View Full Version : Help with a scenario: hostage situation! (and you're one of them)
The situation:
You're a level 20 wizard, taken captive in a dead magic zone - an entire country, in fact - with other high-level wizards (let's go with 50 of them). In case it is relevant, the ruling is that all castings fail in a DMZ, and all spell effects are suppressed. You are bound (manacled, to be precise) and gagged along with everyone else, spread out a little, in a room with no windows. Your captors are human non-casters of low-ish levels: like 6 to 9. There are five of them plus the mastermind, and they've all got loaded crossbows trained on the lot of you. You know that they have no backup, and that there is no complex beyond the room to excape from: if you can exit the room, you're home free.
Through the effect of a plot device not worth detailing here, you manage to free yourself of your bindings and gag. You had a scroll of Invoke Magic hidden away that you can pull out. Beyond that, nobody has access to magic, including the captors.
The objective:
You want to turn this situation around. Saving yourself only is better than dying with the rest of the wizards, but ultimately still a defeat: you want to save everyone. Incapacitating all the captors will count as victory provided you can get them all before they start shooting people at random, as will somehow spiriting everyone away (with the same caveat).
The conditions:
You may use the scroll of Invoke Magic, which lets you cast one spell of level 4 or lower. You have one surprise round, after which the captors will nail you to the wall and you will die, I don't care how much hit points you have. You have no flexibility on the build: anything that relies on one particular class or feat will not work. However, you have access to any 3.5e spell no 3rd party sources please). If the spell has a duration, the DMZ will not interfere with it. There are no demiplanes with arbitrarily high time flows.
The question:
Which spell do you cast, and how does it get you and as many of your co-hostages out of this mess?
TuggyNE
2012-10-09, 04:31 AM
How do six non-magical crossbows kill a non-flat-footed level 20 character in a single round?
Also, is there a door, and if so, is it locked? Are the captives' feet shackled, or are they able to walk?
How do six non-magical crossbows kill a non-flat-footed level 20 character in a single round?
Because I don't care much for the standard hp rules in extreme cases such as point-blank executions. Yes, technically you can take a few bolts in the head (or actually, since there are no called shots, in the nebulous area where you can be damaged) before dying, but I'm going for Reservoir Dogs rather than Wile E. Coyote here. Just roll with it :smallsmile:.
Also, is there a door, and if so, is it locked? Are the captives' feet shackled, or are they able to walk?
The door isn't locked, but the captives are shackled (including yourself, but the abovementioned convenient plot device took care of that).
only1doug
2012-10-09, 05:03 AM
Reverse Arrows (L3) Spell Compendium.
I cast, they shoot me, killing themselves, wizards leave, stage right.
Sgt. Cookie
2012-10-09, 05:05 AM
Dimension door. You take 6 others with you and then the 7 of you blast a huge hole in the wall, kill the captors and rescue as many wizards as possible.
Do note that this strategy has a high probability of casualties.
TuggyNE
2012-10-09, 05:09 AM
Because I don't care much for the standard hp rules in extreme cases such as point-blank executions.
That's what coup-de-grace rules are for. Notably, this doesn't qualify for a coup-de-grace.
Just roll with it :smallsmile:.
Eh, sure, whatever.
The door isn't locked, but the captives are shackled (including yourself, but the abovementioned convenient plot device took care of that).
Hmm, if I could figure out a way to deal with those I'd just use solid fog to make ranged weapon attacks and visibility useless, then slowly get everyone out.
Failing that, though, friendly fire wins if they're close enough, or if I can get close enough to them before they change targets.
Dimension door. You take 6 others with you and then the 7 of you blast a huge hole in the wall, kill the captors and rescue as many wizards as possible.
How are you blasting anything in a dead magic zone once you've used your one scroll of Invoke Magic?
Reverse Arrows is an interesting idea, though I think the mastermind would let his guys do the shooting (while he monologues about the great plan or something). Still, thanks for the idea :smallsmile:.
Sgt. Cookie
2012-10-09, 05:11 AM
No info was given as to the size of the DMZ, so I assumed it was the size of the room.
Eldebryn
2012-10-09, 05:20 AM
Reverse Arrows (L3) Spell Compendium.
I cast, they shoot me, killing themselves, wizards leave, stage right.
Nice... Pretty stylish. Though I doubt 200 points worth of damage spread equally can take out the mentioned enemies.
Considering you have Instant Summons cast on your spellbook (just like any wizard worth his class levels) wouldn't you be able to summon it (possible with some assistance from the invoke magic scroll), sneakily study it for 8 hours at the corner of the room without letting your captors know and well... :smallcool:
only1doug
2012-10-09, 05:23 AM
How are you blasting anything in a dead magic zone once you've used your one scroll of Invoke Magic?
Reverse Arrows is an interesting idea, though I think the mastermind would let his guys do the shooting (while he monologues about the great plan or something). Still, thanks for the idea :smallsmile:.
Well, once the thugs are down I can beat the mastermind to death with my huge BAB and str...
Incorrect
2012-10-09, 06:24 AM
I was thinking Stone Shape to move one of the outer walls to be between the bad guys and hostages, and opening up an escape route.
A problem is that the hostages are moving very slow, and the bad guys can just hack through the wall. This is also a problem with most stun-and-escape tactics.
New idea, Whispering Wind
"Hey King, this is EpicSpellCastersUnion, please come save us with, like, your army. We will pay you back" or some such.
Cheap win: Dancing Lights
Disco light while everyone dies to arrows, and is promptly revived by allies.
Andreaz
2012-10-09, 07:02 AM
How are you blasting anything in a dead magic zone once you've used your one scroll of Invoke Magic?
Reverse Arrows is an interesting idea, though I think the mastermind would let his guys do the shooting (while he monologues about the great plan or something). Still, thanks for the idea :smallsmile:.
Conjuration to the rescue! Cast the magic from outside the zone, make it one that doesn't need magic to sustain itself, like making a sufficiently big rock on top of the complex.
Krazzman
2012-10-09, 07:22 AM
I'm not sure as I hardly ever play casters but I think there was a 3rd or 4th level Sleeping spell that could suffice. Or some form of Illusion/Mass suggestion could be awesome in such a situation.
Laserlight
2012-10-09, 07:46 AM
Being a high INT wizard, I don't go into a DMZ in the first place.
ahenobarbi
2012-10-09, 08:12 AM
The situation:
You're a level 20 wizard, taken captive (...) Your captors are human non-casters of low-ish levels: like 6 to 9.
I don't interfere with DM railroading me... seriously how would a few low-level non-caster capture 50 high-level wizards.
Really this sounds even more ridiculous than "So you are a healthy, strong wolf that was taken captive (with 50 other wolfs) by a couple of limp rabbits. How do you escape?"
No info was given as to the size of the DMZ, so I assumed it was the size of the room.
My bad, the DMZ is the size of a country and you're nowhere near the border. I've edited my OP.
Being a high INT wizard, I don't go into a DMZ in the first place.
I was sure someone would be like that. Assume you had really good incentive to go there. Assume you received adequate guarantees no harm would come to you. Sure, in retrospect it may have been one of your blonder moments, but since all the world's most powerful mages are here with you at least you're in good company.
I don't interfere with DM railroading me... seriously how would a few low-level non-caster capture 50 high-level wizards.
Really this sounds even more ridiculous than "So you are a healthy, strong wolf that was taken captive (with 50 other wolfs) by a couple of limp rabbits. How do you escape?"
I'm grateful for your input. I'm the DM here, and trying to brainstorm something.
Twilightwyrm
2012-10-09, 08:37 AM
I don't interfere with DM railroading me... seriously how would a few low-level non-caster capture 50 high-level wizards.
Really this sounds even more ridiculous than "So you are a healthy, strong wolf that was taken captive (with 50 other wolfs) by a couple of limp rabbits. How do you escape?"
Sorry, was there an arcane spell that gave you immunity to poison in your food? Oh right, the cleric has those...
Right, and before you say "If you are a 20th level wizard, you aren't buys your food, you are just summoning feasting halls to feed yourself, a) those are bard and cleric spells and b) contrary to a certain...line of reasoning, I don't imagine all 20th level wizards are paranoid misanthropes. Sure, it could be a bit weird they are all on the material plane and not off faffing about in inter-planar politics, but this isn't really the important part.
Finally, there is really nothing saying the minions did the capturing. That is what the mastermind is there for.
ahenobarbi
2012-10-09, 09:06 AM
I was sure someone would be like that. Assume you had really good incentive to go there. Assume you received adequate guarantees no harm would come to you. Sure, in retrospect it may have been one of your blonder moments, but since all the world's most powerful mages are here with you at least you're in good company.
Why didn't I bother to prepare as many Invoke Magics as possible?
I'm grateful for your input. I'm the DM here, and trying to brainstorm something.
If you are really planning to use it in some game you might really bother to explain a bit more.
Sorry, was there an arcane spell that gave you immunity to poison in your food? Oh right, the cleric has those...
There is a cantrip for that (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/detectPoison.htm).
And called creatures. Which can also act as bodyguards (getting a few when going into DMZ isn't paranoid, right?).
Right, and before you say "If you are a 20th level wizard, you aren't buys your food, you are just summoning feasting halls to feed yourself, a) those are bard and cleric spells and b) contrary to a certain...line of reasoning, I don't imagine all 20th level wizards are paranoid misanthropes. Sure, it could be a bit weird they are all on the material plane and not off faffing about in inter-planar politics, but this isn't really the important part.
Finally, there is really nothing saying the minions did the capturing. That is what the mastermind is there for.
a) Wizards can do that too (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/magesMagnificentMansion.htm) (not to mention bindings).
b) Well after something like that happens once they will be.
And if minions didn't capture... I'd need to know what did capture - it will be more dealing with that than killing minions.
Archmage1
2012-10-09, 09:15 AM
Seems to me that a stinking cloud would get the job done as well. Nauseate the warriors, provide cover from those who are not nauseated...
Wall of sand would probably get it done as well.
Seriously though, if you are trapping that many wizards, you probably need a more secure room? Like locks with a DC of dream on, that are magically shielded. Or fill the area with some sort of nauseating gas, or grease the area...
Ardantis
2012-10-09, 09:50 AM
I think you should just summon some monsters. Summon Monster IV should have some nice options, anything super big with grapple ought to come in handy. Why would the enemies shoot you and your cohorts when there's some big creature trying to kill them? Maybe Swallow Whole would be better, though, I dunno.
That said, I think there are 3 ways to deal with this problem, in order of what I think would work best to what I think would work worst:
1) Deal with the captors (like in the above example)
2) Change the battlefield (like with solid fog)
3) Move people
only1doug
2012-10-09, 10:25 AM
Are all of the guards close together? if they are within a 40' diameter area then Black Tentacles (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/blackTentacles.htm#) can Grapple them to death for me.
+28 Grapple check from Large Creature (so effectively +32 against medium creatures) dealing 1d6+4 damage each round on a successful grapple check (which they will be) for 20 rounds.
The biggest danger is that the tentacles will crush me and the other mages too, so I'll have to dismiss it one round before I run out of hit points.
Why didn't I bother to prepare as many Invoke Magics as possible?
Well each casting (or scroll) costs 1000 gp in material components, which means you can't just spend weeks writing an arbitrarily high number of them. But fair enough, assume you actually have all of your level 9 slots filled with that spell, and as many scrolls as you like: how do you use them, considering they'll be peppering you - or the other guys, if they can't find you - with bolts (presumably poisoned for good measure) after the initial surprise?
If you are really planning to use it in some game you might really bother to explain a bit more.
Let me give you a quick overview then. The kingdom you're in is a dead magic zone. It evolved into a nexus of engineering prowess and is home to a superlative – if completely mundane – military force. Outside of their borders, since they don't have mages, they get creamed. Inside, however, since the opponents can't use their magic, they've got the upper hand. As a result, it's got the most stable borders of any land in the world.
A while ago, after a particularly devastating and even more petty mage war that left half a continent in ashes, mages decided that maybe it'd be a good idea for them to try and talk out their issues before slinging fireballs left, right and centre. Mundanes outnumbered mages like a hundred to one (and they outnumbered powerful mages a million to one), and if mages continued screwing around to stroke their ego and greed the noncasters might get nasty ideas like banding together and wiping them off the map. It'd be ugly, but doable.
The obvious place to parlay was the above kingdom, where magic doesn't exist and where the only way to act out a grudge is the old-fashioned way. As a deterrent, the participants agreed that the first thing they'd do after the meeting once they get home is pool their resources and hunt down any participant who attempted foul play. That actually worked (by and large), and over time the Interlude, as it came to be known, grew to become one of the world’s most important self-regulated associations.
As one of the world's powers, you're invited to this decade's Interlude. Unfortunately for you, the ruling class of the kingdom decided that since magic was essentially preventing them from expanding their borders, they might as well try to kidnap the world's leading mages who conveniently met within their borders (in a place that was never quite secret enough) and brainwash/coerce them into working for them, or else. After a previous thread here, it seems the easiest way to do that is to find a decent-level caster whose loyalty is beyond doubt, bonk them over the head and cast Dominate Person/Monster until it takes hold (or use scrolls or whatever, it's all fluff from here anyway).
Anyway, you've been kidnapped, bound, gagged, freed, and you have a round to save the day before things get real.
Also, since this is all brainstorming, if 5 or 6 armed guards prove irrelevant, I'm happy to make it 20 level 9 or 10 optimised crossbowmen. The point is, you have one round, one level 4 spell and a bunch of determined captors who've probably never even seen magic in action but who will try to murder you and everyone else in that room as soon as they realize their plan went south. Betting that their bolts won't hurt you is an optimistic gamble.
Seems to me that a stinking cloud would get the job done as well. Nauseate the warriors, provide cover from those who are not nauseated...
Stinking Cloud should be workable too, thanks :smallsmile:.
if they are within a 40' diameter area then Black Tentacles (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/blackTentacles.htm#) can Grapple them to death for me.
[...]The biggest danger is that the tentacles will crush me and the other mages too, so I'll have to dismiss it one round before I run out of hit points.
I thought about BT but you can't really be sure the other mages are in good shape so you're not sure if the bad guys will die before the mages. I guess resurrection spells would make that a non-issue for the most part, but there are heavy restrictions on resurrection in this little campaign. Didn't think it'd come up in this discussion but I should have mentioned it in the OP regardless, sorry.
ahenobarbi
2012-10-09, 12:40 PM
A lot depends on the feats :/
I'd probably start with buying time (Solid Fog, Blacklight, Major Image).
After that...
If I had Chain Spell I'd use chained charm monster to charm guards. After that escape should be easy.
If I had Sanctum Spell I'd do a few rounds of teleporting out fellow mages (and hopefully they would start helping me with that).
If I din't have that... well Blacklight on my whatever-will-not-meld-into-me-when-I-polymorph-next-round. After that I polymorph into 15 headed hydra and kill'em all while safely covered in darkness (preventing firing at me and giving more advantage in melee).
laeZ1
2012-10-09, 04:29 PM
Is it just me, or are a lot of people missing the fact that they're in a DMZ (Dead Magic Zone), with their only source of magic being the (only) scroll they've got, which will use a level 4 or lower spell?
My ideas:
1st Idea: intimidation check, threatening them to let everybody go, they laugh 'cause I have no magic. I make an example of one of them, follow it up with another intimidation check (chances of sucsess... maybe 30%). Probably get me shot.
2nd Idea: Diplomacy check, try to win everybody's freedom with a game of chance. cast cheat. (chance of sucsess... pretty darn low)
3rd Idea: Use the scroll to cast "detect secert doors". Open the trapdoor under the bad guy's feet. Don't give the DM a chance to tell me that there isn't one. (chance of sucsess 100%, followed quickly by 0%)
4th Idea: Lesser Gaes the main guy. (chance of sucsess... very high, if your DM doesn't double check casting times when you swear it's a standard action, otherwise, ~10%)
5th Idea: Ghost sound! Followed by a bluff check that the area is haunted.
6th Idea: Offer to teach the captors magic(bluff), teach them "magic" (bluff), show them "magic" (silght of hand), convince them that every time their armies tried to expand the country's borders, this is what stopped them (bluff). Save the scroll. No need to waste a good scroll.
7th Idea: Use the scroll to cast rage on self, die in glory.
8th Idea: Translocation trick the head guy, tell the others to shoot the bad guy (currently looks like you) as an example, and to let the rest of the wizards go free.
I had more ideas, but my lunch break is over. My favorite is #6
Venusaur
2012-10-09, 05:30 PM
This is easy. Extra Spell + Glibness. Just tell your captors to let you go. (This is assuming you ignore the FAQ, which nerfs extra spell into suck.) If you don't have to go straight wizard, then a level in virtuoso and sublime chord can get you it.
Another option is to use a arcane thesis Fireball (or whatever blasting spell, it doesn't matter) and a ton of metamagics on top. Metamagics explicitly don't change the level of the spell, so it works with invoke magic.
Piggy Knowles
2012-10-09, 06:03 PM
My first thought is Wind Wall (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/windWall.htm) (ie, total immunity to arrows for me and all my wizard buddies), although that won't stop them from just running over and pounding on me with their meaty fists. As a level 20 wizard I'll still have the approximate BAB and hit points of a level 10 fighter, but I probably won't have the strength, and while I'd be willing to risk it and fight one or two, I don't know about a whole crew of them.
(This plan would be more likely to work if there were just a few level 6 mooks, though.)
My second thought is to use Summon Undead IV to summon an allip (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/monsters/allip.htm). Without magic, there is basically nothing they can do to an incorporeal enemy. Babble should fascinate a good chunk of the bad guys right off the bat, and then the 20-round duration should be more than enough time for the allip to drain them all into gibbering wrecks. Of course, they'll probably shoot me, as I'm not incorporeal, but whatever. Hopefully one of the other fifty wizards will be kind enough to resurrect me. (And hey, I want the good kind of resurrection - none of this level drain BS, and I definitely don't want to come back as some kind of hobgoblin! I saved all your butts, you'd better be willing to spring for a true rez!)
Randomguy
2012-10-09, 06:32 PM
6 crossbows trained on 50 wizards? Yup, they sure can kill all of you in one round.
As a level 20 wizard, you've got better BAB and probably more hit points than a level 9 fighter.
I'd go with Chained Shatter (with a metamagic reducer). It could free about 20 wizards, but a better use for it would be to break all the weapons and then free as many wizards as you can. Even if they have 3 weapons each you can still free yourself and someone else. Then the beatdown starts. And if you start losing, then Invoke Magic + polymorph to turn into a hydra and take them all down in a round or two.
Kelb_Panthera
2012-10-09, 06:53 PM
I polymorph myself into something big and mean enough to rip them to shreds, then casually remove the keys from the pile of gore and free everyone. Some losses are to be expected, but acceptable loss is acceptable.
If you F*** with casters you damn well better kill them immediately.
robertbevan
2012-10-09, 08:30 PM
this whole situation seems a bit suspect. are the six crossbow men shoving their crossbows into this one particular wizard's face? they're guarding fifty dudes after all. unless that's the case, i can't see any justification for an auto kill. i mean, even if they are all pointing at his face, he can duck or something. he's not chained to the wall or anything.
but taking into account the rules you're making up, i'd say a simple 'protection from arrows' spell ought to do the trick. the guards all fire on the wizard who cast it, their bolts do nothing to him, and the next round everyone jumps the guards (are their feet manacled to their hands? are only their hands manacled together? are their hands manacled together and their feet separately manacled together, allowing them some limited movement?) they all wrap their manacles around the guards' throats, wrestle them to the ground, and are home free. remember, wizards aren't necessarily weak.quite a few of them would likely have average or above strengths... and even if they are weak, it's fifty against six.
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