Duelling [Barbarian vs. Wizard]
Nikolaus Wagner
As the barbarian of our group always behaves like in the PHB ('booky types, you
just have to hate them, wouldnt survive in the *real* world, itellya') I want
to show off a little next gaming session and would like to duel with him
(of course this would not have to be ingame, as it wouldnt be good to roll
out new characters before a game)
Barbarian: 6th level, makes lot of melee damage, has high attack bonuses and
very good base stats, 86 hit points (I reckon that one good melee attack is the
end of the wizard, as he has only 23 hit points, the Barbarian has 2 attacks per
round)
Wizard: 5th level, Spells: 4/7/3/2 (ring of wizardry I, Spell prodigy (+2 int
in terms of bonus spells, int 17)
Wizard has:
Bag of tricks (originally only for Druids, can summon 10 monsters per week,
monster stays 10 min or until slain, monster is one of
(fiendish wolverine, fiendish wolf, celestial boar, celestial
black bear), d100 decides which being is drawn out of bag
(01-30:wolverine; 21-60 wolf; 61-85: board; 86-100: bear)
Scroll: Summon monster III (couldnt really afford this for dungeon crawls,
just for the duel, I dont like spending all my
money on one-use items)
Loaded spells:
3rd level:
Fly
Summon Monster 3
2nd level:
Invisibility
Summon Monster 2
Summon Monster 2
1st level:
Expeditious Retreat
Mage Armour
Shield
4x Magic Missile
Cantrips:
Mage Hand
Ghost Sound
Dancing Lights
Prestigitation
The fight:
At the beginning of the duel both combatants cant reach each other
and it takes 2 actions to get to the other.
Barbarian has higher initiative
First round:
B: moves closer to W
W: invisibility, moves away from current position
(next step could also be ghost sound, so B moves elsewhere)
B: moves closer, searches for W
W: fly, flies away vertically
B: searches for W
W: Summon Monster 3 (Celestial Bear) from scroll
B: fights monster now
W: Summon Monster 3 (Celestial Bear) from prepared spells
.. now B has to fight 2 monsters with 8 HD.
in the meantime:
W: Summon Monster 2, Summon Monster 2, Mage Armour,
Shield
After that the 4 Magic Missiles (W is now longer invisible, as this
is a direct attack) should finish off the Barbarian.
Ghost Sound, Dancing Lights and Prestigidation as well as Expeditious
Retreat is just for playing cat-and-mouse with him.
The bag of tricks isnt used too, it makes the wizard more detectable,
as a ball of fur materializes first, but his adversary is distracted by
the monster he fights now it could be used too.
Is there any way for my savage friend to come out alive?
Thx for suggestions and counteractions,
Nikolaus
Nikolaus Wagner
Nikolaus Wagner <usenet.1...@spamgourmet.com> wrote:
Is it possible to cast 2 spells ("1 action" each) in 1 round?
Then the 1st level spell "minor image" and the 2nd level spell
"invisibility" would be handy indeed ;-)
Greets,
Nikolaus
David Dorward
When you get to level 9 you can use Qucken Spell to put a 1st level spell in
a 5th level spell slot and then cast it as a free action (allowing you to
cast another spell the same round).
I had a look through the rules for magic items, but it appears that just
about every way to activate an item requires a standard action, so haste
wouldn't let you cast a spell and use and item which casts a spell (such as
a wand) in one round.
--
David Dorward http://david.us-lot.org/
"You cannot rewrite history, not one line."
- The Doctor (Dr. Who: The Aztecs)
Lord Lazy
"David Dorward" <dor...@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:b4fmkd$geu$1$8300...@news.demon.co.uk...
Is it posible to cast two 1 action spells if you have to "attacks" +6/+1?
Jay Hafner, D.C.
jh
Malachias Invictus
> I had a look through the rules for magic items, but it appears that just
> about every way to activate an item requires a standard action,
Not so.
> so haste wouldn't let you cast a spell and use and item which casts a
spell (such as
> a wand) in one round.
It most certainly would. Read the rules again.
--
^v^v^Malachias Invictus^v^v^
It matters not how strait the gate,
How charged with punishment the scroll,
I am the Master of my fate:
I am the Captain of my soul.
from _Invictus_, by William Ernest Henley
Nikolaus Wagner
"Jay Hafner, D.C." <JAYH...@qwest.net> wrote:
> Conan always wins because wizards are overconfident...
>
Hm, the wizard in this fight does not "fight like a man" (aka
"does not fight in the open"), he uses invisibility and flying.
The wizards fighting style here is very,very defensive.
A barbarian with 23 hitpoints and the same abilities as the
other barbarian couldnt win either, only if he had much better
dice results than the other one with 82 hit points.
Nikolaus
Ken Andrews
<usenet.1...@spamgourmet.com> wrote:
>Is there any way for my savage friend to come out alive?
Use a bow.
David Dorward
>> I had a look through the rules for magic items, but it appears that just
>> about every way to activate an item requires a standard action,
>
> Not so.
>
>> so haste wouldn't let you cast a spell and use and item which casts a
> spell (such as
>> a wand) in one round.
>
> It most certainly would. Read the rules again.
DMG 206: Wands use the spell trigger activations method
DMG 175:
Spell completion: .... standard action
Spell Trigger: ... standard action
Command Word: ... standard action
Care to point me at whatever I missed?
Mark
<usenet.1...@spamgourmet.com> wrote:
have anymore info on the barbarian? like his known magical items and
weapons. i mean he should at least rage at the start of your duel
gaining twelve more hit points. his speed (if wearing light armor)
might catch you off gaurd until you cast the expeditious retreat. if
he has a keen weapon he might get through your monsters alittle sooner
then you expect. does he carry a bow?
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Jay H.
>>
>
>
> Hm, the wizard in this fight does not "fight like a man" (aka
> "does not fight in the open"), he uses invisibility and flying.
> The wizards fighting style here is very,very defensive.
> A barbarian with 23 hitpoints and the same abilities as the
> other barbarian couldnt win either, only if he had much better
> dice results than the other one with 82 hit points.
This also doesn't refect the barbarians natural abilities to do things like:
Hit the wizard first(and hard) and stand next to him and do an AOO
everytime he tries to cast a spell..
Jump up and grab his feet as he flies by..
Use his horde of friends to hunt down the wizard and tear out his liver
for the poodles..
Drink a potion of invisibility and a potion of fly..
Nail the wizard with bow and thrown weapons
Hide
Move silently
See in the dark (half-orc)
etc.
etc.
etc.
jh
--
d20 Conan / Hyboria Group: www.yahoogroups.com/group/d20conan
..
Malachias Invictus
>>>so haste wouldn't let you cast a spell and use and
>>>item which casts a spell (such as a wand) in one
>>>round.
>>It most certainly would. Read the rules again.
> DMG 206: Wands use the spell trigger activations method
>
> DMG 175:
>
> Spell completion: .... standard action
> Spell Trigger: ... standard action
> Command Word: ... standard action
>
> Care to point me at whatever I missed?
Read the description of Haste.
David Dorward
>
> "David Dorward" <dor...@yahoo.com> wrote in message
> news:b4g0nq$e6b$1$8300...@news.demon.co.uk...
>>>>so haste wouldn't let you cast a spell and use and
>>>>item which casts a spell (such as a wand) in one
>>>>round.
>
>>>It most certainly would. Read the rules again.
>
>> DMG 206: Wands use the spell trigger activations method
>>
>> DMG 175:
>>
>> Spell completion: .... standard action
>> Spell Trigger: ... standard action
>> Command Word: ... standard action
>>
>> Care to point me at whatever I missed?
>
> Read the description of Haste.
The subject may take an extra partial action.
and from PHB 121: "A partial action is like a standard action, except you
can't do as much."
So it still looks like you can't use Haste to use magic items requiring a
spell trigger.
Justin Watts
disrupt the casting.
--
sdrawkcab epyt t'nod I
Chad Lubrecht
wrote:
>Malachias Invictus wrote:
>
>>
>> "David Dorward" <dor...@yahoo.com> wrote in message
>> news:b4g0nq$e6b$1$8300...@news.demon.co.uk...
>>>>>so haste wouldn't let you cast a spell and use and
>>>>>item which casts a spell (such as a wand) in one
>>>>>round.
>>
>>>>It most certainly would. Read the rules again.
>>
>>> DMG 206: Wands use the spell trigger activations method
>>>
>>> DMG 175:
>>>
>>> Spell completion: .... standard action
>>> Spell Trigger: ... standard action
>>> Command Word: ... standard action
>>>
>>> Care to point me at whatever I missed?
>>
>> Read the description of Haste.
>
>The subject may take an extra partial action.
>
>and from PHB 121: "A partial action is like a standard action, except you
>can't do as much."
>
>So it still looks like you can't use Haste to use magic items requiring a
>spell trigger.
At the very least, you could cast a spell with the partial action
part, and use the magic item in the standard action part.
The table of Partial Actions (Table 8-3 in PHB pg 127) lists
"Activate magic item" as a partial action. Doesn't say though,
whether it applies to all of the above categories.
Øyvind Stenhaug
> The subject may take an extra partial action.
>
> and from PHB 121: "A partial action is like a standard action, except you
> can't do as much."
>
> So it still looks like you can't use Haste to use magic items requiring a
> spell trigger.
PHB 126 lists activating Spell Trigger items as a type of Activate Magic
Item action.
PHB 127, table 8-3 lists Activate magic item as a partial action.
So, evidently, unless the item description indicates otherwise, you could
use the partial action from Haste to activate it.
(D&D 3E is a different beast, but that one isn't out yet)
--
Aewyn
Nikolaus Wagner
Mark <blahbl...@whoknows.net> wrote:
> have anymore info on the barbarian? like his known magical items and
> weapons.
5th level barbarian
+2 (or +1? dunno for certain) axe
+2 armour
AC 19 (or 20)
(10+ dex+2 )
STR 18
DEX 16
CON 15
No antimagical amulets or other magical items.
The only magical things are his weapon (+1 or +2) and his armour (+2).
feat: Cleave.
There is one error in the fight above:
Summon Monster III should not have a bear with 8 HD, as most
creatures summoned with Summon monster III have about 3 HD,
I took the values for "Polar bear", "black bear" has 3d8+6 hp (19hp)
and an AC of 13 and 2 attacks with +6 melee and 1d4+4 damage.
(Values are from http://www.opengamingfoundation.org/srd.html)
> i mean he should at least rage at the start of your duel
> gaining twelve more hit points.
ACK.
> if
> he has a keen weapon he might get through your monsters a
> little sooner
> then you expect.
Yeah, made that 8HD error, now things start to look a little different.
Well, the bow with the longest range has 120ft range increment,
fireball has long range, 400ft +40 ft/level., an arrow from 480 ft away
would have an attack penalty of -8.
>does he carry a bow?
no, if he did hecould take about half my hitpoints with that
(1d10 if he uses a heavy crossbow, ) or almost all hitpoints
(crit x2 with a threat range of 19-20).
Hm, so I can use the Summon Monster III monsters (close range!, 25ft +5ft/2levels)
only as a distraction to get away fast and shoot the fireballs
from a distance (and up in the air).
Magic Missiles have a medium range of 100ft+10ft/level.
If he used a heavy crossbow he can reach me very well if I want to aim
magic missiles at him.
Hmmmmm.
Need to look up a few more things then.
Greets,
Nikolaus
Loren Davis
"David Dorward" wrote:
> Malachias Invictus wrote:
> >>>>so haste wouldn't let you cast a spell and use and
> >>>>item which casts a spell (such as a wand) in one
> >>>>round.
> >>>It most certainly would. Read the rules again.
> >> DMG 206: Wands use the spell trigger activations method
> >> DMG 175:
> >> Spell completion: .... standard action
> >> Spell Trigger: ... standard action
> >> Command Word: ... standard action
> >> Care to point me at whatever I missed?
I'd be glad to.
> > Read the description of Haste.
> The subject may take an extra partial action.
Correct.
> and from PHB 121: "A partial action is like a standard action, except you
> can't do as much."
But, how much can you do? It turns out that the answer is: enough. Page 127
says that "you can do as much with a partial action as you could with a
standard action minus a move." Table 8-3 lists both "Cast a spell [whose
casting time is one action]" and "Activate magic item" as allowed partial
actions. You just can't move as part of the action, except to take your one
five-foot step for the round.
> So it still looks like you can't use Haste to use magic items requiring a
> spell trigger.
In the revised rulebooks, you won't be able to.
Hong Ooi
<usenet.1...@spamgourmet.com> wrote:
>
>Is there any way for my savage friend to come out alive?
Yes, if he has the support of the other players, and you don't.
So, who exactly is being the idiot here?
--
Hong Ooi | "If you don't appreciate it,
ho...@zipworld.com.au | ignore me"
http://www.zipworld.com.au/~hong/dnd/ | -- WS
Sydney, Australia |
Hong Ooi
wrote:
>Malachias Invictus wrote:
>
>>
>> "David Dorward" <dor...@yahoo.com> wrote in message
>> news:b4g0nq$e6b$1$8300...@news.demon.co.uk...
>>>>>so haste wouldn't let you cast a spell and use and
>>>>>item which casts a spell (such as a wand) in one
>>>>>round.
>>
>>>>It most certainly would. Read the rules again.
>>
>>> DMG 206: Wands use the spell trigger activations method
>>>
>>> DMG 175:
>>>
>>> Spell completion: .... standard action
>>> Spell Trigger: ... standard action
>>> Command Word: ... standard action
>>>
>>> Care to point me at whatever I missed?
>>
>> Read the description of Haste.
>
>The subject may take an extra partial action.
>
>and from PHB 121: "A partial action is like a standard action, except you
>can't do as much."
Exactly. It _is_ a standard action, minus the move portion. You can do
anything with it, including make an attack, cast a spell, use a magic item,
make faces at people, etc, that you could with a standard action, except
move at the same time.
>
>So it still looks like you can't use Haste to use magic items requiring a
>spell trigger.
Stop being Burkeish.
Hong "MSB does this better than me, but what the heck" Ooi
Nockermensch
> Hi,
> As the barbarian of our group always behaves like in the PHB ('booky types, you
> just have to hate them, wouldnt survive in the *real* world, itellya') I want
> to show off a little next gaming session and would like to duel with him
> (of course this would not have to be ingame, as it wouldnt be good to roll
> out new characters before a game)
I'd advise against this fight. Your spell preparation lacks the will
save or die spells that would end the barbarian day in a messy way.
Actually, the odds are heavily against you. First, you'll have to win
the initiative. If you do that, then go invisible and move. If not,
you'll probably be dead in a single round as the barbarian rages +
charges.
Once invisible, cast fly and then fly up, just to better your chances.
Once invisible and up there, cast shield and mage armor. The
barbarian, if smart, will ready his bow to shoot where you cast a
spell (he can hear you), so you'll be taking about one arrow per
round. On a positive side, these rounds spent in preparation will
count towards ending the rage, which will be a bonus for you.
From this point on, summon your beasts. Throw the entire content of
the bag upon him and then call your beasts. Have the barb flanked all
the time. If this doesn't finish him. As none of this actions (casting
summons and defensive spells) ends the invisibility, the barbarian
will have more important things to do than to kill you.
Keep your magic missile barrage to the end. Once he have killed all
the beings, fly up to the maximum range possible and then start the
missiles. At this point hopefully, the barbarian will be fatigued. If
the missiles fail to finish him, call it a draw. :-)
--
@ @ Nockermensch, at very least, this battle will teach both of you a
bit of respect for the other's profession.
Nikolaus Wagner
Hong Ooi <ho...@zipworld.com.au> wrote:
> On Sun, 9 Mar 2003 14:23:28 +0100, Nikolaus Wagner
> <usenet.1...@spamgourmet.com> wrote:
>
> >
> >Is there any way for my savage friend to come out alive?
>
> Yes, if he has the support of the other players, and you don't.
>
Well, this is not a "real" duel as in "if somebody gets killed its
time for a little character reroll, start at level 1".
I justed wanted to show off what my wizard can to.
> So, who exactly is being the idiot here?
Hm, I think that would also get settled before the duel
But he's the only powerhorse we have (the other one close to him in terms
of melee might is an elf how has multiclassed to wizard lately and is
more of a ranged fighter), so things might come out as planned
if the barbarian is called to Tempus.
Nikolaus
Nikolaus Wagner
nocker...@hotmail.com (Nockermensch) wrote:
> Nikolaus Wagner <usenet.1...@spamgourmet.com> wrote in message news:<20030309142328.0a752...@spamgourmet.com>...
> > Hi,
> > As the barbarian of our group always behaves like in the PHB ('booky types, you
> > just have to hate them, wouldnt survive in the *real* world, itellya') I want
> > to show off a little next gaming session and would like to duel with him
> > (of course this would not have to be ingame, as it wouldnt be good to roll
> > out new characters before a game)
>
> I'd advise against this fight. Your spell preparation lacks the will
> save or die spells that would end the barbarian day in a messy way.
Hm, so Barbarian 5 against Wiz 5 is not quite the same as Barb 8 against
Wiz 8.
I forgot to mention that I chose
Spell focus(enchantment) and
Greater spell focus(enchantment)
which gives me +4 for the DC that Barbarians have low saves against.
Wiz int modifier is +3 (17, mod will go up to +4 @ 8th level)
So it's 10+4+3+Spell Level or 17+Spell Level.
The Barbarian has +3 Wisdom, and a 5th level save of +1
=+4
So 13+ Spell Level is what he must roll.
Hm, Hold Person (1round/level), 3rd level spell.
He must roll 16 or higher.
(If I use a rune stone (+1DC, need an hour more preparation time,
<1000gp) this is one higher))
Counts as an attack though (regarding the inivisibility spell)
, has a medium range of (100+10ft/lvl, -> 150 ft)
If he rolls 16 or higher I'm visible and meat in 2 rounds.
If he doesnt roll 16 or higher the monster can attack him
for 5 rounds (1d4+4 damage per Bear, Summon Monster III,
3(d4+1) magic missiles).
This is risky.
> Actually, the odds are heavily against you. First, you'll have to win
> the initiative. If you do that, then go invisible and move. If not,
> you'll probably be dead in a single round as the barbarian rages +
> charges.
Ack.
>
> Once invisible, cast fly and then fly up, just to better your chances.
> Once invisible and up there, cast shield and mage armor. The
> barbarian, if smart, will ready his bow to shoot where you cast a
> spell (he can hear you),
oh, somatic spells *d'oh*
> so you'll be taking about one arrow per
> round. On a positive side, these rounds spent in preparation will
> count towards ending the rage, which will be a bonus for you.
>
> From this point on, summon your beasts.
> Throw the entire content of the bag upon him
won't work, just one beast at a time (10 times per summoned beast,
or until slain)
It's a bag of tricks, wizard version.
> and then call your beasts. Have the barb flanked all
> the time.
PHB, page 25, upper right hand: "At 5th level, the barbarian can no
longer be flanked"
He's got the "cleave" feat too (free attack against monster
standing at his side if other adversary just dropped dead, "carrying the
swing of the blow to other creatures")
> If this doesn't finish him. As none of this actions (casting
> summons and defensive spells) ends the invisibility, the barbarian
> will have more important things to do than to kill you.
He won't be reaching me if I'm 400+5*40=600 feet away (Heavy Crossbow
means -2*[600/120 range increment of crossbow=]5, that is -10 to his ranged
attack.
Of course it takes some time to get at that distance, the monsters are
canon ^W barbarian fodder.
>
> Keep your magic missile barrage to the end. Once he have killed all
> the beings, fly up to the maximum range possible and then start the
> missiles.
^W fireballs *g*
> At this point hopefully, the barbarian will be fatigued. If
> the missiles fail to finish him, call it a draw. :-)
Hey, I could nearly kill him (some negative number as the current amount of
hit points), get him to a near farmhouse, stabilize him, and leave him with
enough potions of healing to restore him to full hit points.
>
> --
> @ @ Nockermensch, at very least, this battle will teach both of you a
> bit of respect for the other's profession.
Maybe just invisibility, ghost sound, fly, summon monster (x)
and 10 scrolls of fireball could teach him that too? *harharharhar*
(Now, apart from the init problem and him unerringly striking at me, what
could go wrong here?)
Fireballs dont seem to have any attack restriction (they always seem to hit some-
how) the only thing they have is reflex half (which is not a good thing for
wizards if a bunch of wizards want to kill a bunch of high level rogues)
Kershek
> B: moves closer to W
> W: invisibility, moves away from current position
>
> (next step could also be ghost sound, so B moves elsewhere)
> B: moves closer, searches for W
wizard to cast.
> W: fly, flies away vertically
When the wizard casts fly, the barb does a listen check vs DC 20 + 1 per 10
feet (for an invisible foe) and shoots at the square with the wizard if he
makes it. If it hits, it could ruin the fly spell.
Or, throw alchemist's fire at the square with the wizard. Remember, the
wizard is pretty close to the ground if he's casting Summon Monster. If it
hits, he's on fire for two rounds and easily spotted.
> B: searches for W
> W: Summon Monster 3 (Celestial Bear) from scroll
Another listen check for the barb without even having to ready an action,
since Summon Monster is a full round spell. If he hits, spell could be
ruined.
> B: fights monster now
Celestial bear could be mince meat in two rounds if the barb is worth his
levels. Or, forget the bear with fighting defensively and concentrate on
the casting wizard.
> W: Summon Monster 3 (Celestial Bear) from prepared spells
>
> .. now B has to fight 2 monsters with 8 HD.
> in the meantime:
Well, 3 HD each, but I get your point. Even with two bears, cleave will
help the barb wade through them. They don't have very good AC.
> W: Summon Monster 2, Summon Monster 2, Mage Armour,
> Shield
>
> After that the 4 Magic Missiles (W is now longer invisible, as this
> is a direct attack) should finish off the Barbarian.
> Ghost Sound, Dancing Lights and Prestigidation as well as Expeditious
> Retreat is just for playing cat-and-mouse with him.
>
> The bag of tricks isnt used too, it makes the wizard more detectable,
> as a ball of fur materializes first, but his adversary is distracted by
> the monster he fights now it could be used too.
>
> Is there any way for my savage friend to come out alive?
If the wizard gets a scroll of Summon Monster III just for this combat,
then the barbarian should get a potion just for this combat as well. Like,
say, fly. Or bull's strength. Or see invisibility :)
Richard Walker
> This also doesn't refect the barbarians natural abilities to do things like:
>
> Hit the wizard first(and hard) and stand next to him and do an AOO
> everytime he tries to cast a spell..
To win, the wizard needs to:
Cast Defensively, ALWAYS. Never, ever cast non-defensively. If you
don't cast defensively, you'll likely loose the spell and some
hitpoints; so even if you fail the defensive casting check, you are no
worse off.
Use spells that are save or die, you can't beat the barbarian with the
selection you've given him. Take Charm/Hold Person, Ghoul Touch,
Glitterdust, and you've got a reasonable (not great) chance.
Nockermensch
> On 10 Mar 2003 03:25:49 -0800
> nocker...@hotmail.com (Nockermensch) wrote:
>
> > Nikolaus Wagner <usenet.1...@spamgourmet.com> wrote in message news:<20030309142328.0a752...@spamgourmet.com>...
> > > Hi,
> > > As the barbarian of our group always behaves like in the PHB ('booky types, you
> > > just have to hate them, wouldnt survive in the *real* world, itellya') I want
> > > to show off a little next gaming session and would like to duel with him
> > > (of course this would not have to be ingame, as it wouldnt be good to roll
> > > out new characters before a game)
> >
> > I'd advise against this fight. Your spell preparation lacks the will
> > save or die spells that would end the barbarian day in a messy way.
>
> Hm, so Barbarian 5 against Wiz 5 is not quite the same as Barb 8 against
> Wiz 8.
Yes. Wizards go from very wimpy (at 1st level) to very deadly (at
20th) in a way almost unheard of in the fighting classes.
> I forgot to mention that I chose
> Spell focus(enchantment) and
> Greater spell focus(enchantment)
> which gives me +4 for the DC that Barbarians have low saves against.
> Wiz int modifier is +3 (17, mod will go up to +4 @ 8th level)
>
> So it's 10+4+3+Spell Level or 17+Spell Level.
>
> The Barbarian has +3 Wisdom, and a 5th level save of +1
> =+4
>
> So 13+ Spell Level is what he must roll.
> Hm, Hold Person (1round/level), 3rd level spell.
> He must roll 16 or higher.
> (If I use a rune stone (+1DC, need an hour more preparation time,
> <1000gp) this is one higher))
>
>
> Counts as an attack though (regarding the inivisibility spell)
> , has a medium range of (100+10ft/lvl, -> 150 ft)
> If he rolls 16 or higher I'm visible and meat in 2 rounds.
> If he doesnt roll 16 or higher the monster can attack him
> for 5 rounds (1d4+4 damage per Bear, Summon Monster III,
> 3(d4+1) magic missiles).
>
> This is risky.
75% of chances of success is really risky, but you can better this
with a single casting of fox's cunning. It's really your best chance.
Fly up and end the fight with a single holding shot. That's the wizard
way. Only fighters and evokers care about hit points.
Once the barbarian is held, you get the light pick that you
conveniently carry for these instances and make it pass through the
barbarians left eyeball (ie. a couple of grace). Now, even if you're a
STR 9 type, we're talking about a Fort DC save against DC 19 or the
barbarian die. If he doesn't, you go for the right eyeball next
round...
> > Actually, the odds are heavily against you. First, you'll have to win
> > the initiative. If you do that, then go invisible and move. If not,
> > you'll probably be dead in a single round as the barbarian rages +
> > charges.
>
> Ack.
Why yes. And if he's a sadistic barbarian, he'll grab you instead
hitting. You'll probably miss your opportunity attack and then you'll
have to make a opposed strength check to not being subdued and
bearhugged to death.
> > and then call your beasts. Have the barb flanked all
> > the time.
>
> PHB, page 25, upper right hand: "At 5th level, the barbarian can no
> longer be flanked"
Oops, my bad.
> He's got the "cleave" feat too (free attack against monster
> standing at his side if other adversary just dropped dead, "carrying the
> swing of the blow to other creatures")
Pretty standart by 5th level. He'll drop the gooks awfully fast.
> > the missiles fail to finish him, call it a draw. :-)
>
> Hey, I could nearly kill him (some negative number as the current amount of
> hit points), get him to a near farmhouse, stabilize him, and leave him with
> enough potions of healing to restore him to full hit points.
I believe that there's a good chance of your creatures + your magic
missiles not being able to remove all the barb's hit points.
> > @ @ Nockermensch, at very least, this battle will teach both of you a
> > bit of respect for the other's profession.
>
> Maybe just invisibility, ghost sound, fly, summon monster (x)
> and 10 scrolls of fireball could teach him that too? *harharharhar*
> (Now, apart from the init problem and him unerringly striking at me, what
> could go wrong here?)
> Fireballs dont seem to have any attack restriction (they always seem to hit some-
> how) the only thing they have is reflex half (which is not a good thing for
> wizards if a bunch of wizards want to kill a bunch of high level rogues)
I bet that 10 scrolls of fireball are beyond the money that a 5th
level wizard can afford. You're really better with will or die saves.
--
@ @ Nockermensch, who understands something about these battles.