Hi,
Long time DM (30+ years) and a short time lurker. I would like some help with recommendations on fixing Touch of Slime. We are currently playing the Second Darkness Adventure Path.
One of my players has created a devastating combination. She is a Save or Die necromancer who "helps out" until the "big bad guys" shows up and then kills it.
Her combination that has destroyed a few of my signature creatures before they can take a (significant) bite out of the party is to Cast Sands of Times first, and then Touch of Slime. If this has already been discussed elsewhere please point me to it.
The Touch of Slime seems to me to be a bit either over powerful, not really well designed or I am missing something. I think the issue is how a monster, like a Troll who doesn't have tools, spells or special attacks can remove the slime? Should it be ruled that once she cast this spell, if the Troll stops and "scrapes" with his claws he removes it? How much "damage" does he have to do, none, one point? It seemed a bit unfair to us that any creature she cast his on, can stop and use its natural weapons (isn't that counter-intuitive that helps with the slime?) and then "scrape" it off with basically its hand and that is the end of the spell. However when I only have claws ... and no breath weapon or such and fighting in the under dark. She was able to seriously damage and then kill the <spoiler> mostly because I was unprepared for the spell. It took me a couple of rounds to come up with the house rules later that even though it does not say acid in the description of (scraping, freezing, burning, cutting, sunlight, or remove disease) that the breath of a <spoiler> could "melt" the slime away. By that time, between the Sands of Time and a couple of rounds of Touch of Slime, <spoiler> Fortitude had been lowered, and that is the death nail when facing a necromancer. Then her very nicely built necromancer was able to easily destroy the Ghonhatine she came across racing to escape <spoiler> in the Endless Night module. I ruled in this case that it had no special attack to remove it, and more importantly it had a an Int of 4, thus it didn't realize until it is too late (like one round) that the slime was spreading and lethal. Even if it did realize this, how does a Ghonhatine "scrape" the slime off with its paws? Again, I don't want to (unless I have too) overly nerf the spell, I am looking for a balanced interpretation.
And on the "game balance" argument she has long ago past the time of needing to actually "touch" something by using Spectral Hand at lower levels and taking the Reach meta-magic Feat at later levels. Reach and a necromancer works. She is also an Elf, with Spell Penetration and Greater Spell Penetration, plus she has increase the DC's of her necromancer spells. She is hurtful.
I have re-pasted the spell below for ease of reference. Thank you for any thoughts you may have.
School conjuration (creation) [disease]; Level alchemist 4, druid 4, sorcerer/wizard 4, witch 4
Components V, S, M (a drop of acid and a black glass sphere)
Casting Time 1 standard action
Range touch
Target living creature touched
Duration instantaneous
Saving Throw Fortitude negates; Spell Resistance yes
You create a coating of slime on your hand. When you make a successful melee touch attack with the slime, it pulls free of you and sticks to the target, at which point it acts like green slime, dealing 1d3 points of Constitution damage per round. Anything that destroys green slime (scraping, freezing, burning, cutting, sunlight, or remove disease) destroys this slime. If the slime kills a creature, it consumes the body and then dies. It cannot transfer to a creature other than the original target, and dies if separated from the original target.
