their first time playing such a high-level game. The other day two (HD advanced) bulettes popped out of the floor and swallowed two characters whole. The fighters ignorantly charged one at a time, took damage, got grappled and swallowed. Now full, the bulettes went back underground.

Aside from not charging one at a time, how would you guys have handled the situation?

The second situation we're facing is there's a dragon we encounter every once and a while. If we manage to get it in the lower digits, it just retreats. It's fly speed is 350 feet. None of us can follow it. How do we restrict it to the floor?

Thanks.

Web, Wall of ____, Slow, the fog series of spells, and probably a few I cant remember should stop enemies from running. As far as the swallowed whole thing a character should be able to cut itself out with a light weapon.

Force Wall might stop the dragon from getting away. I would ready an action to put the wall right in front of him as he turned to fly away. He cant turn in time, meaning he should plummet to the ground.

 

[Runestar]

I suppose dragons can take the hover feat to improve its maneuverability indirectly. You may want to switch to ranged attacks instead. Or maybe ready attacks so you all attack consecutively, hopefully dealing enough damage at one go to take it down before it can fly away.

Likewise, you are pretty much creamed if any foe larger and stronger than you attempts to grapple you. In addition, if the monster had reach, then the fighter may not have been able to retaliate on the AoO provoked since he did not threaten the monster. Or if it had improved grab, no AoO is provoked - the PC won't even stand a chance!

Your best bet may be to use freedom of movement to counter grapple, or swap positions with benign transposition (perhaps with a dispensable summons?)

 

[Shin Okada]

Your party has 3 clerics and 3 wizards. That usually solves a lot of problems.

That many spell casters can usually kill monsters real fast. They can either inflict a lot of damages per turn as a team, or, cast save or die/incapacitated spells a lot. In 3.Xe, in overall, the latter tend to be more effective. Even 3 clerics casing 2nd-level spell Sound Burst may stun the Bullete in good chance. Other will save spells, such as Hold Monster, would have worked, too.

>We have a visibility of 60 ft.

This seems to be a big trouble. So non of your PCs have low-light vision? With Daylight spell or a sunrod, for a PC with low-light vision, up to 120 ft. away are shadowy illumination. So spellcasters with low-light vision can cast spells something 120 ft. away. Also, mundane item bullseye lantern is something you should not forget. Dancing Lights is another good spell, too. You are adventuring in Underdark and you should try to improve your party's visibility range.

Against grappling monsters, Enlarge Person is a good low-level counter. It will improve PC's grapple check modifier. And sometimes, it will make a PC's size beyond the restriction of monster's improved grab or swallow whole. When someone is grappled (but not swallowed yet), you can use Dimension Door to save him.

 

[frankthedm]

There is a product right out of a Roadrunner cartoon that could be useful for the OP for large or smaller targets.

I wish I was joking...

Tanglefoot Bag
When you throw a tanglefoot bag at a creature (as a ranged touch attack with a range increment of 10 feet), the bag comes apart and the goo bursts out, entangling the target and then becoming tough and resilient upon exposure to air. An entangled creature takes a -2 penalty on attack rolls and a -4 penalty to Dexterity and must make a DC 15 Reflex save or be glued to the floor, unable to move. Even on a successful save, it can move only at half speed. Huge or larger creatures are unaffected by a tanglefoot bag. A flying creature is not stuck to the floor, but it must make a DC 15 Reflex save or be unable to fly (assuming it uses its wings to fly) and fall to the ground. A tanglefoot bag does not function underwater.

A creature that is glued to the floor (or unable to fly) can break free by making a DC 17 Strength check or by dealing 15 points of damage to the goo with a slashing weapon. A creature trying to scrape goo off itself, or another creature assisting, does not need to make an attack roll; hitting the goo is automatic, after which the creature that hit makes a damage roll to see how much of the goo was scraped off. Once free, the creature can move (including flying) at half speed. A character capable of spellcasting who is bound by the goo must make a DC 15 Concentration check to cast a spell. The goo becomes brittle and fragile after 2d4 rounds, cracking apart and losing its effectiveness. An application of universal solvent to a stuck creature dissolves the alchemical goo immediately.

I'm not a fan of the damn things myself.

 

[StreamOfTheSky]

I was always a fan of readying a magic missile against anyone retreating from combat.

5d4 +5 unavoidable damage (and please, feel free to empower it!)? Yeah, that should take down most things retreating barely alive. Obviously, not on turn 1. But when a few enemies are getting low, it's not a bad idea. Particularly to use on enemies with gear treasure. I find it far less painful when monsters with no treasure get away than when ones with sexy +3 swords and such do.

Another good preventitive option: Any spell that does small damage over many rounds, so they can't get too far away without dropping dead once beaten on sufficiently.