Got an issue with a particular spawn?

[tfunke]

Just giving everyone a heads up.

I'm crazy enough to do a full spawn overhaul, which involves balancing all the spawns across the server to the same scale, by going through them one at a time and adjusting them as I go. I'll also be adding descriptions for spawns as well as languages spoken by them (read through examining a creature).
Along with this I'll be adding random spell caster variables, so casters will always be unpredictable when casting spells at you in an encounter, as well as percentages chances that spawns will use their combat abilities- if they have them (knockdown etc).

Anyway, if you have a particular gripe about a certain spawn for whatever reason, don't hesitate to speak up now.

(I've caught a few already- such as shadow druids in cloakwood and a skeleton in the fields of dead, both casting dispel magic, when they should only be casting lesser dispel at their level.)

[Steve]

I'm going to have to fly down downunda' to hug you!!!

So great. Thanks tfunke. Especially the random spellcasting bit. Should really make adventuring a greater challenge.

Also, get in touch with C2K. They did some interesting AI for dragons/wyverns, which you might like to use.

[Darkcloud777]

any chance you can have a unique monster spawn generation? something unique enough to drop a unique item? I played on a server in NWN1 that would occasionally spawn a unique monster that once killed would drop an epic type or at least a good type of random treasure. Such a creature would help to create groups that would band together to end the threat.

[duracele]

The shadow in durlags dispelled my CL 27 sorc. Got the feeling his CL might be too high.

[Bad Omens]

Shadows in Spirit Troll Cave, spam HiPs, ignore DR in their attacks, also have a really high BAB for mid epic area.

Greater Dispel should now be reserved for only the toughest spawns and bosses. If there are multiple dispel casters in an area, please limit them to one.

[NegInfinity]

Just giving everyone a heads up.

I'm crazy enough to do a full spawn overhaul, which involves balancing all the spawns across the server to the same scale, by going through them one at a time and adjusting them as I go. I'll also be adding descriptions for spawns as well as languages spoken by them (read through examining a creature).
Along with this I'll be adding random spell caster variables, so casters will always be unpredictable when casting spells at you in an encounter, as well as percentages chances that spawns will use their combat abilities- if they have them (knockdown etc).

Anyway, if you have a particular gripe about a certain spawn for whatever reason, don't hesitate to speak up now.

(I've caught a few already- such as shadow druids in cloakwood and a skeleton in the fields of dead, both casting dispel magic, when they should only be casting lesser dispel at their level.)

Trolls in troll claws have deflect arrow feat for no reason. Their fort save also seemed too high.

Beetles, Phase spiders and trolls (in troll claws) upon death attempt to murder the player by spawning items in their inventory in hopes that that will encumber the player. This should definitely be converted to drops similar to mino horns.

I believe that Hill Giant Chief is crit-immune for no real reason.

Goblin Shaman on road to beregost might be overkill for the area level. Basically, everything else is perfectly killable by level 8, however, shaman instantly increases his AC by 8 points (Mage armor + shield), and then starts spamming loooong chain of damage spells.

Speaking of tradeway, "fear" is homebrewed ability on tigers http://www.d20srd.org/srd/monsters/tiger.htm
But it would be nice if a tiger on tradeway tried sneaking.

I think one of the beginner zombies -either the ones in the UD crypt or the ones in graveyard had incorrect DR type on them. I think they had DR bludgeoning instead of DR slashing.

Long time ago, minotaur chiefs in mino dungeon used to be lawful good barbarians. I'm not sure if it was ever fixed. I think it wasn't.

Devourer worm in Wyrm's Lair is apparently completely hombbrewed creature borrowed from aliens movie. It does not exist in any monster manual, as far as I know, and killing it used to reward the player with patheticall small amount of xp (7..15), even though it can be as tough as wormthrax. It also can chase player aroudn the level (apparently it can swin through stone plates) and trap the player in the corner of the area, due to huge collision circle on it.

Numerous speaking races do not name player race correctly. They call tieflings and humans dwarves. Goblins and tradeway bandits are usually guilty of this.

Some of the summons had incorrect alignment. People already mentioned chaotic evil angels, but I think djinni also had incorrect alignment on it. Djinni should be chaotic good. Janni is true neutral. Efreeti is lawful evil.
http://www.d20srd.org/srd/monsters/genie.htm

[Blackhorizon]

This feels like such a minor thing when most people can deal with things by just staring at monsters menacingly.

Magic missile spamming goblin shaman(s) on the road North of Beregost are killers, especially when you happen to get more than one, if you can't deal with them swiftly enough or cannot counter them with healing to give you time. I have seen them spam MM straight and sometimes after casting buffs. Sometime they cast fireball or other firebased spells but MM I've seen in abundance.

[NegInfinity]

This feels like such a minor thing when most people can deal with things by just staring at monsters menacingly.

Magic missile spamming goblin shaman(s) on the road North of Beregost are killers, especially when you happen to get more than one, if you can't deal with them swiftly enough or cannot counter them with healing to give you time. I have seen them spam MM straight and sometimes after casting buffs. Sometime they cast fireball or other firebased spells but MM I've seen in abundance.

Yes. If you miss first two attacks and fail to disrupt his mage armor/shield, then one goblin shaman can easily eat 100 hp off a lowbie.

They open up combat with a fireball, buff themselves up with mage armor/shield, then start spamming damage spells. Large number of magic missiles, then they start spamming ranged touch fire spells, then it is something else. Those guys are loaded with offensive spells to teeth, I've been fighitng one at least for 2 minutes and he didn't run out of magic.

P.S. Why are "shamans" casting arcane magic anyway?

[AC81]

Make monsters that wield weapons 'disarmable'.

Give more xp for the devour worm in the serpent hills wyrm lair. Make it so he can't leave the water.

[tfunke]

Make monsters that wield weapons 'disarmable'.

Yeah, I've been doing this occasionally too. Not too often, but a bit. I think about 10% of spawns are disarmable. In the case of you disarming them, they will use their creature weapons, which are slightly less powerful.

Keep the feedback coming people, its good stuff.

Another thing that would be helpful, is if you could point out areas where there are instances of mobs overwhelming the players, which then can tip their challenge rating slightly. An example of this from memory, was the Xvart village. Xvart are roughly CR11/13, but a party of PC's at that level would get killed (unless they were powergamers).
In these instances, it would make sense to raise the CR slightly to compensate. Otherwise you run the risk of people avoiding areas because the spawns are too hard and by the time they aren't, they give measly XP.

[NegInfinity]

Make monsters that wield weapons 'disarmable'.

Yeah, I've been doing this occasionally too. Not too often, but a bit. I think about 10% of spawns are disarmable. In the case of you disarming them, they will use their creature weapons, which are slightly less powerful.

Keep the feedback coming people, its good stuff.

Another thing that would be helpful, is if you could point out areas where there are instances of mobs overwhelming the players, which then can tip their challenge rating slightly. An example of this from memory, was the Xvart village. Xvart are roughly CR11/13, but a party of PC's at that level would get killed (unless they were powergamers).
In these instances, it would make sense to raise the CR slightly to compensate. Otherwise you run the risk of people avoiding areas because the spawns are too hard and by the time they aren't, they give measly XP.

Player may be overwhelmed by ambush spawns at tradeway near beregost. This area spawns goblin rider parties and even hill giants + dopplegangers depending on your level. I'm not sure if this one should be fixed, however, because it gives a good reason not to travel alone. We could use more ambush spawns instead - they break tedium and make situation unpredictable.

Another tight point is minotair mage. This guy can bring 20 level character to single digit hp (or kill them) if he gets lucky. Basically, he casts confuse, and if the char fails will save AND in addition to minotaur mage there will be 4 minotaurs in the room, things will get very dangerous.

I had one occurrence where I ended up fighting 3 or 4 minotaurs, 2 minotaur constructs, minotaur mage and elemental (summoned by mage) AND failed will save on confuse, so my character stood there in the crowd dumbfounded, on fire, after eating IGMS. I survived the encounter with 3 hp.

[joleda]

Will you be looking at the Underdark? If so, any chance to diversify the mobs types in some areas?

Could some displacer beasts not displace themselves after 0.1 seconds of combat? It's a lot easier to attack them from range since they get stuck and won't charge or anything, which is an exploit.

[Thorsson]

They open up combat with a fireball, buff themselves up with mage armor/shield, then start spamming damage spells. Large number of magic missiles, then they start spamming ranged touch fire spells, then it is something else. Those guys are loaded with offensive spells to teeth, I've been fighitng one at least for 2 minutes and he didn't run out of magic.

They're not the only ones to exhibit this tendency. The Baltiri Shamen do similarly, in between hitting you with dispels, The Talasoi Witchdoctors are the same and so are the Orc Mystics which I mentioned elsewhere.

The Talasoi also can spawn in overwhelming numbers. I'd turn down the spawn rate, because that might also stop the frequent sight of medium level Druids running around with familiar and summons in tow killing everything in sight.

Areas that could do with a bit of a beefing up IMO:
* The Soubar merchant quest, where the target is now on his own, making the fight way too easy. An unnecessary change.
* The Goblin Cave, where apart from the Sorceror there's little else to challenge. I used to like the danger the occasional chief posed. Maybe compromise and have a chief in the final chest room?
* The Trade Way. That used to be tough (remember the Giants?); now it's a walk in the park most of the way. I support the call for more ambushes and this would seem to be ripe for some. Just not the Goblin casters.

I would also really like to see casting being more random, rather than the same metric every time.

[Theodore01]

Make monsters that wield weapons 'disarmable'.

Yeah, I've been doing this occasionally too. Not too often, but a bit. I think about 10% of spawns are disarmable. In the case of you disarming them, they will use their creature weapons, which are slightly less powerful.

Yes, please more disarmable creatures - Most of the weapon wielders or at least 3/4 of them.
Maybe add a small timer to the Disarm/Improved Disarm usage to prevent disarm spamming.

[NegInfinity]

a small timer to the Disarm

No. Just no. It isn't a spell and it already has 6 second timer that glitches out regularly.

Otherwise we might as well add 1 hour timeout to knockdown and limit player to 3 knockdowns per rest. Because reasons.