I'll be running my group through Drakthar's Way in a couple of weeks, and because they're 4th level instead of the recommended 3rd, I want to make sure I play Drakthar effectively enough to give them a challenge. My players are incredibly efficient/tactical in combat. An example: At 3rd level, four of them took out the Grell in Jzadirune in about 3 rounds. Granted, they made a deal with Yuathyb and knew of the Grell's existence before they entered the room, but still...
If Drakthar successfully dominates one of the PCs and tells them to attack another member of the party, does that trigger the "any subject forced to take actions against its nature receives a new saving throw with a +2 bonus" clause of the Dominate Person spell? If so, does the PC get to make a new save every round he spends attacking another party member, or just once to resist the general command. It's pretty obvious what my players' opinions will be on this, but I'd like to get some feedback from some GMs.
Also, in Drakthar's stat block, it lists his full attack as morningstar (primary) and slam (secondary). His slam attack is so much more devastating (damage + energy drain + temporary hp) than a swing with a morningstar, I don't understand why he even bothers with the morningstar. Wouldn't he be much more effective if he used his slam attack with his full attack bonus? What am I missing here?
According to his statblock, he's also got a light wooden shield. If he's got a morningstar in one hand and a shield in the other, which hand is he slamming with, anyway?
In my campaign, in the party's (first?) battle against Drakthar, he's mainly going to beat the snot out of them with his morningstar unless and until one of them finds a reliable method to beat his damage reduction. When that happens, he'll drop his weapon and break out the slams until one goes down.
Eric "Critic of the Dawn"
If Drakthar successfully dominates one of the PCs and tells them to attack another member of the party, does that trigger the "any subject forced to take actions against its nature receives a new saving throw with a +2 bonus" clause of the Dominate Person spell? If so, does the PC get to make a new save every round he spends attacking another party member, or just once to resist the general command. It's pretty obvious what my players' opinions will be on this, but I'd like to get some feedback from some GMs.
Yes, this is open to some debate, but in my opinion: yes, attacking your companions is an action against your nature, so you get a new save. But sorry, only one save. If given a new command that went against your nature, you would get yet another save, but only one new save per command.
Also, in Drakthar's stat block, it lists his full attack as morningstar (primary) and slam (secondary). His slam attack is so much more devastating (damage + energy drain + temporary hp) than a swing with a morningstar, I don't understand why he even bothers with the morningstar. Wouldn't he be much more effective if he used his slam attack with his full attack bonus? What am I missing here?
You might be right, but my main concern was that this would just be TOO nasty. Negative levels really a hurt a low level party. Especially when it's a minimum of 380 gp to get a restoration spell cast, assuming you can find someone to do it for you. Note that Jenya is not high enough level yet.
The first time Drakthar went after my party, he did so in dire wolf form. He grappled one of the soul knife on the first round, and he never managed to escape before Drakthar had dropped him to negative hps. All this time, the rest of the party had hardly damaged him at all.
My guys took him down with a scroll of Command Undead. Pretty effective.
My guys took him down with a scroll of Command Undead. Pretty effective.
Olodrin: So did my PCs. Convinced him to assume Gaseous Form and go into a flask so they could smuggle him out "before the paladins get here." Then they found a nice sunny clearing far away from any trees or cover and smashed the flask.
As I like to remind the player of the Wizard: "Drathkar wasn't killed by sunlight, he was killed by friendship."
As I like to remind the player of the Wizard: "Drathkar wasn't killed by sunlight, he was killed by friendship."
That's a little dark. My guys convinced him to come up and sit in the bathouse where they would be able to interview him the next morning(mage is a necro, follower of Wee Jas).
Then they borrowed a big mirror, grabbed Alek as backup, and kicked in the door. Big D still almost made it out of the bathouse, but they got him.
As for the way he was played, I ditched the "wandering monster" schtick, and had him come in with his 3d6 wolves right after the players got hit with the big ambush. Ruphus got off a strong turn, which sent D running for 10 rounds or so, giving my guys time to clean up the wolves etc, before he came back.
It was pretty desperate there at the end: Rufus was down to -9 HP, the Rogue was out, the mage had 5 HP and the fighter had 10. In the end, the mage was backed into a corner, ready with his scroll of Command Undead, sealed off from D by the fighter, who was using the Decanter to provide some "running water".
Yeah, it was touch and go, but they pulled it off. If I couldn't scare the crap out of them occasionally, I wouldn't be much of a DM.