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Commander_Vimes
2009-12-01, 06:42 AM
My party is preparing to face the Tarasque. Between spells abilities and cash we can put the entire party in the air, but whittling it down with ranged attacks will take a long time, time enough for the enemies controlling the Tarasque to come up with a way to counter us. I am trying to find a way to attack the Tarasque's Will save with something that will cripple or kill it. The party is level 17 has a bard who is casting at about level 13 and me a Ruby Knight Vindicator (casting as a level 14 cleric) as the only casters. The best spell I can find to do this is Greater Bestow Curse to reduce the beast's Con to 1 so it can be one shotted by anyone, or its Strength to 1 so it is paralyzed by its own bulk to be finished off at our leisure.

I can use Assay Resistance or Fortune's favor to get around its spell resistance, but I can't consistently get past its Will save of +20. I cast Greater Bestow Curse with a DC of 25 (7 Spell level + Wis mod of 8). I can get next to the Tarasque to cast the spell without being killed by AoOs in several ways, but I don't want to have to sit there several rounds taking full attacks to cast the spell repeatedly hoping for a 1/4 chance of it failing. My character is an excellent tank, but I can't count on taking full attacks for more than two rounds. I am looking for ways to either boost the save DC, or decrease the beast's saves at range before I close in for the kill.

Icarus
2009-12-01, 06:56 AM
Sword of Deception from Spell Compendium is capable of bestowing up to a -5 penalty to the subject's next save, and it bypasses the Tarrasque's carapace.

I don't have my books around, but Sword of Darkness (also from the SpC) and Retributive Enervation (Complete Mage, maybe?) could also do the trick. They both stack on negative levels, which reduces saves. I'm pretty sure the Tarrasque is immune to energy drain, though.

Limited Wish nets you a nice, easy -7 to his saves

Thats all I have right now, I'm pretty sure they're all sorc/wiz, though.
What I'm wondering is: where is the wish to keep him dead going to come from?

PhoenixRivers
2009-12-01, 07:03 AM
If you can summon/create undead, allips would drop him quickly.

Mind Fog, with a -10 to will, will work on a failed will save... Yeah, might as well hit the actual spell instead.

If you can get enough death effects on him, they'll do a lot of damage.

But you seem outgunned, TBH. Meaningfully damaging Big T isn't easy without cheese.