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Giant Octopus Level 14 Solo Controller - comments welcome
Giant Octopus Level 14 Solo Lurker
Gargantuan natural beast (aquatic) XP 5000 Initiative +13 Senses Perception +6 HP 560; Bloodied 280 AC 28; Fortitude 31, Reflex 26, Will 28 Saving Throws +5 Speed 4, swim 8 Action Points 2 Tentacle (Standard, at-will)
Reach 4, +21 vs Armor Class; 1d10+6 damage and target is grabbed (until escape). Tentacled Terror (Standard, at-will)
The octopus makes up to six tentacle attacks. If a tentacle has grabbed a creature it cannot attack but instead automatically deals 1d10+6 damage to that creature. Beak (Standard, at-will)
+21 vs Armor Class; 3d6+6 damage. Swinging Tentacles (move, at-will)
Each grabbed target is slid 2 squares. Sticky Suckers
The octopus can maintain a grab as a free action and can grab multiple opponents. It can grab up to six small or medium creatures, three large, two huge or one gargantuan one. Alignment Unaligned Languages - Skills Endurance +18 Str 26 (+14) Dex 20 (+11) Wis 20 (+11) Con 20 (+11) Int 8 (+5) Cha 14 (+8)
Note: Only six tentacle attacks as two are going to be holding onto the side of the ship the players are on.
Thats a good Octopus, just for comparison here is a similar creature I used in my campaign.
It is designed to attack with only its tentacles from a submerged position until bloodied when it surfaces to unleash its full potential. I had it attacking the PCs, smashing the boat they were on, grabbings cargo etc. They killed it eventually but it smashed the cargo they were carrying and sank the boat.
Shadowfell Leviathan Level 16 Solo Brute Gargantuan Shadow Beast XP 7,000
Initiative +13 Senses Perception +12 HP 955; Bloodied 477, also see Leviathan Tactics AC 30 (18); Fortitude 31, Reflex 30, Will 27 Saving Throws +5 Speed 6 swim, 2 crawl Action Points 2
Tentacle Slam (Standard; at-will) Reach 4; attack +19 vs. AC; 1d10+7 damage
Tentacle Grab (Standard; at-will) Reach 4; attack +17 vs. Reflex; 1d6+7 damage; on hit target is grabbed and takes 5 ongoing crushing damage (escape ends)
Tentacle Crush (Standard; at-will) ♦ 1/round each target Target must be grabbed at start of Leviathans turn; attack +17 vs. Fortitude; 2d10+7 damage; on hit target is dazed (save ends)
Lashing Tentacles (Standard; at-will) Leviathan makes up to 6 attacks; these can be Slam, Grab or Crush attacks; Leviathan must attack as many different targets in range as possible
Swallow Whole (Standard; at-will) ♦ surfaced Target must be grabbed at start of Leviathans turn; attack +17 vs. Reflex; 2d8+7 damage; on hit target is swallowed and removed from play, swallowed creature takes ongoing 5 crushing and 5 acid damage and can only take basic one handed melee attacks (vs. 18 AC) if swallowed creature is still alive on Leviathans death it is disgorged in any adjacent square
Acidic Shadow Cloud (Standard; recharge ) ♦ acid, surfaced Close blast 6; attack +17 vs. Fortitude; 3d10+5 acid damage; on hit target is blinded (save ends) and takes 10 ongoing acid damage (save ends); half damage on a miss
Shadow Swim (Move; at-will) ♦ in water Leviathan may shift 3 squares as a move action when in water
Leviathan Tactics A submerged Leviathan can only use Slam, Grab and Crush tentacle powers. When Bloodied Leviathan surfaces and gains access to all its powers.
Alignment Unaligned Str 24 (+15) Dex 20 (+13) Wis 18 (+12) Con 21 (+13) Int 8 (+7) Cha 6 (+6)
You will see that I have been using a completely different system for HPs with Solos from the MM1 and MM2. I have used creature role x5, this gives brutes a lot more HPs. My group and I like it, but others may not.
I do like your idea of rising out of the water when bloodied. Though I might see if I can incorporate that. I'm not clear does it still have access to Lashing Tentacles when under the water or only one tentacle attack each turn? As the damage seem low for a brute that only makes one attack a turn.
I'd have made the Acidic Shadow Cloud (save ends both) rather than two saves.
Didn't see this 'til now. With a solo, you always need to have in mind how the fight will change when the party:
a. stuns it
b. dazes it
c. trips it (not sure if this happens with squid)
d. uses some ridiculous power that is fine against normal powers, but broken against when there's only one target.
The monster looks cool, though I'd go for a bit more environment interaction. Not sure if you need to stat this exactly, but you could try knocking down yard-arms, tilting the ship so people risk sliding overboard, grabbing a rowboat and using it as a missile if a PC is staying out of reach, and the good old "descend out of sight, then grab the ship from below and crush its hull, forcing the heroes to jump overboard to finish it off."
__________________ Ryan "RangerWickett" Nock
Author of the War of the Burning Sky serialized novel, free at EN World. Part Two, The Irons Have Tolled, now available.
I was going to suggest making it so the bite affects grabbed targets only, but I see you've done that for the final version. Cool stuff!
__________________ 4th Ed Chars Fallen:
Spoiler:
Gavin Ward - Male Human Warlord 1 - The party started a bar fight. The fellow who escaped brought his bandit buddies back and they killed Gavin (and nearly three other party members). He bled out while lying on the floor.
4th Ed Kills:
Spoiler:
Cornell Butterworth - Male Human Wizard 1 - Knocked unconscious by a kobold dragonshield the fighter ignored, then done in by the kobold wyrmpriest's acid breath.
Lithia - Female Elven Ranger 11 - Contracted mummy rot, which eventually did her in.
Brendan Stetlan - Male Human Fighter 4 - Knocked unconscious in combat, then thrown to the wolves.
Vindicator Mindartis Valenae - Eladrin Paladin 5 - Dropped by a githzerai monk (L6 elite), and killed when the rogue threw him off the balcony to try and get his body to safety.
Vongar - Male Dwarf Paladin 1 - Fell in battle after defeating Irontooth, but not his bodyguard.
Straef - Male Elf Ranger 1 - Fell in battle to Irontooth's Wyrmpriest.
Didn't see this 'til now. With a solo, you always need to have in mind how the fight will change when the party:
a. stuns it
Looking at other solos of this level (even from MM2) they don't seem to have any special defences against stun effects. So I've decided giving yet another power to this creature.
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b. dazes it
With Tentacled Terror being a standard action it's still pretty effective even when dazed.
Quote:
c. trips it (not sure if this happens with squid)
It becomes slightly disadvantaged not really a problem. Probably describe it as one of the tentacles it clings to the boat with is knocked loose.
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d. uses some ridiculous power that is fine against normal powers, but broken against when there's only one target.
Best left for the DM to decide at the time, I guess. You can't rule for everything that way madness lies....
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The monster looks cool, though I'd go for a bit more environment interaction. Not sure if you need to stat this exactly, but you could try knocking down yard-arms, tilting the ship so people risk sliding overboard, grabbing a rowboat and using it as a missile if a PC is staying out of reach, and the good old "descend out of sight, then grab the ship from below and crush its hull, forcing the heroes to jump overboard to finish it off."
Yeah I was going to add some hazards to the battlefield to make it a bit interesting and describe it some of the structural damage caused by the creature but that sort of stuff wouldn't really go in the statblock.
I don't intend on destroying the ship (almost destroy it yes), since their is a "Bigger Fish" (Emraag the Dragon Turtle from the Isle of Dread) to come later that will have evidence of feeding on giant octopi to discourage the players from attack it.
Good luck. Just be wary of psychic lock, vicious mockery, and that bard power that lets everyone who hits the target heal 5 or 6 HP with each attack. As is often the case, swallow the leader.
__________________ Ryan "RangerWickett" Nock
Author of the War of the Burning Sky serialized novel, free at EN World. Part Two, The Irons Have Tolled, now available.
Tentacle (Standard, at-will) 
Tentacled Terror (Standard, at-will) 
Acidic Shadow Cloud (Standard; recharge 
) ♦ acid, surfaced
Linear Mode
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