I think I may be a defective GM. My players will be facing a CR 20 / 18th level wizard BBEG, and for the first time in my GMing career I have a bad guy high enough level to use both Contingency and Time Stop. Unfortunately, I don't really have any idea what to do with them.
Now, I know the basics - buffing, summoning, etc - and you'd think I could do something with a pair of spells that effectively tip the action economy. But I've got nothing, and so I turn to the wisdom of the forums.
Couple of points:
- Opposition schools are Enchantment and Illusion
- I disallow summoning in this game (I have a huge party, so I banned it for 'keeping the GM sane and the combats manageable' reasons)
- BBEG will generally know when the PCs are in the area and will have hour/level and 10 minute/level buffs already, most notably the Resist Energy/Protection from Energy line.
- BBEG is a freaky outsider, and so very few Polymorph spells are better than her inherent abilities.
- She's got Getaway for making rapid exits.
The classics are a greater teleport or a heal for contingency, and time stop works brilliantly with things like wall or force, forcecage or delayed blast fireball. I am sure there are more things available now, when I played a lvl 21 wizard in 3.5, maw of chaos each round of the time stop was obscene.
As an 18th level wizard there's little he shouldn't be using astral projection to fight the PCs from a safe location. Preferably his own private demiplane. They probably also have clones set up in the potential event of their death.
Is the NPC bound by the same rule about no summoning? If they're not, then the best thing to do is have gated in some other outsiders already and have them fight the PCs in his place. The reason wizards win is getting someone else to do the dirty work for them.
Time Stop is great for offensive spells that take more than one round to reach peak effectiveness (e.g. Cloudkill and summoning), and dropping multiple battlefield control spells at once to neutralize opponents and occupy the spellcasters (e.g., prismatic sphere around the martial neutralizes the martial and probably also the caster for at least one round).
The reason wizards win is getting someone else to do the dirty work for them.
And by chewing up their opponents' actions to skew the action economy.
The classics are a greater teleport or a heal for contingency, and time stop works brilliantly with things like wall or force, forcecage or delayed blast fireball. I am sure there are more things available now, when I played a lvl 21 wizard in 3.5, maw of chaos each round of the time stop was obscene.
How does one get a Heal on a Contingency? That would probably be ideal, but I'm not really seeing how she would cast it.
Walls of Force/Forcecage. Hum hum.
As an 18th level wizard there's little he shouldn't be using astral projection to fight the PCs from a safe location. Preferably his own private demiplane. They probably also have clones set up in the potential event of their death.
Hum. Duly noted on the Astral Projection/Clone bit.
Is the NPC bound by the same rule about no summoning? If they're not, then the best thing to do is have gated in some other outsiders already and have them fight the PCs in his place. The reason wizards win is getting someone else to do the dirty work for them.
Well. I'm the GM, so the rules are what they say they are. That said, I tend to be pretty scrupulous about players and NPCs working by the same set of restrictions.
Time Stop is great for offensive spells that take more than one round to reach peak effectiveness (e.g. Cloudkill and summoning), and dropping multiple battlefield control spells at once to neutralize opponents and occupy the spellcasters (e.g., prismatic sphere around the martial neutralizes the martial and probably also the caster for at least one round).
I don't know that I've a spare slot for Primsatic Sphere, though I will have to see about at least the Wall version. *jots down Empowered Cloudkill*
The classics are a greater teleport or a heal for contingency,
How does one get a Heal on a Contingency? That would probably be ideal, but I'm not really seeing how she would cast it.
Note that Contingency doesn't restrict how the triggered spell is cast, just that it be cast. A Ring of Spell Storing with a Heal spell in it (provided by their cleric-y friend) can be the source of Heal for your wizard. Heal works better than Teleport for Contingency because it can't be interfered with.
I see a lot of Contingency + Gaseous Form. It's a trap! Gaseous Form is not a great defense. DR 10/magic? Who doesn't have magic weapons at that point in the game? :P
I would definitely give him some planar bound minions to play with. Astradaemons are my go to for greater planar binding. Powerful angels/archons are also nice if you want to throw in a moral quandary
A bodyguard golem is another great minion option. Effectively adds a ton of hp to a caster(which I find is the main disadvantage of using arcane caster bosses)
Ravingdork once made a character that was based on long duration buffs. It acts as a great spell list for buffs with a good duration
Do you need items or is he already equipped?
Any particular theme or play style you want?
Heal is a sixth level spell. How are you getting it a ring of spell storing?
There is, I suppose, the Major Ring of Spell-Storing, but that thing costs 200,000 gp -- so I would need to give up both the Greater Quicken Rod and the Orange Prism Ioun Stone to afford it. Contingencied Heal is nice but not that nice.
I would definitely give him some planar bound minions to play with. Astradaemons are my go to for greater planar binding. Powerful angels/archons are also nice if you want to throw in a moral quandary
A bodyguard golem is another great minion option. Effectively adds a ton of hp to a caster(which I find is the main disadvantage of using arcane caster bosses)
*waves hand* Minions I've got covered. There are senior henchman (a cleric and a fighter), along with a veritable army of demonic mooks.
Ravingdork once made a character that was based on long duration buffs. It acts as a great spell list for buffs with a good duration
Oh? Any idea where/who?
Do you need items or is he already equipped?
Any particular theme or play style you want?
I think I am good on items - Major Quicken Rod, Orange Prism Ioun Stone, plus the various stat boosters and I'm solid.
Theme/Style... Extraplanar Archmage, though in general I'm pretty good at making even mundane spells seem dramatic. I do try to keep the combat fun, so I avoid some options (Greater Invis + Mind Blank, say).
Heal is a sixth level spell. How are you getting it a ring of spell storing?There is, I suppose, the Major Ring of Spell-Storing, but that thing costs 200,000 gp -- so I would need to give up both the Greater Quicken Rod and the Orange Prism Ioun Stone to afford it. Contingencied Heal is nice but not that nice.
Yes, the Major ring, sorry. My error there.
A much cheaper option would be a scroll and a UMD check. DC 31 wouldn't be a given even with the ranks maxed out but it is reasonable enough.
Ravingdork once made a character that was based on long duration buffs. It acts as a great spell list for buffs with a good durationOh? Any idea where/who?
A much cheaper option would be a scroll and a UMD check. DC 31 wouldn't be a given even with the ranks maxed out but it is reasonable enough.
I had been under the impression, based on searching the forums, that you couldn't do a Scroll-based Contingency (well, Contingent Scroll, but that thing annoyingly caps out at 5).
Ravingdork's Crazy Character Emporium
Let me rephrase. Any idea which of the nearly two hundred characters? :p
I had been under the impression, based on searching the forums, that you couldn't do a Scroll-based Contingency (well, Contingent Scroll, but that thing annoyingly caps out at 5).
I don't see why you can't. Unless I overlooked an FAQ from Paizo? Which is possible. :)
Assuming I haven't, the only requirements for Contingency are:
The contingency spell and the companion spell are cast at the same time. The 10-minute casting time is the minimum total for both castings; if the companion spell has a casting time longer than 10 minutes, use that instead. You must pay any costs associated with the companion spell when you cast contingency.
The spell to be brought into effect by the contingency must be one that affects your person and be of a spell level no higher than one-third your caster level (rounded down, maximum 6th level).
From the PRD, "using a scroll is basically like casting a spell". At worst, this falls in that gray area where the GM gets to decide. But I can certainly understand reluctance to use this option against PC's by deeming it unfair.
A wand, staff, etc. would almost certainly not qualify.
Or you could be an Samsaran and take it from the alchemist or the witch.
I think the skepticism about using contingency with a scroll comes from this FAQ
Hmm. While the scope there is pretty broad, it does limit itself to "feats and abilities that modify spells that you cast". But I can understand the argument and don't want to derail this thread with a rules debate, so I'll settle on "GM judgement call". :)
If I may quote another forum user: Ever get the feeling that this game is a little too complicated?
Huh. I entirely and utterly forgot about adepts. So, overall, seems like Contingency/Heal is a bit iffy but not necessarily beyond the pale. I will consider it.
The other Contingency alternative I'm looking at is stealing Karzoug's "If prevented from taking an action by a spell, hit that spell with a Dispel Magic" Opinions?
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Consider looking at Aroden's Spellbane for extra defense. I have used with level 17+ wizards multiple times with great effect.
Spells to exclude could be: Invisibility Purge, Dispel Magic, Greater Dispel Magic, Waves of Exhaustion, Maze.
Note. If picking dispel magic and/or other popular spells he will not be able to cast them either.
If I was any good at links I would post ol varsivius (order of the stick) fight with the black dragon.
I was always under the impression that you could use another spellcaster in conjunction with a Contingency spell; at some point your Wizard had a cleric companion, or kidnapped a cleric, and got them to cast Heal when he used Contingency - a quick and simple solution to get a spell you want on a bad guy without having to put in an expensive item that you don't want your party to have.
Or find a way to use a bonded item to get it. A Wizard can use item creation feats on the bonded item and when they die it loses all abilities and reverts to a masterwork version of itself, so maybe a spellstoring quarterstaff or a powerful staff that suits you will suffice.
You dont always have to justify how an opponent has a specific spell or ability - it could have been a gift from the gods or through some powerful unearthed spell or one-off magic item they researched and crafted...
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If I was any good at links I would post ol varsivius (order of the stick) fight with the black dragon.
And that fight would have been quite different if Vaarsuvius had access to Aroden's Spellbane and could exclude Antimagic Field around her.
Oh and here is a link to the Fight
Consider looking at Aroden's Spellbane for extra defense. I have used with level 17+ wizards multiple times with great effect.
Considering it. Though the mage only has four 9th level spells, one of which has to be a Conjuration spell, and the other three are probably going to be Time Stop, Disjunction, and Mass Icy Prison.
For various reasons I'm not too worried about Dispel/Greater Dispel, and the PCs and I have a gentleman's agreement not to cast Maze.
If I was any good at links I would post ol varsivius (order of the stick) fight with the black dragon.
I have looked at that, yes... sadly everything of interest is either a pre-cast or no longer in Pathfinder (oh Energy Immunity, if only).
You dont always have to justify how an opponent has a specific spell or ability - it could have been a gift from the gods or through some powerful unearthed spell or one-off magic item they researched and crafted...
True. Well, the mage does have a very powerful cleric as an ally, so getting access to the spell is not an issue. It's more that I dislike wandering into rules-tangles or 'it works because the GM says so' if I can help it.
Still, something to consider.
dotting
depending on how evil they are I think mass suffocate is a more villain appropriate spell than Mass Icy prison