"Boss Fight" Tactics Optimization [Archive] - Wizards Community

"Boss Fight" Tactics Optimization [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
.derf
04-12-04, 01:11 PM The party I'm in has been crawling through a brutal dungeon written by a certain entity that I don't think I'm supposed to name here. We've arrived at a deviously trapped door, so based on our experiences behind it there're probably some "big nasties.” I'm guessing a few evil priests, behind it. We're expecting them to eat us. My plan is to tailor our tactics to give us every advantage possible.

Our party is composed of the following:

Level 6 Dwarven Cleric (Luck/Travel)
Level 6 Human Wizard
Level 6 Human Sorcerer (unsure of his spell list, suffice to say he is fond of fireball, with four per day, and magic missile which he seems to fling every which way)
Level 7 Elven Thief
Level 6 Human Ranger
Level 6 Human Fighter
[Edit: oops, we also have a level 6 Paladin]

As far as equipment goes, the fighter is running around with a +2 great club, the ranger has a +2 long sword and a masterwork short sword, the cleric (me) has a +2 warhammer. Beyond that, I don't think we have anything cool.

For feats, I only know my own: Spell Penetration, Concentration, and Craft Wondrous Item.

The cleric, wizard, and fighter are pretty close to level 7, so if we make the journey back to town, our DM is likely to hand out our experience. It might be a prudent idea to get our levels, opening up fourth level spells.

We're running core 3rd edition.

In terms of spells, I get:
5/4/4/3 (plus domain spells: Expeditious Retreat, Aid, Fly)
The wizard gets:
4/4/4/3
The sorcerer gets:
6/7/6/4

My plan is this, caster is indicated with a single letter abbreviation:
Pre-Combat:
1. Resistance on most of the party (C).
2. Cast Glyph of Warding (C) on the doorway, hopefully this'll slow down anything coming through.
3. Bless (C), centered on the doorway.

4. Bull's strength (C and W) on the fighter and ranger.
5. Silence (C) the weapons of the fighter and rogue.
6. Fly (C) on the fighter.
7. Magic Circle against Evil (C), centered on the fighter.
8. Drop invisibility to undead (C) on the rogue.
9. Shield Other (C) on the rogue.
10. Expeditious Retreat (C) on myself.

-4 Rounds:
1. Cast shield of faith (C).

-3 Rounds:
1. Cast Freedom of Movement (if available) on the Fighter.

-2 Rounds:
1. Cast haste (W) on the sorcerer.
2. Cast aid (C) on the rogue.

-1 Round:
1. Cast haste (W) on the rogue.
2. IF I've made 7th level at this point: Summon Monster IV x2.
3. Otherwise Sanctuary (C).

"Go Time"
1. Cast haste (W) on the ranger.
2. Open the door.
3. Throw in two fireballs (S)
4. Cast prayer (C).
5. Fighter, Rogue, Ranger all rush. (We need to get that silence in). Send in the pets, if they were summoned

Combat Round 2:
1. Hope the rushers aren't dead.
2. Two fireballs (S), if it's possible to get them in without easy baking the party. Otherwise, two Magic Missiles (S) at whatever looks dangerous.
3. Block the doorway with a surly dwarf. Cast sanctuary, if not already cast.
4. The wizard does something interesting.

Combat Round 3:
1. Hope we're still alive.

I know this is a tad convoluted, but I don't think we want to re-roll our entire party. If anyone has advice, or corrections, I'd like to hear them. Thanks.

(whoa, didn't realize it was so long!)
Qaetar
04-12-04, 01:26 PM Note: If you don't have a want of healing (Cure Light Wounds or other) you'll be without the magical power to heal people.

More likely for death to occur, probably.

Other than a "Why the hell does the Fighter have a Greatclub?" that looks pretty solid except, what's your escape plan?

(Qaetar)
.derf
04-12-04, 01:30 PM The fighter is using the club because a lot of the undead we've come up aren't hurt by slashing or piercing weapons. Come to think of it, I think it's a +3 club.

The escape plan.... mine is expeditious retreat, cut and run! If the fighter gets too deep, he can fly, though that might get dispelled. Generally, this looks like it could turn into a "blaze of glory" fight. Everyone else is dead if this doesn't pan out properly.

As for the lack of heals, if we go into town, we're stocking up on potions or scrolls.
rilem
04-12-04, 01:35 PM Do you really think the presumed bad guys are going to wait on the other side of the door while you go back to town?

Your first step should be to cast Clairvoyance or (if the wizard does go up to 7th level) Scrying on the other side of that door. Intelligence (or the lack of it) is among the most crucial aspects of these kinds of battles, but it's frequently overlooked.

If you're going to be dropping fireballs on the other side of the door (not a great tactic, because it's so obvious, but if that's what you've got ...) then consider casting protection from energy (or a similar spell) on the front-liners beforehand.

I assume you're using 3.0 haste?
.derf
04-12-04, 01:48 PM I get the impression that the door is a transition, separating a stronghold (or stronghold within a stronghold) from the rest of the area. I think it's safe to say that whoever it is will be there when we get back from town. If it's undead, rather than priests, I think it's even more likely.

Scrying could be extraordinarily useful, though it could tip our hat to whatever's on the other side.

Yes, we're using 3e haste.
rilem
04-12-04, 01:57 PM Consider your hand (not hat, BTW) already tipped, especially if you go back to town. If they haven't already used divination magic on you, they're very stupid bosses (such things do exist) and they certainly aren't bright enough to cast detect scrying. Either way, you've GOT to know what you're up against, otherwise you deserve whatever pummeling you receive.
.derf
04-12-04, 11:03 PM I don't think scrying will do us much good, but clairvoyance should give us an edge.

My biggest fear is that we'll get smacked with a pile of dispels and then get swarmed with overwhelming magic and melee.

In the event that the party doesn't want to risk slogging back to town (we could get attacked leaving the dungeon), would anyone be able to offer advice based on what we know? At most, we can probably sneak in one nap where we are. Two would be pushing our luck in a profound way..
.derf
04-15-04, 09:46 PM Dah! The room is protected against scrying, though from the looks of things, this seems like more of a static dungeon property, rather than an active attempt to block us. On the bright side of things, this probably means that we're going to be unannounced party guests.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
.derf 04-12-04, 01:11 PM	The party I'm in has been crawling through a brutal dungeon written by a certain entity that I don't think I'm supposed to name here. We've arrived at a deviously trapped door, so based on our experiences behind it there're probably some "big nasties.” I'm guessing a few evil priests, behind it. We're expecting them to eat us. My plan is to tailor our tactics to give us every advantage possible. Our party is composed of the following: Level 6 Dwarven Cleric (Luck/Travel) Level 6 Human Wizard Level 6 Human Sorcerer (unsure of his spell list, suffice to say he is fond of fireball, with four per day, and magic missile which he seems to fling every which way) Level 7 Elven Thief Level 6 Human Ranger Level 6 Human Fighter [Edit: oops, we also have a level 6 Paladin] As far as equipment goes, the fighter is running around with a +2 great club, the ranger has a +2 long sword and a masterwork short sword, the cleric (me) has a +2 warhammer. Beyond that, I don't think we have anything cool. For feats, I only know my own: Spell Penetration, Concentration, and Craft Wondrous Item. The cleric, wizard, and fighter are pretty close to level 7, so if we make the journey back to town, our DM is likely to hand out our experience. It might be a prudent idea to get our levels, opening up fourth level spells. We're running core 3rd edition. In terms of spells, I get: 5/4/4/3 (plus domain spells: Expeditious Retreat, Aid, Fly) The wizard gets: 4/4/4/3 The sorcerer gets: 6/7/6/4 My plan is this, caster is indicated with a single letter abbreviation: Pre-Combat: 1. Resistance on most of the party (C). 2. Cast Glyph of Warding (C) on the doorway, hopefully this'll slow down anything coming through. 3. Bless (C), centered on the doorway. 4. Bull's strength (C and W) on the fighter and ranger. 5. Silence (C) the weapons of the fighter and rogue. 6. Fly (C) on the fighter. 7. Magic Circle against Evil (C), centered on the fighter. 8. Drop invisibility to undead (C) on the rogue. 9. Shield Other (C) on the rogue. 10. Expeditious Retreat (C) on myself. -4 Rounds: 1. Cast shield of faith (C). -3 Rounds: 1. Cast Freedom of Movement (if available) on the Fighter. -2 Rounds: 1. Cast haste (W) on the sorcerer. 2. Cast aid (C) on the rogue. -1 Round: 1. Cast haste (W) on the rogue. 2. IF I've made 7th level at this point: Summon Monster IV x2. 3. Otherwise Sanctuary (C). "Go Time" 1. Cast haste (W) on the ranger. 2. Open the door. 3. Throw in two fireballs (S) 4. Cast prayer (C). 5. Fighter, Rogue, Ranger all rush. (We need to get that silence in). Send in the pets, if they were summoned Combat Round 2: 1. Hope the rushers aren't dead. 2. Two fireballs (S), if it's possible to get them in without easy baking the party. Otherwise, two Magic Missiles (S) at whatever looks dangerous. 3. Block the doorway with a surly dwarf. Cast sanctuary, if not already cast. 4. The wizard does something interesting. Combat Round 3: 1. Hope we're still alive. I know this is a tad convoluted, but I don't think we want to re-roll our entire party. If anyone has advice, or corrections, I'd like to hear them. Thanks. (whoa, didn't realize it was so long!)
Qaetar 04-12-04, 01:26 PM	Note: If you don't have a want of healing (Cure Light Wounds or other) you'll be without the magical power to heal people. More likely for death to occur, probably. Other than a "Why the hell does the Fighter have a Greatclub?" that looks pretty solid except, what's your escape plan? (Qaetar)
.derf 04-12-04, 01:30 PM	The fighter is using the club because a lot of the undead we've come up aren't hurt by slashing or piercing weapons. Come to think of it, I think it's a +3 club. The escape plan.... mine is expeditious retreat, cut and run! If the fighter gets too deep, he can fly, though that might get dispelled. Generally, this looks like it could turn into a "blaze of glory" fight. Everyone else is dead if this doesn't pan out properly. As for the lack of heals, if we go into town, we're stocking up on potions or scrolls.
rilem 04-12-04, 01:35 PM	Do you really think the presumed bad guys are going to wait on the other side of the door while you go back to town? Your first step should be to cast Clairvoyance or (if the wizard does go up to 7th level) Scrying on the other side of that door. Intelligence (or the lack of it) is among the most crucial aspects of these kinds of battles, but it's frequently overlooked. If you're going to be dropping fireballs on the other side of the door (not a great tactic, because it's so obvious, but if that's what you've got ...) then consider casting protection from energy (or a similar spell) on the front-liners beforehand. I assume you're using 3.0 haste?
.derf 04-12-04, 01:48 PM	I get the impression that the door is a transition, separating a stronghold (or stronghold within a stronghold) from the rest of the area. I think it's safe to say that whoever it is will be there when we get back from town. If it's undead, rather than priests, I think it's even more likely. Scrying could be extraordinarily useful, though it could tip our hat to whatever's on the other side. Yes, we're using 3e haste.
rilem 04-12-04, 01:57 PM	Consider your hand (not hat, BTW) already tipped, especially if you go back to town. If they haven't already used divination magic on you, they're very stupid bosses (such things do exist) and they certainly aren't bright enough to cast detect scrying. Either way, you've GOT to know what you're up against, otherwise you deserve whatever pummeling you receive.
.derf 04-12-04, 11:03 PM	I don't think scrying will do us much good, but clairvoyance should give us an edge. My biggest fear is that we'll get smacked with a pile of dispels and then get swarmed with overwhelming magic and melee. In the event that the party doesn't want to risk slogging back to town (we could get attacked leaving the dungeon), would anyone be able to offer advice based on what we know? At most, we can probably sneak in one nap where we are. Two would be pushing our luck in a profound way..
.derf 04-15-04, 09:46 PM	Dah! The room is protected against scrying, though from the looks of things, this seems like more of a static dungeon property, rather than an active attempt to block us. On the bright side of things, this probably means that we're going to be unannounced party guests.