Running Large Groups of Players to High Lvls

[Rystil Arden]

Well Rystil at some level you must have been wanting that Balor dead. As far as I can tell that 4th level fighter was in combat with it at least for two rounds and the Balor would have had at least one round to act in.

In that round it could have done a vast number of things that would have either stopped the fighter in his tracks (fear, blasphemy, deeper darkness, greater dispelling, symbol, telekinesis), outright killed him (fire storm, implosion) or remove itself from that psycho troll fighter thingie (by flying or teleporting).

At the very least it should have taken its AOO with its whip at 15 feet reach and tried grappling the fighter (though the chance was less than 50 % due to insane buffing).

Even a 3.0 Balor should always have that Unholy aura up. +4 AC and drastic strength loss on opponent.

He killed the balor before it could act. The fighter got two attacks because he was hasted, remember?

 

[twofalls]

He killed the balor before it could act. The fighter got two attacks because he was hasted, remember?

You guys hijacking this thread?

 

[Rystil Arden]

You guys hijacking this thread?

Hmm...it may seem that way but at least we're keeping it bumped up where others can give you their advice. ^^

 

[twofalls]

I'm just poking fun at you. I found out what I needed already. It's not just my issue, most everyone has difficulties with the higher levels of play. I'm up late tonight working on the game for this next weekend.

 

[monboesen]

Sorry for the hijacking.

Anyway my take on high level play is that you need to rely on your gut instinct a lot and on rules very little. But thats the advice you have gotten already

He killed the balor before it could act. The fighter got two attacks because he was hasted, remember?

Oh well. Another broken 3.0 spell (and a bunch of real rules wise power gamers). I'll have to agree that your example pretty much sums up all that was wrong with 3.0 in one encounter. At least all those spells and items got nerfed.

And man Balors were wimpy in 3.0. Good thing he got it though. Before it annihilated the party with that firestorm/implosion

Its pretty hard to find the 3.0 succubus CR 9 reasonable as well: Basically one in ten encounters for a 9th level party would end in a TPK (or as Rystils example shows a little less than one in ten encounters).

Now a days a succubus can try to summon a Vrock, much better choise.

 

[Rystil Arden]

Sorry for the hijacking.

Anyway my take on high level play is that you need to rely on your gut instinct a lot and on rules very little. But thats the advice you have gotten already



Oh well. Another broken 3.0 spell (and a bunch of real rules wise power gamers). I'll have to agree that your example pretty much sums up all that was wrong with 3.0 in one encounter. At least all those spells and items got nerfed.

And man Balors were wimpy in 3.0. Good thing he got it though. Before it annihilated the party with that firestorm/implosion

Its pretty hard to find the 3.0 succubus CR 9 reasonable as well: Basically one in ten encounters for a 9th level party would end in a TPK (or as Rystils example shows a little less than one in ten encounters).

Now a days a succubus can try to summon a Vrock, much better choise.

Heh, I think you may be right that my one encounter did sum up many of the crazy problems in 3.0 at once. Pretty funny, that. Although to be fair, the only things that would need to change in 3.5 are the weapon choice and the polymorph. And of course the balor is better now, so the fighter would never win.

I completely agree that a vrock is a much better choice for a succubus to summon; vrocks are harmless little beasts compared to their CR even still (unless you get a trio I guess), but they have lots of fun abilities that can help the succubus out, while not causing sudden instakill like a balor would.

As for the level 4 fighter, the PCs were so grateful to him that they spent the next adventure planning and executing an incursion into the abyss to get his soul back from the demons who had stolen it after the party retreated from the balor...