Hawk7915
2008-11-23, 10:20 PM
So, over Christmas break my group wants a break from the low-level, political intrigue campaign we've been playing since September, and I suggested an "Arena of the Gods" challenge wherein the players have several challenges before eventually being allowed to fight Zeus. Here's the rules:
1. Players will start at 25th ECL. 36 point-buy. 1 million gold pieces can be used to purchase equipment. No single piece of equipment can be more than 25% of total wealth (250,000) total. Any book is allowed.\
2. The arena is a 300x300 (ish) Coliseum that goes 400' high. A "bubble" prevents players from going higher. However, the arena's features may change from fight to fight (lava, a series of tunnels, etc).
3. The rules of the arena are such that players are not allowed followers. Mounts and animal companions, sure, but no cohorts, mercenaries, or other followers can enter the arena.
4. Epic spellcasting is allowed! However, epic casters are allowed to create only one spell, and can receive no help from anyone else in meeting the DC to craft it. (I've never played epic so I don't know if that makes sense. Basically, they can't use fellow team members or an army of solars to make a spell of infinite wishing or anything like that).
5. Speaking of which, leaving the arena during any of the fights is cause for an instant loss. So no planeshift to a personal realm of subjective time, either.
6. The team of heroes is given one night of rest and full healing between matches, and are informed of what they will be facing the night before.
7. Before each match, the team (and their foes) are given 3 turns to buff. Time Stop can not be used during this "warm-up" to have more time.
8. Item creation feats are banned.
9. Death is for real. No resurrection can be used on a teammate, ever. However...
10. Wish/miracle are allowed and can be used to rez a teammate. However, each caster is allowed only 1 wish/miracle for the entire campaign.
11. House rules: For what it's worth, spot and listen are class skills for every class. Also, monks have full BAB.
I have at least 3 players, possibly as much as 7. The only confirmed player is a pure Druid 25. Here are my questions...
- Does this seem fair and fun? Anything I've missed that will make this trivial? Am I cracking down too hard on epic casting and miracle/wish?
- What are some good challenges? My current thoughts were 4 fights before the big man himself, including...
I: 2-3 Balors, for a warm up
II: A savage Tucker's Kobolds maze with a great Wyrm red dragon at the end
III: As it is Greek themed, a heavily modified (Vampirc? Pseudonatural?) 15-headed Cyro-Hydra in a field of ice and freezing water.
IV: A low-level Divine. Hercules or one of the lesser gods, probably.
V: Zeus
- My players suck at optimizing...any advice on how to help them? Maybe some interesting sample builds? This ties into my last question...
- If it were you making the whole team, what (other than 6 clerics to just wish through every fight) would you play? Is it possible for 6 ECL 25 characters to pose a serious threat to Zeus, if he allows himself to be attacked?
Thanks in advance for the help!
1. Players will start at 25th ECL. 36 point-buy. 1 million gold pieces can be used to purchase equipment. No single piece of equipment can be more than 25% of total wealth (250,000) total. Any book is allowed.\
2. The arena is a 300x300 (ish) Coliseum that goes 400' high. A "bubble" prevents players from going higher. However, the arena's features may change from fight to fight (lava, a series of tunnels, etc).
3. The rules of the arena are such that players are not allowed followers. Mounts and animal companions, sure, but no cohorts, mercenaries, or other followers can enter the arena.
4. Epic spellcasting is allowed! However, epic casters are allowed to create only one spell, and can receive no help from anyone else in meeting the DC to craft it. (I've never played epic so I don't know if that makes sense. Basically, they can't use fellow team members or an army of solars to make a spell of infinite wishing or anything like that).
5. Speaking of which, leaving the arena during any of the fights is cause for an instant loss. So no planeshift to a personal realm of subjective time, either.
6. The team of heroes is given one night of rest and full healing between matches, and are informed of what they will be facing the night before.
7. Before each match, the team (and their foes) are given 3 turns to buff. Time Stop can not be used during this "warm-up" to have more time.
8. Item creation feats are banned.
9. Death is for real. No resurrection can be used on a teammate, ever. However...
10. Wish/miracle are allowed and can be used to rez a teammate. However, each caster is allowed only 1 wish/miracle for the entire campaign.
11. House rules: For what it's worth, spot and listen are class skills for every class. Also, monks have full BAB.
I have at least 3 players, possibly as much as 7. The only confirmed player is a pure Druid 25. Here are my questions...
- Does this seem fair and fun? Anything I've missed that will make this trivial? Am I cracking down too hard on epic casting and miracle/wish?
- What are some good challenges? My current thoughts were 4 fights before the big man himself, including...
I: 2-3 Balors, for a warm up
II: A savage Tucker's Kobolds maze with a great Wyrm red dragon at the end
III: As it is Greek themed, a heavily modified (Vampirc? Pseudonatural?) 15-headed Cyro-Hydra in a field of ice and freezing water.
IV: A low-level Divine. Hercules or one of the lesser gods, probably.
V: Zeus
- My players suck at optimizing...any advice on how to help them? Maybe some interesting sample builds? This ties into my last question...
- If it were you making the whole team, what (other than 6 clerics to just wish through every fight) would you play? Is it possible for 6 ECL 25 characters to pose a serious threat to Zeus, if he allows himself to be attacked?
Thanks in advance for the help!