Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Shinryouga 10-31-06, 12:09 AM	Party takes on a half-fiend blackscale lizardfolk with a few cleric class levels, party is only mildly below the CR of said monster. Party lvl 12, monster CR 14. Technically a hard fight, but not unbeatable. So what did they do wrong? One round into fight, party has taken all but the death effect of blasphemy and is totally paralyzed with the exception of the woodling barbarian, who barely holds out against the cleric buffed blackscale. This post has two angles: 1. Is there anything that can be done to counter or otherwise prepare or react to a blasphemy/hold word/etc effect? 2. Does the non-counterspellable nature of spell-like abilities make them as significantly powerful as this encounter illustrated?
MareltEkiran 10-31-06, 12:20 AM	The Paralysis effect of Blasphemy only kicks in if the caster level of the lizard is at least 5 levels higher than the HD of the party. For a half-fiend, the caster level equals the HD. I don't know what exactly a blackscale lizardfolk entails, but it sounds to me that a 17 HD lizardfolk with the half-fiendish template (which adds another 3 CR, if HD is 11 or more) would be more difficult than a CR 14. Unless you have SR, there is nothing you can do against Blasphemy... but it is often unlikely that you'll face enemies that are more than 5 caster levels above your party level. On second thought... The spell is sonic, so a Silence effect should protect you.
Joseph_Silver 10-31-06, 12:30 AM	Take note that the bard's Countersong can counter Blasphemy.
runestar 10-31-06, 01:04 AM	Silence spell counters blasphemy...;)
DrMorganes 10-31-06, 02:39 AM	Hm. Somewhere on this site is an article explaining the difference in an encounter's outcome when a party is blind-sided by the encounter and when they're prepared for it. The example given was putting an appropriate party vs a balor (which can use Blasphemy at will). The point here is there's a spell which grants immunity to a given spell effect (or was it 3 spell effects?). I can't recall the name, but it turned the tide and put the balor on full defensive. Also, stay out of the spell's 40' range. If your casters are that close to ANYTHING (which is only a charge away!), there is something very seriously wrong with your party's tactics. Casters who stay back stay alive! Does the non-counterspellable nature of spell-like abilities make them as significantly powerful as this encounter illustrated? NO. These abilities are factored into the CR boost of the half-fiend template. What it does mean, however, is that your party can't use "everybody rush him" tactic and expect to come away unscathed. When properly played, high level encounters will wipe the floor with foolish PCs regardless of CR.
KmartKommando 10-31-06, 02:50 AM	Every single time my party has been hit by Blasphemy, it was boosted by a Bead of Kharma, and hit us in the suprise round, in narror dungeon corridors. :rolleyes:
runestar 10-31-06, 03:42 AM	The point here is there's a spell which grants immunity to a given spell effect (or was it 3 spell effects?). I can't recall the name, but it turned the tide and put the balor on full defensive. You might be thinking about greater spell immunity, a clerical spell.:) Since the balor does not have access to detect magic, it should not be able to tell what protection spells the party has in place, barring dm fiat. This should buy your party a few precious rounds to mount a counterattack as the balor's onslaught is negated by your protection spells, since it is unlikely to rush immediately into combat, but likely to spend the first few rounds spamming its myriad of SLAs while its summoned marilith tanks for it(Yes, if I played a balor, using its demon summoning would be the 1st thing I do).:)
Bopple 10-31-06, 04:40 AM	Take note that the bard's Countersong can counter Blasphemy. Countersong can only block sonic effects allowing saving throws. Therefore, Countersong cannot counter Blasphemy. Holy Word/Blasphemy is one of the most broken spells out there(more so for Blasphemy, because it dazes). The only reliable protections are Greater Spell Immunity, Silence & AMF. Sadly, two of them are a kind of stalemate measures, as you know.
PolasKasDorion 10-31-06, 10:28 AM	I was in the position when my group ran through City of the Spider Queen. What saved us was having a player who was immune to paralysis... he was an Elemental Savant or something. I was playing a Dread Necromancer at the time and had an active Spectral Hand... so technically I could have used my Charnel Touch abilities even though I was paralyzed. (Spectral Hand is based on mental control... and Charnel abilities are SU)... could be mistaken there... and I didn't actually need to use it... just offering that up as a possibility.
angryman 10-31-06, 10:30 AM	Give the damn spell a will save.
DarkRhystar 10-31-06, 11:33 AM	So what did they do wrong? One round into fight, party has taken all but the death effect of blasphemy and is totally paralyzed with the exception of the woodling barbarian, who barely holds out against the cleric buffed blackscale. What do you mean "What did they do wrong?" You threw a spell at them that allows no save and makes them paralyzed and helpless for somewhere between 10 and 100 rounds. Seriously, what did you think was going to happen?
Whirlwind 10-31-06, 01:19 PM	Put up Freedom of Movement on as many people as possible if you know you are going to encounter blasphemy. You'll still get the daze and the weakness, but the Freedom of Movement spell will protect against the paralysis.
DungeonMaster 10-31-06, 03:53 PM	Blasphemy 3.5 is the most horribly broken spell in D&D ever. Use the 3rd edition version. Still ridiculously powerful but not outright broken. The guy who wrote the 3.5 spell system didn't know what he was doing.