Have any DMs used the spell conjure animals against their players? It can create up to eight more monsters for the characters to fight, and my concern is that this will change the challenge level of an encounter. Any feedback?
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"Well met, adventurer. You seem like a curious sort who enjoys the finer things. Permit me to thrust upon you my latest masterwork, years in the making." Volothamp Geddarm
In theory, spellcasting ability is built into the challenge rating of monsters that have it, so you should be able to cast any spell they know without problem. However, if your group lacks someone with AOE ability, or they scatter before he can get one off, then it could be an issue.
That's a very useful answer! If none of the players have AOE spells, then I'll probably call of the 8 giant lizards.
But what about the other side of the spell, when you can call upon a monster with a Challenge Rating of 2? As far as I can tell, a lizardfolk shaman is the monster with the lowest CR (which is 2) that can cast conjure animals. Let's say it summons an allosaurus. Suddenly, this encounter just got twice as dangerous, and the party of 2nd-level characters is in serious trouble. How does something like this get past playtesting?
"Well met, adventurer. You seem like a curious sort who enjoys the finer things. Permit me to thrust upon you my latest masterwork, years in the making." Volothamp Geddarm
Conjure animals is a concentration spell, and the summoned creatures disappear when the spell ends. The party is not fighting a CR2 allosaurus - they are fighting an allosaurus with the particular weakness that it might disappear if you hit the nearby lizardman (40%), and it will definitely disappear if you kill said lizardman. The only way the shaman could ensure the beast stays in the fight for its whole time/hp count is for the shaman to remove himself from the battle for his own safety - meaning the balance returns. Yes it is a big challenge for the players, but generally they know and understand the danger posed by enemy spellcasters and target them appropriately.
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Have any DMs used the spell conjure animals against their players? It can create up to eight more monsters for the characters to fight, and my concern is that this will change the challenge level of an encounter. Any feedback?
"Well met, adventurer. You seem like a curious sort who enjoys the finer things. Permit me to thrust upon you my latest masterwork, years in the making." Volothamp Geddarm
In theory, spellcasting ability is built into the challenge rating of monsters that have it, so you should be able to cast any spell they know without problem. However, if your group lacks someone with AOE ability, or they scatter before he can get one off, then it could be an issue.
That's a very useful answer! If none of the players have AOE spells, then I'll probably call of the 8 giant lizards.
But what about the other side of the spell, when you can call upon a monster with a Challenge Rating of 2? As far as I can tell, a lizardfolk shaman is the monster with the lowest CR (which is 2) that can cast conjure animals. Let's say it summons an allosaurus. Suddenly, this encounter just got twice as dangerous, and the party of 2nd-level characters is in serious trouble. How does something like this get past playtesting?
"Well met, adventurer. You seem like a curious sort who enjoys the finer things. Permit me to thrust upon you my latest masterwork, years in the making." Volothamp Geddarm
Conjure animals is a concentration spell, and the summoned creatures disappear when the spell ends. The party is not fighting a CR2 allosaurus - they are fighting an allosaurus with the particular weakness that it might disappear if you hit the nearby lizardman (40%), and it will definitely disappear if you kill said lizardman. The only way the shaman could ensure the beast stays in the fight for its whole time/hp count is for the shaman to remove himself from the battle for his own safety - meaning the balance returns. Yes it is a big challenge for the players, but generally they know and understand the danger posed by enemy spellcasters and target them appropriately.