Elminster's Guide to Deities and Avatars

[cbwjm]

It's more than just disadvantage. You have to choose the square you think the creature is in, if he is not there (aka he was smart enough to move) you automatically miss. You can't cast spells because you can't target anything. Also, you give up advantage to all of his attacks. I'm not sure what your experience is in Dming or playing with high level characters, but no one wants to fight an unwinnable fight.

Then I guess they shouldn't have picked a fight with Lathandar.

 

[neogod22]

Then I guess they shouldn't have picked a fight with Lathandar.

No, I'll just stay away from your broken monsters

 

[Ash Mantle]

Are you missing a paragraph of explanatory test at the beginning of OP? I don't see explanation of what you want us to use the statblock to do.

Yeah, I should include a paragraph to basically introduce the premise of this thread, how Volo's and Mordenkainen's did theirs. I'll do that.

 

[neogod22]

This is a perfect example of why high level D&D is in the state it's in. It's easy to make a monster too weak, as it is to make a completely broken monster. The difficult thing is to make a creature that's challenging and fair. I think a lot of monsters have good abilities, but what they lack are HP. I think WOTC are afraid to give monsters 700-1000 HP for frlear that the fights will take too long. But 300-500 is just too weak for high level parties. A boss monster's HP should be more than the sum of all PCs in the party. This will stop 2 round combat.

 

[Ash Mantle]

He does no real damage. He has no real threatening abilities. You're saying this guy is supposed to be able to take on a team of level 20s that's going to average about 50-100 damage per player per round and has nothing that comes remotely close to that kind of damage. My level 17 warlock could probably solo him.

I wouldn't mind testing the avatars in a numbers game; but how would your level 17 warlock probably solo Valkur?

I've included a Divine Blast attack, which was a plan for inclusion for almost if not all of the avatars, an Enlarge ability for Valkur, who is described as being depicted as a giant sailor, as well as Divine Shield.

That's actually pretty scary. I'd probably not give the blind condition on the pass though. At a DC 27, it's not going to be possible for most characters to even make. I like it though

Yeah, Lathander's abilities, and by extension all avatars of greater gods, are meant to be pretty scary, especially if directly faced in actual combat. You'll need to get your hands on artifacts at the very least, as well as the help of agreeable gods.

With Lathander's avatar especially, your party is facing an entity that is at least CR 30.
Also, thanks heaps.

 

[Ash Mantle]

It's more than just disadvantage. You have to choose the square you think the creature is in, if he is not there (aka he was smart enough to move) you automatically miss. You can't cast spells because you can't target anything. Also, you give up advantage to all of his attacks. I'm not sure what your experience is in Dming or playing with high level characters, but no one wants to fight an unwinnable fight.

The Blinded condition however states "A blinded creature can't see and automatically fails any ability check that requires sight. Attack rolls against the creature have advantage, and the creature's attack rolls have disadvantage."
Also, you're blinded, so you can still make Perception checks to determine where the creature has moved to.

 

[Ash Mantle]

This is a perfect example of why high level D&D is in the state it's in. It's easy to make a monster too weak, as it is to make a completely broken monster. The difficult thing is to make a creature that's challenging and fair. I think a lot of monsters have good abilities, but what they lack are HP. I think WOTC are afraid to give monsters 700-1000 HP for frlear that the fights will take too long. But 300-500 is just too weak for high level parties. A boss monster's HP should be more than the sum of all PCs in the party. This will stop 2 round combat.

I don't think I agree that high CR monsters, especially the avatars of greater gods would necessarily give a fair fight. As avatars of greater gods, this already means fairness is on the low-rung of any scale. Combats involving them aren't necessarily going to be fair and survivable.
Again, in a combat situation with an avatar of a greater god, you'll need to have a lot of resources and investment and as cbwjm said

If you go up against the avatar of a greater god, you better be prepared. You aren't going to fight this guy just for the hell of it, it is going to be the end point of an entire campaign where the party has been preparing for it and they will likely have items, spells, artifacts that help them fight this avatar.

 

[Ash Mantle]

Oh, which gods would people like to see next?

 

[Eltab]

Oh, which gods would people like to see next?

Some true Villains, and some of the sort that stumble across my path

- Bane (greater god, 4e version, not the earlier one that had Strife in his portfolio)
- Tempus
- Loviatar
- revised Tiamat with experience from Tyranny of Dragons 'final fights' added (if you have that data)
- Maglubiyet (sp?) In order to stop the overwhelmingly numerous conquering hobgoblins you have to beat up their god to make HIM cry 'Uncle' and tell them to stop
- the god of winds and storms, who is prone to just going off for no apparent reason
- Un-spell-able Elven god of forests, starts with letter R
- Cyric
- Bhaal (because after playing Murder in Balder's Gate, I want to solve the problem not chase around behind the symptoms)

 

[aco175]

I would like to see a power that gives more AC. Divine Armor- gives avatars +5 AC, +10, or +15 depending on their status. This may be a bit high with a greater god in plate armor and shield now would have a 35AC. This could be +3,6,9 if you want, but I see most of the avatars not wearing plate mail, but more with no armor, or just light armor and this just compensates for the lack of plate.

The other thing I can see each avatar having is the ability to summon reinforcements. I see the legendary action to summon some sea creatures, but I was thinking of some sort of angel/demon soldiers. Being a legendary action means that they can be summoned each round. If this is the case, I can see the summoned be weaker than if the power was 1/rest or 1/day power, even recharge. A hoard of CR 1/2 can still hit the PCs while being wiped out each round and CR3 soldiers can take a few hits. I was thinking of CR3,6,9 depending on the status of the god.

I like the idea you are presenting and I look forward to seeing more. I have never had any of my groups fight an avatar, but maybe some of the evil gods would be handy to have.