Ragewalker and Living Spells 3.5

[Everyman]

DISCLAIMER: If you are a player who meets up at Carthage, kindly backtrack now. Graci.

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In the upcoming sessions with my players, I am planning on utilizing living spells as opponents. From there, they will eventually encounter a ragewalker. Since this is my first time really using these creatures in a campaign, I was wondering if I could get your feedback on them. Specifically, I wanted to hear...

1) Any feedback about how to use them? I really don't use a lot of oozes, so any tactical information I should know would be nice. Obviously, mindless creatures shouldn't be forming complex plans, but the ragewalker might arrange them well.

2) How's the ragewalker work for you all on average? It seems like the only way to safely fight them is to have A) a bruiser with Mind Blank (or equivalent) or B) stop them with magic. Even option B has a good chance of failure for a party of 14th level characters (where they should be by the time they fight it).

3) Any suggestions for any spells or types of spells that work well with the living spell template? I have the core spells and the Spell Compendium to work with.

Thanks for your help.

[Zhalath]

I think the ragewalker should use the oozes as walls, to shape the battlefield, so he can get the players right where he wants them.

Ooh, Evard's black tentacles as a living spell might be cool. Also, try transmute rock to mud as a living spell.

[Olo Demonsbane]

A Wish living spell is a god of luck

Try to use spells that do not allow a save and are single target for best effect.

[Baalthazaq]

Well stat wise Demonsbane's suggestions are nice, but single target spells cannot be RAW made into living spells. (I'd add in Metamagic but if you do make sure you bump up the creature accordingly. Generally speaking, if you want to make a spell "Mass" you add 4 levels, so I'd suggest if you want to turn a single target spell into a living spell. Add 4 levels to the spell before making calculations, especially for CR (Should add about 8 to CR).

Black Tentacles is awesome for a visual.

The only time I used the living spell was done on the fly kindof. I set up an illusion of a group of undead and waited for one of the spellcasters to react to it.

Sure enough, fireball. Fireball stays where it is... and is still there the next round. "What the hell.. is that normal" "No definately not normal.... so what does that mean..." "...run! Whatever the hell it is run!"

Considering your players aren't level 14 yet, the highest spell level you want to attempt is 7th.

Some that might be fun (but don't go overboard with these! Probably only pick one of the following for a big fight after many other small fights):
Reverse Gravity. They won't be able to go near it without slamming into the ceiling.
Prismatic Spray. I, personally, would just run.
Insanity. I would love to imagine the visual for this.
Mass Hold Person. Probably made of ethereal chains or something.
Mordikainen's Magnificent Mansion. (It grapples, pulls them into the mansion, then they have to fight the mansion. Fill it with stalkers rather than unseen servants. Alternatively, fill it with the other living spells you want the party to fight).

Others that work:
Mass Contagion. Circle of Death. Mass Suggestion. Any hand of Bigby. Antimagic field. All fogs. All Aoe Damage spells. Mass Reduce Person.

Again for the lower spells, metamagic them up if you want, but use your judgment here. Yes you can therefore get an empowered maximized fireball. That does not mean you should.

Almost forgot, a nice one is "Mass Mirror Image". I play it this way: What looks like the party charges at the real party, some are duplicated until you get the magic number. Anyone caught in the spell gets mirror imaged into it, and you have 8 more false targets for the party to fend off. Spell level 6 effectively.

Only one "mirror image" is attackable giving it a silly amount of miss chance. The mirror images are constantly replaced.

[Everyman]

Thank you all for your suggestions.

Zhalath- Use the oozes as walls, eh? I like it! It's a very creative way to control the battle, which synergize well with the ragewalker's ability to cause creature's to go beserk.

Olo Demonsbane - Saveless spells I'll try as "mini-bosses". Still, its a good idea to keep in mind the save, since my party have insane saves.

Baalthazaq- You, sir, deserve a cookie. Mostly for how in-depth that response was. No worries about me sending high level spells against the players, though. I'm a relatively nice DM.

Thanks again, guys.

[Who_Da_Halfling]

Ragewalker was a fun encounter when I did a one-shot against one. Just remember that he's Large size and isn't immune to his own firewalls.

Just out of curiousity, what Living Spells suspended a Fireball in mid-casting and also showed an illusion of undead?

The Mansion one is hilarious though.

-JM

[Xenogears]

Mordikainen's Magnificent Mansion. (It grapples, pulls them into the mansion, then they have to fight the mansion. Fill it with stalkers rather than unseen servants. Alternatively, fill it with the other living spells you want the party to fight).

That is just pure awesomeness!

Some less combat focused ones could be fun. Or atleast directly combat focused. What about a living teleportation circle (even though it is higher level I don't thinks its too unfair). Everytime they get near it they randomly pop 150-200ft away.

Could you put scry into it? Everytime they bump into it they get weird images of some faraway place. Really screw with your players there.

Plant Growth could be funny. A shimmering ball of green flows by and plants grow gigantic in its wake.

[Flickerdart]

A living spell of Otto's Irresistible Dance shaped like a large floating ball with faceted, reflective sides that's slowly spinning. Who cares if it's not legal by the rules? Make it work somehow.

[Baalthazaq]

I thank everyone for their cookies and claims of awesomeness.

A living spell of Otto's Irresistible Dance shaped like a large floating ball with faceted, reflective sides that's slowly spinning. Who cares if it's not legal by the rules? Make it work somehow.

It's not that it's technically against the rules, it would just be an estimated CR24 creature IMO. Personally I'd not allow it for that reason more than anything else.

Edit: For this party at least, I'd let it go up against some level 18 players though.