Kazyan
2014-07-03, 10:14 PM
In a game that started at "basic competence" optimization at level 2 and slowly crept up to what the playground considers "mid-OP" at our ending level of 21, my PCs have been dealing with encounters that challenge them basically the whole way. Now, I'm struggling, the last few have basically been loot pinatas, and I want to make the final two battles of the campaign actually challenging. The final encounters are a Linear Guild-style evil-opposite party and then the homebrew Elder Evil.
I can successfully flounder at most of the party--there are 8 members if you count the pet NPC and cohorts, possibly a 9th if you count the level 27 NPC they sometimes take with them--but I'm drawing a blank on the PC that has been solving most of the recent encounters. The artificer is now A) beating the enemies in initiative most of the time due to a +18 modifier and B) using a staff with artificer/UMD shenanigans to cast Twinned Maximized Wings of Flurry. This does an alarming amount of damage and often dazes the targets. The dazed enemies now have to survive a round of 7 other characters unleashing a hail of damage upon them (yeah, yeah, you're not supposed to kill enemies with HP damage if you're optimized; bear with me). Since there's an ubercharger, a blaster, and an archivist summoner, they...don't.
Spell Resistance works for the final battle, but not for the penultimate fight. Globe of Invulnerability is okay, but I don't want to cluster everyone that close together. A Ring of Spell-Battle only retargets a single target, and while retargeting it from the main caster onto her would probably put the artificer out of commission for 1 or 2 rounds, most of the Linear Guild still gets dazed--and I don't want the PCs to have a Ring of Spell-Battle for the final battle. Spell Turning has a similar problem. but is at least useable. Spell Immunity is too ham-fisted and the Linear Guild doesn't know about the Wings of Flurry tactic. Counterspelling requires winning initiative, which the main caster can't rely on, even with Chain Nerveskitter and a Warblade with White Raven Tactics.
So...how does the Linear Guild avoid getting one-shotted? Their initiative is hard to increase beyond +15.
In case you need the information, the party consists of:
1. Blasty artificer mentioned previously; also Maximizes a wand of Orb of Force in case of SR and uses a staff of Statue + Hardening infusion to tank damage
2. Artificer's fully-advanced Maximized-Awakened Flesh Golem with various grafts, Statue + Hardening, UMD'ing a wand of Wraithstrike, and Mage Slayer.
3. Summon-focused Archivist (now with Time Stop!) with everything short of Greenbound, sometimes pulling out random caster tricks that I don't expect
4. Dungeoncrasher/Warblade charger. Likes to ignore Shock Troper's drawback with a Knockback/Wall of Blades combo--mostly-dead target gets their turn, approaches again, and gets their single attack, which Wall of Blades usually negates. Also likes to get cohort (see below) to cast Wall of Force behind his targets for Dungeoncrasher damage after every attack via Knockback.
5. Battle Sorcerer/Argent Savant cohort of the dungeoncrasher. Mostly uses Wall of Force/Forcecage for BFC or a combo with the Dungeoncrasher, but sometimes buffs people with Displacement or throws out Magic Missile. Not as effective as the others.
6. Erudite/Thrallherd/Body Leech. 80% of his turns are Energy Barrage, Psionic Revivify, or returning to combat after dying (Cheat Death + Change Fate + Teleport = automatically get a new body from a minion and come back). Occasionally creates an astral construct around himself as "power armor". Is the DM's stress ball due to being easy to kill without ever losing levels.
7. Cleric/Radiant Servant of Pelor thrall. DMM: Persists Vigorous Circle, Greater Visage of the Deity, Righteous Wrath of the Faithful, and Holy Aura on the party. Dies a lot.
8. Factotum/Chameleon pet NPC. DMM: Persists Divine Power. Usually just hits things for a small chunk of damage, but sometimes uses a healing spell. Is also an obsoleted skillmonkey.
9 (sometimes). Level 27 Petal Warblade/Swordsage/Bloodstorm Blade. Tactics: throw a Strike of Perfect Clarity, then throw an Avalanche of Blades + Lightning Recovery, then clean up encounter. Not as powerful as the PCs, sadly.
I can successfully flounder at most of the party--there are 8 members if you count the pet NPC and cohorts, possibly a 9th if you count the level 27 NPC they sometimes take with them--but I'm drawing a blank on the PC that has been solving most of the recent encounters. The artificer is now A) beating the enemies in initiative most of the time due to a +18 modifier and B) using a staff with artificer/UMD shenanigans to cast Twinned Maximized Wings of Flurry. This does an alarming amount of damage and often dazes the targets. The dazed enemies now have to survive a round of 7 other characters unleashing a hail of damage upon them (yeah, yeah, you're not supposed to kill enemies with HP damage if you're optimized; bear with me). Since there's an ubercharger, a blaster, and an archivist summoner, they...don't.
Spell Resistance works for the final battle, but not for the penultimate fight. Globe of Invulnerability is okay, but I don't want to cluster everyone that close together. A Ring of Spell-Battle only retargets a single target, and while retargeting it from the main caster onto her would probably put the artificer out of commission for 1 or 2 rounds, most of the Linear Guild still gets dazed--and I don't want the PCs to have a Ring of Spell-Battle for the final battle. Spell Turning has a similar problem. but is at least useable. Spell Immunity is too ham-fisted and the Linear Guild doesn't know about the Wings of Flurry tactic. Counterspelling requires winning initiative, which the main caster can't rely on, even with Chain Nerveskitter and a Warblade with White Raven Tactics.
So...how does the Linear Guild avoid getting one-shotted? Their initiative is hard to increase beyond +15.
In case you need the information, the party consists of:
1. Blasty artificer mentioned previously; also Maximizes a wand of Orb of Force in case of SR and uses a staff of Statue + Hardening infusion to tank damage
2. Artificer's fully-advanced Maximized-Awakened Flesh Golem with various grafts, Statue + Hardening, UMD'ing a wand of Wraithstrike, and Mage Slayer.
3. Summon-focused Archivist (now with Time Stop!) with everything short of Greenbound, sometimes pulling out random caster tricks that I don't expect
4. Dungeoncrasher/Warblade charger. Likes to ignore Shock Troper's drawback with a Knockback/Wall of Blades combo--mostly-dead target gets their turn, approaches again, and gets their single attack, which Wall of Blades usually negates. Also likes to get cohort (see below) to cast Wall of Force behind his targets for Dungeoncrasher damage after every attack via Knockback.
5. Battle Sorcerer/Argent Savant cohort of the dungeoncrasher. Mostly uses Wall of Force/Forcecage for BFC or a combo with the Dungeoncrasher, but sometimes buffs people with Displacement or throws out Magic Missile. Not as effective as the others.
6. Erudite/Thrallherd/Body Leech. 80% of his turns are Energy Barrage, Psionic Revivify, or returning to combat after dying (Cheat Death + Change Fate + Teleport = automatically get a new body from a minion and come back). Occasionally creates an astral construct around himself as "power armor". Is the DM's stress ball due to being easy to kill without ever losing levels.
7. Cleric/Radiant Servant of Pelor thrall. DMM: Persists Vigorous Circle, Greater Visage of the Deity, Righteous Wrath of the Faithful, and Holy Aura on the party. Dies a lot.
8. Factotum/Chameleon pet NPC. DMM: Persists Divine Power. Usually just hits things for a small chunk of damage, but sometimes uses a healing spell. Is also an obsoleted skillmonkey.
9 (sometimes). Level 27 Petal Warblade/Swordsage/Bloodstorm Blade. Tactics: throw a Strike of Perfect Clarity, then throw an Avalanche of Blades + Lightning Recovery, then clean up encounter. Not as powerful as the PCs, sadly.