Help a newbie

Not according to RAW. Not that you can't find a DM in actual PnP who concurs and houserules it as flammable, but, of course, that is not the case in ToEE.

At any rate, there are a few fights that I can think of where grease is awesome, since it keeps forcing all the save-or-suck throws. The two that come to mind, coincidentally, are both related to Lareth's goons, both in the moathouse and then the tower by the Temple. Both have kind of split up groups that it is useful to just stick at least one of them in a pool of grease, especially given how ranged enemies are grouped up in that situation. Hilariously, Lareth himself is no better than anyone else at staying on his toes. Guess that is what happens when the checks are based on Balance and Reflex...

EDIT: Wow. I just noticed... there isn't actually even a balance skill to choose at character creation... well then.

 

For some reason, I thought you could. But maybe that's an older edition or just some random house rule I read somewhere once. Or maybe I was mixing up the Web thing.

Anyway, I definitely made good use of it in the Moathouse dungeon vs. Lareth and his thugs, but since then, it hasn't really been that useful. I'll likely stick with web and/or glitterdust.

 

You know ... when you wanted to ignite a grease spell but couldn't due to TOEE ... try it with a web spell and watch the fireworks.

 

Prone characters are more vulnerable to melee attacks. If you want to stand over someone and do damage, use a melee weapon not ranged. Using a crossbow or longbow isn't quite the same as an execution shot with a pistol.
Not sure if I saw it addressed above, but the core mechanic in D&D 3ed is to roll a d20, add modifiers and compare with the target value. For rolling to hit, the main modifier is your Base Attack Bonus and the target value is the target's AC. In 3rd ed AC starts at 10 for unarmored and increases in value as you get harder to hit. AC0 in 2nd ed (e.g. magic +3 chain plus a +2 dex bonus). Fighters and other classes that were grouped as 'warriors' in AD&D2ed gain +1 to BAB with each level like their THAC0 drops, wizards get +1 every 2 levels and rogues and clerics get somewhere between.

 

Doesn't grease always make you flatfooted if you are standing in its radius even if you saved your saving throw? That should be sneak attack paradise for ranged. also keep an enlarged reach weapon using fighter near the edge of it to get for attack of opportunity paradise.

It is a bit of a high maintenance tactic though, probably best used just outside of a door or corridor intersection when you know you are going to have to fight a ton of enemies.

 

I'm not aware of a char being flat footed in grease, if you make your reflex save you can move around normally.

 

It must not be operating as RAW, then, unless the years I played PNP we had the rules wrong. From what I recall the spell was so effective (for a first level spell) because no matter what if you were standing in it, you were flatfooted, saves or not.

 

My recollection was not completely accurate, so I looked in my players handbook.

In a PnP game a grease spell covers a solid surface with a layer of slippery grease. Any creature in the area when the spell is cast must make a successful Reflex save or fall. This save is repeated on your turn each round that the creature remains within the area. A creature can walk within or through the area of grease at half normal speed with a DC 10 Balance check. Failure means it can’t move that round (and must then make a Reflex save or fall), while failure by 5 or more means it falls.

And the balance chart has no meaning in TOEE due to balance not being implemented in the game.

 

Ya, i think we ruled it as being flatfooted no matter what if you moved through any part of it. Obviously if you fail and fall prone you are not flatfooted. That was our reading of the rule and assumed pretty much everyone else did playing mostly RAW.

 

It funny how many things we may accidentally assume as RAW given a playthrough in our past that just seemed a reasonable assumption.

At any rate, its probably for the best that grease is only so useful in game; the fact it is first level means that the uses found for it in PnP really do sometimes come across as over the top. Plus, sleep works pretty well at that level, and web and glitterdust really do cover most of your options then and there.

Does a Ring of Freedom of Movement save someone from the effects of grease? Not that you need yet another reason to craft it as fast as humanly possible...

 

Speaking of scorching ray...
Rays and other ranged touch spells also suffer the -4 firing into melee. A good reason to consider pbs and precise shot for evokers. In PnP because you roll to hit with scorching ray, you can crit, granted only on 20 and *2 damage, anyone know if that is in ToEE?

 

I guess the monsters I've used it on have been pretty lucky, then. They always seem to remain standing once we're going toe-to-toe with them in the grease and me at the edge. It's not like they spontaneously fall over once they get up after the first fall.

I guess that's why other spells are better for general use.

I haven't noticed the ring helping much. I think I actually had Lareth fall down when fighting him, which was the one time that grease proved REALLY useful.

Ugh. Yeah, I've noticed. It's a real drag. Same with Melf's Acid Arrow. I'll end up having to give my wizard a precise shot feat, which requires I also give him point blank shot. I seem to recall 2nd level being kind of weak for damage spells. It was better for debuffs and buffs. Oh well.

 

Two feats is a pretty hefty price for what you get, though, especially with the availability of truestrike and the ability to pinpoint place AoE spells so the radius just hits the enemy. Granted there aren't a whole lot of standout awesome caster feats unless you count crafting. SR also competes with glitterdust/web/mirror image and you can always throw a magic missile in there too. I think you need to hit level 12 before you get the third ray -- which is where SR really shines, but I'd hope by level 12 you have better things to do most of the time. Heh. Could definitely see the use of it if your going to craft wands to spam spells, though, using the "sell wand when almost out of charges" trick. But now you are three feats deep.

 

Yeah, I avoided going that route with my elven evoker, went initiative, spell focus and will be getting spell penetration, aside from some crafting, in the long run not going to lament scorching ray/acid arrow too much. But it was a pain at low level. A human wizard could start with it, but the catch 22 is you then gotta rock a crossbow (ugh!) Since you loose the bow prof, and bracers of archery do NOT work to provide it. I miss the old days when magic users could use a sling... though I think in PnP loading sling is a move action unlike ToEE.

The other weird thing about evokers with spell focus is your best spells for damage at levels 1,2 and 4 don't require saves. This means your really only stacking for fireball, which is still worth it but you suck till level 5, and makes you kinda hate ice storm also. Yes there is burning hands and shout, but really, you want to get in close with a mage? And your melee men get in the way, and if you charmed anything you will probably break that, so...

 

Derp, duh. I even mentioned that myself. Somehow didn't think to do the math on that.

Actually Rings of FoM in general feel... lacklustre. Not sure if it is just what I am left with but, for example, I feel I have seen it not help against, say, Web. A classic spell to counter with FoM if ever there was one.