So I'm GMing an adventure path right now with some more experienced players. It's going really well, but they're getting really good at wiping the floor with spellcasters and interrupting spells.
Whenever they encounter a spellcaster, they do their best to disrupt spells. Archers ready attacks for when they see an enemy cast a spell. Melee guys ready charges for the same thing. The wizard uses counterspelling awesomely.
In this next chapter, there's some spellcasters that are supposed to be more of a pain, with combat experience in their back stories.
I love my players and I think their tactics are great, and the last thing I want to do is punish them with cheap tricks. However, they haven't yet come across a spellcaster that's given them any trouble. I was wondering if I'm missing any rules that spellcasters can use to defend themselves. I don't want to play dirty, but my players are using the rules to great effect and I want to see if I can do the same.
I have spellcasters that use more defensive spells, and position themselves to get cover. When in melee, I know about the defensive casting rules. However, are there any other ideas on how to avoid spell interruption?
Consider illusion magic. And henchmen, of course.
Finally, a lot of magic has an excessively long range: 400 + 40 per caster level.
Here's one thing that will help your spellcasters:
FAQ ruling that you can't ready a charge.
Also, a quickened spell that they can burn to initiate archer readied arrow, then a regular spell after that happens. I used that to good effect when:
Mokmurian battle, quickened disentegrate which initiated the archer ready action, followed up by his normal disentegrate which disintegrated the PC in question.
Excellent! Thanks a lot! I didn't know that about charging. I'll have to speak to my players about that.
Will have to go through spell lists and look more closely at ranges now. Although, when you're in a combat zone, there's not usually places you can get line of effect without the archer having it too. Wind would be great too, and I'll look at those spells.
Huh. If all of them are relying on readied actions to disrupt spellcasting, what happens if an enemy spellcaster does nothing? Like, just does a total defense action or something? Are those readied actions wasted?
Oh, for sure. I'm just thinking of a situation in which a well-informed caster knows that every PC's going to be fixated on him, weapons trained to strike at his first twitch-- and then just sits back and let his minions wallop the PCs while they're (over) focused on him. How long does it take the PCs to switch up tactics (and leave the enemy spellcaster free to start throwing spells around)?
Again, I probably not do this encounter more than once, but it could be interesting to do once. It's always a good idea to switch up encounter parameters every now and then. Of course, you have a reasonable explanation for how the NPC knows to do that, but it doesn't take a lot of study to recognize that the PC archers just seem to fixate on any spellcaster and shoot him as soon as he starts casting spells.
Another fun idea: A monk wearing wizardy looking gear that bluffs to "cast stuff" so that he catches most of the heat for the spellcaster in question.
you also cant ready a charge. its a full round action, and you cant ready more than a standard
My DM recently caused some havoc by having his flying & invisible caster use Project Image. With said caster was a well-built sword & board fighter with shield bash feats and the intimidate line, keeping us shaken to lower our saving throws. If you wanna make it harder, throw a witch into your devious little trio and knock their saves even lower. Supernatural abilities are not subject to counterspell.
The worst part for us was, when we FINALLY were able to make our saves to disbelieve, we realized that nobody had see invisibility. Trueseeing was not available to my Magus (6th level). And I couldn't pinpoint him to Glitterdust because there was no tell to his Project Image use.
The party had access to Litany of Sight... no dice because of a 30' range. It was maddening, and one of the funnest and most memorable fights we've ever done.
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Another fun idea: A monk wearing wizardy looking gear that bluffs to "cast stuff" so that he catches most of the heat for the spellcaster in question.
I had an idea like this earlier today. Make a Monk of the Empty Hand and have cure wands and rods that are magical and appear to be metamagic wands (disguise immovable wands perhaps) as his improvised weapon. Make him a wizard that gets mad and smashes things with wands.
Sure, they are, but nobody likes a GM who plays their monsters like they know exactly what the PCs are doing when they shouldn't.
The caster should fall for it once, but he could catch on after that. All the enemy combatants are tensing, waiting to hear an incantation...well, you've got a stand-off on your hands. Unless that caster has allies bashing the enemies that are waiting on him.
There's also this spell. It saves your hide from AoO, but the first part states it also creates an illusion of you standing still. Unless they save against it, they won't know when you're casting.
I was wondering if I'm missing any rules that spellcasters can use to defend themselves. I don't want to play dirty, but my players are using the rules to great effect and I want to see if I can do the same.
However, are there any other ideas on how to avoid spell interruption?
When behind obstacles (Ex. desk) or difficult terrain to ruin charge attempts. Move out of line of sight on archers and casters. Use defensive buffs: Invisibility, illusions, mirror image, (too bad prot arrows is useless), windwall, blur, shield, mage armor, Stoneskin).
My main question is: Why would a caster go up against a killer hit squad if he didn't know they were coming?? Answer: He wouldn't. He'd try to escape and then consolidate with his other forces, and be fully buffed and prepared.