Do I understand that the encountered hill giant runeslave encountered in C2 is pretty much over before it begins? Please allow me to explain. The hill giant runeslave encounters the PC and uses its Arcane Surge ability, which forces it to make an immediate Fortitude save and needs and 18 to succeed, upon failure it will lose 2 points in INT, WIS and CHA. With a reduction to 0 in intelligence (wisdom dropped to 4 and charisma to 1), the hill giant runeslave should just fall unconscious.
Ability Drained
The character has permanently lost 1 or more ability score points. The character can regain drained points only through magical means. A character with Strength 0 falls to the ground and is helpless. A character with Dexterity 0 is paralyzed. A character with Constitution 0 is dead. A character with Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma 0 is unconscious.
Also the vulnerability mind aspect seems that these brutes are easily circumvented, why create such vulnerable soldiers? I see scores of mid-level runelord apprentices and lackeys armed with charm monster spells and other mind-affecting abilities whisking away these monsters as quickly as they are created. As runeslaves are costly to create, why would any runelord make them – if within moments of encountering them they could be so easily co-opted and used either against them or told to just flee the combat area?
Please share how you interpret these monsters or have changed these entries. Thanks.
As described in the text:
Arcane Surge (Su): Three times per day, as a free action, a runeslave can gain the benefits of the spell haste for 6 rounds. Using this ability forces the giant to make an additional Fortitude save against arcane decay, even if it has already made its daily save to resist the disease. If it fails, the runeslave takes damage from the disease as normal.
Arcane Decay (Su): The symbols etched upon a runeslave’s body put great stress on its physical form, choking its mind and ultimately killing the giant. This slow decay of a runeslave’s mental faculties manifests as a disease with the following traits.
Arcane Decay - non-contagious, Fortitude DC 30, incubation period instant, damage 1 INT, 1 WIS, 1 CHA.
Vulnerable Mind (Ex): A runeslave takes a -8 penalty on any save made to resist a mind-affecting spell or ability.
The hill giant runeslave encounters the PC and uses its Arcane Surge ability, which forces it to make an immediate Fortitude save and needs and 18 to succeed, upon failure it will lose 2 points in INT, WIS and CHA. With a reduction to 0 in intelligence (wisdom dropped to 4 and charisma to 1), the hill giant runeslave should just fall unconscious.
...
Arcane Decay - non-contagious, Fortitude DC 30, incubation period instant, damage 1 INT, 1 WIS, 1 CHA.
Uh, your answer is in your own post, I think. Arcane Decay deals 1 INT, 1 WIS, and 1 CHA damage, not 2. If it uses Arcane Surge and fails its save, it will be brought down to Intelligence 1, Wisdom 5, and Charisma 2. It wouldn't fall unconscious.
The hill giant runeslave in this encounter is listed as losing 2 ability points in lieu of the standard 1. Could this be a typo?
Thanks.
The hill giant runeslave in this encounter is listed as losing 2 ability points in lieu of the standard 1. Could this be a typo?
Thanks.
Sorry, but I'm having trouble finding the place where that's described. Looked in the encounter itself on page 42 and the creature entry on page 90, but I see no mention of losing 2 points instead of 1. It seems unlikely that our print copies are different, but I guess I could check the PDF as well - could you quote the passage exactly, with a page number perhaps?
Just to make sure, you aren't referring to page 90, where it says:
Ability Scores: Change from the base creature as follows: Str +4, Int -2, Wis -2, Cha -2.
Right?
It is actually on page 91, and states as:
Special Abilities
Arcane Decay: This giant has taken an additional 2 points of Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma damage from arcane decay.
Rock Throwing (Ex) The range increment is 120 feet for a hill giant’s
thrown rocks.
Thanks for your input and interest.
Ahhh, now I see. What that means is that in the past, this particular Runeslave Hill Giant has already succumbed to the disease or used his Arcane Surge ability enough that his Intelligence, Wisdom and Charisma have been reduced by 2. A normal hill giant has an Intelligence of 6, and the Runeslave template reduces the base creature's Intelligence by 2, so a normal Runeslave Hill Giant has a starting Intelligence of 4. This particular one is down to 2, and so on with his other Ability Scores.
Thus, this passage is just explaining why his Ability Scores are actually lower than a freshly-made Runeslave Hill Giant's would normally be. He still only takes 1 damage to each score for every save he fails against his Arcane Decay.
Mystery solved! (I think.)
I see the light! Thanks.
Hey, what do you think of that vulnerabilty to mind aspect. Does it not seem that these guys are easily charmed. I have a PC sorcerer that is a charm monster fanatic and know he is going to have this monstrous brute for an ally until it drains away its own abilities with the arcane surge feature. With the -6 to his save, I think the PC's DC is 18 so it looks like I will contend with a runeslave lackey for a couple of encounters. Not that I mind, just seems that the runeslave history was little more than you create them, I'll charm them.
Once again thanks for the reply.
I see the light! Thanks.
Hey, what do you think of that vulnerabilty to mind aspect. Does it not seem that these guys are easily charmed. I have a PC sorcerer that is a charm monster fanatic and know he is going to have this monstrous brute for an ally until it drains away its own abilities with the arcane surge feature. With the -6 to his save, I think the PC's DC is 18 so it looks like I will contend with a runeslave lackey for a couple of encounters. Not that I mind, just seems that the runeslave history was little more than you create them, I'll charm them.
Once again thanks for the reply.
Sounds like you run charm like I use to. Now I run them as they are "Friendly" and open to ideas. Usually a good diplomacy check is enough to convince them to "Helpful" but is is not a good skill in combat. At best they don't attack the caster though confused as to why their friend is with such different creatures. Charm and even suggestion for the most part are good after combat questioning tools.
I like that. I am also speculating that the owner of a Runecauldron might also exert more of an influence over an either charmed or coerced slave. Thinking that such as slave might benefit from an additional will save with a bonus should they come in direct opposition from its current master's will or commands.