The Imp is the one that's there for stealth (staying outside of the range of Blindsense like any decent scout would). He's the one who makes sure they don't get surprised (if he can). But note that at no point does the adept give any spoken commands in the lair. He gave two standing order commands long ago (likely days ago): attack anything that attacks the party or that the party attacks, and when not doing that stay within 30' of me. That's it. Plus, remember that the Adept can use Necrotic Cysts to command various other folks, so there's actually quite a number of dominated individuals walking around with him that work for him and yet look like they're operating normally. Also note that the adept is wearing the exact same sort of armor as the minions... if anything, he looks like a random minion, while whatever people he's dominated are likely to look like the primary targets. One of them might get taken down in the surprise round (but with only one attack, I doubt that).
If the dragon does what you said, then it charges in and attacks one person, then all the minions attack at once while it gets webbed. Game over.
Scorching Ray does more than 60ish damage when maximized. But again, the dragon charged and attack who it thought was the leader, and the adept doesn't look like a leader. So then it got jumped and killed. Also, note that with a caster level of 13, that SR 20 only helps about 1/3 of the time.
Why do I have to give commands other than standing orders to the zombies? They're only there to attack things I attack or that attack me. So why give any other order? Any dominated minions I may have found are going to be free willed (relatively) so I don't have to give them orders other than "treat me as you would a party mate while we go adventuring."
Web stays a while, and I can cast more of them. It's going to add up. Not that it matters, because you just said he'd charge in and attack, so he gets swarm killed.
It says you can craft stuff at half price before the game starts. I'm not sure what's so hard for you to understand about this... it's explicit. But you're right, it's unbalancingly powerful to do this... and the Adept can do it (as can almost all casters). Surprise surprise, more powerful classes are more powerful.
All classes can spend XP to get cheaper items (see item familiar feat), and all classes have ways to make extra money.
Ah, but the DMG doesn't have a specific "also, it's cool to make extra money." It does have "it's cool to make magic items at discounted cost." So, let's just go by what the rules say, okay? As for Item Familiar, that's just one item... and I didn't use it because I was trying to make a very average optimization adept.
I did reflect the cost in the armour, the hydra armor costs 4X as much. If I made a mistake there, it might be a touch more, but I have a good bit left over so who cares? But yes, you can craft items and it makes stuff cheaper. You make a good point though... to catch up with perfectly intended use of Adept abilities, a Monk would have to optimize more by taking power feats like Item Familiar. That's because a Monk is a less powerful and versatile class.
Familiars are a class feature of adepts. Leadership is not a class feature of Monks, nor is it even related to one. Leadership, again, is a super powered feat, while Improved Familiar is rarely taken because it's not a huge deal. Again, for a Monk to catch up, you must optimize far more heavily. You're proving the point over and over. And Improved Familiar is perfectly allowed in CW... all the various possible Improved Familiars (found in a number of books, actually) are available.
Improved Familiar does not require Arcane Caster Level in the requirements. And the Imp doesn't have a shape list in the DMG... it says two forms up to medium size, then gives a few examples. That's not an exhaustive list. By RAW, anything up to medium size would work (like Dwarf Ancestors) but I bet they meant just animals. But it doesn't really matter, as I haven't been using the shapes at all. If I have to, I'm fine with sticking with Spider and Raven.
- As far as I know, the necrotic cysts are touch range only and allow fort saves. No big help vs the dragon (or does your adept intend to charge it and eat combat reflexes and potential bite/snatch attack doing so?).
I said I'd use it to get minions. In other words, if we defeat an enemy at some point in the past without killing him, I'll give him a tumor (if possible) and then dominate him. I'm not using it on the dragon unless we luck out and happen to drop him to negative HP without killing him (in which case I might give it a shot).
I said standing order to heal only if it was safe to do so, otherwise stay hidden and out of sight. So no, it's not running out there while the dragon is breathing (but it might run out there after the dragon does so, since it's got 1d4 rounds of safety, or when the dragon is being gang jumped by minions).
Meaning no more healing afterwards. Then, in a 1d4 breath weapon/heal showdown, the two carnexes each do 2d6+2 healing to one target each per round, while all zombies (including the carnexes) take 7d6ish damage every 1+1d4 rounds.
Oh, I forgot to do the Black Sand bit. One casting of this second level spell gives all my undead permanent 1d6 Fast Healing. Either way, the Dragon can't do enough damage with those 7d6 shots to even threaten the zombies, so who cares?
Now you're just being dense. The Carnexes only run out when it's good to do so... not when it's not. If the dragon gets grappled, great, they can run around healing. They're not running into the thick of combat. Note also they get the usual +4 Dex and Str, and +4 HP/HD, like all of my undead. So, they're more survivable than you might think. And no, there's no rule saying you have to push the animals to keep them near. You just train the stupid things (at most it takes a trick).
See, this is why people wonder if you're trolling. You assume the Carnexes would be around debuffing the living guys instead of being kept clear of them for some reason. I can't imagine what that reason is... they stay with the zombies, the living guys who are dominated just don't get that close to them. And they don't move that slow, because the Zombies are all moving with a 40' move speed tirelessly. If anything, they move FASTER than the living because they just don't stop and continue at a fast walking pace.
He's also making them magic items when needed, providing divination support for that party, scouting, buffing, and absolutely rocking out... and he doesn't penalize the party at all, because he's not stupid enough to position the Carnexes wrong. God, this is like me criticizing you on the grounds that Flurry of Blows sucks because you're going to attack your own party with it. Of course you won't, so why assume I'd do that to mine?
So, let's see your Monk, which I assume you're incapable of making at this point. Remember, you have to keep up with your boasts. Let's see what that's going to require:
1) He must be more survivable than the zombies, because you said the zombies would die all the time due to being too fragile, and obviously that means a Monk who's not more survivable is going to die all the time.
2) He must be more productive to the party than this Adept, because you think this Adept damages group performance. That means he'll need to provide long term benefits (equivalent to or better than providing Wonderous Items for the party in addition to armor crafting), healing support (cures for living people, Carnex healing for undead), diplomatic abilities (the Imp), scouting abilities (the Imp), or similar stuff, only better, because we wouldn't want the Monk to be a drain on the party.
3) He's got to contribute effectively for a party against a Mature Adult White Dragon
4) And see if you can do it without pumping optimization well beyond what these Adepts have been doing. Though you've already admitted you'd need stuff like Cohorts (I assume from Leadership?) and Item Familiar just to keep up, so you clearly know you're going to optimize like crazy to accomplish any of this.
Good luck!
@Shinzen: That seems like a fair analysis. The Adept would be in real trouble if grappled instantly... he very intentionally looks much like just another minion to avoid getting instant jumped like that. I should probably give him a pair of daggers, just so he looks like a kinda crappy Rogue and thus isn't targetted as quickly. And yeah, I think the Hydras would just be a distraction from the main danger of Scorching Ray death, though I could order them to grapple if suddenly the opportunity arose (of course, I'm not giving that order unless they can successfully do so... no sense showing I'm the minion master early!).
JaronK
