Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 deckinhand Apr 13, 2009 20:40:33	One of my players in our game has become enamored with the Mailman. This is a great build and well within the rules of our game (I'm going to have to start banning time related spells). I'm about to take my turn Dming and he wants to play this character. I would prefer to deal with this situation on game terms and not just by saying "no." That said, this player is playing an evil Sorcerer who keeps knocking out the last DM's bad guys. I'd like to teach him that such a single strategy character has some limitations. I also don't want him picking off all my best criters and NPCs with such ease. I try not to use DM fiat to just to thwart my players. I'd rather come up with a solid game mechanism to address these easy assassinations. Are there ways I can protect my more interesting game NPC/monsters from the mailman delivering the mail? True Strike is particularly vexing as it gets around even reasonably high ACs. Other than banning the time-faining spells, is there a good approach I can take? You know, creatures carrying useful items because they've begun to hear of the Mailman Assassinator type of thing? deckinhand
#2 jameswilliamogle Apr 13, 2009 20:48:54	Drow or Karsite Monks. SR + high touch AC + evasion. Truly the bane of spellcasters. Air Elementals. High touch AC, range issues if flying. Zombies. High HP. They don't care that they're taking damage. AMF, grapple, Mageslayer / Pierce Magical Concealment (combine with above). Other spellcasters. Golems. Rings of Blink combine very well w/ Pierce Magical Concealment. Cloaks of Displacement. Rings of Freedom of Movement. Displacer Beasts. Energy Immune critters. Combine some of the above ideas for true beasts.
#3 keithio Apr 13, 2009 21:21:19	I subscribe to the school of poetic justice, and therefore suggest something with spell reflection (Complete Mage ACF) and abominably high touch AC. It should also have evasion, and a great reflex save. It would be awesome if the "mailman" 1-shotted himself.
#4 SIKBUZ Apr 13, 2009 21:50:14	Depending on his build, use Ray Deflection (Pg166 Spell Compendium) and some way of turning his spell back upon himself.. Or a Mailman build of your own to wipe him out.. An Assassin sent to kill the party and he's the only one in range initially (Monk of the Long Death/Assassin build with a 40ish DC Death attack), oops.. your character is dead please get another.. A group of Master Vampires that dominate the rest of the party and order them to kill him (if the other players are sick of him too and want to play a role).. There are just so many ways :D
#5 phaedrusxy Apr 13, 2009 21:51:58	I subscribe to the school of poetic justice, and therefore suggest something with spell reflection (Complete Mage ACF) and abominably high touch AC. It should also have evasion, and a great reflex save. It would be awesome if the "mailman" 1-shotted himself. +1. Also, Illusions. Let him waste his big booms on a few of those. Multiple encounters per day, and encounters with mooks and BBEGs that look the same should work, too.
#6 darkpawn Apr 13, 2009 21:56:48	Wasn't the Mailman based heavily on ranged touch/ray attacks? If so, how about Ray Deflection out of the Spell Compendium? Pretty useful spell that completely negates any ranged touch/ray spells.
#7 dr_rocktopus Apr 14, 2009 0:15:58	Ray Deflection is great, particularly if he's not careful about buff-checking.
#8 Senevri Apr 14, 2009 5:16:18	Looks like you already have a bunch of tools here, so let me add the obvious one: Multiple encounters per day, and swarms of enemies. CHEAP enemies which do not give out all that much treasure or XP. With good organization and grouping, I've found that around 20 is still quite manageable. 40 was starting to be a pain, over 9000 is too much. Unless they come in waves, but then it starts sounding like turning the game into a shoot 'em up.
#9 kell_kheraptis Apr 14, 2009 5:32:35	Looks like you already have a bunch of tools here, so let me add the obvious one: Multiple encounters per day, and swarms of enemies. CHEAP enemies which do not give out all that much treasure or XP. With good organization and grouping, I've found that around 20 is still quite manageable. 40 was starting to be a pain, over 9000 is too much. Unless they come in waves, but then it starts sounding like turning the game into a shoot 'em up. Savvy Mailmen resort to junkmail reserve fire at this point :P What level is your game currently running at? If you are at or near epic, introduce an enemy with Exceptional Deflection, and watch the party dance as he starts swatting all those nasty RTA's into their midst
#10 hsien Apr 14, 2009 7:04:00	I subscribe to the school of poetic justice, and therefore suggest something with spell reflection (Complete Mage ACF) and abominably high touch AC. It should also have evasion, and a great reflex save. It would be awesome if the "mailman" 1-shotted himself. Top that off with Ring of Entropic Shielding and Panther Mask(MIC); to get 50% miss chance Just keep moving
#11 lormador Apr 14, 2009 8:40:26	Mirror Image and other illusions should help, right? And anything blocking line of sight/effect.
#12 shriekingdrake Apr 14, 2009 9:29:59	(Ah, I was ninjaed and didn't see it.) There have been a lot of good suggestions so far--most of which require your NPCs to know that the attack is coming so that they can cast spells, etc. I say this because you used the word "assassinations". Exceptional Deflection--a mechanic I've been including in an elite druid path I've been fleshing out--is your best bet (from what I can think of) for surprise ranged attacks. I don't have my books handy, but there may other approaches. --ShriekingDrake