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Thrawn183
2007-01-01, 11:56 AM
A recent thread, TPK stories, mentioned how dangerous a simple silence spell can be to a party if they don't have a metamagic rod of silent spell.

I'm creating this thread so that people can post with varioius contingencies, other than the obvious contingecy spell of course, that parties ought to have prepared.

This thread works equally well for parties and DM's alike, so a post can't hurt!

ken-do-nim
2007-01-01, 12:10 PM
Okay, here's another. Everyone should always have potions of lesser restoration handy. Casting the spell takes 3 rounds, but drinking the potion is one standard action. It cancels ray of enfeeblement, fatigue, and lots of other bad stuff.

Pegasos989
2007-01-01, 12:33 PM
Potion of invisibility for each party member is relatively cheap life saver.

Simple protection from evil should always be prepared/potioned/scrolled to get rid of mind control effects.

Rope. Really. Our party once had no rope. Three characters died in separate situations because of that, in one dungeon.

Thrawn183
2007-01-01, 02:33 PM
I didn't realize lesser restoration was 3 rounds... i may have been doing some things wrong... I might supposed to be dead from con drain right now...

I've always carried thunderstones as a distraction. Kept one or two high level AoE spells on a scroll just in case we get mobbed. I'd forgotten about invisibility... I feel like I've betrayed my character *sobs* Why does he have to have so much better mental stats than me!?

Spasticteapot
2007-01-01, 03:44 PM
I'm working on a PC that requires none of the following.

1. Food.
2. Water.
3. Air.
4. Sleep.

If all else fails, a Dig spell, elemental, or whatnot will let me fill a chamber with earth, water, or petroleum jelly. (Why not?). Then, I just wait for my opponents to suffocate, and collect the goodies.

This also works REALLY well when fighting in the "far north" - immunity to natural cold means that, if all else fails, I just shatter the ice flow I'm standing on. Regardless of how well you can swim, parkas make it almost impossible to do so - while I, on the other hand, can just swim away without fear of water, cold, suffocation, or most arctic creatures.

Finally, there's an emergency

Matthew
2007-01-01, 07:00 PM
Other Inexpensive Potions:

Potion of Jump, Potion of Hide from Animals, Potion of Hide from Undead, Potion of Sanctuary,

Most Potions and Scrolls are going to come in useful. Otherwise, there are basic adventuring tools, such as:

Hatchet, Hammer, Knife, Whetstone, Flask of Oil, Cloth, Tinder Box, Six Torches, Food Bag, Water Skin, Wooden Bowl, Wooden Spoon, Heavy Blanket, Hunting Horn (so useful),

Pack Animal

Iron Spikes, Staves of various lengths, Bag of rice (or stones or barley or whatever), Chalk, Plenty of Rope (obviously), Grappling Hook, Crowbar, Spade, Spare Bags,

Plenty of spare Ammunition, including Javelins, Darts and Hand Axes.
Spare Spears and Shields also useful.

bosssmiley
2007-01-01, 08:20 PM
Potions of CLW, CSW and Lesser Restoration (at least from now on, cheers Ken-Do-Min) as soon as the gp are available. Smokesticks (to cover expeditious retreats) as standard from level 1, replace with darkness and obscuring mist as available. Teleport, blink, dimension door and the like mem'ed as standard, quickened at higher levels.

Always have an escape route planned. Think before walking into a trap. Alpha strike as hard as possible, and run like sissy little girls if things go badly. I don't see anything wrong with the so-called 'coward's mentality': why stand, fight and get butchered when you can cut and run, then ambush later. :smallwink:

ken-do-nim
2007-01-01, 11:31 PM
One other thing that has saved my hide in the past is a wand of cure light wounds. When you are cornered and just need to stay alive until the rest of the party can save you, you need to get healing. At low levels, if you try to cast cure light wounds, you will invoke an attack of opportunity or risk failing the concentration check. Drinking a potion also invokes an attack of opportunity. The only guaranteed safe healing is a wand. Plus having a wand of clw is generally useful too at low levels where it can bring the whole party back up to full without wasting the cleric or bard's spells.

Thrawn183
2007-01-01, 11:35 PM
Alpha strike?

Is it possible for a potion to summon a weapon? It'd be nice if I could plan around getting disarmed and having my weapon taken / having my weapon sundered.

Qualls feather token's are amazing. Use the oak tree one right behind a door that you are escaping through. Stone shape works the same way (ish) by making it impossible to turn the door knob.

Got any others like this?

Athenodorus
2007-01-01, 11:38 PM
Free Action, See Invisible, all Sustains, Hold Life, Immunity to Blind and Confuse, dependable teleport/teleport away, method of LoS blocking, Genocide, sufficient healing and mana potions, resist nether, shards, and pretty much all high elements, immunity to all 4 low elements, satisfy hunger, method to remove black breath, flight, pass mountains, digger, +30 or higher speed, max stats, method of detect monsters, traps, doors, stairs, items, etc. cast every turn, and create slime molds at will.

Don't hurt me. I couldn't help myself.
My serious addition: A scroll of rope trick.

Deathcow
2007-01-02, 12:08 AM
I'm working on a PC that requires none of the following.

1. Food.
2. Water.
3. Air.
4. Sleep.


In a game I'm in, our party contains a fire elemental (10th level elemental savant, played by me) and a construct (Maug, from Fiend Folio).

So yeah, neither of us need anything on that list.

Golthur
2007-01-02, 12:15 AM
Other Inexpensive Potions:

Potion of Jump, Potion of Hide from Animals, Potion of Hide from Undead, Potion of Sanctuary,

Most Potions and Scrolls are going to come in useful. Otherwise, there are basic adventuring tools, such as:

Hatchet, Hammer, Knife, Whetstone, Flask of Oil, Cloth, Tinder Box, Six Torches, Food Bag, Water Skin, Wooden Bowl, Wooden Spoon, Heavy Blanket, Hunting Horn (so useful),

Pack Animal

Iron Spikes, Staves of various lengths, Bag of rice (or stones or barley or whatever), Chalk, Plenty of Rope (obviously), Grappling Hook, Crowbar, Spade, Spare Bags,

Plenty of spare Ammunition, including Javelins, Darts and Hand Axes.
Spare Spears and Shields also useful.
Add a bag of marbles, caltrops, vial of perfume, and a packet of flour/chalk dust to that list, too :smile:

Seffbasilisk
2007-01-02, 01:27 AM
Warforged don't need to eat, sleep, drink, breathe, or rest.

LA +0, no racial HD. (at least two of them are)

Emperor Tippy
2007-01-02, 08:42 AM
At high levels (read 15+) my party contracts with a high priest of some order or another whom we have done various favors for in the past to do the following. 1) We establish a permanent Telepathic Bond between him, and at least 2 seperate party members. 2) We Give him 20,000 GP worth of dimanonds. 3) Then we get him to agree to the following condition: If you do not here from either one of the peopel bonded to you for 1 week you are to cast Commune and ask if all of the party is dead. If so you are to cast True Ressurection on the party wizard and the party cleric.

Never have a permanent TPK again. It is the best contigency that my RL group has ever used.

Matthew
2007-01-02, 08:52 AM
Add a bag of marbles, caltrops, vial of perfume, and a packet of flour/chalk dust to that list, too :smile:

Oh yeah, how could I have forgotten the poor man's See Invisibility?

Toliudar
2007-01-02, 10:57 AM
A scroll of Stone Shape is a must for underground expeditions. When you really need a door - or need a door to NOT be a door.

Matthew
2007-01-02, 11:18 AM
A Scroll of Stone to Flesh also quite handy.

blackout
2007-01-02, 01:03 PM
Get lots of those, especially if you start encountering large numbers of basilisks or gorgons.
Potions of Antidote and Heal can help with near-death situations, as well as poison. Load up on those alot.

ThunderEagle
2007-01-02, 03:11 PM
Having at least two different healers in the party (or methods of healing) can be invaluable if one of said healers is knocked to negatives at some point. My group consisted of a warlock, paladin, fighter, rogue and cleric (me). A thoqqua ambushed me as I was examining some burnt fungi. I would have been toast if it wasn't for the paladin's lay on hands.

RandomNPC
2007-01-02, 07:51 PM
my sugestions are um:

rope, chain, locks, grapeling hooks, lockpicks for the rogue, and a battering ram for whoever wants to carry it.

the dungeon may have locked doors, but the owner of the keys might have been around to leave the keys in the dungeon. at least on the proper side of the door.

bosssmiley
2007-01-04, 11:03 PM
Alpha strike?

BattleTech game slang (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alpha_strike). Basically hit as hard as possible as early as possible, debilitating the opposition to the point of it being a one-sided fight. SOP in RL offensive action (blitzkrieg, SWAT actions, etc.) and a handy lesson for gamers.

Seffbasilisk
2007-01-05, 12:05 AM
Having a basher with good sundering capabilities to just carve a new pathway if need-be.

Someone with unarmed strikes or somesuch against being captured.