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aside from magic items or spells, he's screwed.
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If a character tries to attack an invisible creature whose location he has not pinpointed, have the player choose the space where the character will direct the attack. If the invisible creature is there, conduct the attack normally. If the enemy’s not there, roll the miss chance as if it were there and tell him that the character has missed, regardless of the result. That way the player doesn’t know whether the attack missed because the enemy’s not there or because you successfully rolled the miss chance.
if you ride something with the scent ability, have it try to find the creature
just guess what square they're in, or invest in some Use magic device and buy scrolls
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aside from magic items or spells, he's screwed.
This is kind-of the answer.
I have to ask though, how many invisible enemies are you facing? I'm sure in some areas you'd face a few of them, but as a general rule Invisible enemies just aren't that common.
If they are that common it's definitely worth finding a permanent workaround, but unless there's something weird going on it shouldn't be.
The only things I can think of are:
- Scrolls of See Invisibility
- RHINO CHARGE. It could be a decent Cavalier feat anyway, though I think the Mount might have to take it as well
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What do you mean by 'more and more of his enemies have invisibility'? Actual invisible foes aren't that common in published adventures in my experience (presumably because they are so annoying to deal with) so I'm guessing your GM might just be overly fond of this tactic?
Invisible foes are everyone's problem, so teamwork with casters is your best option:
Faerie Fire
Glitterdust
Invisiblity Purge
Infusion of See Invisiblity from an Alchemist or Investigator.
If this character has to do it himself, there is always the Vision Mastery feat if he can get his hands on an appropriate magic item.
- Scrolls of See Invisibility
Unfortunately as per rules for spell-completion items (which scrolls are), you only ignore the UMD check if you not only have the spell on your class spell list, but are of sufficient level to cast the spell as well. See invisibility is a 2nd level spell so scrolls of See Invisibility require UMD checks unless you dip enough levels to gain 2nd level spells. A DC 23 UMD is pretty high up there too…
As to the OPs issue… as others have mentioned… there isn’t really much that is highly effective that a level 6 character can afford… and if invisible foes are that common, then that falls squarely into the territory of “a problem for the party” not “a problem for the cavalier” and as such, the whole party should be looking at ways to counter invisibility as a whole… which usually translates to get your party’s casters to prepare glitter dust/fairy fire or get the spells as wands/scrolls. As a martial character you have at your disposal a very solid argument to use against any Spellcaster in your party who insists that it isn’t their problem that you personally can’t counter invisibility. “If I can’t see the enemy, then I can’t stop them from getting past me to kill you”
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Forgot to mention a couple of consumables:
- Stunstone for a mere 350g
- Feather Token (Tar and Feathers) for 750g
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Elixir of Spirit Sight costs 1000 gp. I think it's still the only consumable item (no UMD check) that grants see invisibility. It also makes your weapons ghost touch for a minute, so it's really handy if you are going up against an ethereal creature.
Wayfinder of Revelation - 8000 gp. Once per day 40' invisibility purge.
Lantern of Revealing - 30,000 gp. Capable of continuous (or nearly so) 25' invisibility purge.
There is an interesting feat chain from Adventurer's Guide (Spirit Beacon and Spirit Sight). It lets you see invisible fey, outsiders, and undead well enough to target them all the time. Wouldn't work against a human wizard, but the majority of creatures with natural invisibility fall into one of those three types. Usually not worth spending two feats but if you are facing a lot of invisible creatures you might want to consider it.
- Scrolls of See InvisibilityUnfortunately as per rules for spell-completion items (which scrolls are), you only ignore the UMD check if you not only have the spell on your class spell list, but are of sufficient level to cast the spell as well. See invisibility is a 2nd level spell so scrolls of See Invisibility require UMD checks unless you dip enough levels to gain 2nd level spells. A DC 23 UMD is pretty high up there too…
Derp - I was thinking of the craft DC for scrolls, not the UMD DC.
Yeah scratch that idea =P
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- Scrolls of See InvisibilityUnfortunately as per rules for spell-completion items (which scrolls are), you only ignore the UMD check if you not only have the spell on your class spell list, but are of sufficient level to cast the spell as well. See invisibility is a 2nd level spell so scrolls of See Invisibility require UMD checks unless you dip enough levels to gain 2nd level spells. A DC 23 UMD is pretty high up there too…
If the spell is on your spell list, it is of the right type (Arcane or Divine), and your appropriate casting stat is high enough, it requires a Caster Level Check, not a UMD check (CRB, p. 490).
Note that Cha 12 is sufficient, as See invisibility is a 2nd level spell and there are both arcane and divine classes or archetypes that use Charisma as a casting stat that have it.- * - * -
A potential solution that is thematically appropriate for a cavalier is the Leadership feat. Get a cohort that can cast Glitterdust, possibly as a spontaneous spell, call him your squire, and the problem will be resolved.
A feat isn't a small thing, but a cohort generally is useful.
Keep in mind that an enemy actively in combat, i.e. has made an attack without moving again on their turn, has an effective stealth of 0, +20 for the invisibility (I don't see anyone arguing that attacking wouldn't be enough to drop the +40 invisibility bonus for not "moving" to a +20), so as long as you can beat a DC 20+distance to target perception check, you can still pinpoint an invisible creature.
Also, why are they invisible, still attacking, and still invisible? Is this just an invisible stalker campaign?
Keep in mind that an enemy actively in combat, i.e. has made an attack without moving again on their turn, has an effective stealth of 0, +20 for the invisibility (I don't see anyone arguing that attacking wouldn't be enough to drop the +40 invisibility bonus for not "moving" to a +20), so as long as you can beat a DC 20+distance to target perception check, you can still pinpoint an invisible creature.
Also, why are they invisible, still attacking, and still invisible? Is this just an invisible stalker campaign?
Because Greater Invisibility is a 4th level spell, useable by many 7th level casters, an appropriate challenge for a 6th level party.
But many of those wizards/sorcerers/other full arcane casters are also not what you would normally expect your cavalier to be going after. Especially fight after fight.
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Quicklings are CR3, phase spiders are CR5, and a hellcat is CR7. There are plenty of invisible creatures that you could meet, especially in an undead/horror type campaign.
Calybos hasn't responded so we don't really know anything about his campaign. Is the GM really throwing in invisible creatures every session to make things difficult, or is it just a couple of rough encounters that made him want a way to deal? Is it a published adventure path, or does the homebrew campaign feature invisibility a lot for some in-world reason?
Regardless, we've given quite a few suggestions. I didn't know about the Lynx Eye Charm, though it is disappointing that it takes up a slot.
I understand that charging is kind of "their thing" as a Cavalier, but... let this be a valuable lesson in building one-trick ponies.
The Cavalier should not NEED to charge the enemy in order to be effective... they are simply set up to capitalize on it IF the situations allows them to charge. I seriously laughed, out loud even, when I read "needs to be able to charge"... no they don't, or at least, no they shouldn't...
It is not only unreasonable, but outright foolish, to expect to be able to line up a charge on every opponent you will face... thusly, charging should not be your only tactical option. Probably shouldn't even be your main tactical option, honestly, unless you have taken the necessary steps to set that up as often as possible... feats and abilities that allow charging through difficult terrain, being small with a medium sized mount, hopefully flying... even then, the Barbarian with a Butchering Axe still carries a bow. Why, because not every problem is a nail, and not every solution involves a hammer.
Pretty sure there are even alternative racial features that have to do with this issue... although maybe it's just damaging ghosts... either way, making friends with someone set up to counter magic with magic is your best, if not only, option at this point.
I do think I remember seeing something (item, feat, something) that allowed you to make AoO against invisible enemies... but I cannot remember what it is, right meow. Whatever it may be, probably won't help you charge... but it might at least give you the option to make AoO with your reach weapon. I will dig around to see if I can find it...
Also, invisibility might be something the GM is using specifically to shut the Cavalier down. While it is good to make people explore alternatives... if the GM is willing to engage in GM vs the players tactics, nothing you do is going to change the outcome. If there isn't a halfway decent reason for so many invisible enemies, it be time to have a sidebar talk with the GM.
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Quicklings are CR3, phase spiders are CR5, and a hellcat is CR7. There are plenty of invisible creatures that you could meet, especially in an undead/horror type campaign.
Calybos hasn't responded so we don't really know anything about his campaign. Is the GM really throwing in invisible creatures every session to make things difficult, or is it just a couple of rough encounters that made him want a way to deal? Is it a published adventure path, or does the homebrew campaign feature invisibility a lot for some in-world reason?
Regardless, we've given quite a few suggestions. I didn't know about the Lynx Eye Charm, though it is disappointing that it takes up a slot.
This charm can only be used once, after which the charm’s magic is gone forever. A charm occupies the wearer’s shoulders or neck slot, though it can share that slot with one other magic item (as a cloak pin or token hanging from a necklace, for example). A character can never wear more than one charm at a time.
It doesn't take a slot, it only requires you to have the slot.
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Quicklings are CR3, phase spiders are CR5, and a hellcat is CR7. There are plenty of invisible creatures that you could meet, especially in an undead/horror type campaign.
Calybos hasn't responded so we don't really know anything about his campaign. Is the GM really throwing in invisible creatures every session to make things difficult, or is it just a couple of rough encounters that made him want a way to deal? Is it a published adventure path, or does the homebrew campaign feature invisibility a lot for some in-world reason?
Regardless, we've given quite a few suggestions. I didn't know about the Lynx Eye Charm, though it is disappointing that it takes up a slot.
This charm can only be used once, after which the charm’s magic is gone forever. A charm occupies the wearer’s shoulders or neck slot, though it can share that slot with one other magic item (as a cloak pin or token hanging from a necklace, for example). A character can never wear more than one charm at a time.It doesn't take a slot, it only requires you to have the slot.
Amusingly, that's what I get for looking up the item in the actual pdf instead of reading the online description. (And for not reading the intro material in the pdf.) Charms are pretty cool.
Yeah, this is probably the best (cheapest) item for a non-caster to keep around just in case he needs to see invisibility.
Quicklings are CR3, phase spiders are CR5, and a hellcat is CR7. There are plenty of invisible creatures that you could meet, especially in an undead/horror type campaign.
A quickling is only invisible while not doing practically anything you would need to do to be a threat in combat; a phase spider isn't going invisible, they are leaving the material plane and couldn't be targeted anyway even if they could see the enemy; hell cat is the only one I could see a cavalier having consistent problems with, as both prefer open areas that would have bright light, but even still, an entire adventure with just hellcats, invis stalkers, and greater invis spamming wizards? Just seems a little too thematic for me. :P
Hand of Glory, Necklace 8,000gp. Once per day See Invisibility. If you need See Invis more than once a day, your DM is probably targeting you.
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Put some skill into Handle Animal, and take a few months to train bats to detect your friendly wizard while they use vanish. Give them snacks. In combat with an invisible NPC, let the bats loose, they can locate the square the enemy is in, allowing you to have "line of sight" to the proper space.
Ah, the hidden corners of the equipment list:
and a magic item that hasn't been mentioned:
thx.
did not know about the smog pallet (seen smoke pallet, but not these)cheap nice solution.
aim at the 5 ft space you think they are in (dc 5 to hit) and hope gm won't rule "pass through the smoke" =\ "smoke pass through them".
as a pallet i think they are ammo for slings as well as thrown weapon, no? a 6th level cavalier should be able to attack twice with a sling getting 2 5 ft cubes in case your not sure where he is exactly..
Another thing that can help, is if another member of the party has a better way to see the enemy, like a cleric with see invisibility, they can make their weapon a Limning Weapon so you can charge off their turn while they are outlined. Kinda expensive tho for level 6.
The GM has been very clear in ruling that "being able to target a square is NOT the same as having line of sight. You still can't charge." So no amount of smoke, flour, or scent will help.
And to answer how often we're facing invisible enemies: pretty much every third encounter. A homebrewed version of Jade Regent, stuffed full of ninjas, ice monsters and aberrations with natural invisibility, shamans with Greater Invis, etc.
What I'm seeing is a great big hole in Ultimate Equipment where the Potion of See Invisibility should be. (And of course, it can't be there because See Invis. can't be a potion.)
The smoke pellets listed earlier work.
Cheap, easy to make for alchemists. And cheap enough that they're available in pretty much any town. If everyone in the party carries a couple, they can set you up for charges. As long as someone knows what square the enemy is in, you can just aim at their square with an AC of 10.
Welp. Even if the cavalier manages to see the invisible foe, that isn't enough. Unless both mount and rider are charging it ain't a Mounted Charge.
I'd just even the playing field by dumping fog everywhere. If you can't see them then they're not allowed to see you.
What I'm seeing is a great big hole in Ultimate Equipment where the Potion of See Invisibility should be. (And of course, it can't be there because See Invis. can't be a potion.)
Well there is the ELIDIR OF SPIRIT SIGHT, but it's a but expensive to be dropping every 3rd encounter. Honestly, the reason it's priced this expensive is because they don't expect you to need it that often.
Alternately, See Invisinility is a 2nd level spell, so 3 levels in a casting class will let you cast it yourself .