"Tactics in Action"--maybe I'm just getting too old, but this sounded boring as hell.

[Chaldfont]

ISecond, if the party had fun then the GM did a good job (often overlooked when "studying game film").
QUOTE]

Hear! Hear!

There is a always a decision a DM has to make: take an action which is the optimal strategy or one which is fun/cool. As DM you have so many advantages over the players that any evenly matched fight can be a TPK if you really want it to.

Of course, many times the fun/cool action is also the optimal strategy. Some of the best times gaming are when the players go, "oh sh**!"

 

[MerricB]

What I would have done...

Round one: Fly, Whip the Wizard, quickened telekinesis disarm attempt on the dwarf. (Less likely to succeed, but greatest benefits of successful.)

You assume the wizard is within range of the Balor's flying speed. (40 feet). Hmm.

Round two: Wizard takes damage, Balor flies upwards as far as he can and summons Balor #2. (I won't even go into #2's actions), quickened telekinesis disarm attempt on barbarian.

I see. Balor takes AoO from Dwarf and Barbarian. Balor flies up 20 feet, summons Balor - that's the one thing I don't understand why it didn't happen - Greater Spell Immunity may foil TK attempt. PCs fly up to surround Balor.

Note that in the article, Stephen says the Dwarf had flight dispelled by the Balor... but you've ignored that option.

Round three: Blasphemy on the troops on the ground

Greater Spell Immunity foils Blasphemy attempt. Flying PCs attack Balor.

Round four, five, six, seven: Implosion on troops on the ground

Balor is attacked by troops surrounding him.

I really don't understand how the characters won. The heavy hitters were obviously melee oriented, the wizard was easily neutralized, the combat medic was noncombatative, and the elocator wasn't really a factor.

High-level characters can fly. Mass Fly (CA) is a 5th level spell. There are also objects that grant flying.

 

[ThirdWizard]

I don't think summoning another demon could be performed as a Standard Action.

A spell-like ability has a casting time of 1 standard action unless noted otherwise in the ability or spell description.

Summon Monster I
...
Casting Time: 1 round

From the get-go, the balor was in trouble. He attacked an already buffed party, knowing full well that they just killed a marilith very quickly, throwing aside any sense of tatcitcs himself. When they proved to be resistant to his first spell, that should have been a clue that they're ready for him, and to teleport away, I think. Don't fight adventurers on their own grounds. Hit and run tactics are great for Demons, and fit with their profile.

One thing I don't understand is why/how the wizard was using manyshot. A wizard took manyshot?? And even if he did take manyshot for some bizzare crazy reason, I hope the DM knew that true strike only worked with the first arrow...

 

[Felon]

Cast buff spells. Cast immunity spells. Attack. Cast healing spells. A scintillating tactical display. :\

Especially with fortunate fate, where the healing spell is a buff spell.

"I shall commit no act of violence, so that I may better support my boon companions in their acts of violence!"

Yeah, I guess it's OK for paladins to hire assassins to murder babies in their cribs for them (use a neutral middleman if the DM's a stickler about the "non-association with evil" rule).

 

[MerricB]

I don't think summoning another demon could be performed as a Standard Action.

It's obscure. The Balor doesn't actually have "Summon Monster", he has "Summon Tanar'ri", so it uses regular rules. OTOH, the entry for Demons notes that they're arrogant and don't use it unless they're in obvious peril. (Which he wasn't until the last round or two).

From the get-go, the balor was in trouble. He attacked an already buffed party, knowing full well that they just killed a marilith very quickly, throwing aside any sense of tatcitcs himself. When they proved to be resistant to his first spell, that should have been a clue that they're ready for him, and to teleport away, I think.

Note that the Balor was guarding a portal to the nether planes. I don't know if running was an option for it.

Don't fight adventurers on their own grounds. Hit and run tactics are great for Demons, and fit with their profile.

Agree.

One thing I don't understand is why/how the wizard was using manyshot. A wizard took manyshot?? And even if he did take manyshot for some bizzare crazy reason, I hope the DM knew that true strike only worked with the first arrow...

Uh... actually, Manyshot states that all arrows use one "attack roll". True Strike gives a +20 bonus to your next "attack roll". Looks fine to me! (Unless there's a FAQ I don't know about).

Precision damage - yes, only one arrow. True Strike - all arrows. Nice combo.

I think the non-use of TK is the thing to be most worried about.

Cheers!

 

[MerricB]

Especially with fortunate fate, where the healing spell is a buff spell.

Nice spell. What is its duration?

Cheers!

 

[Felon]

OTOH, the entry for Demons notes that they're arrogant and don't use it unless they're in obvious peril. (Which he wasn't until the last round or two).

Meh. My guess is that in that campaign, there's not a high regard for flavor text (which is the sort of campaign where Vows of Nonviolence and other material from the Book of Excessive Deeds really shines in full munchkinyness).

Fortunate fate has a duration 10 minutes per level. As has been stated, the fact that it's only one level higher than heal seems to make it fairly OTT.

 

[ThirdWizard]

OTOH, the entry for Demons notes that they're arrogant and don't use it unless they're in obvious peril. (Which he wasn't until the last round or two).

I would say that "peril" would be right after blasphemy had no effect. For all the balor knew, they were too high level to be affected!

Note that the Balor was guarding a portal to the nether planes. I don't know if running was an option for it.

Ah, not having read/played CotSQ, I wasn't aware that it was that dire. However, the balor probably still would have run and just let them pass through! But, that is probably just me. I run fairly survivalist NPCs.

Uh... actually, Manyshot states that all arrows use one "attack roll". True Strike gives a +20 bonus to your next "attack roll". Looks fine to me! (Unless there's a FAQ I don't know about).

Precision damage - yes, only one arrow. True Strike - all arrows. Nice combo.

Huh... I guess it shows how many high level rangers I've DMed for. But, it still strikes me as odd for a wizard to take PBS, Rapid Shot, and Manyshot. Precise Shot I can see (and I assume he had that, too). That's a lot of archery feats for a wizard. I guess it would make an interesting character choice, however.

I think the non-use of TK is the thing to be most worried about.

Yeah, but that was covered many times already. That and he just seemed to be underestemating the PCs the entire time.

 

[MerricB]

Incidentally, I have a Ranger 2/Wizard 5/Eldritch Knight 5/Spellsword 1 in my current campaign (Necropolis) whose best attack is with his bow. Scary stuff. It's a very good character type.

Just thinking about the TK disarm on the Wizard:

Balor: Quickened TK disarm on the Wizard. Tries to deal with the other threat.
Wizard: Pick up bow (move action), Quickened True Strike (swift action), Manyshot Balor (standard action).

Oops. Didn't work as well as I thought it would!

Cheers!

 

[Plane Sailing]

Implosion has a duration of one round per level, and you choose a new target every round.

Doh! The answer was there staring me in the face all the time!

(In that case the Balor should have hovered and imploded away - see if the wizard can save a *second* time...)