Quick Story - Fireballs, Zombies, Poison, Pointy Teeth

[SunTzuWarmaster]

Frank and K campaign for the win!

Currently playing at around level 4, characters come to scorched, desecrated earth where the most recent incarnation of evil is taking hold (in the form of the BBEG #2 guy training necromancers in the fine art of "zombies tied to worgs, trained to not let the zombies fall off").

Characters have dispatched the previous 2 necromancer encampments with relative ease between a combination of Turn Undead, Grease, a Mace of Disruption, a summoner, and a katana-wielding Knight. They thought this would be another standard mission when they came to the goblin graveyard. Until they were hit with a Fireball...

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Conduit of the Lower Planes - Medium Fey Evil Outsider
Feats:
1 - Product of Infernal Dalliance (2 claws and a bite)
3 - Spines of Fury (2 dagger-like spines/round (natural attacks))
4 - Poison Sacs (DC14 Drow poison, Fort save or unconscious)

Misc abilities:
Immune to Compulsion Effects, Fear, and Fire
Vulnerable to Cold
Cold Resistance 5
Any 10HD creature or less slain becomes a zombie

Enhanced Spheres:
3x/day - Fireball (level 1 spell, so it has a miserable save)
3x/day - Command Undead
2x/day - Searing Ray
2x/day - Desecrate
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All in all just a very surprising encounter. The mechanics of getting a zombie to ride were fairly irrelevant because the cleric destroyed half of them the first round they were in range (the other half in the following two). Wall of Smoke (summoner) and Spike Stones (Spherelock) stopped the charge in it's tracks. I always dread for my campaigns to get caught in monotony, and the fireball took the party for a large surprise. He even got another off in between fending off summoned hippogriffs before the party could scatter (which animated one of the worgs).

I was just extremely pleased with the array of off-the-wall abilities to surprise characters with. A spellcaster that can claw, claw, bite, poison, throw spines (he didn't get to do this ), cast spells (fireball), and control undead. That and the look on the parties face when he killed the all-day pet of the Summoner (automatic zombie), and had it pin the other summon while laughing and taunting.

Shame he didn't get away on the worg though (runs 200ft/round). Hippogriffs are damned fast fliers. Who the hell wrote in that they could CHARGE at 200 feet?

[CalibronXXX]

Heh, cool. Love to hear stories about well run campaigns. If you've got more I'd be happy to read it.

I have a nitpick though.

1193662185[/unixtime]]
3x/day - Fireball (level 1 spell, so it has a miserable save)

Aren't Sphere SLA saves based on HD and Cha, and not the level of the spell they're emulating?

1193662185[/unixtime]]Shame he didn't get away on the worg though (runs 200ft/round). Hippogriffs are damned fast fliers. Who the hell wrote in that they could CHARGE at 200 feet?

Yeah, Hippogriffs are really nasty for the level you get to summon them with SNA, especially in the hands of a Summoner or a dedicated summoner Druid.

[SunTzuWarmaster]

here is the quote from the F+K:

Spheres and Spell Levels: Spell-like abilities used out of spheres are considered to be cast as a spell level equal to half the minimum needed character level to use the ability (rounded up). The save DC of a spell-like ability granted through Sphere access is Charisma-based. Thus, the save DC for a spell-like ability which
becomes available at character level 5 is 13 + Charisma bonus.

So if Fireball is available at level one, it is:
10 +
(1/2) = 1 +
Charisma
= 11 + Cha

At least I think that I'm doing that right. Essentially you treat them like a sorcerer that gets spells like a wizard (at least that's how I remember it).

[Judging__Eagle]

Just make them have saves that scale imo. Keeps them useful at later levels and doesn't discourage a non-caster from taking a level of Conduit of the planes for an Sphere that looks cool.

[Koumei]

Tome of Fiends has a feat that makes all of your (Sp) abilities use the DC of your highest level one. It effectively makes the DCs scale like (Su) abilities.

[SunTzuWarmaster]

I must have missed that one as I glazed over it, but I'm fine with a level 1 Fireball that has a bad save as far as making Conduit of the Planes look attractive. You take that first Conduit level at level 9 and you instantly gain 4 SLA's.

As much as I bitch about it, I had a level 3 Jester while the rest of the party was level 4 (has missed the last 2 sessions), and she always made the save. Which is to say that the 9 damage did a fine job on her 15 hp.

[Catharz]

BTW, "product of infernal dalliance" gives two claws or a bite.

[Koumei]

1194095066[/unixtime]]
As much as I bitch about it, I had a level 3 Jester while the rest of the party was level 4 (has missed the last 2 sessions), and she always made the save. Which is to say that the 9 damage did a fine job on her 15 hp.

Ouch. Yeah, it is tricky to get things just right - challenging, but not actually lethal. Especially when people have a handful of hit points.

And I just don't use XP any more. I just declare "Everyone should level up around about now", and the party all level up.

[CalibronXXX]

1194147635[/unixtime]]And I just don't use XP any more. I just declare "Everyone should level up around about now", and the party all level up.

I think that was my very first house-rule.

[SunTzuWarmaster]

I am using that rule. However:
1 - normal session, everyone is here, everyone levels to level 3
2 - Jester gone
3 - normal session
4 - Jester gone
5 - Jester gone, everyone levels up
6 - Jester back (explains backstory of being pursued by assassins, RPed with NPC and characters) is down a level for the remainder of the session. Levels at the end of the session.

I didn't feel like giving her the level would be doing her any favors (she had not even gotten to use her level 3 Power Slide yet).