[Cerek the Barbaric]

Originally posted by Leslie: It is exactly the Stoneskin and PFMW that make the difference. Of course you can take that away but what's the point of them then? Maybe there is something I'm missing here but we can't have Haer fight Korgan without magic. That's his advantage. How about we take Korgan's hit points away then?

First of all, we are talking about Haer'Dalis facing Korgan in a mano-a-mano match. I never said Haer'Dalis could not use his magic - I just said he can't enter the fight with any PRE-CAST spells.

You're right that it wouldn't be fair to prohibit Haer'Dalis from casting his spells during the fight. However, it is just as unfair to allow him to cast all his pre-buff spells before he ever enters into the arena to fight Korgan (or any other NPC). That is simply how arena-style combat works. Two opponents walk in and the signal is given for the fight to start. Haer'Dalis has a choice of casting spells, firing missile weapons, or advancing to melee'. Casting Improved Invisibility or Stoneskin is a real good choice for his first spell since his opponent will usually not be within melee' range at the start of the fight. However, the opponent can always use missile weapons while advancing to melee' range in an attempt to disrupt Haer'Dalis casting.

And if the NPC combats took place within the game engine, I would expect them to be fought under Core Rules rather than Insane (unless both players agreed on the Insane setting).

You like to play on Insane - that's great. I think Normal and Core provide all the challenge I need. And if Insane is really the way Assassin described it, then I see no reason to ever try it. I also like a diverse party rather than a group of mega-buffed spellcasters. Just a personal choice.