They could definately just dispel his levitation ability and watch him fall. This would cause 4d6 dmg (1d6 / 10 ft fallen) and so would actually do LESS damage than most other spells the PCs could use. The effect is dramatic though and the PCs will likely be very pleased with themselves. I wouldn't see this as much of a problem.
Yes the Mind Flayer's SR would kick in, they are trying to dispel a magic effect that is on the Mind Flayer.
Overall this wouldn't be all that troubling a tactic.
I would not worry as much about them capturing this fellow... it would be unwise of them to attempt to grapple with him as it would make it that much easier for him to suck out their brains. Experienced players won't be grappling with him... too chancy. His will saves are good, so you are also fairly safe from magic control. In all likelihood they will quickly and skillfully chop him to bits instead.
Read over all of his abilities before the game and do what you can to learn them well. Maybe even run a mock battle in the privacy of your home, alone.
Sean Mahoney
I'd suggest going with a psionic version of Zerzog. And also assume that "psionics is not magic" - that way 'dispel magic' won't effect his levitate (or anything else).
Have him start out invisible, at ground level. When the PCs enter he hits them with mind blast then levitates up 40 feet as he becomes visible (ideally, this all happens during the surprise round).
Have fun eating brains...
What´s the problem with clever players capturing villians instead of killing them? In any case this would make the game far more interesting than yust quick kills. If your players are playing for 20+ years I assume that they are quiete mature. No wonder that they try to find out more advanced methods of dealing with the modules objectives. In fact, this is D&D where it is at its best! Remember, there is a reason why the game designers made skills like Bluff, Diplomacy and Sense Motive.
However, have in mind, that most of the bosses in AoW (and most bosses at any high level campaign) are of exeptional intelligence. So they should not be easy to foil or trick.
On the other hand, even in higher levels a combat will rarely last more than 2-4 rounds and for its outcome it really does not matter if the PCs kills the villian with 2-3 blows dealing 100 HP each or with just a clever trick, e.g. by pushing a non-flyer over the edge of a cliff or something.
(SPOILER: read this to see how my group overcomes my well prepared dragon encounter with ease using a well placed bluff http://paizo.com/dungeon/messageboards/ageOfWorms/ilthaneWhatWouldYouDo& ;page=1&source=rss#119442)
I'd suggest going with a psionic version of Zerzog. And also assume that "psionics is not magic" - that way 'dispel magic' won't effect his levitate (or anything else).
Agreed. If psionics aren't used much in your campaign, it's a great way to throw a curve ball at an unsuspecting party.
Also, if he is levitating at 40 feet, he can really only go up and down, correct? So for his Mind Blast (60 foot cone), wouldn't the party have to be almost directly below him to be in range?
Any input would be appreciated...
thanks!
Well, by my calculations, in order for a 60 foot cone originating from 40 feet off the floor to affect the PCs, they would have to be within 45 feet of the caster (or 44.72 feet to be exact).
Ultradan
Contributor
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I ran him as a Psionic Mind Flayer (with 3 levels of Telepath to maintain his CR), but allowed the Magic/Psionic transparency.
The party hit him with a Dispel Magic, but with a caster level of 12, many of his effects stayed in place. They get levitate off of him, but it still made for a tough fight, mostly because the wizard was stunned, then feebleminded before he could try the dispel.