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

[Piratecat]

I remember Piratecats Balor doing multiple implosions too... Is the 3.5e MM the same as the SRD?

My first thought was, "I've used implosion on the party before?"

My second thought was, "I've used a balor before?"

For the life of me, I can't remember when. Can you remind me?

 

[MerricB]

Anyway, whatever telekinesis function might be used, I think we are in agreement that missing out a quickened telekinesis every round *was* a bit of an oversight

Yep. Incidentally, only 3 times/day it can use quickened TK.

Another thought occurs to me - I wonder if he gave the Balor his cleave attack on the barbarian when he dropped the dwarf with the vorpal sword? I guess we'll never know (but I'm tempted to think not!)

Well, he does mention "follow-up attacks", so it's possible.

Cheers!

 

[Plane Sailing]

My first thought was, "I've used implosion on the party before?"

My second thought was, "I've used a balor before?"

For the life of me, I can't remember when. Can you remind me?

You used the Balors stats for the wood spirit guarding the evil tree which Tao (?) was fighting. It was after the fight with the two headed gnollish druid things.

The implosion was flavour-texted into "turns them into a tree". IIRC you almost got Nolin

 

[MerricB]

Concentration +33 gives it a pretty good chance of maintaining concentration, it should certainly have at least attempted detonating the other PCs even if it couldn't try the wizard again. It's such a signature spell!

OTOH, that's another round it might not do anything. With the action it did take it killed the dwarf and inflicted a goodly amount of damage on the Barbarian.

Cheers!

 

[MerricB]

You used the Balors stats for the wood spirit guarding the evil tree which Tao (?) was fighting. It was after the fight with the two headed gnollish druid things.

The implosion was flavour-texted into "turns them into a tree". IIRC you almost got Nolin

My first thought: I can see why that might blur in PKitty's memory.

My second thought: By the gods! Piratecat! You're posting! So good to see you!

Cheers!

 

[Plane Sailing]

It was the Voice of the Tree, servant of the Anchor of Abominations. Although I can't find it on ENworld anymore, it is in this account here http://www.funkplanet.com/misc/PC.html where you said:

While discussing these results outside in the Palisades, four members of the group - Malachite, Mara, Raevynn, and Tao - one by one feel an overwhelming urge to relax, settle their roots in the dirt, spead their branches about them, and go to sleep in the warm sun. Each of them is able to fight it off, though, and the feeling does not repeat.
--> The Voice of the Tree is actually the stats for a balor, the nastiest of the demons, with the wood elemental template from the Manual of the Planes slapped on it. I wanted an extremely nasty avatar for the Anchor of Abominations tree, and I got it; by replacing most fire powers with plant powers, and fire spells with plant spells, I was able to make a good villain in a minimum of time. What the party was experiencing was a 9th level spell cast by a hidden VotT, the equivalent to implosion. Instead, it was lignify; if any PCs had failed their save, they would have been killed and instantaneously turned into a tree. Good thing they all rolled high! After the Voice failed at his delaying technique, he snuck away to guard the Citadel.

 

[Felon]

Flying straight up would only net the Balor 45', though. (Not enough to get out of the way of another flying spell).

Sure it could, if they have to use two squares to gain altitude. Maybe if they're only lightly-encumbered and are standing right next to it they can charge upwards, but that's about it.

Incidentally, here are a few other notes based on the description:
* The dwarf is never described as hitting the balor!
* Revivify restored the dwarf at stable but -1 hp.
* PCs taken out during the combat: Dwarf (beheaded; revivified but still out), Elocator (dazed by Blasphemy).
* PCs killed except for Fortunate Fate: Wizard, Barbarian.
* The party proved immune to most of the spell-like attacks; or very lucky (implosion).
* The barbarian inflicted two criticals(!!!) in one round to kill the Balor. Otherwise it would have survived another round.

Great, but we knew all of that. What's with the exclamation points next to the 2 criticals? The barb had improved crit, and was probably armed with an appropriate weapon. Warriors deishing 150+ points of damage in a single round isn't all that extraordinary.

Hell, I think the balor probably should've just kept tossing greater dispels. Once he realized they were well-prepared, he shoulda "damn, they gotta be buffed to hell n'back!"

 

[Kid Charlemagne]

Ever want to really drive your group nuts? When they showed up armed for bear and completely loaded down for spells in order to kill a particular monster, have it simply teleport away far enough to still see them but out of spell range. Then have it wait twenty minutes... and THEN attack. All those lovely one round/lvl and one minute/lvl spells will be wasted.

This is a standard security arrangement for practically every important person in my world who is meeting with people they don't know - stick them in a waiting room for twenty minutes (preferably secretly observed), then let them in for their audience.

 

[ThirdWizard]

Hell, I think the balor probably should've just kept tossing greater dispels. Once he realized they were well-prepared, he shoulda "damn, they gotta be buffed to hell n'back!"

Hit and run debuffing! (mix with teleport)

 

[Elder-Basilisk]

It's interesting to see how many people here are Monday morning quarterbacking the Balor's tactics. They seemed reasonably sound to me with the exception of not doing anything with the quickened telekinesis abilities. (Not that the Balor would have wanted to do anything except for maybe a violent thrust or two--throwing the barbarian through his threatened range and taking an AoO on him then watching the barbarian take falling damage as he fell back down would have been fun, as would violent thrusting the wizard's bow somewhere a long way away). The tactics, did, of course, play right into the players hands by slamming most of them with spells they were immune to, but that's one of the challenges of being a DM. If foes never use spells that you have spell immunity for, players notice. Otherwise, you have to play into their hands every now and then.

The other odd thing is the wizard's tactics. Even with a quickened true strike and greater magic weapon, an ordinary 16th level wizard (let's assume a 20 dex) would only be +34 (+20 insight, +8 BAB, +5 dex, +4 enhancement, +1 morale, -4 manyshot) to hit and only has a good chance (not a certainty) of hitting the Unholy Aura'd AC of 39. If we assume he's got a belt and his strength is up to 18 (starting 12 strength), he's doing 1d8+15 (+4 enhancement, +4 strength, +2d6 holy) per shot and with two arrows is still only doing 39 points of damage per round. (If he also uses evil and chaotic outsider bane arrows, he IS almost certian to hit and can tack another 36 points of damage/round onto that). That sounds pretty good, but if splat books are on the table, the wizard could be doing as much with a simple maximized cold orb (at no xp or gp cost to craft the arrows) and a +14 (+8 BAB, +1 morale, +5 dex) ranged touch attack vs. touch AC 20 is nearly as good as his chance of hitting with the manyshot... without the quickened true strike.