Lifes Bazaar's Pulverizer question

[Icebreaker]

In one location there is an idle pulverizer and it had the command words to start and stop etched into it in gnome.

In another area you have a pulverizer and a dark creeper in a room that the dark creeper instructs to attack all intruders.

My question is as a DM would it make sense to assume the same command words are etched on this one as well and if so each round asking for a spot check by the one character that can read gnome to notice them.
This pulverizer was close to wiping out the group and after making a spot roll allowed the groups wizard to figure out the command words and stop the pulverizer.
should i give full exp for that encounter or just partial since they didn't actually defeat it.
Those pulverizers sure can be devistating with their high ac and some good attack rolls.

[VedicCold]

I would definitely give them full Exp. for ending the encounter that way. They ceased the threat that the automaton posed, so in a way they did in fact defeat the machine. This rewards brains over brawn, and I can tell you now that your wizard PC is very glad he chose Gnome as a language and might even consider boosting his spot skill a bit in the future. Assuming that the PCs hadn't seen the other pulverizer with the commands printed on it, I think having them make spot checks to notice the instructions on the one they were fighting was an excellent idea. The first time I ran LB, I remember this particular battle being drawn out, as the PCs and the dark creepers in the room took turns commanding the pulverizer to attack the others.

[c600g]

Icebreaker wrote:

In another area you have a pulverizer and a dark creeper in a room that the dark creeper instructs to attack all intruders.

My group is getting ready to decend down to Jzadirune in our next meeting (I think - it's either that or they may want to get a hold of The Last Laugh). While reading through the above mentioned encounter, I checked up on the spell description for Invisibility Sphere.

I am assuming that the freak magic even tageted a portion of the floor, about which the sphere is created. It also appears that once a creature moves outside of the sphere, if it walks back inside it, the creature is still visible.

Observations/questions:

1. The dark creeper shouldn't be invisible via the sphere (although it may be do to hiding), correct?

2. Is the pulverizer supposed to be invisible? Is a construct a 'creature' (I am guessing yes). Has it been stationary and not attacked anything since the invisibility sphere was created?

Thanks,
Alan

[Chef's Slaad]

I would allow one spot check per character rather than several. Spot represents the chance that your eye falls on the right place at just the right time. Under certain circumstances (such as when the character takes a move, attack or full round action to 'study' the automaton), he would get another check, perhaps with a bonus (+1 for a move action, +2 for an attack action, +4 for a full round action). All characters should be able to spot the inscription. Only someone who can read gnomish can actually make out the command words, though.

Defeating the automaton by ordering it to stop is definitely worth full xp.

[Sean Mahoney]

Once it comes out of the invisibility field I think spot checks are most definately appropriate. However, I do think it is meant to be invisible to take advantage of it's blindsight ability.

This was a tough fight for the PCs and depending on which pulverizer they take on first they will find the second fight easier (hopefully they will have learned to stay out of the cone effect).

Do award full XP for defeating via command word. The point isn't to destroy the thing but to get it to stop attacking them and any means by which they do that should be good.

Sean Mahoney