Nasty tactics for Kalak, Sorcerer King of Tyr

[redking]

Cowering
The character is frozen in fear and can take no actions. A cowering character takes a -2 penalty to Armor Class and loses her Dexterity bonus (if any).

If you attack a character affected by Imperious Glare for example, is ther any way for the character to break out of the cowering condition, or must it simply take a beating until dead?

Changed the title of the thread as the subject matter has moved on.

[tyckspoon]

If you attack a character affected by Imperious Glare for example, is ther any way for the character to break out of the cowering condition, or must it simply take a beating until dead?

Take beating until dead. Same as if they failed a save against a paralyzing effect or got stat-damaged to 0 or any of the other effects in the game that can render something incapable of taking actions.

[Telonius]

Dead, or
duration runs out (for Imperious Glare, it's rounds/lvl);
or something happens that grants you a new save (a few spells will do this - Resurgence for example - or some ability that gives you a second chance. Rogue's Slippery Mind wouldn't work since it's not Enchantment, but something along those lines);
or something else otherwise negates or suppresses the effect (Remove Fear, antimagic field, etc).

[Xervous]

To misuse a quote here “the beatings will continue until morale improves.”

[Troacctid]

Imperious glare only lasts 1 round/level. If you don't kill them by the time the duration runs out, they can act normally again. It might also end early if it's dispelled, or if an effect such as remove fear is deployed.

[SangoProduction]

"only" 1 round / level. By the time you get it, that's well past the duration of any typical combat. In fact, you could break off combat for a few more combats, and still come back to them cowering. It is, for all effects and purposes, save or die.
But yeah. That's why they call them exponential casters.

[redking]

Thanks , fellows. I am building an epic Spellcaster statblock, King Kalak of Tyr from the Dark Sun setting. He has the powers of an epic wizard and epic psion. He would know all of the spells and powers in the SRD at least.

As a vicious and sadistic Sorcerer King, his combat strategy will be to inflict as much terror and torture in combat as he can.

What other strategies can he use to terrorize his opponents?

[Telonius]

If you're looking to maximize Fear tactics, the Dread Witch PrC (from Heroes of Horror) is a very good place to start. Four levels in it makes it so that even characters that are usually immune to fear, can be affected by your fear effects.

[redking]

What I am thinking of is that Kalak could use some nasty tactics with time stop or temporal acceleration. Combine with something like forcecage and epic summon monster (summon a creature of up to CR 22 - see spoiler), and force his opponents into cage matches.

Epic Summon Monster
Conjuration (Summoning)
Spellcraft DC: 85
Components: XP
Casting Time: 1 standard action
Range: 75 ft.
Effect: One summoned creature of up to 22 CR (non-unique)
Duration: 20 rounds (D)
Saving Throw: None (see text)
Spell Resistance: No
To Develop: 765,000 gp; 16 days; 30,600 XP. Seed: summon (DC 14). Factors: summon creature other than outsider (+10 DC), summon CR 22 creature (+40 DC), 1-action casting time (+20 DC), ad hoc factor for versatility of summoned creature (+5 DC), no verbal component (DC +2), no somatic component (DC +2). Mitigating factors: burn 800 XP (-8 DC).
This spell allows the caster to summon any non-unique creature of up to 22 Challenge Rating. The summoned creature appears where the caster designates and acts immediately, attacking the caster’s opponents to the best of its ability. The caster can direct the summoned creature not to attack, to attack particular enemies, or to perform other actions.
This spell is a purely mental action, with no material, verbal, or somatic components.


Another tactic I found online was prismatic sphere and reverse gravity to force enemies through the sphere. However, that might be immediately fatal. I am looking for techniques of combat as torture.

[AvatarVecna]

*sees title*

*gets war flashbacks*

[Remuko]

*sees title*

*gets war flashbacks*

oh god. i had forgotten. now i remember. oh lord lol

[Asmotherion]

*sees title*

*gets war flashbacks*

*Same here*

[Phhase]

oh god. i had forgotten. now i remember. oh lord lol

Clue a fellow in? What 'appen?

[Gruftzwerg]

What I am thinking of is that Kalak could use some nasty tactics with time stop or temporal acceleration. Combine with something like forcecage and epic summon monster (summon a creature of up to CR 22 - see spoiler), and force his opponents into cage matches.
...
Another tactic I found online was prismatic sphere and reverse gravity to force enemies through the sphere. However, that might be immediately fatal. I am looking for techniques of combat as torture.

Imho you should invest some time into (greater) Arcane Fusion tactics.
Even without going into game breaking cheese levels there are many decent combat combos possible.

Like..

Forcecage + Dimensional Anchor
A solid choice for gr. arcane fusion that will shut down most enemies. Share the gr. arcane fusion with your familiar to target it at two targets.


Aside from Gr Arcane Fusion, I would also go for Domain Sorcerer and pick up the Luck domain to get access to Miracle.



Clue a fellow in? What 'appen?

It's an unspoke rule to not talk about it. We don't want to summon him/her by accident you know..^^

Just know that it's about a very nasty inet troll.

"Nothing happened. Move on!" ^^

[redking]

Forcecage + Dimensional Anchor
A solid choice for gr. arcane fusion that will shut down most enemies. Share the gr. arcane fusion with your familiar to target it at two targets.

That's a good lockdown tactic and apparently one of the few sorcerer only spells. Unfortunately, despite being a "sorcerer king", Kalak is in fact a wizard by canon. Nothing I can do about that.

Kalak has the abilities of a 20th level wizard and 20th level psion, so he can use any spells or powers a high level psion or wizard could use in theory.

Thanks for mentioning dimensional anchor. Obviously Kalak does not want his would-be assassins to flee. Dimensional anchor is a ray and affects one target. Dimensional Lock (https://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/dimensionalLock.htm) affects an area.

Even without arcane fusion, Kalak can do as you suggested using time stop or temporal acceleration. Likely using temporal acceleration, with an ML of 30, Kalak can augment to 5 rounds of frozen time.

Any other ideas?

[Buufreak]

Clue a fellow in? What 'appen?

Can't dive super deep into detail due to forum rules, but there was a guy who hung around and was quite a jerk, and he called himself the sorcerer king.

[Anthrowhale]

What other strategies can he use to terrorize his opponents?
There's a dragon magazine #331 spell called Crown of Despair which is a level-up from Imperious Glare. Instead of cowering, it causes paralysis for 1d4 rounds to anyone vulnerable to [mind-affecting] that sees you and fails the save. Paralysis is a condition generating helpless, which makes creatures vulnerable to CdG. It's a brutal spell, particularly if you can persist it and acclimatize minions so they can freely execute the CdGs.

[redking]

There's a dragon magazine #331 spell called Crown of Despair which is a level-up from Imperious Glare. Instead of cowering, it causes paralysis for 1d4 rounds to anyone vulnerable to [mind-affecting] that sees you and fails the save. Paralysis is a condition generating helpless, which makes creatures vulnerable to CdG. It's a brutal spell, particularly if you can persist it and acclimatize minions so they can freely execute the CdGs.

I just looked that up. Solid spell when combined with a debuff to Will saving throws. If I am going with Dragon Magazine stuff, I might as well throw in Searing Seed. That spell is pure nasty.

[Anthrowhale]

I just looked that up. Solid spell when combined with a debuff to Will saving throws. If I am going with Dragon Magazine stuff, I might as well throw in Searing Seed. That spell is pure nasty.

Combo with Necrotic Tumor for many powerful minions.