Erroneous and ineffective creatures. v2

[MAB77]

V2 of Erroneous and ineffective creatures thread as the Old thread grew too large.

An important part of assuring balance throughout the mod is that the creatures we've set up actually work as intended. There's no better witness to this, however, than you, the players. And likely, there's no one who knows better when something isn't living up to the challenge it suggests. So I put forward this thread to encourage you all to post what lackings you encounter here, as well as suggestions to how we could make things better and the challenges more balances and interesting.

This could be things like creatures using spells redundantly or inefficiently, spells that even harm themselves - like undeads using healing - but also inefficient behavior or tactics.

It might seem as a bit of a paradox that you should help us making things harder for yourself, but in the end, it'll make the entire experience more balanced and even for all - and make the impact we want to give with this server stand clearer. So please post away...

[SardineTheAncestor]

Re: Quills being used after you are downed.

It's a glitch that you are being finished off immediately after being downed. You are supposed to resist all damage when creatures target you for a round or two after you go down as part of the new instakill prevention system. Maybe physical damage doesn't count. Quills would be an awkward standout considering how few manticores the server has.

[zDark Shadowz]

I think loup garou, being a more powerful variation of "werewolf" could use some buffs.

While I can't find the source stat block for loup garou (lowland or mountain), a CR of 5 is listed on the Forgotten Realms wiki for 3e for *one* of these so it should take a party of four level 5s just to deal with one of them.

At the moment with four HD, the only thing stopping a level 2 beguiler from hunting packs of the lowlands reliably is their mild spell resistance- they can still get off a Sleep followed by Coup de Grace, allowing them to kill a cursed, regenerating, physically resistant muscle-bound beast with a neck snap rather than silver or enchanted weaponry.

So, please at the very least, increase their HD/Level by 1 or 2 for the lowland loup garou.

Additional suggestion:

Spoiler: show

I think lowland loup garou should be about as strong as the mountain loup garou is currently, and the mountain loup garou should be moved to be about as strong as a dire wolf pack leader with the lycanthropy template applied.

Add the Knockdown or Called Shot feat to them: the standard d20 srd for werewolf says they know "Trip".

Since werewolves don't show up in the outskirts anymore unless lured through transitions, they can afford to be a bit stronger so just one of them gives a group of level 5-6s actual pause for concern.

[zDark Shadowz]

The "barbed tentacle" seems to be using the shifter version of manticore spikes instead of the monster version, they're able to deal a significant amount more spike damage.

Or, the stronger versions of the tentacles are using the weaker version of the spikes. Either way its inconsistent.

Moving this over to here from the minor bug reports, as it seems the wrong variation of spikes they use also harms their allied tentacles when used if they're nearby.

[EO]

The "barbed tentacle" seems to be using the shifter version of manticore spikes instead of the monster version, they're able to deal a significant amount more spike damage.

Or, the stronger versions of the tentacles are using the weaker version of the spikes. Either way its inconsistent.

Moving this over to here from the minor bug reports, as it seems the wrong variation of spikes they use also harms their allied tentacles when used if they're nearby.

I must have missed this last time but I'll fix those issues.

[Niffie]

No idea if this goes here. Feel free to direct me elsewhere if not!

I'm just wondering as to why Greater Werebears around lake Zarovich doesn't give experience to a lvl 11, while simultaneously being exceedingly more dangerous than certain other creatures in Barovia that still give xp to that level bracket. I assume they have typically high str like most bears in the game, and thus very high AB that even while fully buffed can make short work of me if I'm not careful and with haste.

[Wyldhunt]

Ineffective Creatures: Every Animal Companion with Spot, Listen, Hide, and/or Move Silently. (And mostly familiars with those skills as well)

It occurred to me that familiars, animal companions, and dominated animals lack any AI to respond to their masters. The exception, of course, is when familiars are directly controlled.
Because the AI never does anything other than follow, stand ground, or attack, all of their skills that make use of stealth or detect become largely useless.

I discussed this on Discord, and the main argument against it was just that companions are primarily for RP so it doesn't matter.
I would argue that if I want to have my dire rat with me while I solo a cave full of undead, where my rat couldn't even use his sneak attack and will likely just die, that should be my decision. I sometimes make such decisions for RP.
But there is no reason why he couldn't at least try to be stealthy while he's there.

My suggestion is to have companions/familiars/dominated mimic what their master does. If their master is detecting, so are they. If their master is stealthed, so are they.
This is a quick and easy fix that would allow everyone with a pet to have some basic control over how their pet is acting.

To make it even quicker and easier for you, I'll leave the code block for it below.
You likely already have an AI code block for "if (GetMaster(OBJECT_SELF))". If so, you can probably just drop this in. If not, it can go in any of the NPC AI code that runs for pets.

Code: [Select]

    if (GetMaster(OBJECT_SELF) != OBJECT_INVALID) // We only care if we have a master
    {
        object oMaster = GetMaster(OBJECT_SELF);
        // If our master is stealthy, we try to be stealthy
        if (GetStealthMode(oMaster) && !GetStealthMode(OBJECT_SELF)) SetActionMode(OBJECT_SELF, ACTION_MODE_STEALTH, TRUE);
        // If our master enters combat, we want to keep our current status. This will increase our odds of using backstab (IE: Dire Rat). If we have a Hold Position command, we will hold and remain stealthy.
        // Otherwise, if our master is not stealthy, we stop being stealthy.
        else if (!GetIsInCombat(oMaster) && !GetStealthMode(oMaster) && GetStealthMode(OBJECT_SELF)) SetActionMode(OBJECT_SELF, ACTION_MODE_STEALTH, FALSE);
        // If our master is detecting, we try to detect.
        if (GetDetectMode(oMaster) && !GetDetectMode(OBJECT_SELF)) SetActionMode(OBJECT_SELF, ACTION_MODE_DETECT, TRUE);
        // If our master enters combat, we want to keep our current status. This will increase our odds of spotting stealthy ambushers.
        // Otherwise, if our master is not detecting, we stop detecting.
        else if (!GetIsInCombat(oMaster) && !GetDetectMode(oMaster) && GetDetectMode(OBJECT_SELF)) SetActionMode(OBJECT_SELF, ACTION_MODE_DETECT, FALSE);
    }
Checking for action modes is one of the quickest and least laggy things that the Aurora engine can do, and the action mode is only changed when it's actually needed.
This shouldn't cause any noticeable lag at all.

(Edited to make oMaster a variable to reduce checks to find the master)

[UrielZarriah]

Sullen woods strikes me as odd.

I correctly identifed the shadow fiends and greater shadow fiends there today, and got a description about them being from the lower planes.

To that end I would suggest a slight rebrand.

From Shadow to Greater Shadow Fiend.

Into Shadow, followed by either, a flavorful name, or one related to the essence found within the creature.

For the flavorful names, I would suggest something like, "Greater Shadow, Deep Shadow, Gloaming Shadow"

I understand this might be minor. But for someone looking at it from an outside perspective. It would be REALLY easy to assume the creatures known as shadow fiends are outsiders, after doing some research.

I would just keep the description the same as the default shadow.

[zDark Shadowz]

Shadow Fiends *are* meant to be outsiders, but the Sullen Woods use the incorrect NWN undead application.

The Shadow Fiend & Greater Shadow Fiend found there and elsewhere should be swapped to the Shadow Demon outsiders, which we also have, and discontinued.

At the moment we have two creatures from the same d&d origin with different racial types.

I will miss watching clerics in NCE grinding their levels out there though.

[Legebrin]

Is there any reason why ghastrian church spectres do not use any greater dispels? Them poor creatures cant stand against the adventurers.

[RedMoney]

The Dog/Mastiff animal companion has a claw/claw /bite attack when it should probably only have a bite attack (most canine do not have claw attacks in any version of DnD).  This seems to prevent it from benefiting from magic fang spells as well, I imagine all animal companions with multiple attacks have similar issues.

[Talis]

This might be the wrong thread but I want to raise a minor issue about a creature that seems to have abilities at odds with what it is. The Scratching Branches, as part of the scarecrow/twig blight/scratching branches mist spawn.

Playing an arcane spellcaster for the first time, I've been working out how to best fight certain creatures. Elemental damage doens't work on ghosts, for example, which makes sense and makes them a bit of a challenge.

However, when fighting these tree branches, I discover they have an immunity to fire damage. I don't know if this is intended, or there is some explanation for it that I am unaware of, but it feels very incongruous with expectations to me. I'm not saying they should be vulnerable to fire, but tree branches being immune to it feels wrong.

It's kind of the reverse of what you should expect. When I see ghosts I think 'damn it,' and when I see burny things I should think 'here we go!'

[CosmicRay]

This might be the wrong thread but I want to raise a minor issue about a creature that seems to have abilities at odds with what it is. The Scratching Branches, as part of the scarecrow/twig blight/scratching branches mist spawn.

Playing an arcane spellcaster for the first time, I've been working out how to best fight certain creatures. Elemental damage doens't work on ghosts, for example, which makes sense and makes them a bit of a challenge.

However, when fighting these tree branches, I discover they have an immunity to fire damage. I don't know if this is intended, or there is some explanation for it that I am unaware of, but it feels very incongruous with expectations to me. I'm not saying they should be vulnerable to fire, but tree branches being immune to it feels wrong.

It's kind of the reverse of what you should expect. When I see ghosts I think 'damn it,' and when I see burny things I should think 'here we go!'

The Scratching Branches monster is identical to the one used in the Blightwood, that's why it has unexpected resistances.
I might swap it out for something else.