# Fighting Demons



## frog (Aug 25, 2006)

Ok everyone. I have some friends that need advice on how to defeat demons. Party has 6 characters of approximately 15th level:

Cleric (NPC specializing in healing)
Gnome Mage
Fire Mefit (I think)
Dwarf fighter type
a rogue and a monk (new players joining for this session, I don't know much about their players)

Demon CR 18

Very unpleasant gentlebeing.

They have no experience at all in fighting demons, so they need some good general suggestions on strategies and tactics.


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## EricNoah (Aug 25, 2006)

In my experience, a lot of demons can cast darkness.  Very annoying.  Get a wand of daylight to counter this.  

A lot of demons have spell resistance.  There are a couple of spells in the Spell Compendium designed to help overcome SR.  See if you can use those.  

A lot of demons can teleport and plane shift.  See if you can get a scroll of dimensional anchor or have a spellcaster prepare it. 

You may need cold iron weapons to hurt demons, as well as "good" weapons.  

Sonic is about the only energy type that they are not immune or resistant to.


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## Quartz (Aug 25, 2006)

Do they have appropriate Knowledge skills? (The Planes) If not, let them learn the hard way. It's OK for a BBEG to escape.


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## Seonaid (Aug 25, 2006)

This is totally useless, but: Wow, that OP sounds eerily like one of my campaigns . . .


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## Shemeska (Aug 25, 2006)

frog said:
			
		

> Demon CR 18
> 
> Very unpleasant gentlebeing.




Depends on what type of fiend it is and where they're fighting it really.


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## frog (Aug 26, 2006)

One hint....

Maure Castle


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## Nightfall (Aug 26, 2006)

Have the cleric convert to the worship of Orcus, kill all his party members and then say "Hey look! I'm on your side!"


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## Enkhidu (Aug 26, 2006)

In our present campaign, we fight a lot of demons. This is what our paty has found:

Rule #1: Demons are just as vulnerable to sneak attacks as everyone else. Make sure that you've got enough _light_ sources to counteract their _darkness_ abilities in order to maximize the number of times your rogue can lay the sneak attack down.

Rule #2: Mages don't tend to fare well against demons. This is especially true for "boom" mages that rely overmuch on energy attacks. In a fight with demons, mages are more effective buffers than boomers.

Rule #3: Demons dish out tremendous amounts of damage, but generally take a lot of attacks to do so - DR, therefore, is your friend. Stoneskin is the protection of choice for fighting demons. Addendum: Demons _will_ outdamage your front line fighter, so make sure your fighter had a friend. That way the fighter's partner can (maybe) take some of the heat, and more importantly can lay some smack of his own.

Rule #4: When fighting demons your cleric is not a fighter in priests clothing. She is instead a healer and buffer, and will almost assuredly be spending every round undoing the damage donw by the demon. Maybe your cleric will be able to stand at the front line in other fights, but demons are a different story.

In general, if a PC trades full attacks with a demon or nearly equal CR, that PC will lose. This is even true for our demon killing machine (a rogue/ranger/Foe Hunter that can toss double handfuls of dice on a moderately successful attack against demons). Our usual tactic is to remove their ability to flee (anchoring them), get them on the ground (by grappling them if necessary - all it takes is one opposed roll going our way), and surround them while our mystic theurge casts healing spell after healing spell through his spectral hand. Even with DR getting in the way, the nastiest of them only last a handful of rounds.


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## Quartz (Aug 27, 2006)

Funny, there's another thread in this forum asking just about the same question.


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## frog (Aug 28, 2006)

Quartz said:
			
		

> Funny, there's another thread in this forum asking just about the same question.




Yeah...one of the group members took my advice and posted.


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## Jeph (Aug 28, 2006)

Demons have ridiculous mobility, due to at will _Greater Teleport_ and plane shifting magic. If the party wants to win the fight, they must, must, MUST have a way to counteract this: either dimensional anchors (which have a decent chance of bouncing off spell resistance), ways to follow (for instance, a Mirror of Mental Prowess or a crystal ball and a few extra prepared portation dwoemers), or a hefty motivation for the demon to stick around. Without that, the demon will simply flee the scene. And next time, it'll be ready.


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## Nightfall (Aug 28, 2006)

Huh. I guess I'm the only one that would do this to fight demons huh?


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## xrpsuzi (Aug 28, 2006)

About the teleporting factor.... My younger brother learned that the hard way. The demon disarmed him, took his pretty +4 bastard sword and teleported away.

Not that I'm giving the GM any ideas....


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## sckeener (Aug 29, 2006)

suzi yee said:
			
		

> About the teleporting factor.... My younger brother learned that the hard way. The demon disarmed him, took his pretty +4 bastard sword and teleported away.
> 
> Not that I'm giving the GM any ideas....




Even worse...have some Bar-Lgura snatch away weak willed players.  It's only a CR5 which I find unbelievable...I mean a CR5 could be the boss fight for an adventure of four 1st level players!  Just imagine the fighter snatched away to some dank dark hole to either be left to rot or forced to fight solo.

one by one the players could be snatched away and until the higher willed wizard or cleric is left to fight the demon alone.

Heck I can imagine a jungle town plagued by a single Bar-Lgura.  The Bar-Lgura snatching away the unlucky to be forced to fight jungle animals unarmed.  The players arrive only to have the same thing happen to them....all the players fighting lower CR creatures solo because the Boss fight Bar-Lgura enjoyes watching animals tear apart the players.


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## Whisper72 (Aug 29, 2006)

Read up well as to the various powers and immunities of the Demon in question as the DM, forgetting something reduces the challenge vastly. Play the Demon smartly and completely to his strengths. He should gate in aid if at all possible. A well coordinating party of SIX players against a SINGLE opponent, may quickly overcome it. CR18 versus SIX 15th level players is sorta a small challenge in my book to begin with...

As for advice for the players? Start praying. Hard.


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