rb@CSvax:Pucc-H:pur-phy.UUCP (09/28/83)
Some comments on the solutions I have seen so far. On the use of wishes: You are on Orcus' home plane. Guess who grants wishes there? Now let's be serious. 4 Mirrors of Opposition 1 Cubic Gate Problematical. The device only works if you look into it (at least in later versions of the DMG). Chances of doing so: 90% Caught off guard. 50% Alert, but not actively trying to avoid it. 10% Actively trying to avoid looking into it. 1st round: You set the mirrors and yell obscenities at him. Orcus turns. 2nd round: You dive through the Cubic Gate. The images step forth from the mirrors. Orcus will be on guard. Hence, 2 of the mirrors will usually want to produce duplicates. Magic resistance applies, so maybe 1 image will actually appear. The real Orcus will use his half of this round to blow away all four mirrors, rendering the question moot. Taking the odds into account, I rate this at somewhere near a 20% win, plus bounus points for not using a potion. ----- The following is due to Dave Collins, and is not permitted under his rules: level 1 fighter/mage potion of super-heroism set +3 darts, tailor made to permit use of strength bonus (as per DMG) ring of spell storing containing: haste self girdle of storm giant strength gauntlets of ogre power 2 ioun stones of +1 level Quaff the potion as Orcus is coming in, so it takes effect at the start of round 1. This is the only sensible way I can think of handling the time taken drinking a potion. 1st round: You pop the haste off the ring, step from your hiding place and start throwing darts. The haste only takes 1 segment, with no real chance of spell failure, since you are effectively a level 3 mage. You are now effectively level 7. You need a modified roll of 20 to hit Orcus. Darts normally are fired at a rate of 3/round. Since you are hasted, you will get 6 shots at him each round. You are +12 to hit, +21 damage. Orcus turns. 2nd round: Keep throwing those darts. By now, you have had 12 shots at him. If only half of them hit, you have done a minimum of 132 points damage, and Orcus is dead. Note that you need to be level 7 to hit Orcus on anything less than an unmodified roll of 20. Also note that this required 6 items and a potion, and hence is not an acceptable according to the rules. ------- My favorite, due to Frank <?>, who I meet on occasion: level 1 mage Ring of Spell Storing containing: Otto's Irresistable Dance Staff of the Magi round 1: Call out: "Turn, you %&^@*@, and meet your doom!" Orcus turns. round 2: Pop the spell off the ring. Spell failure applies. Orcus is now dancing and is totally helpless. round 3: Make assorted comments regarding the poor demon's parentage. I.e., "Your mother was a hampster and your father smelled of elderberry wine." round 4: Blow Orcus away using the retributive strike of the staff. Orcus is incapable of any saving throws, so dies. You are sent to another plane, 50%. With spell failure and magic resistance (all in round 2), this is a 3% win. Full bonus points for toying with Orcus, and taking less than 5 items and a potion. Ross Bogue pur-ee!pur-phy!rb pur-ee!pur-phy:rb
richa@tekid.UUCP (Richard Austin) (09/29/83)
Ok folks, here is my soln:
Class: paladin
to hit/damage bonus
Items: holy avenger +5 +5/+10
girdle of storm giant strength +6/+12
gauntlets of ogre strength +3/+6
2 rings of 3 wishes
modified to hit/damage of items above: +14/+28
Assumptions:
1. takes 1 segment for each wish.
2. effects of potions is cumulative.
Course of Actions:
1. I wish for a potion of super-heroism
2. I wish for another potion of super-heroism
3. I wish for a potion of speed
4. I wish for another potion of speed
5. I wish to quaff all 4 potions in 1 segment and to
have each take effect in the minimum amount of
time possible. (ie 3 segments and all potions
are quaffed and in effect)
status at this point:
1. effective level = 10th level paladin
(1st potion of super-heroism raises to lvl 6)
(2nd potion of super-heroism raises to lvl 10)
2. potions of speed each double speed once.
(now get 6 attacks/rnd.)
3. holy sword now dispels any spell < 11th lvl
(ie Orcus cant teleport away, etc)
4. I need a 4 on 1d20 to hit ORCUS
5. in 5 hits (maximum), I will kill ORCUS
6. Hack!
7. use final wish to get away...
...tektronix!tekid!richa
Sho Nuff
(I said I was berserker didnt I?)CSvax:Pucc-H:ab3@pur-ee.UUCP (10/04/83)
(#2 in a series of solutions) 1. Armed with "The talisman of Fred Rodgers", you venture into Orcus' home plane. 2. Use your surprise round to say "It's a beautiful day in the neighborhood...would you be my neighbor?" 3. As Orcus turns, you remove your penny loafers. Since you have been wearing the same socks for several years, the overpowering stench causes him to collapse and expire. 4. Take off your jacket, put on your sweater and slippers, and feed the goldfish. Darth Wombat
CSvax:Pucc-H:ab3@pur-ee.UUCP (10/05/83)
(Solution #3 in a series)
1. Armed with the Sceptre of Infinite Decibels, and some
cotton balls, you flip into Orcus' home plane.
2. Use you surprise round to (quickly) say:
"Hey there, all you people, it's a beautiful day, it's 4:15
in the afternoon, temperature 74 degrees, clear skies, gonna
play the number one song for ya now, so ROCK AND ROLL!"
3. As Orcus turns, you use the Sceptre of oo Dbs to cause
"Safety Dance" to reverberate through the {room,cave,hall}
at +180 Db, causing Orcus to twitch and gyrate uncontrollably
in time to the beat, while you watch, saved by your cotton
earplugs.
4. Since he is preoccupied, you may now beat him to death with
a toothpick or any other small weapon you have handy.
Darth Wombat (who has a hat)CSvax:Pucc-H:Physics:els@pur-ee.UUCP (10/13/83)
Along the lines of the 'Dirty Harry' solution, how about a scroll of.....
SUMMON THE A-TEAM !!!!!!!
or just summoning Mr. T ought to be enough. Except, of course, Orcus wouldn't
get killed (the A-Team never kills anyone). But you ought to get bonus points
no matter what, example:
Orcus has called a pack of cute puppies and is about to turn
you into a pair of slippers for the puppies to tear up. You are
awarded some points, because you are heard to say," I love it when
a plan comes together!"
Another alternative is to polymorph yourself into Howard Cosell. Orcus
immediately goes insane, no saving throw!
------
But seriously, how about attacking O. thru his soul object. You could do
such things as use a wish to wish for an imitation of his s.o. and then
bluff him into revealing the true one, at which point you use some of your
other magic to destroy it. One question, would the s.o. have resistance to
magic? I would guess not as much as O. himself. I've left the suggestion
in this form so that all of you that wish may embellish it for the general
entertainment.
els[Eric Strobel]
pur-ee!Physics:els