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Author Topic: Spitting Necrosis: No Save?  (Read 1036 times)

lonnarin

Spitting Necrosis: No Save?
« on: May 15, 2015, 12:46:34 am »
Recently died to a spitting Necrosis Spider in the Deep and noticed that death occured after simply a ranged touch attack.  Was wondering about the mechanics of that.  Is it from the spiders spit?  Ok, so is that a venom?  I had an anti venom belt on, so couldn't be a venom.  Is it acid or necromancy?  Had a helm of anti-death magic, so not necromancy.  There should be SOME fortitude save there, or a reflex save.  But all that needs to happen to kill you is ranged touch attack, which is ridiculously easy to make unless you're an unarmored dex build.  So what exactly is the spider killing us with that ignores both armor and saving throws?
 

Acacea

Yeah... Acacea's final two
« Reply #1 on: May 15, 2015, 01:34:26 am »

Yeah... Acacea's final two tokens were from Necrosis spiders... *hunts down Blackguy* Gave her a complex. I mean, y'know, another one. 

I really had no actual answers to give, sorry. Just commiserating!

 

Dremora

Only thing cheaper than
« Reply #2 on: May 15, 2015, 03:44:36 am »

Only thing cheaper than instant death is saveless instant death and thats about as close to the DM kill button as you are likely to get lol. I hope this was simply an error in the design and not intentional

 

mixafix

Sounds a sore one. Recall
« Reply #3 on: May 15, 2015, 05:20:23 am »

Sounds a sore one. Recall such moments only too well - usually a few stars are involved. ***** ****** and *****

Regardless of the technical events and outcomes here. It occurs to me it would be good for players to write a good IC description of combat with some of Layonara's more legendary creatures. Giving a general description of particular feats and dangers that they likely deserve would be helpful. It would clearly guide players to unusual and specific dangers that likely would be mimicking  rumours in circulation?

 

Dorganath

Dremora wrote:Only thing
« Reply #4 on: May 15, 2015, 09:53:11 am »

Quote from: "Dremora"&cid="2757540"

Only thing cheaper than instant death is saveless instant death and thats about as close to the DM kill button as you are likely to get lol. I hope this was simply an error in the design and not intentional

We'll look, though the intent behind this creature may be lost to history.  Calling it "cheap" though kind of implies you think we're out to get our PCs, and that can't be further from the truth...and honestly there's easier ways to kill you all off than a rare creature in the depths of some of the most challenging places in the game world. It could be that it is as it was intended to be all along and that the intent was that a Death Ward (or similar protection) would be needed to survive the encounter. In other words it may have been meant to be deadly...very deadly... but not impossible. But like I said, that intent may be lost to history.

 

 

 

Acacea

Foe/Shadow Shield do cover
« Reply #5 on: May 15, 2015, 11:12:51 am »

Foe/Shadow Shield do cover it, just putting that out there for clarity.  Not sure on death ward, anyone? What's the helm we're talking about?

I remain interested in the "what is happening" though, just because sometimes I've no idea what did just happen and it's weird to write a description... hehe

(I'm editing to retract some certainty with regards to what covers it - I had thought this and have only been killed by them with wards down, but in a brief scan of the logs folder the successful ranged touches that did not result in death belonged to the hurling spikes ability. Bolt attacks were rarely used and primarily directed at others, so I can't say if it succeeded. The times it succeeds on Acacea were also times her wards had failed. *shrug* I believe this to be the case, but,  "I can neither confirm nor deny..." hehe.)

 

Xaltotun

Jeez, some of my characters
« Reply #6 on: May 15, 2015, 06:43:05 pm »

Jeez, some of my characters have fought these things with gay abandon and no second thoughts (apart from the deadly sounding name).... but no more. Thanks for the heads-up. And yeah, some write ups on the more unusual encounters might make good late night reading.

 

lonnarin

I'm thinking it's a Death
« Reply #7 on: May 16, 2015, 01:06:07 pm »

I'm thinking it's a Death bolt ability.  http://nwn.wikia.com/wiki/Death_bolt

I think Acacea may be right then that spells with immunity to death magic should help.  One helm I have, I think that Death's Visor says immunity to Death Magic, but it's been really hit-or-miss on what it considers death magic.  Not sure if a bolt of death counts as death magic, despite being a magical bolt that causes death. :P

 

Dorganath

lonnarin wrote:I'm thinking
« Reply #8 on: May 17, 2015, 10:51:56 am »

Quote from: "lonnarin"&cid="2757547"

I'm thinking it's a Death bolt ability.  http://nwn.wikia.com/wiki/Death_bolt

I think Acacea may be right then that spells with immunity to death magic should help.  One helm I have, I think that Death's Visor says immunity to Death Magic, but it's been really hit-or-miss on what it considers death magic.  Not sure if a bolt of death counts as death magic, despite being a magical bolt that causes death. :P

You are correct. It is a Death Bolt.

Based on what I see, the implementation of the Death Bolt is stock Bioware, and it is written just the link you posted suggests. Therefore, I'm going to go with "working as intended" at the moment. Also, based on markers in the creature itself, I'd say this was introduced when the Deep on Belinara (then: Underdark on Xantril) was reworked something like 8-ish years ago.

Contrary to the words of a particular Dwarf, Death Wards are not for pansies! *winks*

 

willhoff

  Had a helm of anti-death
« Reply #9 on: May 22, 2015, 01:47:55 am »

  Had a helm of anti-death magic, so not necromancy.

 

If you had the "death's visor" helm on when you encountered the spitter you should have been protected.  I haven't tested it though.  I feel for yah Acacea!  The Deep is deadly aye.

 

gilshem ironstone

Pretty sure the Death's Visor
« Reply #10 on: May 23, 2015, 07:02:43 pm »

Pretty sure the Death's Visor provides immunity to death magic whereas the spitting necrosis is a death effect and not magic. 

 

willhoff

   The only ways to avoid
« Reply #11 on: May 23, 2015, 07:42:38 pm »

 

 

 

The only ways to avoid death from this ability are avoiding being hit by the touch attack and having immunity to death magic.

As quoted from the "death bolt" description given from neverwinter nights wiki in this thread.  Your right the death's visor offers immunity to death magic which according to the above quote is a means of avoiding the effect so it should work.   That being said, there could be something amis with the "descriptor" on this particular bolt attack...I recall seeing something about that in wiki.

 

 

anything