How to kill a vampire with a suboptimal party [Archive] - Wizards Community

How to kill a vampire with a suboptimal party [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
YamiShinobi
04-26-08, 12:17 AM the party is 3rd-4th level with the most subotimal characters ever (2 evokers, who banned illusion and transmutation 3 healbot clerics, a sword and board fighter who picks feats suited to 2hand weapons, a greatsword wielding knight, a duskblade who loves blade of blood and kelgores firebolt, (used to be a warmage) a an underage finesse rogue who has plans of becoming an A.T. (sheet suddenly dissappeared and was forced to be one of the 2 evokers, a gray elf, the only allowed grey elf, (last "special" slot out of 3 for non phb races the other 2 were lost to a deceased drow rogue and an aasimaar cleric (both worshipped st. cuthbert due to house rules, some crap about an orphanage that adopts "special races" he deems rare. grey elves are just as common as high elves, planetouched are pretty darn common too) who came for only one session.) the other human. both with a crappy dex and too much int investment for both) a (currently) knight who can't keep concepts and changes his character every other week. sword and board but abuses vague rulings like knight shieldblock (bonus agains every enemy) and song of courage (bonus damage as well as attack) weapon finesse (see song of courage) bless (attack/damage, +X to all will saves, scale with level)
DM heavily nerfed the rogue class unnessicarily (cut sa and skills in half, reduced hd to d4, removed anything that was not a dagger from the proficiencies, but allows weapon finesse at 1st level, the evokers have "free" spell slots (3 extra specialization slots instead of one, evoker only, and only if they ban enchantment and transmutation. however the evokers prepare magic missle like crazy, just cause the clerics tell them too. the duskblade throws kelgores firebolts like crazy (he shouldve been an evoker or stayed a warmage) the clerics are a dwarf of moradin, a human of pelor and a halforc of kord (healbot who with his racial bonuses only has 12 str, not impressing to his god) the pelorite (wards the fighters just so he can heal them, but he rolls crappy for 90 minutes before asking me to roll the healing dice for him, (i'm dice jesus after 1 hour of crappy roller) he goes through charges like crazy, he litterally goes through a wand per session. and doesn't rest for spells, my rogue did better than any of them, (even nerfed like crazy) our conscience is a monk of st. cuthbert who questions the rogues permission to leave the orphange for long periods. (she (the rogue) is only a 12 1/2 year old orphaned asian girl, she claims to be the cat god's daughter) until i lost the sheet which i found 2 days after the session.) only 6 of us show up on one night, and no cleric shows 2 sessions in a row.

how do we kill Drakthor?

module is shackled city

BBEG is drakthor the bugbear vampire wizard (all i know is he can be harmed by magic or silver weapons, and he is underneath the city. that he can't be S.A.'d and he has d12's across the board at greyhawk progression (1/2 max +1 +con) pc's are 28 pt. buy and we have been TPKed like crazy (it took a compensationary boost to 3rd level to survive. but i don't think this is enough to take a bugbear vampire wizard down.

if it is appropriately CRed (which i doubt) it would only have 1st-2nd level spells and 54 hp and his int should not exceed 20 (bugbears aren't that smart) i'd assume average of 14-16 (before vampire bonuses of +2, if above that, he must have headband of intellect or something)

can anybody who played shackled city give me suggestion to how to kill this unique vampire and keep him dead.

my idea that the dwarf cleric of moradin liked that the knights tryed to argue against was pooring a casket of oil on the vampire and igniting it, boom. vampire is ash. but that may be against the pride of the knights. but if it were true, so would joining an adventuring party.
Zillah
04-26-08, 12:25 AM ok, TLDR. vampire=fight in the day. meaning attack him while he's sleeping.
um, have your healbot use healing spells on the undeadsauced BBEG? it does do damage to him...
3 healbot clerics. theres your answer. make them all cast healy spells on him. protection from evil. cure spells. whats next
Demetri_Knighthawk
04-26-08, 12:52 AM Alright first lets break down your villian, bugbear, vampire, Player class. if I remember right a bugbear is Level adjust 2 and adding vampire Template is +8 LA so you have a wizard with +10 levels to him. Now, being a bugbear wizrd shouldnt worry you, a heavy strength bugbear with level drain slams and blood drinkning grapples should worry you, if the wizard has no forbidden spells and most likely has necro, evoc and trans available, he can use touch attcks most badly against you. My sugestion is to have the spell casters take shatter and sonic spells. A vampire is immune to any fort save except what damaged objects. reflex saves will help as well since that isnt a specalization nor an immunity for vampires, I suggest tanglefoot bags and alchemist fire, everyone throw both in the first round ^_^
YamiShinobi
04-29-08, 03:22 PM nice, more suggestions would be a little better. turns out the bugbear vampire may or may be a wizard (i am hoping he is not) i just assumed, do racial bonuses against goblinoids still apply to this guy (for the dwarves of course) vampire template if i remember, it would be undead, augmented humanoid, goblinoid, and so would a dwarfs bonus against goblinoids apply against this guy?
Shaggy_Shaggs
04-30-08, 03:45 PM Get a large silver magic* hammer and a larger ziploc bag. Put the vampire in the ziploc bag, seal it, then firmly apply the hammer to the vampire. Repeat hammer application until the vampire reaches a fine, misty consistency. Let sit in the bag for two hours.

*If the hammer is big enough it needn't be silver or magic.
Drackthor
04-30-08, 03:58 PM Get a large silver magic* hammer and a larger ziploc bag. Put the vampire in the ziploc bag, seal it, then firmly apply the hammer to the vampire. Repeat hammer application until the vampire reaches a fine, misty consistency. Let sit in the bag for two hours.

*If the hammer is big enough it needn't be silver or magic.

Shaggy_Shaggs is quite possibly the worst thing to happen to Vampires since Van Helsing. :ayyyy!:
YamiShinobi
04-30-08, 04:23 PM Get a large silver magic* hammer and a larger ziploc bag. Put the vampire in the ziploc bag, seal it, then firmly apply the hammer to the vampire. Repeat hammer application until the vampire reaches a fine, misty consistency. Let sit in the bag for two hours.

*If the hammer is big enough it needn't be silver or magic.

how do you get a big enough ziploc bag for a bugbear? bugbear vampires are at least large size i believe. or at least high end medium.
YamiShinobi
04-30-08, 04:28 PM Shaggy_Shaggs is quite possibly the worst thing to happen to Vampires since Van Helsing. :ayyyy!:

No van helsing is still the worst thing that happened to vampires, oh wait, one thing tops that? The Emo genre of vampires. whom everyone believes is depressed and misunderstood. Vampirism is an illness. but undeath itself is an illness. i have to wear a hood or cloak in the sun. (wish i had a cloak). due to risk of taking on occuring sicknesses. (flu and colds for the common man). this is due to prescriptions i have to take.
The Almighty Dru
05-01-08, 06:45 AM Get a large silver magic* hammer and a larger ziploc bag. Put the vampire in the ziploc bag, seal it, then firmly apply the hammer to the vampire. Repeat hammer application until the vampire reaches a fine, misty consistency. Let sit in the bag for two hours.

*If the hammer is big enough it needn't be silver or magic.

If I had a hammer, I would hammer in the morning.

To the OP: I own Shackled City, but I don't want to give away specifics. That would ruin the whole thing. I will say this: don't metagame in regard to his stats. How does your character know that all vampires are created equal?
RyndarLocke
05-03-08, 12:22 AM Beat vampite to zero hitpoints.

Follow mist to sleepy place.

Apply wooden stake to heart.

Remove vampire head, place holy waffers in mouth.

Submerge under running water.

Apply sunlight.
kelvinaw273
05-03-08, 09:12 AM Get the drop on the vamp during the day.

Or else dump your DM and run your own game, showing him how it's done.
DKase
05-03-08, 11:11 AM The bugbear is probably an adept since they'd lean towards that then an actual player class. I haven't gotten that far into the Shackled city... kinda ****** off my DM with a dirty trick that killed the BBEG in the first adventure, so he saw to it that he got a TPK in before ending the campaign (only got to Flood Season) so I don't know to much about Drakthor.

But since your all such a low level, fighting the Vamp head on will likely net you a bunch of dead bodies. The way to go for you guys is to find out the location of the things coffin first, and then try to use the vamp's weaknesses to kill it off, try to fight where running water is abundant and you can hurl holy water or alchemist fire at it. Definetly have the heal bots buff up their AC as much as they can before bumrushing it with healing spells, don't bother trying to turn, since it'll be out of their range. Control the terrain as much as possible, that'll be key to pulling out a clutch victory. Then get to that coffin as quick as possible, if you haven't found it, follow the cloud as much as possible but keep in mind it is a cloud and will squeeze through walls when ever possible. The best bet is finding the coffin first.
Bedeverekm
05-03-08, 12:55 PM Running water is indeed the key to fighting vampires.

Decanters of endless water on geyser setting specifically create a wide enough stream of water to count, given the descriptions of both.
YamiShinobi
05-06-08, 08:03 PM guess what? the vampire just died! consecrate spell anyone?
jage
05-06-08, 09:33 PM double post!
jage
05-06-08, 09:35 PM Having not made it through the party description (ow!), I scanned ahead a bit and -could you put freaking spoiler warnings in your post? Please?

Some of us would like to be suprised when we play modules and figure things out for ourselves, not have the BBEG's name or anything else before hand.

Besides saying "how do I do X part of Y module" sounds a lot like cheating, after all you're not looking for strategies for vampires you're looking for someone to give you a specific solution to a specific BBEG... whatever... I should know better than to read your posts.

I know you know how to use the edit button...
MishenNikara
05-06-08, 09:44 PM how do you get a big enough ziploc bag for a bugbear? bugbear vampires are at least large size i believe. or at least high end medium.

Hey now, Ziploc makes some pretty big bags these days >.>

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
YamiShinobi 04-26-08, 12:17 AM	the party is 3rd-4th level with the most subotimal characters ever (2 evokers, who banned illusion and transmutation 3 healbot clerics, a sword and board fighter who picks feats suited to 2hand weapons, a greatsword wielding knight, a duskblade who loves blade of blood and kelgores firebolt, (used to be a warmage) a an underage finesse rogue who has plans of becoming an A.T. (sheet suddenly dissappeared and was forced to be one of the 2 evokers, a gray elf, the only allowed grey elf, (last "special" slot out of 3 for non phb races the other 2 were lost to a deceased drow rogue and an aasimaar cleric (both worshipped st. cuthbert due to house rules, some crap about an orphanage that adopts "special races" he deems rare. grey elves are just as common as high elves, planetouched are pretty darn common too) who came for only one session.) the other human. both with a crappy dex and too much int investment for both) a (currently) knight who can't keep concepts and changes his character every other week. sword and board but abuses vague rulings like knight shieldblock (bonus agains every enemy) and song of courage (bonus damage as well as attack) weapon finesse (see song of courage) bless (attack/damage, +X to all will saves, scale with level) DM heavily nerfed the rogue class unnessicarily (cut sa and skills in half, reduced hd to d4, removed anything that was not a dagger from the proficiencies, but allows weapon finesse at 1st level, the evokers have "free" spell slots (3 extra specialization slots instead of one, evoker only, and only if they ban enchantment and transmutation. however the evokers prepare magic missle like crazy, just cause the clerics tell them too. the duskblade throws kelgores firebolts like crazy (he shouldve been an evoker or stayed a warmage) the clerics are a dwarf of moradin, a human of pelor and a halforc of kord (healbot who with his racial bonuses only has 12 str, not impressing to his god) the pelorite (wards the fighters just so he can heal them, but he rolls crappy for 90 minutes before asking me to roll the healing dice for him, (i'm dice jesus after 1 hour of crappy roller) he goes through charges like crazy, he litterally goes through a wand per session. and doesn't rest for spells, my rogue did better than any of them, (even nerfed like crazy) our conscience is a monk of st. cuthbert who questions the rogues permission to leave the orphange for long periods. (she (the rogue) is only a 12 1/2 year old orphaned asian girl, she claims to be the cat god's daughter) until i lost the sheet which i found 2 days after the session.) only 6 of us show up on one night, and no cleric shows 2 sessions in a row. how do we kill Drakthor? module is shackled city BBEG is drakthor the bugbear vampire wizard (all i know is he can be harmed by magic or silver weapons, and he is underneath the city. that he can't be S.A.'d and he has d12's across the board at greyhawk progression (1/2 max +1 +con) pc's are 28 pt. buy and we have been TPKed like crazy (it took a compensationary boost to 3rd level to survive. but i don't think this is enough to take a bugbear vampire wizard down. if it is appropriately CRed (which i doubt) it would only have 1st-2nd level spells and 54 hp and his int should not exceed 20 (bugbears aren't that smart) i'd assume average of 14-16 (before vampire bonuses of +2, if above that, he must have headband of intellect or something) can anybody who played shackled city give me suggestion to how to kill this unique vampire and keep him dead. my idea that the dwarf cleric of moradin liked that the knights tryed to argue against was pooring a casket of oil on the vampire and igniting it, boom. vampire is ash. but that may be against the pride of the knights. but if it were true, so would joining an adventuring party.
Zillah 04-26-08, 12:25 AM	ok, TLDR. vampire=fight in the day. meaning attack him while he's sleeping. um, have your healbot use healing spells on the undeadsauced BBEG? it does do damage to him... 3 healbot clerics. theres your answer. make them all cast healy spells on him. protection from evil. cure spells. whats next
Demetri_Knighthawk 04-26-08, 12:52 AM	Alright first lets break down your villian, bugbear, vampire, Player class. if I remember right a bugbear is Level adjust 2 and adding vampire Template is +8 LA so you have a wizard with +10 levels to him. Now, being a bugbear wizrd shouldnt worry you, a heavy strength bugbear with level drain slams and blood drinkning grapples should worry you, if the wizard has no forbidden spells and most likely has necro, evoc and trans available, he can use touch attcks most badly against you. My sugestion is to have the spell casters take shatter and sonic spells. A vampire is immune to any fort save except what damaged objects. reflex saves will help as well since that isnt a specalization nor an immunity for vampires, I suggest tanglefoot bags and alchemist fire, everyone throw both in the first round ^_^
YamiShinobi 04-29-08, 03:22 PM	nice, more suggestions would be a little better. turns out the bugbear vampire may or may be a wizard (i am hoping he is not) i just assumed, do racial bonuses against goblinoids still apply to this guy (for the dwarves of course) vampire template if i remember, it would be undead, augmented humanoid, goblinoid, and so would a dwarfs bonus against goblinoids apply against this guy?
Shaggy_Shaggs 04-30-08, 03:45 PM	Get a large silver magic* hammer and a larger ziploc bag. Put the vampire in the ziploc bag, seal it, then firmly apply the hammer to the vampire. Repeat hammer application until the vampire reaches a fine, misty consistency. Let sit in the bag for two hours. *If the hammer is big enough it needn't be silver or magic.
Drackthor 04-30-08, 03:58 PM	Get a large silver magic* hammer and a larger ziploc bag. Put the vampire in the ziploc bag, seal it, then firmly apply the hammer to the vampire. Repeat hammer application until the vampire reaches a fine, misty consistency. Let sit in the bag for two hours. *If the hammer is big enough it needn't be silver or magic. Shaggy_Shaggs is quite possibly the worst thing to happen to Vampires since Van Helsing. :ayyyy!:
YamiShinobi 04-30-08, 04:23 PM	Get a large silver magic* hammer and a larger ziploc bag. Put the vampire in the ziploc bag, seal it, then firmly apply the hammer to the vampire. Repeat hammer application until the vampire reaches a fine, misty consistency. Let sit in the bag for two hours. *If the hammer is big enough it needn't be silver or magic. how do you get a big enough ziploc bag for a bugbear? bugbear vampires are at least large size i believe. or at least high end medium.
YamiShinobi 04-30-08, 04:28 PM	Shaggy_Shaggs is quite possibly the worst thing to happen to Vampires since Van Helsing. :ayyyy!: No van helsing is still the worst thing that happened to vampires, oh wait, one thing tops that? The Emo genre of vampires. whom everyone believes is depressed and misunderstood. Vampirism is an illness. but undeath itself is an illness. i have to wear a hood or cloak in the sun. (wish i had a cloak). due to risk of taking on occuring sicknesses. (flu and colds for the common man). this is due to prescriptions i have to take.
The Almighty Dru 05-01-08, 06:45 AM	Get a large silver magic* hammer and a larger ziploc bag. Put the vampire in the ziploc bag, seal it, then firmly apply the hammer to the vampire. Repeat hammer application until the vampire reaches a fine, misty consistency. Let sit in the bag for two hours. *If the hammer is big enough it needn't be silver or magic. If I had a hammer, I would hammer in the morning. To the OP: I own Shackled City, but I don't want to give away specifics. That would ruin the whole thing. I will say this: don't metagame in regard to his stats. How does your character know that all vampires are created equal?
RyndarLocke 05-03-08, 12:22 AM	Beat vampite to zero hitpoints. Follow mist to sleepy place. Apply wooden stake to heart. Remove vampire head, place holy waffers in mouth. Submerge under running water. Apply sunlight.
kelvinaw273 05-03-08, 09:12 AM	Get the drop on the vamp during the day. Or else dump your DM and run your own game, showing him how it's done.
DKase 05-03-08, 11:11 AM	The bugbear is probably an adept since they'd lean towards that then an actual player class. I haven't gotten that far into the Shackled city... kinda ****** off my DM with a dirty trick that killed the BBEG in the first adventure, so he saw to it that he got a TPK in before ending the campaign (only got to Flood Season) so I don't know to much about Drakthor. But since your all such a low level, fighting the Vamp head on will likely net you a bunch of dead bodies. The way to go for you guys is to find out the location of the things coffin first, and then try to use the vamp's weaknesses to kill it off, try to fight where running water is abundant and you can hurl holy water or alchemist fire at it. Definetly have the heal bots buff up their AC as much as they can before bumrushing it with healing spells, don't bother trying to turn, since it'll be out of their range. Control the terrain as much as possible, that'll be key to pulling out a clutch victory. Then get to that coffin as quick as possible, if you haven't found it, follow the cloud as much as possible but keep in mind it is a cloud and will squeeze through walls when ever possible. The best bet is finding the coffin first.
Bedeverekm 05-03-08, 12:55 PM	Running water is indeed the key to fighting vampires. Decanters of endless water on geyser setting specifically create a wide enough stream of water to count, given the descriptions of both.
YamiShinobi 05-06-08, 08:03 PM	guess what? the vampire just died! consecrate spell anyone?
jage 05-06-08, 09:33 PM	double post!
jage 05-06-08, 09:35 PM	Having not made it through the party description (ow!), I scanned ahead a bit and -could you put freaking spoiler warnings in your post? Please? Some of us would like to be suprised when we play modules and figure things out for ourselves, not have the BBEG's name or anything else before hand. Besides saying "how do I do X part of Y module" sounds a lot like cheating, after all you're not looking for strategies for vampires you're looking for someone to give you a specific solution to a specific BBEG... whatever... I should know better than to read your posts. I know you know how to use the edit button...
MishenNikara 05-06-08, 09:44 PM	how do you get a big enough ziploc bag for a bugbear? bugbear vampires are at least large size i believe. or at least high end medium. Hey now, Ziploc makes some pretty big bags these days >.>