OT: Narf has gone looney and wants to GM.(Edited2)

[Jack Simth]

Connection dropped off - it's back up now, though.

[Violist]

OK, my standard spell list as I think is happy:

Level Spell
7 Finger of Death, Prismatic Spray
6 Chain Lightning, Disintegrate, Stone to Flesh
5 Cone of Cold, Wall of Force, Baleful Polymorph, Overland Flight
4 Black Tentacles, Polymorph, Phantasmal Killer, Secure Shelter, Black Tentacles
3 Slow, Haste, Displacement, Dispel Magic, Fireball, Slow
2 Acid Arrow, Scorching Ray, Glitterdust, See Invisibility, See Invisible, Cat's Grace
1 Protection from Evil, Burning Hands, Magic Missile, Magic Weapon, Shield, Magic Missile
0 Light, Mage Hand, Detect Magic, Arcane Mark

[Jack Simth]

Back a little earlier than I expected.

[Jack Simth]

7 dire wolves killed, 1 escaped, one demon slain; 600 xp for Kibin (you are ECL 15 in an otherwise ECL 13 party, facing off against a CR 14 encounter), 1170 xp each for the rest of the party members (Jason, Derrel, Kaylin, Elorin); treasure in the form of a reward from the mayor for taking down the dire wolves - 429.65 gp to each player (sold gems), except for Kaylin, who pulled some gems from the pool and hired some jewelery (however, she now sports an exquisite gold hair comb with an Elbaite gem and a delicate silver neclace with a black opal).

Also, we have the fate of a +1 Manual of Gainful Exercise (from the mayor's chest; market value: 27,500 gp) to debate - do we use it on a party member to add a +1 Inherent Bonus to Str, or do we sell it for 13,750 gp?

[douglas]

Jack Simth said:
Also, we have the fate of a +1 Manual of Gainful Exercise (from the mayor's chest; market value: 27,500 gp) to debate - do we use it on a party member to add a +1 Inherent Bonus to Str, or do we sell it for 13,750 gp?

I vote for selling it. Manuals are extremely cost inefficient even just looking at one by itself, we haven't reached the limits of other kinds of items that can give more bonus for the cost, and upgrading an inherent bonus really really sucks - the original bonus is just completely lost, effectively tossing all that money away.

[Jack Simth]

Chuckle - it's also kinda odd that you would ever encounter one in a random generated treasure pile - really, who would go to the trouble of making one, and then not using it immediately? For that matter, with just about anyone who could make one, who would go to the trouble? A few scrolls of Wish would serve the same purpose much faster.

[douglas]

Yeah, it doesn't really make sense that it wouldn't be used right away. As for why scrolls of Wish aren't used instead, the manuals do have a slight discount compared to that - 27000 per point vs 28825 per Wish - and scrolls take just as long to make as any other magic item for their cost. Then again, you can make 5 scrolls of wish one at a time, building up xp between each, where the xp spent on making a manual or casting Wish directly has to be spent all at once. Hmm, this makes me wonder how the +5 manuals ever get made. You'd have to be 25th level to be able to have the required amount of experience without having enough to level up. Now what's really puzzling is why high level Sorcerers don't Gate in Solars and have them use their once-a-day free Wish instead.

[Jack Simth]

Nah - just Planar Bind two Noble Dijinn or Efreet, and convince them both to grant you the three wishes they can grant to a mortal each day in rapid succession - two regular Planar Bindings (6th) will do, as they both have 10 HD each; granted, there is some uncertainty in that - opposed Charisma checks (Efreet and Noble Dijinn should be running at Char 15, mostly), with modifiers for payment, a save involved in getting each critter into a prepared circle (Efreeti have a will save +9 vs. Planar Binding's 6th level spell DC), and spell resistance (which neither has, and this portion can be eliminated with a Calling Diagram) - but a competent Sorceror could get +5 Inherent to all stats at level 12, with a little work (one engraved circle and three spells per binding - Magic Circle Against the appropriet alignment, Dimensional Anchor, and the Planar Binding spell itself - 10 minutes to scribe a circle (at 12th, with max ranks in Spellcraft, you can take 10 and succeed without any difficulties), 1 round each for Magic Circle Against X and Dimensional Anchor, and 10 minutes to cast Planar Binding itself). An hour's work and a Sorceror with three appropriet spells can have +6 to the stat of his choice ... assuming the Sorceror wins the opposed Charisma checks, and the critters don't make their initial will saves.

No XP expenditure at all....

[Jack Simth]

Which reminds me - the party has reached Party Level 14, so it's time to raise the BBEG's level again....

[douglas]

Now what happens if we have Kaylin try that to give all of us +5 inherent to all 6 ability scores?