Well, there's a feat to do the first portion already, which your mooks could have...
If you're going to give NPC's this option, you'll need to give the option to the PC's as well. That means your BBEG's will likely be easier for the party to take down, depending on your party comp.
Do you mean the v3.5 Swarmfighting feat, Shane ?
How is your cleric getting a 28AC?
Full plate is +9
A heavy shield is +3
dex maybe +1
That would be 24, maybe 26 if the shield and armor are both +1, but if he is using a heavy shield then he can't cast spells, which is not a rule many people know about.
Shane makes very good points.
Makes monster summoning a significant buff.
Also, max isn't 8 flanking. Aerial combat and reach could increase that even more.
Rather than modifying the flanking bonus (which has other repercussions, as Shane pointed out), look into the Aid Another rules. The first goblin moves up and readies an action to use Aid Another once his flanker is in place. The second one moves up. The first one then makes an attack against AC 10, then the second attacks and gets both the flanking bonus and the aid another bonus. That's +4 to hit. Add more aids as necessary. Add reach weapons to let even more goblins pile in...
Four low level enemies that together make one attack at +6 probably doesn't threaten the cleric enough to satisfy Ironballs.
The bottom line is that when a character works hard to develop a high armor class (compared to its CR) should gain the benefits of that...which means standing they should be able to stand tall while surrounded by minions.
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How is your cleric getting a 28AC?
Full plate is +9
A heavy shield is +3
dex maybe +1That would be 24, maybe 26 if the shield and armor are both +1, but if he is using a heavy shield then he can't cast spells, which is not a rule many people know about.
If the armor and shield are +1, toss on a ring of protection +1 and amulet of natural armor +1, along with a dex bonus, and you're just about there. That's not unreasonable at level 6 money, if he hasn't spent his cash on much of anything else (magic weapons, tons of scrolls, etc).
If he has spent no money on weapons then I would ignore him and kill someone else.
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28 AC... Is that +9 full plate, +2 heavy shield, +1 magic, +3 shield of faith, +1 dex, and +3 what? And then as said, if you have a heavy shield you can't hold a weapon in the other hand and cast spells.
But anyway, how are the party offensive? If they're only good at surviving, so that attackers last a round or two, use hit-and-run tactics on them.
Has he taken the heavy armor proficiency feat? Note that it's not given for free in PF, only medium armor is, so if he doesn't, that's a -8 or so to attack bonus...
Also, if he's the only one with that high an AC... Why do the enemies attack him? Most monsters are smart enough to realize that it's easier to kill the guy in the robe than the guy in the mechwarrior, and unintelligent enemies often go by instinct instead (which, in the case of predators, usually means target the one that looks the weakest).
I think a lot of it has to do with tactics, rather than the rules, to be honest. AC28 doesn't seem that big of a deal for me, and I know the level 6 parties I've run for don't live or die on a character having a high AC regardless of the numbers... There's simply so many things a character focused on just a single defensive aspect can fall to.
Tips on stuff that can be used to bypass this guy:
- Attacking other party members
- Combat maneuvers, especially trip and the like
- Grease, pit spells and so on.
- Touch attacks, especially those that target wis or a dump stat (int? I don't see how he could dump anything but int or maybe cha)
- Aid another, as said previously
- Encounters that are on a short time limit (save X before 3 rounds or X'll get destroyed/killed), so offense becomes more important than defense
- Hit and run tactics. He, and so the party, probably have a 20 ft. speed most of the time unless mounted.
- If mounted: Enforce ride checks.
Also, do you remember to enforce the rules in place? Using heavy armor and heavy shield can be a dangerous combination, if they're not mithral and the player doesn't invest in acrobatics. For example, if you're in a dungeon, moving at full speed up a stairway is a DC10 acrobatics check.
If he has spent no money on weapons then I would ignore him and kill someone else.
Unless he's focused on very offensive casting, in which case he's gotta be on a really high point buy as he can't drop str due to weight, dex due to ac, con due to it being con, wis due to spell DC's...
28 AC... Is that +9 full plate, +2 heavy shield, +1 magic, +3 shield of faith, +1 dex, and +3 what? And then as said, if you have a heavy shield you can't hold a weapon in the other hand and cast spells.
+2 Amulet of Natural Armor and Shield Focus I think. 6th level character should have 16,000 gp in wealth, and the amulet would be half. Bing investment for a +1 bonus over the 2,000 gp +1 version.
Mix Aid Another and Trip together, then have all the Goblins look down on him and say, "Turtle, Turtle!"
28 AC... Is that +9 full plate, +2 heavy shield, +1 magic, +3 shield of faith, +1 dex, and +3 what? And then as said, if you have a heavy shield you can't hold a weapon in the other hand and cast spells.+2 Amulet of Natural Armor and Shield Focus I think. 6th level character should have 16,000 gp in wealth, and the amulet would be half. Bing investment for a +1 bonus over the 2,000 gp +1 version.
Mix Aid Another and Trip together, then have all the Goblins look down on him and say, "Turtle, Turtle!"
Very big investment, especially since he's spent two of his three or four feats on it by then too.
I can't imagine the being guy terribly effective offensively, unless on a very high point buy.
The website has been acting strange for a few hours with me also. I had to delete cookies, and log out, and then log back in. Now everything is ok.
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However, where in the rules does it say that a cleric can't use a heavy shield and cast spells? if it's because he needs a free hand - I don't mean to make him take down the axe everytime - most of the time he can do it as a free action while moving and still cast the spell - so no need for nitpicking here.
Heavy shield takes up one hand, you don't have the hand free for holding the weapon as with the light shield. Weapon takes up one hand. Casting takes up one hand. Putting away the axe and grabbing it again are both move actions, dropping the axe is one free action.
It is just a limitation on action economy. Picking the heavy shield over the light shield has consequences. Not being able to cast a spell while also holding a weapon is one of them. Note that for the light shield, the RAW is that you switch the weapon to your shield hand for holding (this is a free action), then cast a spell, then switch the weapon back.
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However, where in the rules does it say that a cleric can't use a heavy shield and cast spells? if it's because he needs a free hand - I don't mean to make him take down the axe everytime - most of the time he can do it as a free action while moving and still cast the spell - so no need for nitpicking here.
A somatic component is a measured and precise movement of the hand. You must have at least one hand free to provide a somatic component.
You strap a shield to your forearm and grip it with your hand. A heavy shield is so heavy that you can't use your shield hand for anything else.
Moving or manipulating an item is usually a move action.This includes retrieving or putting away a stored item, picking up an item, moving a heavy object, and opening a door. Examples of this kind of action, along with whether they incur an attack of opportunity, are given in Table: Actions in Combat.
As you can see, a character with drawn weapon and worn heavy shield has no free hands, and thus cannot cast spells with somatic components. If the spells he is casting do not have somatic components, he's good. Otherwise, he must drop his weapon as a free action to cast a spell, then use a move action to pick up his weapon, which provokes an attack of opportunity. He could also unstrap his shield and drop it as a move action to cast the spell.
As you can see, a character with drawn weapon and worn heavy shield has no free hands, and thus cannot cast spells with somatic components. If the spells he is casting do not have somatic components, he's good. Otherwise, he must drop his weapon as a free action to cast a spell, then use a move action to pick up his weapon, which provokes an attack of opportunity. He could also unstrap his shield and drop it as a move action to cast the spell.
Or get Gloves of Storing. Store or get your weapon as a free action, easy to cast.
I don't think a 6th level cleric is going to drop 5/8 of his WBL on those.
True but I have seen odder things. And it is still a good buy for later use.
Weapon cords are 2-foot-long leather straps that attach your weapon to your wrist. If you drop your weapon or are disarmed, you can recover it as a swift action, and it never moves any further away from you than an adjacent square. However, you cannot switch to a different weapon without first untying the cord (a full-round action) or cutting it (a move action or an attack, hardness 0, 0 hp). Unlike a locked gauntlet, you can still use a hand with a weapon cord, though a dangling weapon may interfere with finer actions.
Who needs magic when you can do, essentially, the same thing for 1 sp. The trick is, getting a longer cord, attaching it to the shield arm, that way if you drop it, it doesn't dangle from your casting hand.
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As you can see, a character with drawn weapon and worn heavy shield has no free hands, and thus cannot cast spells with somatic components. If the spells he is casting do not have somatic components, he's good. Otherwise, he must drop his weapon as a free action to cast a spell, then use a move action to pick up his weapon, which provokes an attack of opportunity. He could also unstrap his shield and drop it as a move action to cast the spell.
While this is true, there is a fairly easy method for bypassing this limitation. The Quickdraw feat would fill in nicely here; continually switching to weapon and spell is made possible this way. Besides, in most circumstances, when as spell is cast, he is not making an attack. Of course, touch spells are an exception, but with a free action to draw after a spell is cast, it shouldn't be too difficult to use it as a tactic.
On the original subject, this is how I handle flanking in my personal games...
Flanking:
If two combatants face an opponent in melee and are separated by three squares but would not normally provide flanking in the rules as written, they qualify for flanking. As long as an opponent is flanked in the normal way or as indicated here, all additional combatants within melee range receive the flanking bonus even if they would not normally qualify. Increase the number of squares of separation for each size category greater than medium size by one.
I find that it to be a bit more realistic and deadly, which is the way I prefer. Since it works for player's and BBEG's, I find everything more or less balances out over the course of a campaign.
With the Aid Another action, even kobolds could hit your Cleric, if they are numerous enough. Remember that the bonus provided by Aid Another stack with flanking bonus.
However, Quickdraw does not let you sheathe a weapon as a free action, thus you would be dropping weapons across the battlefield as you move.Where does it say this?
Where does it say otherwise? There's nothing in the feat description that tells you that you can sheath your weapon as a free action.
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Draw or Sheathe a Weapon
Drawing a weapon so that you can use it in combat, or putting it away so that you have a free hand, requires a move action. This action also applies to weapon-like objects carried in easy reach, such as wands. If your weapon or weapon-like object is stored in a pack or otherwise out of easy reach, treat this action as retrieving a stored item.If you have a base attack bonus of +1 or higher, you may draw a weapon as a free action combined with a regular move. If you have the Two-Weapon Fighting feat, you can draw two light or one-handed weapons in the time it would normally take you to draw one.
Drawing ammunition for use with a ranged weapon (such as arrows, bolts, sling bullets, or shuriken) is a free action.
Quick Draw (Combat)
You can draw weapons faster than most.
Prerequisite: Base attack bonus +1.
Benefit: You can draw a weapon as a free action instead of as a move action. You can draw a hidden weapon (see the Sleight of Hand skill) as a move action.
A character who has selected this feat may throw weapons at his full normal rate of attacks (much like a character with a bow).
Alchemical items, potions, scrolls, and wands cannot be drawn quickly using this feat.
Normal: Without this feat, you may draw a weapon as a move action, or (if your base attack bonus is +1 or higher) as a free action as part of movement. Without this feat, you can draw a hidden weapon as a standard action.
Take note that Quickdraw says you can draw a weapon as a free action, but does not say you can sheathe it as a free action. Thus you still must use a move action to sheathe your weapon before casting your spell, and using Quickdraw to draw it again as a free action.
There was a thread a bit back that also pointed out that Fast Draw doesn't let you FD a potion or anything not a 'weapon'.