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<blockquote data-quote="Noumenon" data-source="post: 4524341" data-attributes="member: 70102">Grease is a good grapple tactic for PCs, but it wouldn't help here because using Escape Artist is a standard action.&nbsp; As a &quot;solo monster,&quot; the paladin can't afford to give up a standard action the way he would as a PC.&nbsp; He'd lose all his attacks.Because this is ogre PC's versus a single paladin, there is no automatic &quot;have the cleric cast Freedom of Movement.&quot;&nbsp; There is a high-level cleric in the compound, but The Giant's Skull has a really detailed &quot;Alert Factor&quot; system where everyone in the castle reacts independently to incursions by ogres.&nbsp; So you are supposed to find the cleric in one place if the alert factor is low; in another, buffing the troops, if the alert factor is high; and sallying forth for battle if there's an all-out battle at the gates.&nbsp; Nipping out to grant the paladin freedom of movement is something he might not have time for and wouldn't do anyway if the ogres invaded with any stealth.I realized that if the ogre mage is smart enough, he can make each ogre invisible before it goes in for the grapple.&nbsp; That means no AoO for the paladin and an auto-hit on the touch attack.&nbsp; So even if the paladin escapes on his first grapple check every round, it won't help him much.It seems like a ring of freedom of movement is my only option, but it's 40,000 gp, and it's kind of cheesy, and it doesn't help any of the other fighters in the castle, because I'm realizing that this grapple tactic will nullify all of them too, except the cleric who might stay out of range.&nbsp; Suddenly I'm wondering if this adventure ever plays out as cool as it looks.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="Noumenon, post: 4524341, member: 70102"] Grease is a good grapple tactic for PCs, but it wouldn't help here because using Escape Artist is a standard action. As a "solo monster," the paladin can't afford to give up a standard action the way he would as a PC. He'd lose all his attacks. Because this is ogre PC's versus a single paladin, there is no automatic "have the cleric cast Freedom of Movement." There is a high-level cleric in the compound, but The Giant's Skull has a really detailed "Alert Factor" system where everyone in the castle reacts independently to incursions by ogres. So you are supposed to find the cleric in one place if the alert factor is low; in another, buffing the troops, if the alert factor is high; and sallying forth for battle if there's an all-out battle at the gates. Nipping out to grant the paladin [i]freedom of movement[/i] is something he might not have time for and wouldn't do anyway if the ogres invaded with any stealth. I realized that if the ogre mage is smart enough, he can make each ogre invisible before it goes in for the grapple. That means no AoO for the paladin and an auto-hit on the touch attack. So even if the paladin escapes on his first grapple check every round, it won't help him much. It seems like a ring of [i]freedom of movement[/i] is my only option, but it's 40,000 gp, and it's kind of cheesy, and it doesn't help any of the other fighters in the castle, because I'm realizing that this grapple tactic will nullify all of them too, except the cleric who might stay out of range. Suddenly I'm wondering if this adventure ever plays out as cool as it looks. [/QUOTE]

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