Interaction with High Level Monsters

[quest-master]

This may not have directly to do with the rules but since interaction with monsters is a big part of what can muck up high level play, talk about monsters is hard to avoid. I hope that this discussion is not unwelcome.

Has a preview or a general idea of how monsters will be revisited for Pathfinder been given? Will monster design itself or specific monsters be changed in any significant way?

If high level monsters are still being looked at, then let's discuss the abilities displayed by high level monsters and how the abilities of PCs interact with them.

Are there any high level monsters that are all too often too weak or too powerful a challenge for adventurers of equivalent level?

What types of attacks or defenses would you like to see modified or scrapped or added at high levels? At higher levels, many monsters seem capable of many different tactics. Let's explore some of these.

Are there any high level OGL monsters that don't match their descriptions and statistics well? How would you want this fixed?

I for one think that it would help DMs for Pathfinder a lot to have more "behavioral tips" for monsters, describing how they'll approach (or evade) combat or interact socially.

[Pendagast]

Well I for one would like to see high level monsters not be able to out class PC's armor class so easily (to the point where we might as well fight naked)

That being said, I think we've noticed the pathfinderized characters are uber-beefed. We are plying second darkness, there are five characters in our group.
A Rogue/Ranger level 6
A Wizard/barbarian level 3
A Fighter level 6
A Sorceress/ Dragon Disciple level 6
A cleric level 5

We are playing a adventure module that is supposed to be for 7th level characters an we are totally romping everything. Its not even a challenege in most cases.

That being said I wonder if once we get this group to the high levels will the whole AC is useless thing be changed as well?

Spoiler:

the DM put all the baddies in the drow sea cave into one fight to team them all up on us just to make the entire sea cave even some kind of a challenge, he even ressurected depora from the first module, even though we killed her, and used the orca like he was shamu leaping out of the water to make attacks and we still won. why are we so powerful if this adventure is made for 7th level characters?

[Abraham spalding]

Pendagast can we get a better break down of your party?

From what you have posted there it looks like either you are:

a> running a gesalt game
or
b> have 6 levels in two classes

I don't think that's right but I'm trying to understand the situation you are bringing up.

[Pendagast]

Abraham spalding wrote:

Pendagast can we get a better break down of your party?

From what you have posted there it looks like either you are:

a> running a gesalt game
or
b> have 6 levels in two classes

I don't think that's right but I'm trying to understand the situation you are bringing up.

I was being lazy.

and I dont have everyone character sheet but we are:
2nd level Ranger/ 6th level rogue (I didn't know she was that high!) Half elf female.
4th level Sorceress/ 2nd level Dragon disciple elf female
5th level Cleric (diety is calistria) with a scimitar as human WP, female
6th Level sword and board fighter tank (human male)
2nd level conjurer (wizard)/ 1st level barbarian Half-orc Male, going for Eldritch knight.

The sword and board fighter and the half orc wizard are actually my characters.

The rogue/ranger and the sorceress started as 3.5 characters who were converted, other joined later for pathfinder play test, we have made advanced versions of our characters for the purpose of toying with high level mechanics every now and then (its also good for the new players so they get an idea if they really want X feat or put skills levels in Y, or what spells do what).

Im the Dm most of the time, I made the fighter and the half orc wizard, basically because of things typed on these boards and made me say "hmmm" and want to try them.
I so 60% of the time the half orc and the fighter are NPC party members, the other times I play and someone else DMs so I can spend more time seeing if something works or not.

We really wanted the Cleric to be a druid (to play test the rules there) but found that the player wasn't "proficent enough" to really grasp the druid.
Shee took the cleric (obviously) because she liked the pic of iconic Kyra (human wp of scimitar obviously) Calistria was chosen because her domains/powers were the most interesting and we wanted to "see" a cleric with those powers.

I really think the tactical use of channel energy is what has made the group so powerful (to the point were adventures made for 7th level arent very channeling for this group)
The undead modules D1.5 and D4 were a joke for this group, damage the enemy and heal the team was MAJOR.
It's not that Im complaining, but it has definately made second darkness, Children of the void, waaaay too easy.

Edit I forgot to mention my original character was a monk who got ganked really early on. When everyone was just going into path finder we had the Rogue/Ranger ( I think she was 2/1) the Sorceress was 3 and my monk was 2nd level. I wasfor a while basically a fighter, I was smashing and killing EVERYThing.
Then we mixed it up with some orcs with bows and it got deader than dead. The other two were able to get away basically because the Sorc had a bow and never closed to fight,and the rogue/ranger made like a tree and leave, disappearing into the forest (which left me to bleed to death)
I think the monk just hadtoo much movement, and I got it into too much.
He just didnt have enough AC either.
But early on his melee damage was impressive.
Dont think ill play a monk again.

[awp832]

I agree that monsters to hit mods are usually so obscene that PC armor classes cease to matter at high levels. Largely (hehe) this is because of size mods and obscene strength mods of monsters.

That said, spells and Spell-likes take the front seat and all physical attacks are kind of secondary. I've noticed from both a player and a DM perspective that the Tarrasque is a *horrible* level 20 encounter. It's boring. It just hits and does damage and lasts forever. There isn't anything 'fun' the tarrasque can do other than just try to hit people. Laaame.

Much more interesting are the fights against Celestials and Feinds, who all have a host of abilities to choose from.