My PK seems a little weak

[Guevara1]

I ran Crucible elite last night and found my PK a little weak (like not working). Can someone tell me what the best feats/enhancements/items are in order for me to improve it. -Level 13 wiz.

[Aspenor]

what is your intelligence?

Just an illusion focus item should suffice.

[RandomToon]

I ran Crucible elite last night and found my PK a little weak (like not working). Can someone tell me what the best feats/enhancements/items are in order for me to improve it. -Level 13 wiz.


Best DC you can do easily(?) is the following:
+10 Base
+12 INT Mod
(20 Base INT, +3 for levels, +2 Tome, +3 Wizards INT, +6 INT Item)
+4 Base for a level 4 spell
+3 Heighten Spell (From level 4 to level 7)
+1 Spell Focus: Illusion
+1 Greater Spell Focus: Illusion
+1 Due to Illusion DC item (or the Reaver Napkin)
____
32 DC total.

The problem of course being that PK needs FIRST break SR, THEN the target needs to fail a will save, THEN needs to fail a fort save. With end game elite content, almost everyone has either good SR, or a good fort or will save (if not both)

Which mobs were you having specific problems with and maybe that will help explain why you are failing? Perhaps what you really need to consider is choosing carefully who you cast it on. Rogue types tend to fall to PK easiest. Certain other mobs too, but for the most part now that PK allows two saves it isn't as great as it was at lower levels...

[Harbinder]

Generally, with two saves vs-PK, I wait until the mob is debuffed ie: Cursed, Wounded or Punctrued (lower con=lower fort save), or do it myself, then drop a PK on em. They still make their saves at times.

Also, and I can't confirm this just yet without logging in, some mobs might be entirely immune to FEAR (ie: paladins) so PK is useless on them since it a death from a FEAR effect. Can someone confirm this?

[Aspenor]

Generally, with two saves vs-PK, I wait until the mob is debuffed ie: Cursed, Wounded or Punctrued (lower con=lower fort save), or do it myself, then drop a PK on em. They still make their saves at times.

Also, and I can't confirm this just yet without logging in, some mobs might be entirely immune to FEAR (ie: paladins) so PK is useless on them since it a death from a FEAR effect. Can someone confirm this?

True. And some mobs types (Duergar) are immune to phantasms.

PK means Phantasmal Killer.

In crucible PK should land fairly easily, but yes there are two saves and if it was on elite they will save a lot.

[RandomToon]

Generally, with two saves vs-PK, I wait until the mob is debuffed ie: Cursed, Wounded or Punctrued (lower con=lower fort save), or do it myself, then drop a PK on em. They still make their saves at times.

Also, and I can't confirm this just yet without logging in, some mobs might be entirely immune to FEAR (ie: paladins) so PK is useless on them since it a death from a FEAR effect. Can someone confirm this?


An excellent point - people with curse spewing weapons are your friends =)
Puncturing is nice, but that assumes that the mob has a bad will save - assuming that is the case, and the guy has a puncturer, Hold Monster can be just as useful in many cases =)

[genericearthling]

how would buffs like greater hero etc, help with dc and spell resistance?

[Aspenor]

how would buffs like greater hero etc, help with dc and spell resistance?

They don't.

[jaitee]

ill let you know my pk barely misses in cruicible elite, i fly through that quest

[MrWizard]

I ran Crucible elite last night and found my PK a little weak (like not working). Can someone tell me what the best feats/enhancements/items are in order for me to improve it. -Level 13 wiz.

Most will not pick one, rarely ever two, feats of illusion. Just not enough spells to use the illusion feats...and with FOD on your horizon, why bother.

PK needs two saves, fort and will, so it is a bit harder (though that is arguable).

My sorc I made has little trouble landing it, even on elite....however, it seems to work best on elementals and casters and rangers. REgular fighters and such there is a bigger save. Cats and rakshasa and quite easy too.

An earlier poster mentioned spell resistance, that is a problem too.


Here I how mine land very well and very effectively.

I have two feats of spell penetration and the three enhancements of spell penetration. Coupled with a spell pen item, I seldom, and very rarely, see a 'blue resistance' shield go up.

To conserve mana on elite dungeons I will hit the monster with evervate first, then PK...that usually ensures it. Although the greater earth elementals in POP take a bit more before they drop, sometimes.

Enervate works great, but if you do not have spell pen, might as well save the mana as it wil jus bounce off and be a waste.


Although it should not make a difference what spell you cast on a monster, it does seem to matter, even when there is the same save involved.

Examples: dominate person and PK both involve a will save, the pk a fort save too. I can use dominate person on the clerics in POP and they save a lot more then they should...yet one PK and they are gone almost all the time.

You will have to just pay attention to what saves a lot and what does not.

recap: I use heighten, enervate, have spell pen feats/enchancements, max cha/int
things that can help are an illusion item and spell pen item too.
You can also throw up symbol pain and a host of other things.
You can charm an enemy caster and he will curse the bad guys, then Pk is easier too.

Nothing better than one shotting a rakshasa lord or a jarlith. Can be done easily with spell pen feats and the usual additions to your DCs.....you can go with the illusion focus, but study your spells and see if that is really worth it.

[CSFurious]

it is pretty simple

my sor's chr is 32, i have sf:illusion & gsf:illusion as feats, i have enervation as a debuffer, and heighten

i always hold a +2 spell pen item, and i have taken the extra +3 from the enhancement line, for +5 spell pen

the only things that can really resist that pk on elite content are clerics/shamans & creatures with spell resistance such as those tiger-men & other such ( i did not memorize the monster manual)

anyway, anything that resists is enervated & then pk'ed

& you can also just throw a heightened, extended web out on the bad guys for your hasted tanks to kill so they can think that they are actually important

another great alternative to pk, is flesh to stone & then firewall the SOB, he will just burn

peace