The Devil's in the Details: Slavicsek reveals the Pit Fiend in all its glory

[Just Another User]

So, to try and conceptualize this... The wizard is basically factoring in a BAB into an ability check.

Let's say a dex check to avoid falling on his ass while walking on some ice. 10th level Wizard has no higher dex than 1st level wizard, but 10th level Wizard, being more awesome and having dealt with pitching ship decks and walking narrow ledges, just Knows how to walk so he doesn't spill on his ass.

But, of course, being the ice you walk on at 10 level more slippery than the ice you walk on at 1st level, you will have the same chances to slip and fall at 1st and at 10th level.

 

[Lizard]

But, of course, being the ice you walk on at 10 level more slippery than the ice you walk on at 1st level, you will have the same chances to slip and fall at 1st and at 10th level.

It's magic extraplanar ice.

Actually, that's kind of cool.

Er...no pun intended. Really!

 

[Chris_Nightwing]

I've been thinking the same thing. Although now I wonder: what if the pit fiend was using a 2-hand weapon?

Oh er, how about you just start adding a flat bonus past d12? Or perhaps 4e has delicious d14s!

 

[AllisterH]

I can't see tracking total fire damage in a round (especially across all attacks from all the PCs) separate from all other damage being a very smooth mechanic. Makes much more sense that it's per attack. Also, I wouldn't like it if, as the SAGA shields, once Fire Resistance takes X damage, it's simply gone for the rest of the encounter.

If it is like SAGA, then it is per attack and it wouldn't be as gone as quickly as that. For example, if it does follow the Shield Rating rules, our pit fiend has fire resistance 30. Which means that you need to do more than 30 pts of damage to eve affect it and if you do, the resistance drops b 5.

A nice mechanic I think. Reason being that if you are a fire specialist you're not totally hosed yet at the same time, if you have fire resist 10, it does provide a benefit that you will notice.

 

[Koewn]

(And why do people think suicide bomber devils are so cool? To me, it makes everything seem painfully gamey...the summoned devils aren't "really" devils, they're a special effect for an explosion power. I find it almost unbearably cheesy.)

I reconciled it in my mind by changing it from "devil explodes; dies" to "devil violently plane shifts back to Hell; in his wake, some of the fires of that infernal plane blow back out onto the Prime".

Like that flame out you get opening a door in a fire...er..Backdraft! That's the word I'm looking for.

Koewn

 

[FireLance]

Looking through the pit fiend's abilities again, it seems like it's more Soldier than Leader as it doesn't have many Leader-type abilities: just the teleporting (which admittedly can be quite nasty in itself though it does use up a standard action), and the allied devil exploding. In addition, I personally think it would be nicer if Irresistable Command could be used as an immediate reaction to an allied devil going below 0 hp, which turns it into something that gives its lower-level allies a "last gasp" attack instead of just being a "blow up my minions" ability.

 

[Stogoe]

Nearly everything has been said in this monster of a thread, but I just wanted to say I absolutely love having teleport as a movement type. That is amazingly awesome.

EDIT: I just had a thought. The Pit Fiend Frenzy ability is likely an example of how an Elite monster keeps up with 5 PCs - it gets two standard actions 'squeezed' into one.

 

[Just Another User]

A thing I found interesting is that the aura of fire only affects *enemies* in his range, I can understand the aura of fear doing that, and if the pit fiend's side count only devils is probably irrelevant becasue they have probably resist fire 15 or more, but I didn't thought that a fire aura would be so selective with his targets. What if the P.F. have some non devil allies? or what if I can, someway, remove its or its allies fire resistance? (I hire one of those red dragons great wyrms, the ones that can burn a fire elemental to a crisp, for example). There are little things like this that ruin 4e for me.

 

[jasin]

I'm surprized no one mentioned that the Point of Terror is a fear affect which gives a -5 to all defenses. I'm having trouble seeing how being scared, even REALLY scared, would affect your fort defense. I get that if you're scared you don't defend against physical attacks and don't dodge as quick, and your mental strength (Will) would be weaker, but how does being scared make your more vulnerable to poison?

Did this ever bother you in 3E?

 

[Mustrum_Ridcully]

Nope, the 4th Pitfiend is soooo boring! It is slightly more intriguing than a Goblin Adept.

And this Monster, this Pit Fiend, is the elite of Hell?
This is from the Monster emons & Devils article:


Huh? Where are the devices and tools beside the Mace? Incredible magic Items? My A@@!

Where is ANY mechanical implication that the Pit Fiend cn be a social encounter instead of being another speed bump for the PCs?

As for the "low damage output". Two Pit Fiends duelling against each other, just using their melee abilities will take an average of 30 rounds to kill each other.

This does not look good to me!

Well, Dwarves are often said to be good crafters and smiths, but strangely enough, the 3.5 MM doesn't list "Artisan Tools" or "Anvil and Hammer" as equipment for the Dwarf.

Though off course that just "proves" that 3.x made the same mistake as 4E, by not describing 100 % of the abilities and items a certain creature uses.