So the group I'm with just finished the tower with Katiyana. We are a NG Master Summoner of Desna with Summon Good Monster, Sacred Slayer Inquisitor of Shizuru, and a Mysterious Stranger 1/Ninja X. We were level 8 during this encounter. My summoner had 3 hound archons summoned from previous encounters in the tower (2 just from the remorhaz on the floor below).
Round 1
Summoner: Dimension Door all three party members to ledge with Katiyana.
Ninja: 3 Focused Aim sneak attack shots, 91 damage
Sacred Slayer: Bane outsider(native), free action study target on hit w/sneak attack, 45 damage. Katiyana dead before acting.
We didn't even play out the combat with the 3 hound archons vs the hoar frost spirits as it would have been a joke at this point.
There's not a real point to this story, I just thought it was pretty fun to one round a CR 11 encounter when down 1 PC and wanted to share.
I recommend applying the Mythic Agile template.
That's why I put a permanent dimensional lock on the entire room. :p
That's why I put a permanent dimensional lock on the entire room. :p
I did something similar (my version of the Seal was more badass so that the oni could be less foolish/do-nothing without breaking the plot, but it prevented the party from using dimensional magic while they benefited from it) and also gave her several more levels, switched her to a playtest shaman (who still had cleric spells at the time), added an escaped Tunuak to the encounter, and had her use a scroll to bring in a frosty glabrezu of Sithhud (PCs usually have 8 people, and they were 1 level overleveled, so I don't recommend all that for 4 players).
I don't often feel a loss when three-manning. If anything, we're missing a little of the utility a regular party has. But, overall, the extra wealth seems to make up for it.
The effects of additional WBL on a party are one of underestimated factors in balancing the game, I can tell you that. :p
Is it just me or isn't the windstorm that's going on in that encounter putting a halt to any missile fire short (CRB 439) of siege weapons? I'm not sure that would have kept the OP's party from "scrying and frying" (well, close enough if the PCs win init) but I think they would have been forced to use melee weapons to do so. My group did a similar thing, but the Eidolon couldn't hit her (missed with 5 attacks) and the fighter grappled her, but was disappointed to find the FoM in effect. The encounter was fine for my group of 5 players. YMMV.