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I designed the rings based on the metamagic rods, actually. I looked at the prices and did some math. I noticed the rods are roughly prices based on the level adjustment of the metamagic feats. A Greater Maximize Metamagic Rod is 121,500 GP in cost, and gives three spell levels three times a day to any spell. The rings I made basically do something similar: three spell levels (one for Intensify and two for Empower), but only effect a very specific subset of spells (evocation spells of a specific energy descriptor only), so I made it unlimited use. Remember, though, that Intensify only matters if you have the levels to get the extra dice and only if the dice are level-dependent. This also means the rings only effect spells that can be resisted with Resist Energy and Protection From Energy. Still, it is a sizable chunk of wealth, almost as much as a +5 Book.

Wow, no way would I put such an item in my game. The limits on it could easily be meaningless in such an encounter. And I'd expect the limits would subsequently be meaningless to a smart pc caster. Just my opinion.

Here's his gear list. Note it's over the normal Level 20 gear for PCs because he's been Level 20 for, um, roughly a decade. The PCs, however, are Level 19 after only three years of adventuring. I suppose Bargle has maybe the gear of a PC at Level... 21? Value is 1,040,302 GP... BUT, several of those items weren't in play at all. The Greater Horn of Blasting is a leftover from an earlier encounter and wasn't used (and in fact I'd forgotten he had that). The Boots of Teleportation were redundant since he had Teleport on Contingency anyway, they were just a plot device to give him some plot armor up until this point (in that he liked to teleport in to taunt the characters several times for the fun of it). I also concluded that since he has Craft Wondrous Item and Craft Magic Arms and Armor, I only charged half price for a couple of the items. Total working wealth used: 871,302 GP.

So the npc has over 5 times the value in gear a heroic level 20 npc would have according to http://paizo.com/prd/creatingNPCs.html (and over 8 times what a level 20 encounter would have in a fast leveling campaign except the books would not be salvageable as treasure which is worse for the pc's). Not asking the op, DreamGoddessLindsey, but rather asking others is that normal? For an enemy npc is that table I cited a good benchmark?

Thanks, good points.

And the post from Rivalry above is from me. I posted on our tablet and that was the logged in id. heh Not sure who Rivalry actually is.

Ok, so in the course of discussing these issues with the dm he offered this explanation as to how this npc peformed these actions. My interpretation based on what was relayed to us in game is in my first post. This is the dm's explanation. Ty again to anyone who reads all of this and offers feedback:

"Her being hidden at the start was actually her starting from incorporeal, which was why she was crouching when you spotted her, she was using cover to make the hide check (coming out of the ground). Not really HIPS, but I didn't want to explain her tactics to the group at the table

She used custom top-level domain power for Tiamat to stay hidden - lets them attempt to snipe from hidden with a spell instead of just a weapon a few times a day. She was using an Elixir of Hiding (+10 comp bonus), and I didn't expect she'd really stay hidden with the snipe penalty, but the range penalties sunk you guys pretty hard. She had a spell going from Comp Adv that I can't remember, but helped with stealth as well (removed armour check penalties, iirc).

Keeping her incorporeal felt a bit much at the time, so I forgoed the incorporeal miss chance, and figured she'd just stand her ground and exchange blasts - with her Rapid Channel and quickened CMW, I figured I could keep her up a few rounds. She was using Delay Potion to get invis again, but you either had See Invis or I handwaved it so someone in the group could actually still see her. I think I did that round 3, after Eric had gotten killed. It was originally going to be improved invis and incorporeal, with the snipe penalty balanced by the invis, but that looked like it might start killing more than a few people."

Zarzuakar, CrystalSpellBlade, it was within close range. I don't remember the exact number for the perception check but it was a difficult check; my character has it maxed for our level (high Wis, trained, max ranks, +5 item and a miscellaneous bonus) and it was a hard check. 2 out of 5 party members died during this encounter. If I remember right casting Destruction did indeed break the invisibility but that was almost irrelevant because then to spot the cleric people needed to make the Perception check.

As an added wrinkle this campaign involves an in game device the dm came up with that the pc's are using that makes resurrection extremely easy. This started out coming across at least to me as a fun way to inspire some carefree, high risk adventuring. Now it is seeming more like a tool that let's the dm get away with treating us like punching bags and giving us impossible challenges. Beyond this issue the campaign has a lot of good stuff in it like a very rich, immersive environment, well drawn out npc's and involved, nicely complicated storylines. Far more often than not this dm does a very good job but this is a growing problem for me.

I've already told the dm I'm taking a break for a few sessions as the frustration level has gotten a bit high. StabbityDoom nailed it. This was not the first instance of this but it is the most extreme. Most of the other players are enjoying the campaign (I think) and I'm loathe to bash it in front of them. I'm going to talk to the DM in private and make some of those points. I appreciate the feedback here very much!

If you really like the Power, then begin worshiping Tiamat, take a level in Cleric, and ask the DM "so, where's this badass power I was promised?"

I seriously thought about it. I would love to do that. If this current guy bites the dust that is what I'm gonna do.

lol Amen IejirIsk.

Could be 3.5 but nothing in 3.5 I'm familiar with comes close. The 3.5 Tiamat prestige classes include nothing like this. blackbloodtroll, I think yer right. Guy is a good dm but sometimes cheese happens.

I'm checking up on something our dm threw at us because it frankly seemed a little nuts. In the midst of a big fight a enemy cleric used boots of Dimension Step to appear out in the open on the battlefield during the day in line of sight of our party, like 60' away. She was invisible and hiding in plain sight. A few of our group had True Seeing running but spotting her required extremely hard Perception checks. This continued as she cast Destruction a couple times. She was basically hiding in plain sight while attacking us. The spells were not silenced or stilled. The dm explained that this is a special ability for clerics of Tiamat. I have never encountered anything like this in the rules. Does this make sense to anyone? or is this some homebrewed cheese?