Challenging my high-lvl group (NPCs and monsters; my players shouldn't read this!)

[Piratecat]

Now, remember... no mentioning any of this elsewhere on the boards! It's not for my players' eyes. Here's the stats for the psionic shadow they fought in the dwarven outpost of Mridsgate.

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Baendril, shadow psion (telepath) 17

Baendril is centuries old, a normal shadow that picked up a small degree of self-sentience and psionic ability while hunting in a mindflayer city. He's slowly grown in power, keeping herds of dominated mortals in isolated caverns and playing intelligent monsters off against one another. He's hard for the White Kingdom to control, but makes a wonderful infiltrator for those times that the ghouls don't want to get food or more recruits.

HD: 20d12 (130 hp)
Init: +2
Speed: 30', 40' flying (good), 90' flying with power
AC: 14 (+2 dex, +1 deflection, +1 insight)
Attacks: incorporeal touch +14/+9/+4
Damage: incorporeal touch 1d6 strength damage (19-20/x2)
SA: strength damage, psionics, create spawn
SQ: undead, incorporeal, +2 turn resistance
Saves: fort +6, Ref +8, Will +14
Abilities: S --, D 15, C --, Int 8, Wis 12, Cha 22
Skills: Bluff +8, Concentration +20, Gather info +16, Hide +17 (+32), Intuit direction +5, Listen +7, Sense motive +11, Spot +7
Feats: Dodge, psionic focus (telepathy), greater psionic focus (telepathy), weapon focus (touch), improved critical (touch), heroic surge (extra move or attack 3/day), one more
AL: CE

PP: 170

Powers:

0 - burst, daze, five more
1 – 1 pp - conceal thoughts, sense link, combat precog, know location, Overlay Shadow Body (as misdirection)
2 – 3 pp - brain lock, detect thoughts, combat prescience, suggestion, see invisible
3 – 5 pp - schism, crisis of breath, charm monster, fly
4 – 7 pp - fatal attraction DC +10, forced mindlink, mindwipe, tailor memory
5 – 9 pp - mind probe DC +11, greater domination, baleful teleport DC +7, teleport
6 – 11 pp - mass suggestion DC +12, Killer Shadow (targets shadow animates and attacks), Shadow of Hatred
7 – 13 pp - insanity DC +13, mass domination, ultrablast
8 – 15 pp - mind blank, shadow blades

Shadow Blades (Su): In any area that contains decent shadows -- a room lit by multiple torches, a rocky shrine in late afternoon, or any area that you would let a shadowdancer hide in but not a normal rogue (not enough for full concealment) -- the shadow may animate shadows with 30' of itself as a standard action. The animated shadow blades last for one round. Any character within this area takes 3d6 points of temporary Strength damage. A Reflex Save (DC=1d20+15) halves this damage (evasion works as normal).

Shadow of Hatred (Su): As a standard action, the shadow may select up to three targets within 30' who have visible shadows. The shadows come to life and attack the target as a Phantasmal Killer (same DC).

Natural Invisibility (Su): The shadow is naturally invisible in any area with decent shadows, pooling his essence into the shadows of the area.

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Baendril has a fascinating history and personality, which I don't have time to write up right now.

[Caliber]

Very nasty PC! I love it!

Do you often let Psion's create their own powers? Or do you not get the request often?

[Piratecat]

Only one psionic PC in the party, and he's on hiatus - but I'd be fine with it. I like that sort of thing.

[DocMoriartty]

How did the dwarven outpost last as long as it did with a creature like this shadow or the tentacle wraith in the neighborhood.

I almost get the impression that the Defenders walked into a big trap with the outpost as bait.

This wouldnt jive though with the comment made by the ghoul right before the Marilith was gated into the battle.

[Piratecat]

The tentacle wraith was quite far away, if you remember correctly. Kellharin summoned them to him just before he confronted the DoD.

The psionic shadow is (was!) a ghoulish "last resort." The ghouls can't control the shadows easily, and turning living things into shadows eliminates both a source of fresh food and a source of new corpses. Baendril is CE, and his performance is (was!) fairly tightly controlled by the ghoulish commanders.

When the DoD took out the demon fairly easily after wasting so many ghoulish troops, Baendril was given permission to take them out.

Meanwhile, the ghouls had diverted most of the army that destroyed Mrid to another location. About a third of it was sent to take Mridsgate. The ghouls tried to take it quickly, failed, and laid siege while they cast the unhallow spell. The slow moving skeletal siege engine (which you'll see soon) was to have finished the job.

These series of encounters have taught the ghouls some very interesting things about the Defenders. I doubt you'll see very many big-scale battles from here on out; it's simply too costly to the White Kingdom.

[DoctorB]

A few random thoughts:

With a party as powerful as the Defenders, the White Kingdom cannot win with pure force.

I think it might be time for guile and assassination.

Is there a way the White Kingdom can get someone close without being detected? Perhaps an assassin who looks like someone the DoD would want to defend. They have the advantage that their people probably don't care if they die in the attempt. I assume the Defenders always have True Seeing and other similar magic up, though, so the infiltrator would have to get past that somehow.

What if some living beings DID take the ghouls up on their offer of friendship?

[Piratecat]

Well, they keep trying! Kellharin recently tried pretty hard to assassinate them. When that didn't work, he showed up with a bouquet of flowers and a bottle of 360 year old drow wine as a peace offering. DrB, I like the way you think....

Kellharin is an interesting kind of fellow with some hidden facets. He's also damn hard to track down and kill out of hand.

[Ryan Koppenhaver]

Originally posted by Piratecat

When the DoD took out the demon fairly easily after wasting so many ghoulish troops, Baendril was given permission to take them out.

I can't help wondering if the ghouls have been reading the evil overlord list, particularly item #80.

If my weakest troops fail to eliminate a hero, I will send out my best troops instead of wasting time with progressively stronger ones as he gets closer and closer to my fortress.

[Piratecat]

You guys want to know a secret that the PCs won't find out until it's too late?

The ghouls have the undead equivalent of true resurrection. That means that all those powerful undead that they've killed (except for the ones Malachite has personally slain) are probably going to show up again. Next time, though, they're going to attack together in a coordinated fashion.

[Vymair]

Originally posted by Piratecat


The ghouls have the undead equivalent of true resurrection. That means that all those powerful undead that they've killed (except for the ones Malachite has personally slain) are probably going to show up again.

You are an evil man PCat. That it is a brilliant twist...

[Sidran]

Hey, as CR 16 beasties, why are bone nagas considered epic level creatures?


As Titanic Naga's (those larger than Collossall they are considered epic level)

And if you don't like that don't use it but I figure a Titanic Naga's
CR at 25 + and they earn a new epic feat once they have hit 20 or More HD they are considered a Epic level Monster.

[Elric]

Piratecat, I think Shadow Blades is a little too powerful. A hasted Psion using Shadow Blades does 3d6 damage if you make both saves. The only way to heal ability damage to several people at once is to use Mass Heal. The only real protection is evasion. Mass Heal also has the advantage of healing tons of HP for the party and just about killing all of their enemies. I hope you gave Baendril a save, especially since Mass Heal doesn't even require a touch attack. If you had the party grouped within 30 feet of each other (and Velendo didn't have his fairy gift), two hasted versions of Baendril would incapacitate the entire party. The undead have a version of True Resurrection- if they have Mass Harm they won't even need that. Hopefully the players have someone to Resurrect them- I want more Story Hour! Keep up the great work!

[Piratecat]

Originally posted by Elric
Piratecat, I think Shadow Blades is a little too powerful.

Compared to a spell of the same level like horrid wilting, which would have done 17d8, 34d8 if cast twice? Nah, I disagree. Besides, shadow blades doesn't kill you, it immobilizes you; psionics still works, as does still spells. I think it's just about right.

Baendril is unique, incidentally, within the White Kingdom.

I use a will save for harm effects, with inflict critical wound damage if you make it (this can't bring you below 4 hit points).

[DocMoriartty]

Any chance you can throw the stats up on him? I would love to see who is leading the Kingdom right now.

Also did he take over after the Necromancer that pulled the undead saint trick was killed? Or has Kellharin always been in charge?

Originally posted by Piratecat


Kellharin is an interesting kind of fellow with some hidden facets. He's also damn hard to track down and kill out of hand.

[DocMoriartty]

Why only Malachite? Are you saying that the only way to guaruntee a particular undead is gone for good is for Malachite to kill them with one of his Emerald Bursts?

Originally posted by Piratecat
You guys want to know a secret that the PCs won't find out until it's too late?

The ghouls have the undead equivalent of true resurrection. That means that all those powerful undead that they've killed (except for the ones Malachite has personally slain) are probably going to show up again. Next time, though, they're going to attack together in a coordinated fashion.

[Ryan Koppenhaver]

Originally posted by DocMoriartty
Why only Malachite?

It's one of his Hunter of the Dead abilities:

True Death: Undead slain by either melee attacks or spells can never rise again as undead.

PC, the wording suggests that this does not apply to undead destroyed by turning (a Supernatural ability) or positive energy bursts (I'm guessing they're Su, as well). Is that the intent?

[Piratecat]

As Ryan just said, one of Malachite's Hunter of the Dead powers is that when he kills an undead, it stays dead. I'm a firm believer that PCs deserve to be rewarded for using their abilities.... even if they don't know it just yet.

I think you're right, Ryan; undead killed by the positive energy burst or turning aren't covered. Interesting.

I won't post Kellharin yet. About four or five updates from now, I'll post something related to him, but not yet. You'll see why!

[Jeremy]

Because Malachite is a high level Hunter of the Dead. One of his special abilities is that anything he causes to die with sword or spell, stays dead. Period.

True Death or something like that. If he kills a lich, no phylactery will save him. Ditto on a vampire, no gaseous, do not pass go, do not collect $200. D-e-d Dead.

Love them guys.

[Knightfall]

Originally posted by Piratecat
You guys want to know a secret that the PCs won't find out until it's too late?

The ghouls have the undead equivalent of true resurrection. That means that all those powerful undead that they've killed (except for the ones Malachite has personally slain) are probably going to show up again. Next time, though, they're going to attack together in a coordinated fashion.

That is so cool! I mean, imagine the looks on their faces when they encounter all those old enemies 'resurrected' to fight them once again.

BTW, the marillith died right? She was gated in not summoned? Is there a chance the Defenders might face her again, this time as an undead servant? I can't remember which Defender struck the killing blow.

BTW, P'Cat. I have another creature idea for you.

I thought of this just and the DoD were heading into the underdark. Now, after reading the post about the albino halflings I think this creature would make a scary mount.

Alright, imagine if you will a giant monstrous spider-like abomination that looks like a giant daddy-long-legs spider. This creature wouldn't actually be a monstrous spider but it would look like one from far away.

The creatures legs (10 of 'em) are thicker, like a tarantulas, each ending in a sharp, pointed appendenge that the creature can use for attacks. The creature only needs 8 legs to walk on at any one time, attacking with the any two legs each round. The legs would have 10 foot reach and would be coated with deadly contact poison. The legs would also have a natural hardness rating, which would keep the PCs from being able to chop off its legs (maybe even regeneration).

The creatures body would be small in size and elevated way above the PCs' heads. It would be be almost impossible to hit in melee from the ground. The creature can bite (with poison) but it isn't the creatures most effective attack from its body. Its best attack would be a special breath weapon that causes half-sonic/half-poison damage. Bwah-ha-ha!

Oh yes, the creatures can walk almost anywhere. Cavern floors, ceilings, and even through deep water. (The creature has the ability of being able to move freely through water without penalty.)

Then you mount the albino halflings on top of the critters and turn them all into true ghouls.

[Plane Sailing]

it's a jolly good job it wasn't a typical Shadow STR drain, otherwise Velendo would currently be an undead shadow of his former self - probably some others too!

(I like the idea of allowing still spells to be cast while incapacitated at 0 Str, I think I'll use that)

Cheers