Scare tactics v2 - Now (hopefully) with more on topic posts!

Zarakinthish

Now that we have a clean slate, let's review the relevant stuff from the previous thread.
I said:

Zarakinthish said:

While my knowledge of the game is fairly good, I'm nowhere near an expert. So, in an effort to improve my efficiency, I'd like to hear what some of you experts do to effectively use spells and abilities that scare enemies (e.g. horror). For the most part, I never end up using them because of the problems it creates, such as chasing down an enemy only to be drawn in to more enemies. So what are your secrets?

Corvino said:

Corvino said:

Spook is arguably the best of the bunch. It's single target but gets a hefty save modifier (up to -6) as you level up. It's very useful against tough enemies that cast or have special abilities, because enemies that are panicked usually stop using their casting scripts and will often just stick to melee.

So hitting Firkraag with Greater Malison, Doom and then a couple of Spooks to beat his MR turns a nasty dragon who uses wing buffets, dragon breath and various spells into a frightened melee target. He hits hard, but at least he's not toasting your mages for giggles.

nano said:

nano said:

You don't have to chase them; just proceed as normal and they will come back one at a time to be cut down. Chaos (and SCS blindness) is problematic too because enemies will run around willy-nilly and might go after your characters anyways. At least fear is predictable. They always run away and don't attack (or do they? I've never see them do it but @Corvino says feared Firkraag can melee). You can also stick to using it in enclosed areas, like fights in inns and bandit tents and so on.

deltago said:

deltago said:

Location, location, location.

If it is a wide open map, I usually don't use fear attacks. Having the enemies run around in different directions and out of sight lines can be annoying and their are more efficient ways to handle outside mobs.

Closed off indoor areas are ideal (think cloudpeak monastery or Windspear dungeon) as it is easier to contain and pick off fleeing enemies with range weapons andn it is also party friendly unlike other AoE spells.

However, closed off areas with a lot of corners (such as below candlekeep) can be even more annoying than wide open spaces because once the sight line is broken, your characters will stop attacking even if the target re-enters sight range. This makes it difficult to track down that one remaining enemy especially if there are traps in the area. Once again, it is more efficient to use other disabling tactics in these types of areas.

Edit: For some reason the quotes aren't properly being credited.

Tresset

I noticed that scaring casters is actually a good way to drain their spells. Frightened casters tend to begin casting spells and then get panicked and decide not to finish them. One thing I learned though is never cast horror on mephits... They have infinite instant casting time spells and if you scare them they will spam them like no tomorrow.

Symbol, Fear may actually be better than Symbol, Stun in some cases. When used on casters since it also drains their spells. It also has a pretty hefty save penalty at -4. Not as big as spook but it is AoE. Actually, come to think of it, you can cast Remove/Resist fear on your party and then use Symbol, Fear without worrying about your party being affected by it. I will have to try that some time...

the_spyder

As far as fear and combat (Firkraag and others...), any 'feared' opponent that is cornered will resort to HTH combat. they just won't use abilities.

I'd throw in there that the use of fear can be a double edged sword. If you allow your party to chase down terrified opponents, they will aggro other opponents in the nearby area. keep close control over your own party (and any summonables) lest you turn a manageable battle into a full scale siege.

I'd also throw in lightning bolt. If used properly, you can get some serious damage out of it as it will bounce back on targets potentially causing twice the damage. But it too will damage you unless you are prepared.

One thing I would have liked to see implemented is the fact that in PnP, if you throw a fireball (or any fire based spell) at a web, you get continuing fire damage after the fact.

zur312

i think horror and other scares are only good for so long

if you are level 4 or 5 chaos/emotion + greater malision from 2 mages and you oponents are so stupid/asleep you won't need any chasing