Assigning Gear to a leveled monster Al's players STAY OUT :)

just__al · Nov 1, 2004

Lets say I have a Ak'Chazar Rakshasa that I'm going to add levels to.

Specifically I am going to add 3 levels of sorceror (so it will cast as a 15th level sorceror) and then I'm adding 3 levels of Archmage.

Since it's character level is now essentially 18 should I equip it with the gear of an 18th level NPC?

This is going to be the big baddie in the campaign.

Gort · Nov 1, 2004

Go ahead, but be sure that you don't make his AC unhittable. Don't worry too much about making his saves unbeatable, after all, it sucks to have your big bad hit by tashas hideous laughter in round 1, fail the save, and do nothing for the whole fight.

But if you run out of mechanical advantages to give him (or giving him more would make him invincible) give him some freaky magic item like a deck of illusions or something

just__al · Nov 1, 2004

Gort said:
Go ahead, but be sure that you don't make his AC unhittable. Don't worry too much about making his saves unbeatable, after all, it sucks to have your big bad hit by tashas hideous laughter in round 1, fail the save, and do nothing for the whole fight.

But if you run out of mechanical advantages to give him (or giving him more would make him invincible) give him some freaky magic item like a deck of illusions or something

I'm not too worried about his saves being unbeatable, he's starting with SR31 before he's leveled.

Do I increase his SR for leveling him? An SR of 37 would be disgustingly gross. The party will be about 17th level making it nearly impossible to sneak any spell in. The current SR of 31 is still awful. With spell penetration, the fire wizard could cast as a 18th level caster (for her fire domain spell from UA) +2 for spell penetration and need to roll an 11 or higher, that's 50% of all spells failing if they are subject to SR and if it's the domain spell.

Besides, he'll probably have a mind blank up so he's not too worried about will saves.

LazarusLong42 · Nov 1, 2004

That's... a pretty fearful big bad. Standard Rakshasa (MM) starts at 7 HD... advance that to 12 HD, and add six class levels, and you've added at *least* 9 to the original CR (10)... I could argue it as 11, actually, since those advancing HD are still sorcerer levels. If this "Ak'Chazar" template (?) gives any other special abilities, and I'm betting it does, you've probably got a CR 22 or 23 monster there. SR 37 isn't incredibly ridiculous for that CR (and one of the things that bumps up a Rakshasa'a CR is its nasty SR, worse than a dragon of the same CR), but it will be basically unhittable.

The thing is, a CR 22 monster vs. a 17th level party is a TPK waiting to happen. At high levels, the CR/EL problem gets worse, and a 6-level bonus to the big bad will be devastating to the PCs. The SR just seals the deal, since the the only thing the PCs will be able to hit this guy with are holy arrows, flanking sneak attacks, or barbaric criticals... and even that huge critical will lose 15 points to DR.

Actually, the more I look at the Rakshasa, the more I think its CR is a bit low. DR 15/holy and piercing, SR 27, and this is supposed to go up against 10th level characters?

As far as your original question, though, if he's the big bad, and he has PC-class levels, he gets PC gear for 18th level. Remember that he will have used a bunch of it to build his stronghold.

just__al · Nov 1, 2004

LazarusLong42 said:
That's... a pretty fearful big bad. Standard Rakshasa (MM) starts at 7 HD... advance that to 12 HD, and add six class levels, and you've added at *least* 9 to the original CR (10)... I could argue it as 11, actually, since those advancing HD are still sorcerer levels. If this "Ak'Chazar" template (?) gives any other special abilities, and I'm betting it does, you've probably got a CR 22 or 23 monster there. SR 37 isn't incredibly ridiculous for that CR (and one of the things that bumps up a Rakshasa'a CR is its nasty SR, worse than a dragon of the same CR), but it will be basically unhittable.

The thing is, a CR 22 monster vs. a 17th level party is a TPK waiting to happen. At high levels, the CR/EL problem gets worse, and a 6-level bonus to the big bad will be devastating to the PCs. The SR just seals the deal, since the the only thing the PCs will be able to hit this guy with are holy arrows, flanking sneak attacks, or barbaric criticals... and even that huge critical will lose 15 points to DR.

Actually, the more I look at the Rakshasa, the more I think its CR is a bit low. DR 15/holy and piercing, SR 27, and this is supposed to go up against 10th level characters?

As far as your original question, though, if he's the big bad, and he has PC-class levels, he gets PC gear for 18th level. Remember that he will have used a bunch of it to build his stronghold.

It's a new monster from the MM3.

He starts with SR 31 and challenge rating of 15. Adding 6 PC class levels brings the CR up to 21 (3 sorceror and 3 arch mage).

A CR21 vs 17th level characters is a very, very difficult fight, but then this will be the climatic battle of the campaign.

They are a larger than normal group, if everybody sticks around until the campaign ends, the group will have 7 PCs and a tag-along NPC who will probably be about 13-14th level if he survives until then.

LazarusLong42 · Nov 1, 2004

Ah! Having a larger group will certainly help them. Though the spellcasters may feel rather useless during the battle. Might I suggest, instead, the same guy without the AcM levels (so, CR 18), with some buffed-up henchmen in the mix? Having 7 PCs crowd around one enemy that none of them can damage isn't much fun (I know; I've been there on both sides of the fence.) OTOH, a CR 18 big bad with a dozen CR 12 henchmen is also an EL 21 encounter... and offers plenty of targets.

On both sides <evil grin>

just__al · Nov 1, 2004

LazarusLong42 said:
Ah! Having a larger group will certainly help them. Though the spellcasters may feel rather useless during the battle. Might I suggest, instead, the same guy without the AcM levels (so, CR 18), with some buffed-up henchmen in the mix? Having 7 PCs crowd around one enemy that none of them can damage isn't much fun (I know; I've been there on both sides of the fence.) OTOH, a CR 18 big bad with a dozen CR 12 henchmen is also an EL 21 encounter... and offers plenty of targets.

On both sides <evil grin>

I'll have to think about it. The monster "as is" is one feat, and maybe a couple of skill points away from the prereqs for Arch Mage (that and the specific spells he has to know but that's what the 3 levels of Sor gain him)

He is typically encountered with a gaggle of lesser undead as the monster can animate, create and control undead as spell like abilities.

I was going for the 3 levels of archmage to get him up to 9th level spells. They may, by that time, have enountered some of the spells from the planar handbook that can lower a creature's SR.

When they finally get to this fight, I want them to truly have the biggest, most deadly fight so when they survive (or don't) they'll talk about it for ever.

But wally (the NPC) dies :grin:

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