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What methods does a level 1 party have to bypass an mental Alarm spell covering a guarded, sealed room to reach a Macguffin in the centre (Assume that it would be a very bad idea for them to trip it: the caster comes with guards to investigate, with a Message spell linking him to reinforcements if necessary)? Since it's a magical effect and not a trap, it seems the only method to find it in the first place is through detect magic, or can you knowledge:arcana a spell that doesn't seem to have any visible effects? Can you understand whether it's an audible/mental alarm by looking at it (with detect magic or otherwise)? It's not a trap, so it can't be disarmed with trapfinding, but someone does need to come and recast it every couple of hours.
I guess the PCs could try to remove the caster before entering, then wait for it to dissipate (or not, if they found out it was a mental alarm). I can't see a whole lot else, though: they don't exactly have access to dispel magic.
An aside: Am I reading the CR tables correctly, in that a group of four level 1 PC class NPCs with PC wealth is a CR 5 encounter?
level 1 PC class = CR 1/2
PC wealth = CR +1
CR 1 = 400 xp
4x400xp = 1600 xp = CR 5 encounter.
I thought APL+4 encounters would be fights that would be almost impossible to win. The power level on each side (assuming 4 level 1 PCs) is roughly the same, so either side should have a roughly equal chance to win, even if they use up all of their resources.
What methods does a level 1 party have to bypass an mental Alarm spell covering a guarded, sealed room to reach a Macguffin in the centre
- Wait until the spell runs out.
- Rush in, grab macguffin, rush out and just keep running.
- Kill, incapacitate or block the caster first.
- Set rats loose in the warded area and flood the caster with false positives.
- Send in an Unseen Servant, or use Mage Hand.
- Use a lasso, or a long fishing rod.
- Burn the house down, and collect the item from the ashes the next day.
- Burn another house down, and hope the chaos masks that one little mental *ping*.
- Dig a tunnel, and make the macguffin fall out of the warded area
Since it's a magical effect and not a trap, it seems the only method to find it in the first place is through detect magic, or can you knowledge:arcana a spell that doesn't seem to have any visible effects?
Both, actually. Detect Magic to "see" the effect, and then Knowledge (Arcana) to identify it.
Can you understand whether it's an audible/mental alarm by looking at it (with detect magic or otherwise)?I don't think the rules say anything about that.
someone does need to come and recast it every couple of hours.
If he's low level (4th or less), you could just wait until he's going to bed and the spell will end before he returns.
Knowledge arcana says you can identify a spell effect in place, but it seems to be that RAI you need something to see or hear.
Bypassing an alarm spell is very hard for a 1st level party.
Yes 4 PC classes with PC level wealth are a CR 5 encounter. but a CR 5 fight is a boss fight, and likely a TPK(total party kill) for a group.
When you you select fights you go by APL(Average party level). The average party level of a 1st level party is 1, so a standard encounter should be a CR creature or a combination of creatures that equals a CR 1. On top of that 1st level parties are fragile so even for a boss fight I would not go beyond a CR 3.
The below chart is in the gamemastering section.
Designing EncountersThe heart of any adventure is its encounters. An encounter is any event that puts a specific problem before the PCs that they must solve. Most encounters present combat with monsters or hostile NPCs, but there are many other types—a trapped corridor, a political interaction with a suspicious king, a dangerous passage over a rickety rope bridge, an awkward argument with a friendly NPC who suspects a PC has betrayed him, or anything that adds drama to the game. Brain-teasing puzzles, roleplaying challenges, and skill checks are all classic methods for resolving encounters, but the most complex encounters to build are the most common ones—combat encounters.
When designing a combat encounter, you first decide what level of challenge you want your PCs to face, then follow the steps outlined below.
Step 1—Determine APL: Determine the average level of your player characters—this is their Average Party Level (APL for short). You should round this value to the nearest whole number (this is one of the few exceptions to the round down rule). Note that these encounter creation guidelines assume a group of four or five PCs. If your group contains six or more players, add one to their average level. If your group contains three or fewer players, subtract one from their average level. For example, if your group consists of six players, two of which are 4th level and four of which are 5th level, their APL is 6th (28 total levels, divided by six players, rounding up, and adding one to the final result).
Easy APL –1
Average APL
Challenging APL +1
Hard APL +2
Epic APL +3