The best anti-caster tactic

[bensei]

Actually, the main problem of a spellcaster is that he has only limited spells each 24 hours. So one of the best strategies against a spellcaster could be a guerillia tactic. Hide, sneak in, retreat, heal, come back.

Having patience and being careful, a Pixie Rogue can bring down a powerful wizard.

 

[(Psi)SeveredHead]

IME it's just (Greater) Dispel Magic. If you can locate a spellcaster, de-buff him. If he's a wizard, he is now hosed, since you stripped off ~half of his buffs, and now a melee fighter can kill him in one round. This isn't so effective against a cleric - yes, he'll lose to a fighter, but he actually has a chance to survive.

Of course, the wizard uses Mirror Image, so be sure to prepare True Seeing first.

PS does Mirror Image actually make a targeted Dispel difficult? I assume you have to target an individual image and hope you got the right one, but something very different happened in Jollydoc's/Gfunk's story hour.

 

[bensei]

Manyshot is the nastiest way.

Every half experienced wizard has protection from arrows. So Manyshot alone is probably no good idea.

 

[welby]

But my favored way is using spells. Specialist spellcasters exel at taking out other spellcasters from first level. Counterspells, readied magic missiles, grease on holy symbol and ray of enfeeblement are just the beginning.

Gotta love Improved Counterspell and Reactive Counterspell. Sorry for the minor hijack, but what other counterspelling feats are there (any source)?

 

[Thanee]

Antimagic Field + Grapple is the best tactic probably.

Against lower level casters Silence + Grapple (will still work against many higher level casters, too).

In a recent fight we used a silenced (flying) familiar readying move actions on the opposing spellcaster (too bad there have been three of them, so still some could fling spells).

Bye
Thanee

 

[Thanee]

Actually, the main problem of a spellcaster is that he has only limited spells each 24 hours. So one of the best strategies against a spellcaster could be a guerillia tactic. Hide, sneak in, retreat, heal, come back.

Given that you find the wizard, which is not very easy, unless you have a method to scry (and even that can be foiled).

Bye
Thanee

 

[Elder-Basilisk]

Except that in 3.0 the GMW you put on your arrows almost always beats the DR of Protection from Arrows and in 3.5 merely having a +1 bow defeats the DR of Protection from Arrows. So, by the time you've got Manyshot, Protection from Arrows is worthless.

I'm surprised nobody has mentioned Feeblemind yet. Against Arcane Casters, it's perfect. (At least before they're high enough level to cast Mind Blank).

Evard's Black Tentacles is another option.

Every half experienced wizard has protection from arrows. So Manyshot alone is probably no good idea.

 

[Thanee]

Dunno, so far Feeblemind hasn't been too great in our games.

Usually a Fortitude based spell is better (i.e. Polymorph Other / Baleful Polymorph).

Bye
Thanee

 

[welby]

Don't have my books with me, but isn't there a spell nightmare that prevents the caster from regaining spells the following morning? For an extended battle, that seems like a no brainer.

 

[(Psi)SeveredHead]

Feeblemind has a -4 penalty to the save, and wizards rarely have towering Will saves, but I don't like the way it totally hoses arcane spellcasters.