Hello all, I recently found out that my group and I will be facing a scythe tree soon and I was hoping to get tips on tweaking my selected spells for the impending fight. I'm playing a level 5 Wood Elemental Wizard, 19 INT.
* = Specialized School Spells [Thus must have at least one of these per spell level]
Level 0 -
All except Mending due to Specialized School
Level 1 -
*Charm Person
Color Spray
Burning Hands
Silent Image
Mage Armor
Feather fall
*Animate Rope
Vanish
Obscuring Mist
Unseen Servant
Identify
Reduce Person
Shield
Keep Watch
Floating Disk
Detect Secret Doors
Snowball
Corrosive Touch
Infernal Healing
Protection from Evil
Mount
Level 2 -
*Entangle
Invisibility
Stone Call
*Web
See Invisibility
Create Pit
Mirror Image
Resist Energy
Glitterdust
Acid Arrow
Touch of Idiocy
Level 3 -
Fly
*Wind Wall
Haste
Slot Count:
level 0 = 4
level 1 = 4 + 1 Specialized School Spell
level 2 = 3 + 1 Specialized School Spell
level 3 = 2 + 1 Specialized School Spell
What I'm thinking for the list:
Lv. 0 = Light, Acid Splash, Detect Magic, Mage Hand
Lv. 1 = *Animate Rope, Burning Hands, Mage Armor, Snowball, Snowball
Lv. 2 = Stone Call, Acid Arrow, Acid Arrow, *Web
Lv. 3 = Fly, Wind Wall, Haste
A bit more on the blasty side, but as it stands, spells like mirror image, silent image and invisibility won't help since the scythe tree has blindsense. I could use Grease, although it won't trip, but it could possible slow it down for the rest of my party. Acid Arrow is doubled up because it would allow me to stay back out of the tree's massive reach.
Any suggestions on better spell choices based on what I have right now?
Flame arrow or flaming sphere would be ideal spells for the challenge. You could fly outside of the tree's reach, burning it to death with the sphere, or you could give an allied martial (or martials, splitting the ammunition up) flame arrow to pick it apart from a distance since it's so slow. If you have a way to learn new spells between now and the encounter, picking up one of those would be a good idea.
With the spells you have now there isn't a lot you can do, since acid arrow's damage is pretty pitiful (it's most effective harrying spellcasters or delivering rider effects like Dazing Spell) and it's heavily resistant to ranged attacks due to its DR (which reduces the usefulness of slowing it down, since it's going to need to be killed with energy damage or carved up in melee). Picking up some alchemist's fire and/or tossing an entangle at it would probably be your best bet.
I'd load up on snowballs. Staggering something with 3 reach attacks puts a major hitch in its plans.
The scythe tree is not rooted; it moves. You can most certainly trip it.
Lose Burning Hands .. you'll have to get within its reach to use it, and that will be bad for you.
Some good points for sure. Right now, we're trying to avoid using fire as the dryad who is sending us after the thing doesn't want the forest to burn down (sorry, forgot to add that in). Our party consists of another wizard (with more fire spells), a sorcerer, a ranger mostly using swords and an archer who will be just as worse off as I, I think.
As far as time, we have been told that we need to do it quickly so I'm afraid finding other spells will probably be out of the question. I could definitely load up on the snowballs more. 5d6 may increase my chances at getting something through it's DR and I'll definitely do entangle over web for sure. Burning Hands is out.
It says in the monsters stats that it can't be tripped, but maybe the site I'm using is wrong. Here is a link to the Scythe Tree for anyone who wants it. Scythe Tree
DR doesn't protect a creature from spell damage.
The creature takes normal damage from energy attacks (even nonmagical ones), spells, spell-like abilities, and supernatural abilities
So if you want to spam snowballs at it, fire away. :P
Ah, well that's certainly good to know. Thanks. :)
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I think you are misunderstanding DR, Damage Reduction only applies to WEAPON attacks, spells bypass it. You don't have to worry about the DR as snowball isn't a weapon attack and does energy damage. Three arcane casters focus firing blasts, even if they are level one spells should drop it in a few rounds.
I looked at the same site and missed the 'can't br tripped' thing, my bad.
Ah, well that's certainly good to know. Thanks. :)
If your table hasn't been playing that way, you might want to give your GM a heads-up.
Blindsense is different from blind sight. Silent image is of limited use. Invisibility still gives you 50% miss chance. Mirror image is unaffected as the images inhabit your squares.
EDIT:broke down by spell.
I checked again and it's actually blind sight, I got the two mixed up, so I think right now it'll still be best to avoid sight based spells.
Thanks everyone for the input!
my opinion? avoid metagaming, i hate having prior knowledge to the way scenarios are going to go, you tend to plan against one contingency then have NOTHING to handle anything else that might be thrown your way, what if the scythe tree was just a decoy, and you're actually fighting something totally different? prep the normal spells you would prep, and maybe throw in a few special battlefield controls just in case the tree does show up. its more fun when its scary after all.
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Just throwing this out there, so feel free to take it or leave it. Does your GM know you are preparing in advance for this fight? In other words, does your character know that you are going to be facing this tree and what exactly it is and how it works (knowledge nature roll anyone)? If not then it might not be kosher with your GM. May be best to ask if you are unsure. Good luck with the encounter in any event!
My party fought one and it seriously stomped us. The one factor that saved us from TPK, and ultimately killed the tree, was ironically the druid's Produce Flame.
Burning gaze and pyrotechnics to put out fires.
I wouldn't get close enough for burning hands.
I doubt something that big would be much inconvenienced by animate rope or web.
What about create pit? I can't use the link. Is the base larger than 10'*10' or could it climb out easily? I doubt it has a good reflex save to avoid it.
Gravity bow for your archer.
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I’m assuming that the plotting is in-play and not some weird OOP meta-game thing…
My somewhat tongue-in-cheek advise:
Shrink Item on a barrel or 3 of oil.
Haste
Throw alchemist fire at tree. Withdraw.
When tree follows into range of barrels, scream command word to unshrink barrels of oil & throw greek fire at barrel.
Enjoy Hollywood-style explosion.
Watch tree scream in agony. Continue to withdraw to stay out of range of melee.
Ask GM to do their “what a world, what a world, what a world!” impression.
Look out for flying monkeys as they tend to be found in areas with evil trees, for some odd reason.
Marshmallows optional, but recommended.
Alternate:
Fly + Floating Disc to maneuver barrels of oil far over head of tree.
Drop barrels of oil.
Flame arrow or fireball.
Enjoy Hollywood-style explosion, tree misery & GM impression as above.
Create Food & Water for marshmallows (or Shadow Conjuration if you’re dieting [to be fair, this may be a caloric house rule that shadow conjuration food is 100% as filling, but with only 20% the calories. RAW is uncertain.]).
-TimD
To answer the question, my character does indeed know all about scythe trees as I did a nature roll, got lucky with a high one and (with our game being online over skype) my DM told me just to look it up. As far as do we know expressly that we're facing a scythe tree? If the dryad is to be believed then yes. If not, well, we'll face what comes then. As to whether my DM knows if I prepare out of game before our monthly sessions, I am certain he does.
In any event, I may have to pick up scorching ray when I next have the chance, however I feel that we're intended to do this quickly and we're already out in the middle of the woods.
I had forgotten that pyrotechnics puts out some fire. While I don't have it, I've seen the other wizard use it, so that may be an option for allowing us to use some fire.
Thanks again everyone!
well, knowing that, the best you can probably do is make sure your allies know whats coming and are prepared, and keep a contingency plan ready just in case something unexpected happens, as well as being ready to run if need be.
When we met one I had my magus use flaming sphere to keep it moving (it tried to move away from the fire but it followed) and thus from getting full attacks. I added some ranged spell and then finished it in melee with my keen flaming scimitar.
The others dealt some serious damage, too of course.
I don't remember who and how we took care that the fire didn't spread.
If you know in advance that you will have to fight it (and you said you were asked to kill it, if I understood right) you could buy some flasks of alchemist's fire. Might be stronger than some other options vs that thing.
BTW: Is there any reason entangle would not work on this? Sure it will free itself within one turn but that costs an action.
Entangle might very well work on it and I'll be changing Web to Entangle in my list. Our other wizard does have flaming sphere and I think we should have a few alchemist fire's ready as we were actually hunting trolls before we met the dryad.
As for putting out the flames, I know the other wizard has pyrotechnics available and I'm wondering if my wind wall spell would be able to sort of keep flames from spreading further than we want. I guess we'll see.
Everyone's been a great help. I think I know what I'll prepare now. Thanks.
Do you happen to play kingmaker?
Because there is some troll hunting going on, mixed with a dryad who asks to kill a Scythe Tree.