so, there's this level 45 evil mage...

[Dandu]

You're leaving out EPIC LEVEL SPELLS which have as much impact on the game world as Grand Moff Tarkin when he uttered the words "You may fire when ready" while overlooking the planet Alderaan.

Incidentally, I found an interesting line in the rules on how AMF interacts with epic spells.

"Antimagic field does not automatically suppress epic spells as it does standard spells. Instead, each time an epic spell is subject to an antimagic field, make a dispel check as a 20th-level caster (1d20 + 20). The epic spell has a DC of 11 + the epic spell’s spellcaster level. If the suppression check is successful, the epic spell is suppressed like any other spell. If the dispel check is unsuccessful, the epic spell functions normally."

 

[Jacob]

actually, this is why we are worried about the mage in the first place. the GM is relativly new, so one of our members in RL are helping to teach him how to play a mage of this level, and he is extremely experienced. ie, death in 1 round if unprepared.

Which leaves me pondering why it had to be a 45th Lvl NPC versus a party of 25th. My guess is this is more an experiment than something actually balanced. Heck, you may even be putting too much thought into this, and get disappointed when you find all your planning was for nothing. So...just jump in like Leroy I say, and worry about it later. Doesn't really help you in the situation I suppose, but if it's something you have to do...just roll with it?

 

[Dandu]

Yeah, it's entirely possible that the wizard prepares nothing but Fireball.

 

[Axel]

As embarassing as this sounds, the first thing that popped into my head was Silence. On an object, not a direct target. Then stick him with pointy metal objects. Low tech ftw?

 

[Dandu]

1. Only works assuming there's no use of Silent Spell or a metamagic rod of it.
2. Closing up on the enemy is still a problem.

 

[Axel]

If he's a Wizard (I got the impression he was, but could always be a Sorceror), Silent Spell requires memorizing the spell as, well, a Silent Spell. If he thinks like I do that'll be a Silent Greater Dispel and/or a Silent Teleport of some description. Solution? Cast Silence twice...

The metamagic rod is more complex, but means you can approach things from another angle, like Shatter or Disjunction.

Getting within a few hundred feet of the enemy seems to be an a priori problem for just about any solution. It might need something like Foresight + Timestop + prepared colleage to pull off, but that's why there's a whole party right?

Biggest weakness of the Silence route? Only 15' radius effect. You can walk out of it in a move action and proceed to cast like normal. I don't suppose there's any opportunity to research a higher level spell (call it something lame like Improved Silence)? Mind you, if you've got time to research a spell just research an Epic level spell called "Kill that guy".

 

[Dandu]

If he's a Wizard (I got the impression he was, but could always be a Sorceror), Silent Spell requires memorizing the spell as, well, a Silent Spell.

A level 45 spellcaster with a metric ton of feats and more spell slots than Larry King has had interviews might conceivably have something along that line prepared.

If he thinks like I do that'll be a Silent Greater Dispel and/or a Silent Teleport of some description. Solution? Cast Silence twice...

What about filling a 10th level spell slot with Silent Time Stop?

The metamagic rod is more complex, but means you can approach things from another angle, like Shatter or Disjunction.

Shatter doesn't work on magical objects, fyi.

Getting within a few hundred feet of the enemy seems to be an a priori problem for just about any solution.

In this case, a few dozen feet since the battlefield is a tower.

It might need something like Foresight + Timestop + prepared colleage to pull off, but that's why there's a whole party right?

I'd be careful with using Time Stop, considering there's an epic level feat called Spell Stowaway, which does exactly what it says on the tin.

Granted, everything in this post assumes a degree of competence which may be lacking in someone new to DMing.

 

[Greenfield]

Curious why someone thought that casting Silence twice would be more effective than one time against things like Silent Spell.

Is there an explanation, or am I misunderstanding something?

 

[Thatguy27]

Magical Tsar Bomba?

Well, suppose I were to employ the following set of tactics in an overall strategy to just blow the mage and his tower to kingdom come:

a) Establishment of Infinite Crafting XP

First, take controlled level loss. Drop a single level (putting you exactly one half a level backward).

Next, spend all but the last 500 of the level's XP making things.

Finally, use "Greater Restoration" to return yourself to the highest level you ever held.

Rinse and repeat.

b) Construction of the Tsar Bomba

As we have access to virtually unlimited raw materials, we could presume to be able to construct a tower silo as a bomb casing (90 ft. diameter, 280 ft. tall).

We could fill the silo with marbles (.008 gold a pop) enchanted with spells such as "Fireball", "Ice Storm", or "Sphere of Ultimate Destruction". Establish the spell trigger as a marble's destruction. This would amount to well in excess of 1 million marbles.

Establish a small blast charge (say, gunpowder or alchemist's fire) in the casing to destroy the first few marbles. Let the spells which ensue destroy and thus detonate the remainder of the marbles.

According to my calculations, using "Shocking Grasp" (5d6), this would amount to somewhere around 1.7 quadrillion points of damage. Of course, I would need to use a non-touch attack, but still. That's the LOW end of spell damage.

Alternatively, that much magical energy accumulating at a single point could hypothetically result in the construction of a super-epic wild magic surge the likes of which the universe has never seen.

The process of constructing this weapon, by 1 cycle per day, will take approximately 3.4 years. As we have the ability to suspend time indefinitely (within a pocket dimension), this does not pose an issue.

c) Alternate Uses for the Tsar Bomba

If, for some reason, the bomb turns out to not be useful as a weapon, hypothetically the Artificier in our party could use the marbles she created to gain a fundamentally infinite crafting pool and construct something else just as epic.

brought to you by our artificier.

 

[WHW4]

In other words.... "I say we take off and nuke the entire site from orbit. It's the only way to be sure."

I like your artificer's style.