Ethereal Marauder: How Do You Beat It?
Justin Bacon
life of me I can't figure out how you beat the thing without ethereal magic
unless the DM deliberately plays it at a sub-optimal level. Here's what I mean:
The ethereal marauder is capable of shifting from the Ethereal Plane to the
Material Plane as a free action, and shift back again as a move-equivalent
action (or as part of a move-equivalent action). The ability is otherwise
identical with an ethereal jaunt cast by a 15th level sorceror.
That means that the marauder can shift to the Material plane (free), attack
(standard action), and shift back to the Ethereal (movement-equivalent) without
ever allowing anyone else to act.
Now, the thing I don't get is that the Marauder is CR 3 -- despite the fact
that you can't learn the ethereal jaunt spell until level 9 as a cleric (or 13
as a Wiz/Sor).
Similarly, the ethereal filcher has a meaningless restriction of only 1 round
on the Ethereal Plane before it is forced to return to the Material Plane.
Meaningless, because it can immediately shift back to the Ethereal Plane before
anyone can do anything (its shift back is the free action in this case).
Actually, its worse than meaningless because it completely contradicts the
actual description of the creature -- which claims that it "lurks" on the
Ethereal Plane. I don't know how you can lurk there if you have to keep
shifting back to the Material Plane every six seconds.
Justin Bacon
tria...@aol.com
Mark Watson
Is suppose you could delay your attack to wait for it to shift in, then
clobber it just as it does.
mark
DBlizzard
>(standard action), and shift back to the Ethereal (movement-equivalent)
>without
>ever allowing anyone else to act.
Unless they readied an action to attack as soon as the Filcher shifts to the
material plane. Even melee attacks would work this way, since the filcher
isn't going to be moving and doing this (using the move equivelent action to go
ethereal precludes any movement). Getting in position shoudl be no problem.
David A. Blizzard
Craig
"DBlizzard" <dbli...@aol.comdelthis> wrote in message
news:20010204183754...@ng-cl1.aol.com...
If the filcher appears only once every couple of rounds it can use a round
to reposition itself in an inconvenient position...
would going ethereal as a move-equivalent provoke an attack of opportunity,
as though the creature were moving out of a character's threat area? seems
debatable...
DBlizzard
writes:
I believe the original post mentions that they can only stay ethereal for 1
round. Now this can be a very interesting combat. However, readied ranged
attacks are certainly the way to go.
David A. Blizzard
Kevin Lowe
tria...@aol.com (Justin Bacon) wrote:
> I'm sitting here writing an article about the ethereal marauder, and for
> the life of me I can't figure out how you beat the thing without ethereal
> magic unless the DM deliberately plays it at a sub-optimal level. Here's what I
> mean:
>
> The ethereal marauder is capable of shifting from the Ethereal Plane to
> the Material Plane as a free action, and shift back again as a
> move-equivalent action (or as part of a move-equivalent action). The ability is otherwise
> identical with an ethereal jaunt cast by a 15th level sorceror.
>
> That means that the marauder can shift to the Material plane (free),
> attack (standard action), and shift back to the Ethereal (movement-equivalent)
> without ever allowing anyone else to act.
I think this critter is similar to the Girallon, of earlier fame, in
that it's a bit of an all-or-nothing critter. The Girallon if you
recall had truly frightening melee damage output for a creature of its
CR, but it had no ranged combat ability and no particular magic
resistance. If it got into the party's face and they didn't have
save-or-you're-out magic available, it was a real menace. If you saw it
coming half a mile off the poor critter was just bonus xp.
In the same way, if the ethereal marauder gets one attack in, and then
the entire party Readies crossbows, spiked chains, and
save-or-you're-stuffed spells it's going to have a short life
expectancy. If they sit around going "Huh?", it could work over a
low-level party really badly.
If it's only real defence is ethereal jaunting, one missed save against
a measly 0-level Daze spell could put it in a world of hurt as everyone
beats down on it.
> Now, the thing I don't get is that the Marauder is CR 3 -- despite the
> fact that you can't learn the ethereal jaunt spell until level 9 as a cleric
> (or 13 as a Wiz/Sor).
As above. CR is wonkier than usual when applied to oddball monsters
with highly specialised strengths and weaknesses.
> Similarly, the ethereal filcher has a meaningless restriction of only 1
> round on the Ethereal Plane before it is forced to return to the Material
> Plane. Meaningless, because it can immediately shift back to the Ethereal Plane
> before anyone can do anything (its shift back is the free action in this case).
> Actually, its worse than meaningless because it completely contradicts
> the actual description of the creature -- which claims that it "lurks" on the
> Ethereal Plane. I don't know how you can lurk there if you have to keep
> shifting back to the Material Plane every six seconds.
Again, not meaningless if its return to reality is greeted by a hail of
Readied missiles and spells.
Still, it'd be a fun little monster to throw at a low-level party.
Thanks for bringing up this discussion of it!
Kevin Lowe,
Brisbane, Australia.
Craig
"DBlizzard" <dbli...@aol.comdelthis> wrote in message
news:20010204225106...@nso-cl.aol.com...
>
> I believe the original post mentions that they can only stay ethereal for
1
> round. Now this can be a very interesting combat. However, readied
ranged
> attacks are certainly the way to go.
>
Hm, you're right. However, the MM says 'An ethereal filcher can shift from
the Ethereal Plane to the Material Plane as part of any move action, and
shift back again as a free action. It can remain on the Etherial Plane for
one round before returning to the Material Plane.'
It sounds like a shift to the Material Plane can be combined with the
Filcher's normal move, e.g., it can move, shift, and attack or shift, move
and attack, and then shift out again afterwards (as a free action). It
would seem to rule out an attack of opportunity when the filcher shifts out,
though.
The second sentance quoted may be ambiguous, but it sounds like the filcher
can wait a full round in the Ethereal plane before it has to move back, i.e.
reappears every two rounds. Not really as significant since apparantly the
filcher can move normally when shifting.
A ranged attack might work better than waiting with melee weapons, but if
the filcher is attacking (or stealing from) individual characters, it would
generally appear next to someone and take an melee-type action against them
that would give the shooter -4 to hit... and the character being attacked
isn't holding a melee weapon, if he gets an attack of opportunity (which
might happen if the filcher does something besides attack).
Roger Carbol
> That means that the marauder can shift to the Material plane (free), attack
> (standard action), and shift back to the Ethereal (movement-equivalent) without
> ever allowing anyone else to act.
I'd let it get its first attack in as a Surprise, but after that,
I would do the regular roll for initiative (for which it is +5.)
> Now, the thing I don't get is that the Marauder is CR 3 -- despite the fact
> that you can't learn the ethereal jaunt spell until level 9 as a cleric (or 13
> as a Wiz/Sor).
A CR 3 creature is a decent challenge for four 3rd lvl characters.
3rd-lvl Sorcerors and Wizards have access to a couple of
important spells: See Invisibility and Magic Missile. The
former allows you to see ethereal creatures. The latter allows
you to hurt ethereal creatures. The MM description seems to
indicate that if an EM sucks down a couple of Magic Missiles,
it'll run off.
Alternatively, crawl up into a Rope Trick and wait until the
thing gets hungry and impatient and wanders away.
Or you might let someone use Animal Empathy on it.
Tricky, but stranger things have happened.
It's a bit of a mean beast, sure, but so are lots of CR 3
creatures: cockatrices, doppelgangers, phantom fungi,
shadows, minor xorn, etc.
.. Roger Carbol .. rca...@home.com
Adam Pollard
<mark....@home.com> writes
>
>Is suppose you could delay your attack to wait for it to shift in, then
>clobber it just as it does.
>
>mark
I would expect initiatives would still be rolled if you passed your spot
check as it re-appears. I might even make new initiative rolls every
time it does this. You may be able to ready an action to attack it/ cast
a spell.
--
Adam Pollard, Creation Models
Haverfordwest.Pembs.
United Kingdom
Tel 01437-762633
http://www.creationmodels.co.uk