Post/Author/DateTime	Post
ChaosAngelGeno 01-26-07, 03:40 PM	I'm starting at lvl 3 as a Paladin and I plan to take the Fist of Raziel prestige class. In an upcoming campaign the setting is on a desert continent. I figured I might face mummies, so i chose being a Paladin for Divine Grace to fight Mummy Rot. I'll be very light on feats so I was wondering if anyone has any good suggestions on what divine spells or magic items would be good to have in order to help survive desert conditions and constant trudging across the sand. Our DM has forbid us from looking at the Sandstorm book, but I want any edge I can get...
mike_beavers 01-26-07, 03:52 PM	Why has he forbidden it if hes going to run a desert campaign. If you are native to the area, there would be some feats or magic items that you could have and possibly should have.
Mecha_Pope 01-26-07, 05:37 PM	Well, first off your gonna want to make sure that your Armor Check Penalty is low enough that you can pretty much auto pass your fort check vs heat. If the DM enforces that (and he should) heat exaustion can really take it's toll. If you have the arms and equipment guide, your gonna want to get the hot weather outfit, which gives a bonus on fort checks vs heat. Make sure that you read the DMG sections on desert and heat dangers. Make sure to get a cammel, or some other pack animal to help carry water, medium charichters need two to three gallons a day in a desert environment. Have any clerics or druids you have devote thier 0 level slots to water production, so you can stay out in the heat longer. Also, consider hireing a guide, so that you can find oasises to fill up in. As for tactics, use the terrain to your advantage. Deserts are criss-crossed with dry streambeds, which act like treanches, and depending if it is a sandy or rocky deserts, sand dunes have a steep slope on one side and a mild slope on the other. Take the high ground, and if possible try to force the enimy to come up the steep side, and avoid doing so yourself. At your level, little things like this make all the difference. Take advantage of diffucult terrain, ranged attacks from across a field of rubble, along with reach weapons, can seriousy frustrate the enimy. In addition if you spot the enimy before they spot you, set up an ambush, using dunes and cover to your advantage. Burying yourself in the sand, if there is enough wind to make the signs of your digging to faint to notice, obliterates the need for a hide check, because you have total concealment, so no matter how low your hide check is, you can manage it. Breathe through a hollow piece of grass, and have a party member who is good at hiding hide like normal and give the sigal to pop out. In an area like the desert, good spot checks are important, and so is mobility. If you can harry your foes with ranged weapons from a distance, and they are either unable to return fire or just aren't good at it (sure, all the orc warriors may have bows, but they're not as good at shooting as they are at bashing) you can change a difficult encounter into an easy one.
ZolDarklock 01-27-07, 12:25 AM	Survival skill Endurance feat go for some light weight armor, bracers would be nice gotta have some sort of cold/heat protection for them desert nights and days PS - damn near everything in the desert either cuts, scrapes, sticks and/or poisons you...everything especially the plant life
Darth Sephiroth 01-27-07, 01:44 AM	Play one of the Desert races in Unearthed Arcana.
Mecha_Pope 01-27-07, 01:35 PM	I do agree though, baning sandstorm is rather sucktactic of him. If he ever passes out drunk while your around, you should do funny things to him, like burry him or set him ablaze.
Derren S. 01-27-07, 01:54 PM	Prepare Endure Elements and you can safely wear your full plate and let your cleric prepare lots of create water (its not that there are many useful 0th level spells anyway). That should solve most of your problems.
Thubby 01-27-07, 02:08 PM	if you have time to set up an ambush, burry yourself. then, when you have them surrounded, pop out and chop them with your flankedy goodness. endure elements, light armor, create water. should cover the heat issues. the alternative is to travel at night (which is actualy the more popular plan of real desert folk), in that case i recomend heavy armor, a set of winter gear, and anything to help nightvision (avoid torches and sunrods unless actively in a fight, becasue they basicaly scream "attack me!!!")