Can I save this damsel in distress?

[Huldaerus]

Ok, she not a damsel but actually a PC. She is a caught in a web, and 3 shadows are hiting her. She is at 1 point of STR.

My DM-NPC is sitting in the web too (and in a Kelgore's Grave Mist) and he doesn't see her nor the shadows.

I thought about using Bening Transposition but can't target her if I can't see her. I could Dispel the web, but the shadows may kill her anyway in the next round because she can't move in armor with 1 STR.

Is there anything my DM-NPC, a sorcerer lvl 7, can do to save her?

Any help is appreciated.

[The Glyphstone]

We'd need to know his entire Spells Known list to be able to judge that accurately, as well as how many spells/day of each level he has left.

[Huldaerus]

Sure:

Sorcerer Spells Known:
3º (4/day)—Stinking Cloud, Fly.
2º (7/day)—Mirror Image, Glitterdust, Web.
1º (7/day)—Grease, Ray of Enfeeblement, Magic Missile, Shield, Unseen Servant.
0 (6/day)—Detect Magic, Detect Poison, Read Magic, Dancing lights, Mage Hand, Arcane Mark, Ghost Sound.

He can cast charm monster, deep slumber and disguise self once per day each via Fey's Presence, and Displacement (1/day), Baleful Transposition (2/day) and Bening Transposition (3/day) from a runestaff.

I don't think any of those can help. But he also has 600-1.000 gp worth of consumable items I never bothered to detail that can be played with.

[Vizzerdrix]

Unspecified items? Shapesand cacoon. Will need a decent wisdom though.

[Inevitability]

Shadows are intelligent and thus vulnerable to charisma-based skills. They also have a grand Sense Motive of +1. Bluff may be the answer here.

If you like your classics, how about 'If you strike her down, she will become more powerful than you can ever imagine.'

Even if you fail to distract all shadows, the unaffected ones can't communicate with their gullible brethren or stop them in any other way. This means that a good bluff check can reduce the threat even if not all shadows fall for it.

Heck, the unaffected shadows may even follow the others. After all, they're probably smart enough to realize killing an immobilized, webbed character is lower priority than the very muchly alive sorcerer.

[sleepyphoenixx]

Glitterdust could save her if you can get all the shadows with it, but it'll require luck (both all 3 shadows losing their save and then failing the attack roll because of blindness).
Powder of the Black Veil (MIC) has a similar effect - 10ft radius blindness with no save - and is barely within your budget, but it's still dependant on luck.
A Hammersphere (MIC) might work, but it's too expensive (1500gp) and unless your partymember has enough HP they'll die too. Better than becoming another shadow, but not by much.

Frankly if the situation has already detoriated to this point there probably isn't all that much left you can do. D&D combat is kinda unforgiving that way.
You can treat it as a learning opportunity and advise your player about spells/items/strategies that could have helped her avoid getting into that situation, but that's not going to save her now.


Shadows are intelligent and thus vulnerable to charisma-based skills. They also have a grand Sense Motive of +1. Bluff may be the answer here.
Bluffing takes at least 1 round. Meaning they'll get a full round of attacks off before it takes effect, so unless she's very lucky our victim is already dead.
Bluffing also requires that the enemy is open to social interaction. A pack of shadows using your partymember like a happy meal probably aren't.
I mean what's your plan here? Shouting "Hey, look out behind you!" and hoping it works? Even if the DM allows it at all the shadows are going to get a massive modifier for the circumstances.
It also opens up all kinds of abuse if a high bluff skill now means "you can make all enemies in the encounter do nothing for 1 round".


Even if you fail to distract all shadows, the unaffected ones can't communicate with their gullible brethren or stop them in any other way. This means that a good bluff check can reduce the threat even if not all shadows fall for it.
Yeah no, that's a horrible asspull. You might as well have a Mysterious Stranger show up and perform a miraculous last-minute rescue. Sometimes PCs just die, and a DM should let them if the dice roll that way.

Heck, the unaffected shadows may even follow the others. After all, they're probably smart enough to realize killing an immobilized, webbed character is lower priority than the very muchly alive sorcerer.
That's even worse, since even one more hit guarantees that there'll be another shadow in 1-4 rounds to turn the odds further against the party. Having a pack of supposedly ravenous undead suddenly leave a downed character alone instead of finishing him off just breaks my immersion. Coddling your players like that also removes any sense of challenge from the game since "the DM won't let us die".

[Kyberwulf]

I would say Displacement, if you can. Hope that buys you a round. Then Try to talk the Shadows into taking the DCMP in place of her, if he protests.. Charm monster on him and make him wait there... Grease her up then fly her the hell out of there.

[Florian]

Pull out a flask of alchemical fire. You can throw that at her with decent accuracy even when blind. Incinerates the whole net, maybe frees her, maybe drops her below zero hp. When unconscious, the shadows should refocus on you ...

[Lvl 2 Expert]

Sure:

Sorcerer Spells Known:
3º (4/day)—Stinking Cloud, Fly.
2º (7/day)—Mirror Image, Glitterdust, Web.
1º (7/day)—Grease, Ray of Enfeeblement, Magic Missile, Shield, Unseen Servant.
0 (6/day)—Detect Magic, Detect Poison, Read Magic, Dancing lights, Mage Hand, Arcane Mark, Ghost Sound.

He can cast charm monster, deep slumber and disguise self once per day each via Fey's Presence, and Displacement (1/day), Baleful Transposition (2/day) and Bening Transposition (3/day) from a runestaff.

I don't think any of those can help. But he also has 600-1.000 gp worth of consumable items I never bothered to detail that can be played with.

Only half serious, but you could try any of these (okay, almost any) and see what your DM let's you get away with:

Cast fly, send the fly into the web, save the damsel while the spiders feast. :smalltongue:
Shoot a nearby wild animal with magic missile, cast web in such a way that the creature gets caught in it and the vibrations are transferred to the other web. The animal will struggle, attracting the spiders.
How good is the sense of smell of a spider, would they lose their appetite from a stinking cloud?
Cast baleful transposition on the damsel and whatever bug is crawling within range, then leg it. The damsel will fail her will save on purpose, the bug doesn't have much of one.
Use all of the illusion spells to appear to be some really scary monster, something that eats giant spiders, something bat-, wasp- or snakelike maybe.

[The Glyphstone]

Remember that the OP is also the DM, apparently.

[Lvl 2 Expert]

O yeah right, and he's also caught yet blissfully unaware.

[Vizzerdrix]

Right then. Ill mention shapesand again. I will also throw out ideas for a buckler beetle, and symbiots. Maybe the dmpc had a little, squicky buddy on him that can lend a tenticle.

[Bronk]

Sure:

Sorcerer Spells Known:
3º (4/day)—Stinking Cloud, Fly.
2º (7/day)—Mirror Image, Glitterdust, Web.
1º (7/day)—Grease, Ray of Enfeeblement, Magic Missile, Shield, Unseen Servant.
0 (6/day)—Detect Magic, Detect Poison, Read Magic, Dancing lights, Mage Hand, Arcane Mark, Ghost Sound.

He can cast charm monster, deep slumber and disguise self once per day each via Fey's Presence, and Displacement (1/day), Baleful Transposition (2/day) and Bening Transposition (3/day) from a runestaff.

I don't think any of those can help. But he also has 600-1.000 gp worth of consumable items I never bothered to detail that can be played with.

I think the easiest way with those resources would be to 'find' a 25g scroll of 'hide from undead', cast it using the 'use magic device' skill, then have your familiar scurry/fly over to your PC friend and deliver the touch spell to her. The shadows won't know where she is anymore, and will leave her alone. Then have the sorcerer cast the spell on himself too.

As the DM, this should be easy for you, but if it comes up, as a sorcerer, your charisma bonus should already be pretty decent, but you can also up your UMD skill with the right feats, skill synergies, and a 50g masterwork tool for a +2 circumstance bonus.

If anyone asks if your familiar made its save for the web spell, make a hidden roll, then say that yes, it totally did.

[Inevitability]

Yeah no, that's a horrible asspull. You might as well have a Mysterious Stranger show up and perform a miraculous last-minute rescue. Sometimes PCs just die, and a DM should let them if the dice roll that way.

This thread is literally about making a miraculous last-minute rescue possible. I'm pretty sure 'sometimes PC's just die' isn't an answer OP will be happy with.