Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Cursed_poet 04-05-07, 05:35 PM	Me and my freshly leveled up 5th level party, who consist of a Human Savage Bard 5 (me), Wood Elf Archer Cleric 5 and a Wisper Gnome Swashbuckler3/Fighter 2 (Insane Fanatic Giantslaying Machine) are going to face an Ephemeral Swarm next game. The proprem is that no one of us have magic weapon (except for the 2 magic weapon spell the cleric have), we have no area damage spells at our disposal, its a 12HD undead so our cleric can't turn it, and we do very little damage in melee and range (max of 10 damage per attack if dice in our favor). Ephemeral Swarm is undead / incorporeal / swarm, have 90hp, do 1d6 str damage per round, 30ft fly speed (good), Init. +4, spot 10, listen 9, AC 20, Touch 20, take half damage from piercing/slashing. Come from MM3 p.50 We are at the second layer of an underground complexe made of 40ft radius circulare layer. The first layer is occupy by an unknow beast of large size presently fighting with 8 Imp allied with us. There is unkonw number of layer ahead of us which are of course unexplored and surely full of trap and undead atrocity awaiting us. The gate from which we came as been scealed so there is no know way out. Any suggestion to help us get out of this hell pit would be so much appreciate. Thanks for your attention :weep:
Saberus 04-06-07, 01:44 AM	Have the cleric pray to his god that he makes his turn check.
Kobogen 04-06-07, 02:14 AM	Im rather sure your lv 5 cleric can heal the crap out of the thing. It is undead and is damaged by healing magic. And if healing spells are a FORT save (I dont remember) than that undead swarm is F*%ked. Undead = 0 Con = no save.
Thrushfeather 04-06-07, 02:14 AM	Have the cleric pray for a Deus Ex Mechana. P.S. I have tried this and it actually worked. I was playing a Cleric with the Air Domain: DM: You enter the room, you see the [BBEG]. Storming around him are four Huge Elementals, one Fire, one Water, one Air, one Earth. Me: I pray, I pray very hard. Extraordinarily hard, even for a cleric (5th lvl) that I can Destroy that Earth Elemental, and Command that Air Emental. DM{realizeing we're in over our heads}: Hmmm... for some reason your god hears you today. The earth elemental is destroyed, here's your pet Air Elemental. Me: It's about time my god did something useful... DM: Ok, and now he smites you, go roll up a new character. Me: Alright, one cleric with the Fire, and Water Domains comming up...:D
Sikyanakotik 04-06-07, 02:15 AM	Im rather sure your lv 5 cleric can heal the crap out of the thing. It is undead and is damaged by healing magic. And if healing spells are a FORT save (I dont remember) than that undead swarm is F*%ked. Undead = 0 Con = no save. Actually, they require a Will save for half. Still, they're probably your best bet.
TheChilliGod 04-06-07, 03:55 AM	If cure spells did require a fort save, then it's not the swarm that would be screwed, since undead are immune to effects that require fort saves. I recommend going in there, putting up some sort of futile effort of a fight, then realize that you're in over your heads and flee. Then sit down and think about how you're going to beat the swarm. This is to try and get the DM to show a bit of pity on you, to pull out a Deus ex Machina. It's a cheap shot, but whatever works. If worst comes to worst and the DM is actually sutbborn enough not to use a Deus ex Machina (perhaps he's thinking about some hidden compartment in the walls that you haven't noticed yet, full of undead-beating items), have the cleric prepare a whole bunchload of magic weapon, lesser restoration, and sound burst spells for your cleric (bard too, if he has them available) and wear out the ephemeral swarm through attrition. Retreat when needed to heal. Alternatively, if the cleric spell ghost touch weapon is available to you (It's in Spell Compendium, among other sources, I'm sure), then that's miles better than using magic weapon. Of course, running straight past the swarm into the next level's an option, provided that the swarm doesn't pursue and it is even possible to distract the swarm long enough to open the door (or whatever) to the next level. Hope I helped.
Cursed_poet 04-06-07, 10:32 AM	Some precision: First, that turn check won't succeed cause the cleric need to hit 12 HD and the max he can is 9 (5 cleric level + 4 if he get 22 on his check). Second, healing won't work except if its an area effect because swarm are immune to spell that target only one creature. Third, ghost touch weapon is a lvl 4 spell so none of us can possibly have it. Fourth, my bard don't have sonic burst, and the cleric haven't prepare it. The only plan we figured out is that one or more of us run ahead with the swarm behind us until we get in front of the BBEG (hoping we make it alive across that pit of trap and undead) and the swarm, because of its nature, would just jump on the BBEG cause it made it (they kill whoever killed them in priority, so we suppose its the BBEG that made it). I fear if we just try to flee and hide in the place to rest and get prepare to fight the place we get caught easily on the way, or get murdered in our sleep.
feollus 04-06-07, 05:22 PM	Well, if you have minor image, you might be able to get past it with good planning. First, make sure the corridor or room you're in is wider than the swarm. Next, have one of the allied imps distract it by running around or whatever, then fly away when the swarm starts chasing the imp. Even if the DM says that the imp doesn't want to do it because it's in danger, since an imp has a fly speed of 50ft as opposed to the 30ft of a swarm, you can argue back that there is, in fact, no danger at all to the imp. BEFORE all this happens, put up a minor image around your entire party, making it look like a wall. After a predetermined signal, which occurs when the imp has led the swarm out of sight, drop the wall and start running. The swarm should completely ignore the wall, given that it has an intelligence of 2, and chase after the imp. Since this is NOT mind-affecting and the swarm does not get a save unless it touches the wall, they should have no way to detect you. (And, if you want the imp back, since imps get both invisibility and alternate form, just have the imp cast invisibility on itself later and have it rejoin you.) If your DM will allow you to just sit there and wait for 24 hours, let your cleric prepare Hide from Undead (PHB 241), which should give you at least a 25% chance to get past it without having to do anything. Since it's a level 1 spell, if you prepare it 4 times, the swarm should statistically fail at least one save and be unable to detect your entire party. Or you could just suck it up and fight it. It's CR 5, so with good strategy, you have a chance of beating it, especially if the imps help. 1d6 strength/round is nasty, though.
Cardinal Teplin 04-07-07, 07:40 AM	It's mindless, right? You have a cleric who can summon creatures, right? Lead the swarm away to somewhere out of the way, dangerous, or full of your enemies.
Cromag 04-07-07, 01:33 PM	Minor illusion you make an impenetrable force box around it, trapping it. It will get a save each round that it actively tryies to escape, run past it while it tries to get out. Could also make an illusion of something for it to attack, while its distracted run.