Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 Metafictional Sep 09, 2011 22:42:42	Exactly what it says on the tin.  My DM has warned us that in the next session of his game, our level-1 characters will face a Lurker, most likely using the post-MM3 rules for monsters. We won't have any opportunity to purchase equipment, or take more than a short rest from our last battle (as a group, we're at about 50% or less of our surges).  We don't know exactly when or where we will fight the monster, or what other monsters may be involved, just that, at some point, a Lurker will attack us. Lurkers tend to have some ability that allows them to be unable to be targeted for a turn (and possibly undetected as well), but they won't attack.  On the turn they do attack, however, they do more damage than a Brute of their level, with greater accuracy. To make matters worse, it's been insinuated by the DM that we may not be able to rely on Perception to spot the Lurker.  Considering all the information I don't have, my question is simply: How the heck do we fight this thing (and not die)?
#2 Mad_Jack Sep 09, 2011 22:55:08	Use the terrain to your advantage, cut off the lurker from wherever it's trying to hide, forced movement to knock it out into the open so you can surround it or grabbing to hold it so it can't get away and hide... If you have a controller in the party, they should concentrate on pinning it down or using are effects that don't need line of sight to hit and can hit around corners, etc. If the lurker's not one of the bigger monster in the fight, have one of your more mobile strikers chase it around so it can't get into a good position to do big damage. If it's a significant threat to the party, park your defender right in front of it so that it ends up in a catch-22 situation - it can't use its best attacks without provoking an opportunity attack and most likely can't leave without taking damage. The key to fighting a lurker is to find some way to lock them down so that they can't use their mobility and their most powerful attacks.
#3 Revenant07 Sep 09, 2011 23:08:07	Tell your DM to never, ever tell you what you'll be fighting in a future session.
#4 Metafictional Sep 09, 2011 23:21:42	Believe me, I didn't want the spoiler either- I was having a discussion with one of the other players about monsters that "cheat", ie, do things that players can't do (or can't do without a lot of work) as part of their design.  He asked me for an example, and I brought up how the Stealth rules make it very hard for a player to become hidden in combat, and move around unseen to assassinate a 'target of interest'.  Meanwhile, Lurker monsters do this as a matter of course, and often come equipped with features to guarantee their success. The DM then chimed in, saying "well, unfortunately for you, you'll be fighting a Lurker next week."  And to be honest, I've been stymied by every Lurker I've ever faced.  It shows up, murders a PC, then presents some kind of 'magic defense against players' while it sets up to murder someone else.  Yes, it goes down in a few hits, but until then, it's a real menace, especially when paired with other monsters.
#5 salla Sep 10, 2011 1:09:12	Readying actions is your friend.  Especially people with ranged attacks, ready an action to go off when the Lurker attacks.  He'll pop out, attack and then you nail him.  If you can immobilize him, slow him, daze, anything like that in the process, so much the better.
#6 robertread3 Sep 11, 2011 13:53:45	1. ready actions 2. focus fire 3. daze it 4. burst attacks 5. prone it 6. immobalize it lurkers are really weak when conditions are thrown on them, also bursting ignores consealment. another thing is to be within 1 move action of eachother, the ranger or wizard does NOT want to get in a 1 on 1 situation with the monsters.
#7 Metafictional Sep 15, 2011 2:07:51	So we fought the Lurker today, and it wasn't actually worth worrying about.  Show We entered a bar to gather some information about a local "hero".  Our contact was an obnoxious Halfling who kept taunting us.  We tried to play it cool, and answer his taunts with ones of our own, but he finally got mad and called us out.  And then, the instant the fight started, he threw down a smoke grenade (Halfling Ninjas?  Who knew?) and went hidden.  The DM admitted that the stat block said the Halfling simply "became hidden", no Stealth check required, but had the grace to offer us a Perception check to figure out where he was (he remained invisible, however). That, sadly, didn't do much good, as our group consists of a Slayer, a Sentinel, a Knight, a Warpriest, and my Hybrid Cleric/Seeker (I'd used my Swarm of Bats earlier). While we tangled with the goons, the Slayer taunted the Halfling, calling him a coward, and he obliged by jumping him...and rolled a 4 (I'm gathering the DM knew the fight could be brutal, because he opted to roll openly instead of behind a screen). And then, the Slayer angrily butchered him.  The other goons were Skirmishers, annoying, but we dealt with them in short order.
#8 Atua Sep 15, 2011 18:55:00	Glad it wasn't as you had feared...
#9 jonathan_sicari Oct 02, 2011 21:02:58	That sounds like Charl and the House of 1000 faces in the current season of encounters (of course Charl is a Hafling trickster straight out of monster vault so it could be just a coincidence).