Monster Strigha (homebrew)

[Quickleaf]

Here's a homebrew monster (borrowing from the Witcher CRPG) I'll be throwing at my large party when they hit 5th level. The story is Princess Merisende is cursed to become a ravenous monster at night, and she is entrusted to the Verisanguiean Order (a religious secret society) who keep her from changing with prayer and magic. However, even they have only limited success, so a "specialist" is called in, Dame Aleera who recovered from a curse of her own. Truth is Dame Aleera is in league with the BBEG to turn the Princess into a political assassin by granting the strigha identity dominance over her true identity.

What kind of cool encounters does this monster lend itself to?

[DanmarLOK]

Just some nitpicks - Defiant Roar is supposed to be an Encounter power? Is the fact that the PC's are going to kill the human form if they attack her known to them? What's Strigha's Sickness and an infliction that's automatic on a hit from an at-will? You'll have the whole party down with it over the course of the fight. I like the bloodied savvy sacrifice move a lot. If it was mine I'd probably add something like "+x against grabbed target" to the claw attack or even "this attack automatically hits grabbed targets" if I was using this boss against a higher level group. That assumes it's the bite that's doing the grab "What a big mouth you have grandmother..."

But overall pretty nice.

Based on my hazy recollection of the cinematic from the Witcher I could see putting this encounter in a grand throne room with floor to ceiling pillars. Give the creature a move power as well that lets it leap up and hang from the side of the pillars where it can do its defiant roar with action horror movie flair. Maybe a powerful swipe against of the pillars collapses it and the pillar becomes a separate attack,
Collapsing Pillar (minor - Encounter)
4 square wall; +13 vs Ref; 2d6 damage and target is subject to secondary attack: +13 vs Fort; Target is immobilized (save ends) - Miss Effect: Target is pushed 2 and knocked prone.
Effect: Target squares become difficult terrain and each creates a zone burst 1 that offers concealment. Concealment lasts until the end of the Striagha's next turn.

So the creature smashes the base of a pillar so it falls onto one or more of the party and either buries them under rock or smashes them to the side. A choking cloud of dust flies up obscuring vision that settles down revealing a hazardous piles of rubble that make moving difficult. The Striagha could move into the concealing dust and gain stealth to use her Cunning Pounce.

During the fight have a cuople of the king's guards burst in to complicate the matter. Perhaps they take aim just as the "You wouldn't shoot a princess" effect goes off and now they don't know who to attack, the princess, the players or the beast. Add a minor skill challenge during the combat for them to convince the guards who the real target is or that they're not assassin's.

The possibilities are endless.

[Quickleaf]

Thanks for your comments, DanmarLOK

Originally Posted by DanmarLOK

Just some nitpicks - Defiant Roar is supposed to be an Encounter power?

Yep, it recharges when bloodied and size of burst increases to 5 instead of 2

Is the fact that the PC's are going to kill the human form if they attack her known to them?

Yep, I'm thinking of a skill challenge that unlocks when she's at 1/4 HP which allows them to force her change back to human form

What's Strigha's Sickness and an infliction that's automatic on a hit from an at-will? You'll have the whole party down with it over the course of the fight.

Yep, it's a disease. Wererats have at-will bite which inflicts filth fever. Do you think it's too much for a solo to have? I mean, it is dependent on another attack hitting first. Also, the PCs will have advance warning, visiting with a comatose victim of the strigha's previous attacks.

I like the bloodied savvy sacrifice move a lot. If it was mine I'd probably add something like "+x against grabbed target" to the claw attack or even "this attack automatically hits grabbed targets" if I was using this boss against a higher level group. That assumes it's the bite that's doing the grab "What a big mouth you have grandmother..."

I like your ideas. Bloodied savvy stretches the rules a bit, but it's appropriately dramatic and makes for a good pause during a fight or even a getaway plan as I'd like the PCs to have one "intro" fight with the strigha before the final showdown.

Based on my hazy recollection of the cinematic from the Witcher I could see putting this encounter in a grand throne room with floor to ceiling pillars.<snip>

Sheer Awesome!

During the fight have a cuople of the king's guards burst in to complicate the matter. Perhaps they take aim just as the "You wouldn't shoot a princess" effect goes off and now they don't know who to attack, the princess, the players or the beast. Add a minor skill challenge during the combat for them to convince the guards who the real target is or that they're not assassin's.

Now you're talking, this is why I love ENWorld. Thanks!

[Mesh Hong]

Nice creature, I like it. Also great input from DanmarLOK.

The only potential problems I see with this creature is that it can really only attack one PC a turn, also I can't see a built in way for it to use Cunning Pounce but I assume you are going to try and build something in to the environment to assist that.

example additional powers:

Blinding Swipe (minor, recharge )
Attack +11 vs. Reflex; 1d6+5 damage; on hit the target is blinded (save
ends)

Sickening Exhilation (standard, recharge ) poison
Close blast 5; attack +11 vs. Fortitude; 2d8+5 poison damage; on hit
target is infected with Strigha's Sickness

Strafing Strikes (standard, recharge )
Strigha makes a Claw attack against a primary target; hit or miss Strigha
may shift 3 squares and make a Claw attack against a secondary target;
hit or miss Strigha may shift 3 squares and make a Claw attack against a
tertiary target; if this final attack hits it may also make a Bite attack
against the tertiary target

Retreat into Shadow (immediate reaction, encounter) when hit by any
attack
Strigha becomes invisible and shifts 6 squares as an immediate reaction;
this invisibility ends in Strigha is hit by an attack or makes an attack

What's Strigha's Sickness and an infliction that's automatic on a hit from an at-will? You'll have the whole party down with it over the course of the fight.

Yep, it's a disease. Wererats have at-will bite which inflicts filth fever. Do you think it's too much for a solo to have? I mean, it is dependent on another attack hitting first. Also, the PCs will have advance warning, visiting with a comatose victim of the strigha's previous attacks.

I wouldn't worry about the disease, in my experience PCs will shift the disease very quickly. Cure Disease is only a level 6 ritual and makes even level diseases trivial, if you want a disease to be an actual threat you have to make it a lot higher level than the characters (which never really seems fair to me).

[Quickleaf]

Hey MeshHong, thanks for your comments, always insightful

I really like your blinding swipe and retreat into darkness powers...do you think they make the monster too powerful? It's more powers than I've seen on any similarly leveled solo.

[Mesh Hong]

Originally Posted by Quickleaf

I really like your blinding swipe and retreat into darkness powers...do you think they make the monster too powerful?

No I don't think they make it too powerful, like I said I have concerns that the Solo can't threaten multiple opponents.

If you use Blinding Swipe then you might have to take another look at Cunning Pounce as it is an at will attack from a move action so technically a blinded target could recieve 2 of these in a turn! I would consider keeping it as a move action, but change the damage to 1d10+5 keep the on hit target is knocked prone and add a 1/round rider to it.

Originally Posted by Quickleaf

It's more powers than I've seen on any similarly leveled solo.

My philosophy is not to worry about having too many powers, all creatures usually only have the same amount of actions each turn (minor, move, standard) so all you are adding with more powers is a greater variety and therefore more interest. There is nothing worse than a big bag of HPs doing the same thing turn after turn.

[Quickleaf]

Here is my finalized version of the strigha, integrating Danmar's and Weem's suggestions. I'm looking forward to launching this beastie at my 4th/5th level PCs at the end of the month.

Thanks for the help!