Crack Dwarf Squad

[motivatedjanza]

I've got a HUGE fight coming up against my elf-loving friend. I'm using dwarves. This is a continuation from the thread "In need of Anti-Elf/Archer Tactics". If you need more info, check there.

Here's what I'm up against, bunch 'o' elves, all with composite longs:

Fighter: Greatsword. Archer. Has a load of two-handed melee feats. I will be able to take him, but I'll take all the help I can get.
Paladin: Worries me, but my Cleric will be able to hold him off. Another greatsworder. Also an archer, though not as good as the fighter.
Ranger: DEFINATELY worries me. We both have rangers. However, he's building the ranger to be the uber-archer of all uber-archer. My anti-archer tactics I've recently picked up will put that to rest. Still using two-handed combat.
Wizard: A damage-dealer. Fireballs and such. Putting a plan into motion to Feeblemind him, but its a work in progress.

And here's my team, I've got questions about all of them:

Fighter/Barbarian:
~It's Fgt 4/Brb 6. Thinking about bumping up the Fighter for another feat. Would that be wise?
~He's a sunder-er at this point. Bow-breaker specialist. Is that wise, or should I be grappling? The rest of his feats are based on improving his greataxe attack. Has the best melee stats out of anyone in the game right now.

Ranger:
~We had to pick a scout. Everyone on the old thread said monk. No. I'm sorry but my friend has this inferiority complex that says dwarves can't be rangers. Intending to prove him wrong.
~Two-Handed Weapon Fighting Style. Waraxe and Handaxe.
~He'll be my secondary melee. I think he qualifies better than my Cleric for this position.
~How do I work the favored enemy bonuses? Can I pick elf 3 times? How do they increase? This is the biggest problem I'm having. SOS!SOS!!!

Cleric:
~She's my uber-buffer/wizard-defender.
~I blew a feat on Dwarven Waraxe proficiency. Bad move?
~I'm restricted to PHB gods, but I've got free reign there. What gods would yinz guys advise?
~Should she be on the front-line instead of my ranger? They've got the exact same hit-points, but higher AC. Then again my ranger has better damage rolls and offensive power. Really confused here.

Wizard:
~Battlefield-Control/Make-Them-Suck expert. Better than direct damage?
~The basis of my strategy: Feeblemind the wizard, and Wind Wall the archers. My buffed-up melee guys should prevail.
~My DC for Feeblemind is 20 without any Focuses, which I am DEFINATELY adding. Is it worth a shot against a wizard with a +9 Will Save? Or is there any other way I can tip the odds in my favor.
~The Wind Wall strategy is probably gonna work.
~He'll also be packing stuff like Stinkcloud, Tentacles, Ray of Exhaustion, and the like.
~Would Quick-Spelling a True-Strike to guarantee a ray hit be smart or just a waste of a 5th level, my most powerful spells, spell slot?
~Another wasted feat for a Dwarven Waraxe. I'm POSITIVE he'll try to kill my wizard via melee though. Is it extra insurance or a waste?

Wowsers, for something I've been working on this long its got a lot of holes in it, huh?

Anywho, I'd appreciate any and all advice, critisisms, slaps to the face, etc. Thanks.

[Dhavaer]

~How do I work the favored enemy bonuses? Can I pick elf 3 times? How do they increase? This is the biggest problem I'm having. SOS!SOS!!!

They just add up. Selecting Elf three times would get you a +6 bonus.

[motivatedjanza]

...
You are a gift from the Gods, my friend
...

[Krellen]

They just add up. Selecting Elf three times would get you a +6 bonus.

And you'd still have two other favoured enemies, at +2.

Take Magical Beast as one, for the Paladin's Mount.

[motivatedjanza]

Right, he said he wouldn't summon anything. But he'll cry foul at my save-or-suck strategy, so I'll add on heavy warhorse to mess with his paladin.

Thanks.

[Rigeld2]

Fighter/Barbarian:
~It's Fgt 4/Brb 6. Thinking about bumping up the Fighter for another feat. Would that be wise?
~He's a sunder-er at this point. Bow-breaker specialist. Is that wise, or should I be grappling? The rest of his feats are based on improving his greataxe attack.

I think grappler, tho mixing grappler and sunderer isnt a bad idea. I dont think the greataxe feats are worth it.

Ranger:
~Two-Handed Weapon Fighting Style. Waraxe and Handaxe.
~He'll be my secondary melee. I think he qualifies better than my Cleric for this position.
~How do I work the favored enemy bonuses? Can I pick elf 3 times? How do they increase? This is the biggest problem I'm having. SOS!SOS!!!

At 10th level, your first level Favored Enemy (elves, I guess) could (and probably would) have +6 vs elves. I still favor making the Ranger Archery style and leaving him back with the Wizard. Toss a Fly on him so he can fire over the Wind Walls.

Cleric:
~I blew a feat on Dwarven Waraxe proficiency. Bad move?
~I'm restricted to PHB gods, but I've got free reign there. What gods would yinz guys advise?
~Should she be on the front-line instead of my ranger?

IMO, bad move on the Dwarven Waraxe. Not worth the feat. Since the PHB doesnt require gods, can you follow an order (IE pick your Domains)?
I would advise the cleric up with the Fighter.

Wizard:
~My DC for Feeblemind is 20 without any Focuses, which I am DEFINATELY adding. Is it worth a shot against a wizard with a +9 Will Save? Or is there any other way I can tip the odds in my favor.
~Would Quick-Spelling a True-Strike to guarantee a ray hit be smart or just a waste of a 5th level, my most powerful spells, spell slot?
~Another wasted feat for a Dwarven Waraxe. I'm POSITIVE he'll try to kill my wizard via melee though. Is it extra insurance or a waste?

50% chance of him failing the save before focuses? I'd go for it.
I wouldnt bother with True Strike.
And yes, Dwarven Waraxe for a Wizard is a definite waste. Unless he has a reach weapon, you can always 5' away and spell them. If he has a reach weapon, stay at 5' and spell.

[motivatedjanza]

Great, that fixes my mind for the Feeblemind, but what do I do about his ranger? A composite long with +6 damage against my dwarves is gonna be nasty. I think he's 2nd on my list after I Feeblemind the wizard.

[Krellen]

Give your ranger an elfbane bow. Coupled with Manyshot or Rapid Shot, the bane property adds up to a lot of damage.

Or make the axes elfbane, if you want to stick with melee combat.

[Fireball.Man.Guy.]

Prot from Arrows or wind wall should take care of that. You also could reason with your DM to get a reversed spell that prevented him (and only him) from using ranged attacks.

[Annarrkkii]

Protection from arrows is a waste at this point, as he has Greater Magic Weapon, if nothing else. Wind Wall is the better bet, erected somewhere in the middle of the map. Or maybe erected multiple times—leapfrogging, after a fashion.

As for the grappler vs. sunderer debate, it won't be that hard to sunder a bow, so there's no reason not to go both.

[F.L.]

Is this 3.0 or 3.5? In 3.5, Dwarves should have familiarity with the Dwarven Waraxe and Ugrosh, so martial proficiency automatically has them.

[Bag_of_Holding]

Is this 3.0 or 3.5? In 3.5, Dwarves should have familiarity with the Dwarven Waraxe and Ugrosh, so martial proficiency automatically has them.

The problem is that it's a cleric and a wizard, that's why. You are correct however; they treat them as martial weapons.



My contribution to the thread is, since the elfs don't have a proper healer, take the paladin down first, then fighter. Wizard can be taken down by the ranger and/or the wizard; use racial Con bonus to your advantage! Hit those puny racial Con-penalised elfs' face so hard that they look like they've got racial Charisma penalty too.

[F.L.]

Hmm. For some reason I thought clerics got martial proficiency.

[Bag_of_Holding]

Hmm. For some reason I thought clerics got martial proficiency.

You wish

[The_Werebear]

Make sure your cleric takes Divine Power.

Make sure your Wizard takes Dimension Door and Haste. It also may not hurt to toss Dispel Magic in to strip buffs or for emergency counterspells. Also-Have him take Polymorph and turn your fighter into something absolutely monstrous, if you don't mind totally cheesing the foes out.

[Aquillion]

"In 1972 a crack Dwarf squad was sent to prison by an Elven court for a crime they didn't commit. These Dwarves promptly escaped from a maximum security dungeon to the underdark. Today, still wanted by the Elven government, they survive as soldiers of fortune. If you have a problem, if no one else can help, and if you can find them, maybe you can hire: THE D-TEAM."

[Ninja Chocobo]

Grab a scroll of Time Stop for your Wizard. He gets at least Feeblemind & Black Tentacles off before anyone else can do anything.

[zippy]

Grab a scroll of Time Stop...

That's too mean!!! Effective, but mean...

[Bag_of_Holding]

Just use Mordenkainen's Disjunction, if you really want to play dirty.


Edit: a scroll of, that is.

[The Valiant Turtle]

OK, going down your list of characters:

Fighter/Barb: I think focusing on Grappling would be a better choice. You will waste a lot of damage sundering longbows. It's not like bows have that many HPs. You might have the feats to do both.

Ranger: Consider having him be your sunder man if he meets the pre-reqs. Remember your animal companion (and his animal companion). Without looking at the actual stats I would imagine a cheetah would be a good choice, but Dire badgers are always popular. Don't forget your spells either. With second level spells you have a few interesting options. You already know about wind wall (yep, 2nd level Ranger spell). Definitely read the entire spell, you can really shape that wall however you want. Also, look at Spike Growth, it affects a pretty huge area, so some damage and halve their land speed. It could affect you as well if you get in the area of effect, so you'll probably want to dismiss it pretty early.

Cleric: (I still think a Druid would be better here). Definitely lose the waraxe feat. With two primary melee monsters, the Cleric should be casting spells most of the time. If you need a replacement feat I'd seriously consider Improved Initiative, duels like this often come down to initiative, and he's probably got better bonuses than you in this area. As for what God to take, the Magic domain is very popular, so consider Wee jas. Nobody expects a Cleric to bust out with a wand of Fireballs (or Ray of Enfeeblement).

Wizard: Again, lose the waraxe feat, even shield proficiency would be better if your worried about melee, and I'd still consider Improved Initiative. If you open with Feeblemind don't forget the last little bit of text in Feeblemind, the one that says anyone capable of casting arcane spells is at -4 on the saving throw. I still think I'd prefer to take him out with lower level spells (blind maybe). I think I would go with Stinking cloud as my opening spell. Being nauseated is really, really bad, and you also get the whole fog cloud effect, which pretty much shuts down ranged attacks. 5th level has a lot of fun spells, so consider them carefully before choosing feeblemind, not that it's a bad spell by any means. I'd be looking at both Wall of Stone and Wall of Force. Stone is exceptionally flexible, you could even close them in and throw explosive beads and similar items over the wall for fun. Also, look at Waves of Fatigue. It's got limited range, but can be situationally useful, especially if the -2 Str penalty makes your opponents unable to use their mighty composite bows. If you really don't know what to do with a wizard, ready to counterspell you're opponent (keep several dispells handy).

If he somehow manages to mess up some of your strategy (and he's probably expecting the wind walls). Remember the rules of cover for ranged attacks and get your characters in front of each other for a +4 AC bonus (PHB page 151).

[Woot Spitum]

"In 1972 a crack Dwarf squad was sent to prison by an Elven court for a crime they didn't commit. These Dwarves promptly escaped from a maximum security dungeon to the underdark. Today, still wanted by the Elven government, they survive as soldiers of fortune. If you have a problem, if no one else can help, and if you can find them, maybe you can hire: THE D-TEAM."

This wins on so many levels.

[CockroachTeaParty]

I've always wondered... what does the 'crack' mean in 'crack squad' or 'crack [insert whatever]? Does anybody know?

[jjpickar]

The Dwarf Wizard loves it when a plan comes together... Anyway, If you want your cleric to have a waraxe just take the war domain. All you have to do is worship the abstract concept of Lumberjackism.

[Raum]

Didn't you already post this in another thread?

[Rama_Lei]

Pick riding dog for your animal companion. That's my suggestion. Possibly a leopard.

[Rigeld2]

I've always wondered... what does the 'crack' mean in 'crack squad' or 'crack [insert whatever]? Does anybody know?

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[Jack Mann]

I've always wondered... what does the 'crack' mean in 'crack squad' or 'crack [insert whatever]? Does anybody know?

I'm not sure of the etymology, but it entered into slang in the late 1700's.

[jjpickar]

I just thought it meant they were stoned.

[Seffbasilisk]

crack, from 'crackerjack' or top of the line.

[Jack Mann]

I'm not so sure about that. Crack in this sense is attested to as far back as 1793, while cracker-jack was first recorded in 1895. I'd tend to think that the latter is derived from the former, not the other way around.