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Bit of an odd player solution tonight to an interesting challenge posed by Bozal in The Champion’s Belt. For innovative thinking, I permitted the player to use the spell to work for the purpose the PC intended and circumvented the protection afforded by the 6th level cleric spell “Anti-life Shell”.
To refresh those DMs concerning the encounter with Bozal, he is an extremely nasty 11th level of cleric of Kyuss whose spell selection and buffs makes him a formidable opponent if he has time to prepare. This evening, the PCs unwittingly gave Bozal all the time he needed to *fully* buff up and prepare for the party.
The nastiest feature of the encounter with Bozal is his casting of Anti-Life Shell as one of his pre-cast protection spells. Anti-life Shell does the following:
Antilife Shell
Abjuration
Level: Animal 6, Clr 6, Drd 6
Components: V, S, DF
Casting Time: 1 round
Range: 10 ft.
Area: 10-ft.-radius emanation, centered on
you
Duration: 10 min./level (D)
Saving Throw: None
Spell Resistance: Yes
You bring into being a mobile, hemispherical
energy field that prevents the
entrance of most types of living creatures.
The effect hedges out animals, aberrations,
dragons, fey, giants, humanoids, magical
beasts, monstrous humanoids, oozes,
plants, and vermin, but not constructs,
elementals, outsiders, or undead. See the
Monster Manual for more about creature
types.
This spell may be used only defensively,
not aggressively. Forcing an abjuration
barrier against creatures that the spell
keeps at bay collapses the barrier (see
Abjuration, page 172).
So there the PCs were, in considerable trouble. Bozal was buffed, with Spell Resistance and even a few choice Spell Immunities up too for good measure. With one Spawn of Kyuss left as a minion, and the green beam from the Apostolic Scroll ominously lancing across part of the room, apparently the only safe path to reach Bozal was exceedingly narrow.
As the PCs advanced – they could not penetrate the anti-life shell. A Scorching Ray fizzled as it failed to get through Bozal's Spell Resistance and Spell Immunity. Bozal calmly began to summon crocodiles and concentrated their attacks all on the party’s Mystic Theurge. Surrounded, the Theurge took heavy damage from the crocs. An inflict serious wounds the round later had the Theurge one attack form death. Bozal was still unharmed.
The Theurge player had by then determined that there was probably an anti-life shell surrounding the enemy. As the party desperately fired off spells and tried to attack to little avail, the Theurge player whipped out a spell he had been saving from the Spell Compendium: Living Undeath.
Living Undeath does not truly render the recipient an undead… but all vital signs stop. For all intents and purposes, the target of a living undeath spell is no longer alive:
Living Undeath
Necromancy
Level: Cleric 2
Components: V, S, DF
Casting Time: 1 standard action
Range: Touch
Target: Creature touched
Duration: 1 minute/level
Saving Throw: Fortitude negates
(harmless)
Spell Resistance: Yes (harmless)
You invoke the will of your gods and your
skin sags and becomes sallow, your eyes
hollow, and your flesh foul and rotted.
This spell imparts a physical transformation
upon the subject, not unlike
the process that produces a zombie.
While the subject does not actually
become undead, its vital processes are
temporarily bypassed with no seeming
ill effect. The subject is not subject
to sneak attacks and critical hits for
the duration of the spell, as if it were
undead.
While the spell is in effect, the subject
takes a –4 penalty to its Charisma
score (to a minimum of 1).
The player argued persuasively that Living Undeath could circumvent the Anti-Life shell and permit the target to pass the barrier.
The inspired use of a fairly unusual spell the player had prepared seemed appropriate enough - particularly as the party was in extremis. I allowed it and permitted the target recipient to bypass the anti-life shell...though getting within touch range of Bozal was a mixed blessing.
Long story short – the advancing Psychic Warrior who now had his vital signs stopped slipped through the anti-life shell and closed to engage Bozal. It was heroic, but foolhardy.
Critically, the advancing Psychic Warrior did give the PC spellcasters the moments they needed to extricate themselves from the summoned crocodiles, heal and find a spell that would could cut through the SR of the cleric of Kyuss. By that time, however, the party's not quite dead Psychic Warrior was moving quickly towards death's front door.
The psychic warrior failed his save vs Harm. 91 points of damage in the blink of an eye - the party's tank had one hit point left and the player looked shocked.
"6th level? He has 6th level spells?" What friggin CR is this thing??"
Luckily, one very nasty Orb of Force (no SR, no save - I’m really beginning to hate these damn Orb spells) blasted Bozal as he was about to kill the psychic warrior and took him down.
Overall, a very challenging fight with some rabbits being pulled out of the hat at the last moment with some inspired spellcasting. Not too sure it was an appropriate spell to bypass anti-life shell - but sometimes you got to go with the flow and reward the players for quick thinking.
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Luckily, one very nasty Orb of Force (no SR, no save - I’m really beginning to hate these damn Orb spells) blasted Bozal as he was about to kill the psychic warrior and took him down.
After seeing just how powerful the orb spells were as a player in the Shackled City, I told my players that they didn't exist in my Age of Worms campaign. No save, no SR, just is far too much. Maybe with SR, because they are a magical, direct damage effect....
Regardless, I find that to be a very inventive solution. My party use Dimension hop to get inside the Anti-life shell. Then he retreated to his bed room, and got them outside the shell. It wound up, him vs the party tank (in a blind berserk rage, thanks to the illithid's berserker sword), with the tank throwing improvised spears through the shell.
Awesome use of spells to overcome Bozal! My PCs actually fought him on the way to Diamond Lake, where he was fully buffed and ready wtih six Spawn of Kyuss minions. Anti-life shell is good, but it's no protection against a Bow-wielding Ranger. The fight was actually quite humorous, with the PC cleric turning them, only to have Bozal reubuke them back. This went on for like...six rounds. Bozal ended up getting dispelled once the Spawn were taken out, paving the way for the Tanks.
I agree that the Orbs should have SR. Anything that is targeted that effects your opponent is almost automatic as having SR, in my opinion anyways. I don't think they were paying attention when they did these...
Not to highjack the thread on orbs... but SR should not apply. I know they are conjuration, possibly conjuration (creation) and have an instantanious duration. Essentially the magic has been cast creating the orb by the time it hit the SR. The objects been created and then thrown as a thrown weapon. Its no longer magic, just like using a creation spell to create a dagger and throwing it. Mechnic wise SR doesn't work.
Regardless though they are way powerful spells. Save for half or maybe a regular attack not a touch attack would be a better balance.
Oops... I think I'm highjacking.
Shade325
Further Derailment...(Sorry)
You're right about the orbs...What strikes me is that when comparing to any Conjuration in the PHB, there are no straight heavy damage dealers there. By that, I mean spells that do 1dx a level. The closest example is Fire Seeds, but that's a Druid only spell, making it specialized. In the PHB almost all of the spells that do instant damage are Evocation. Mechanics wise, yes, conjuring, then launching the "orb of energy", is legal, but I think its completely out of flavor with how Conjuration spells are supposed to work. The orbs SHOULD be evocation, and SHOULD require SR. Sounds like a WoTC player wanted his conjurer to be able to nerf SR and still do damage...
only adding to the derailment
I imagined the orb spells creating little rips in the fabric of the universe which can be thrown at opponents.
Also, the orbs do target only one person, and require a ranged touch attack. I can't stress enough how important this is. TOUCH ATTACK!
this means that it is possible for them to miss. In fact, for some monsters it's even likely, what with a wizards low base attack bonus.
I have a warmage in my party, and I'm not finding him unbalanced at all. Part of it is because he doesn't know the rules.
While fighting a child of Ilthane, the warmage failed his knowledge check. The dragon started the combat with a breath of acid. My player, being so smart, comes up with a clever quip. "I respond in kind. Lets see how the thing likes a taste of its own medicine!"
Yeah, he cast orb of lesser acid.
Orb spells-NOT OVERPOWERED
arcane casters are not the kings of damage-dealing, in any case. They benefit much greater through use of battlefield control, or in the case of the battle everyone is talking about, dispel magic.
A much more powerful way to deal with enemies is freezing fog (and dimensional anchor/lock if they can teleport) combined with any sort of aoe, such as lightning bolt or fireball, repeatedly.
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Orb spells-NOT OVERPOWERED
arcane casters are not the kings of damage-dealing, in any case. They benefit much greater through use of battlefield control, or in the case of the battle everyone is talking about, dispel magic.
A much more powerful way to deal with enemies is freezing fog (and dimensional anchor/lock if they can teleport) combined with any sort of aoe, such as lightning bolt or fireball, repeatedly.
Look - the above is just nonsense. Of COURSE Arcane casters are the Kings of damage dealing. This is D&D. That's what mid to high level Wizards do best.
Bozal has one dispel magic - and to use it - he'd have to hold action and wait for the spell to counter. The simple choice to hold action totally eliminates his effectiveness and reduces his threat level to zero. The choice to dispel is a complete check on his power as he is horribly outnumbered.
Counterspelling, generally, is rarely effective, except for those with the feats to instantaneously react to do so. It is even less effective when outnumbered.
As for freezing fog - a simple resist energy gets rid of the damage effect - SR and Spell Immunity would have countered your damage dealing spells and Bozal would have summoned enough critters down on their heads to crush them in the meanwhile. He's happy to sit in Freezing Fog. Bozal is not moving in the first place. He's a static target whose only real vulnerability is to missile fire. Being in the middle of Freezing Fog with total concealment would have aided Bozal - not harmed him.
The problem with Orb of Force is that it is a xD6 range touch. My players who play Wizards hit with them FAR more often than they miss. The combination of no SR and no save elevates these spells to a special class of their own: *Boss Killers*. Because the spell has no SR - even spell immunity cannot counter it.
Wizard players stock up on orb spells for this very reason. They are simply overpowered.
The problem with Orb of Force is that it is a xD6 range touch. My players who play Wizards hit with them FAR more often than they miss. The combination of no SR and no save elevates these spells to a special class of their own: *Boss Killers*. Because the spell has no SR - even spell immunity cannot counter it.Wizard players stock up on orb spells for this very reason. They are simply overpowered.
It looks like the orb spells are based on Melf's Acid Arrow as a Creation effect (see PHB pg. 173). The Lesser Orbs do pretty much the same damage as Acid Arrow at CL 3 or 4 (4d4 over two rounds vs. 2d8 at once), with the Lesser Orbs advancing in damage potential slightly quicker (+1d8 every odd level vs. +2d4 every three) and the Acid Arrow with a higher damage cap (14d4 over seven rounds vs. 5d8). The various energy orbs (acid, cold, electricity, fire, and sonic) can be blunted with energy resistance (or negated with immunity) of the correct type, so no save and no SR is a way to prevent them from being too WEAK as a ranged touch attack.
Orb of Force shouldn't be in the same category, IMO. All force effects should follow the same rules: Evocation school, Spell Resistance negates.
Wizard players stock up on orb spells for this very reason. They are simply overpowered.
The problem with Orbs is they use Touch Attacks. Simple solution. Increase the Touch AC of your critters using spells like this. I'm sure you can be creative and give most of your critters some sort of Natural AC spell or item to use in conjunction with this low level spell to great effect. A friend used this spell on a dragon recently to launch his touch AC into the stratosphere. None of the wizards touch spells landed against that flying monstrosity. It darn near took us apart.
Scintillating Scales
Abjuration
Level: Sor/Wiz 2
Components: V
Casting Time: 1 standard action
Range: Personal
Target(s): You
Duration: 1 minute/level
You invoke the words of this spell, and your skin glistens and shimmers with a silvery protective aura that makes you shine.
This spell transforms your natural armor bonus to Armor Class into a deflection bonus to your Armor Class. While your overall Armor Class might not change, the deflection bonus applies to melee touch attacks and ranged touch attacks, including incorporeal touch attacks. If you have no natural armor bonus, this spell has no effect.
Location
Spell Compendium pg.181
Bella Sara Charter Superscriber
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Ah, the orb spells. If nothing else they are broken because they generate disproportionate debate. Mechanically, they're fine. They shore up a single hole in an energy based caster strategy. The energy based caster is not the most powerful build for a caster, the orbs don't do more damage than other spells at their level, and they have a short range. They are good in their niche, but it's a niche, and not a dominant niche at that.
Anyway, this should probably be a new thread. Saern probably hasn't even realized we are discussing the orb spells, and I know he will want to pop in and complain about them not belonging in conjuration as well.