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So, last weekend I played Crypt of the Everflame. Aside from having a good time, I was struck by the following: this is yet another (low-level) dungeon with lots of cramped corridors, that also tend to turn pretty quickly. All in all, you have lots of hard corners and lots of 5ft passageways, to frustrate various typical builds, such as:
- Archery
- AoE spells
- Many battlefield control spells; the battlefield is already being controlled by the walls
- AoO builds; once an enemy has closed in melee there's little room to move backwards, and they can often close in on you due to hard corners
- Flanker builds
- Pet users
So I was thinking, what kind of character could actually use all these things to his advantage?
Sneak attack + maxed stealth.
A tower shield user could provide cover for the party advancing, allowing allies to get past him to attack or retreat behind him. I've had a party cleric pull this off, taking the major penalties to attack rolls in order to rock an amazing lvl 1 AC.
Also, a nature fang druid with cave domain would be incredibly useful in this setting at higher lvls.
- sneak attack
- stealth
- spells that work well underground
People also tend to forget useful spells, such as flaming sphere, which can force opponents out of hallways or be burned alive. Also spells like Earthglide to provide flanking and maneuvering in underground environments. I had a spellbook devoted to just dungeoneering back in 3.5, for this and other dungeon hazards.
I love this module, and the flavor is really nice.
As for what to do, the first time we ran this, we had a cavalier with us, a core Cavalier and he hated it, because his horse was forced to stay outside. So unless your pet is small enough to move in the space don't work on pet combat, though they can be good scouts, we had a summoner the first time and it helped to scout the area ahead.
Tower Shield specialist would be awesome for specific areas and would really shine in those area without feeling to far back.
At the junctions where the narrow halls open up Combat Reflex fighters could be of use, stand next to the opening and as the creatures pass through they eat AoO.
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I don't really see Sneak Attack working so well; the problem with 5ft corridors is that you can't get to the other side of enemies to flank them.
Likewise, bottling up enemies with grappling or tower shields... I dunno about that. Your party can't really move past you because of the narrow corridor, so it just grinds things to a halt.
The problem with combat reflexes is that all the hard corners in a cramped dungeon provide so much cover that you don't get in all that many AoO attempts anyway.
We ran a very hit and run, leading the skeletons into the traps. We ultimately killed the boss by reloading the arrow spinner with blunt arrows which had been ruled to do bludgeoning damage, and tricking him into entering the room. Then we held the door shut. It was a truly epic fight.
Also, all of the battles were in larger rooms, so we didn't have as much of a problem with that.
I kind of wonder... Would a Dimension Dooring grappler or the like be possible? A mage or PRC-using character that teleports in, leaps out and grapples someone and does so effectively, letting them reach opponents that would otherwise prove to be a hassle?
Earth elemental focused druid. Take the cave domain (the terrain one, not the earth subdomain) to get tremor sense.
This lets you flank with your allies by using earth glide. Tremor sense lets you see where you are going, and can help warn you of enemies hiding behind blind corners. It also provides a nice little buff and can work great defensively (good natural armor, DR/5 and immunity to crits/sneak attacks/bleed at level 12)
Oh, and question- could an earth elemental stay partially submerged in the ground and still attack? Would that work like fighting in water (since they move through the ground like it is water). You could turn into some big earth elementals if that is an option. Better stats, good reach, and heck, if you use the rules for aquatic combat, you could make being in the ground a buff (I forget the specifics of being partially submerged)
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A Small sized Giant gecko lancer does well in situations like that. Like I straight Destroy adventures like this. 15 foot ceilings are brutal charge lanes. Unless they have range or reach weapons you can safely charge back and forth across the ceilings killing things as you pass by them.
CBM specialists do well in situations like that.
Stand still specialists would do well making sure nothing gets to the group.
But area's like that are typically nicknamed Death Funnels. They are strategically a bad place to be and makes it easier to kill people coming down such a straight away.
a great spell for this is Sift tho...allows perception checks around corners.
I was wondering if there were some way you could give your Familiar, Mount, Eidolon, or Animal Companion some method of DimDoring you, or if there were some kind of creature likely to serve as such that has dimension door already. Unicorns used to have Dimension Door: do they still?
That gives me an idea. You could use Lesser Planar Binding to summon a Cayhound and ride it around, or perhaps fiendish / celestial blink dogs? Or you could befriend a normal blink dog. I'm sure there's a way to get access to a blink dog through mechanics alone in a way that's PFS legal, even, if you try hard enough...
Hm. Are those self-only, too?
Crypt of the Everflame is a level 1 Module, that leads into two more that end with the third at roughly level 5. Most insane ideas only come online roughly around level 5.
The best way to fight in the setting is with divine casters, if you mean the situation of close quarters and enclosed spaces. A pet is useful, but it has to be small enough to move through the areas without trouble. Using it as a scout is a wonderful idea. Someone using a Tower Shield with his buddy behind him with precise shot and a bow is even better as it allows them to move through the spaces holding back attacks and allowing the archer to hit foes behind the shield.
A pet is useful, but it has to be small enough to move through the areas without trouble. Using it as a scout is a wonderful idea.
Giant Geckos come to mind for being able to go to a LOT of places. Permanent Spider Climb? Not bad. Dire Rats (accessible by certain means), and Giant Chameleons can do the same, walking along walls with the party to avoid taking up their space. Dire Bats aren't powerful but would make decent scouts. Eagles and the like would also work well for similar reasons. Giant Wasps are also on the Druid animal companion list... Any of these would make fair scouts and could probably maneuver in such a way that they don't frequently get in the way of the party.
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I like the giant gecko for style, though I'm not wowed by the gecko's stats.
My current idea is based around Ki Throw. Unlike Overrun, Ki Throw actually lets you put an enemy in a space of your choosing (within reach). The idea is to actually move an enemy into a place where the whole party can get at him, enabling flanks, sneak attack and full attacks for everyone.
At somewhat higher levels (when more space becomes available), add to this a dip into cleric for a Growth subdomain Swift-Action Enlarge Person. That'll give you more reach and let you trip bigger enemies.
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I like the giant gecko for style, though I'm not wowed by the gecko's stats.
His stats are meaningless. He is a mount pure of Flavor and Spider Climb. Most animal companions can't dungeon dive well. Climb checks can stop a good chunk of them. This guy goes everywhere.
On mine I use combat reflexes and bodyguard to guard the Rider. Then I finish with Valiant Steed, Iron will and toughness. He only attacks if something gets near the rider and when your on the ceiling/walls...not much gets next to you. And when you Ride-by-attack sometimes they still can't get to you depending on movement speeds.