Kulan: Need a unique Balor: CR 25!

Okay, I sprung a powerful balor demon on my players tonight. It was trapped in the center of an unique magical artifact, which I'm going to call a disk gate. It has the ability to summon outsiders to it, but as a plane shift, plus it has a permanent magic circle against chaos/evil/law/good as part of it's power.

Anyway, the balor gave its name as Memphis, and he told the PCs that he was a servant of Graz'zt. Memphis isn't its true name, however. And it is one of Graz'zt's generals, and helped in the defeat of Adimarchus. (This is for my Shackled City campaign, set on my homebrewed world.)

Now, the PCs killed the Cagewright operating the disk gate, and broke the magic circle, which deactivated the artifact. This freed the demon and it plane shifted away at the first opportunity.

Now, I need a unique balor with a CR of 25. I'd like to see what the minds here at EN World can come up with for me, as I've been a bit burnt out lately. Unique magic items and something more than increased Hit Dice would be great.

I'm looking for something really interesting. Some background for the demon would be great too, but not required.

Cheers!

Knightfall1972

A leechwhip. The leechwhip literally is a group of giant leeches connected at the tail tip, that can elongate or scrunch their bodies, coil around things and ultimately want to latch on and suck. Since they catch hold of whatever they can their barbs require a successful strength or strength related feat to escape--but as with real leeches this does damage and leaves a fiendish form of corrupt infection. The only good way to remove them is with magic that can have an effect on outsiders. Each 'lash' is a living entity that acts in concert due to a vile enchantment and so has its own hit points and DC and so on. Out of the Balor's hand it requires a charm spell or something roughly equivalent or it will attack anyone touching it.

Four arms? A tail (20 ft reach) with barbs at the end? Cast spells as a 6th level sorcerer? All of the above?



EDIT: Unless you've told your players what the balor looks like, which is the same, you could add the half-farspawn template from Lords of Madness.

Balor + Half-Farspawn = Kickass.

Bryon_Soulweaver said:

Four arms? A tail (20 ft reach) with barbs at the end? Cast spells as a 6th level sorcerer? All of the above?

EDIT: Unless you've told your players what the balor looks like, which is the same, you could add the half-farspawn template from Lords of Madness.

Balor + Half-Farspawn = Kickass.

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They've already met the balor once, and I didn't give it much of a unique appearance.

Give ol' Memphis the Craft Wondrous item feat and an intelligent cloak made out of a solar's wings (Chaotic Evil now, with an ego score in the 26-30 range), with the ability to use Greater Spell Immunity, Greater Restoation, and Heal each 3/day on its own volition (once per round).

How about a living shadow? Its stats would function as a large Greater Shadow, its HD increased to 20 although it would be unturnable. On Memphis' round it can use Spring attack to hop out at someone, attack, and then retreat to Memphis' square. While its within 5' of Memphis, it automatically gives him a +2 bonus to AC and saves.

The previous two suggestions are mostly to give Memphis more options during his turn, if he's going up alone vs. the PCs he could get overwhelmed from a lack of actions. And most class levels don't do anything for a Balor for just 5 CR, however, just 2 levels of Blackguard would give him +Cha to saves which would increase his durability a good amount. A player class would also let you get away with using Elite array. Lets not forget a balor can summon another balor with automatic chance of success. Also, Memphis will have to be sure to summon another balor buddy by the time combat rolls around.

If you want him to get a kick out of his spell-likes, change around that Quicken spell-like ability. Greater Dispel Magic would be nice, but Insanity could easily be (or if you're feeling *really* nasty, Dominate Monster). If you choose one of the latter two, maybe give him a Minor Artifact whip, Willsapper, which deals 1d6 Wisdom damage a strike, in place of doing actual damage (still with the ability to entangle).

CR 20 + 10 non-associated levels = CR 25.

Bard 10 -- His voice is thunder, and his troops are all fired up. Oh yeah.

Rogue 10 -- He has +5d6 Sneak Attack and Improved Evasion. Hell yeah.


CR 20 + 2 non-associated levels + 4 associated levels = CR 25.

Rogue 2 / Blackguard 4 -- Evasion, +2d6 Sneak Attack, and "Its saves are WHUUUT?!"


CR 20 + Template (+2) + 3 associated levels = CR 25

Shadow Creature (Lords of Madness or Manual of the Planes) + Blackguard 2 / Barbarian 1 -- Rage, extra super fast movement, total concealment outside of daylight, Evasion, and "... saves are WHUUUT?!"

Cheers, -- N

Sollir Furryfoot said:

Lets not forget a balor can summon another balor with automatic chance of success. Also, Memphis will have to be sure to summon another balor buddy by the time combat rolls around.

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Hmm, I guess I should mention that I've changed all my outsiders abilities to summon other demons/devils/etc. In my campaign cosmology, this balor can Gate in another balor, but it can only do this 75% of the time.

All such outsiders abilities to call other outsiders is reduced by 25% (rounded down), in effectiveness. For example, a glabrezu's summon ability is changed to the following...

Call Tanar'ri (Sp): Once per day a glabrezu can attempt to gate 41d10 dretches or 1d2 vrocks with a 37% chance of success, or another glabrezu with a 15% chance of success. This ability is the equivalent of a 4th-level spell.

I haven't worked out all the specifics, yet, but you get the idea.

Later,

KF72

Nifft said:

CR 20 + 10 non-associated levels = CR 25.

Bard 10 -- His voice is thunder, and his troops are all fired up. Oh yeah.

Rogue 10 -- He has +5d6 Sneak Attack and Improved Evasion. Hell yeah.


CR 20 + 2 non-associated levels + 4 associated levels = CR 25.

Rogue 2 / Blackguard 4 -- Evasion, +2d6 Sneak Attack, and "Its saves are WHUUUT?!"

CR 20 + Template (+2) + 3 associated levels = CR 25

Shadow Creature (Lords of Madness or Manual of the Planes) + Blackguard 2 / Barbarian 1 -- Rage, extra super fast movement, total concealment outside of daylight, Evasion, and "... saves are WHUUUT?!"

Cheers, -- N

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Thanks for the ideas, Nifft. Interesting stuff.

Note, however, that I've never bought into the whole concept of non-associated class levels as being worth only half a CR point. I think this is due to the fact that all classes are free to multiclass in my campaign world. The only restrictions are those based on alignment and codes of conduct.

Knightfall1972 said:

Note, however, that I've never bought into the whole concept of non-associated class levels as being worth only half a CR point.

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I would like to play in your campaign, then. My favored enemies are Ogre Sorcerers and Orc Wizards. I look forward to the XP.

Mua-ha-ha, -- N

I'd make him a melee monster

For a solid CR25

Elite Array (+1 CR)
Wealth as a Lvl 25 NPC (350K)
Replace at-will insanity with at-will plane shift
Replace at-will telekinesis with (Su) double strength protection against good circle
Replace Quicken Spell-like ability with Improved Critical (Falchion)
Replace Two-Weapon Fighting with Weapon Focus (Falchion)
Replace Weapon Focus (longsword) with Improved Bull Rush
Replace Improved Two-Weapon Fighting with Improved Sunder
Feat (21HD) = Combat Brute
Feat (24HD) = Power Critical
Bonus Fighter Feats: Shock Trooper, Leap Attack, Weapon Specialization (falchion)
Cha Increase +1 (24HD)

Drop the whip and use a falchion. Use leap attack + heedless charge from shock trooper: dump the AC into Power Attack for insane amounts of damage and a massive crit range. Use sundering cleave from Combat Brute with adamantium falchion to obliterate opponent's magic arsenal and kill them. Good Cha also gives oomph to SLAs.

Graz'zt should feel at least a little wary of him. Looking over his shoulder, so to speak. It pays to be suspicious of one's generals.


"Memphis"

Balor Fighter 4
Large Outsider (Chaotic, Extraplanar, Evil)

Hit Dice: 20d8+240 plus 4d10+48 (400 hp)
Initiative: +10
Speed: 40 ft. (8 squares), fly 90 ft. (good)
Armor Class: 41 (-1 size, +7 armor, +6 Dex, +19 natural), touch 15, flat-footed 35
Base Attack/Grapple: +24/+43
Attack: +2 adamantine speed thundering falchion +40 melee (2d6+26/15-20)
Full Attack: +2 adamantine speed thundering falchion +40/+40/+35/+30/+25 melee (2d6+26/15-20); or 2 slams +37 melee (1d10+15)
Space/Reach: 10 ft./10 ft.
Special Attacks: Death throes, spell-like abilities, summon demon
Special Qualities: Damage reduction 15/cold iron and good, darkvision 60 ft., flaming body, immunity to electricity, fire, and poison, protective aura, resistance to acid 10 and cold 10, spell resistance 28, telepathy 100 ft., true seeing
Saves: Fort +26, Ref +20, Will +21
Abilities: Str 40, Dex 22, Con 34, Int 26, Wis 24, Cha 30
Skills: Bluff +37, Concentration +39, Diplomacy +45, Intimidate +41, Jump +46, Knowledge (arcana) +35, Knowledge (the planes) +35, Knowledge (religion) +35, Knowledge (history) +35, Listen +42, Search +35, Sense Motive +34, Spellcraft +39 (+43 scrolls), Survival +10 (+14 tracking), Spot +42, Use Magic Device +37 (+41 scrolls)
Feats: Cleave, Combat Brute, Improved Initiative, Improved Bull Rush, Improved Critical (falchion), Improved Sunder, Leap Attack, Power Attack, Power Critical, Shock Trooper, Weapon Focus (falchion), Weapon Specialization (falchion)
Challenge Rating: 25

Memphis’s natural weapons, as well as any weapons it wields, are treated as chaotic-aligned and evil-aligned for the purpose of overcoming damage reduction.

Death Throes (Ex)
When killed, Memphis explodes in a blinding flash of light that deals 100 points of damage to anything within 100 feet (Reflex DC 34 half). This explosion automatically destroys any weapons the balor is holding. The save DC is Constitution-based.

Protective Aura (Su)
Against attacks made or effects created by good creatures, this ability provides a +4 deflection bonus to AC and a +4 resistance bonus on saving throws to anyone within 20 feet of Memphis. Otherwise, it functions as a magic circle against evil effect and a lesser globe of invulnerability, both with a radius of 20 feet (caster level equals the demon's HD). This aura can be dispelled, but the demon can create it again as a free action on its next turn. (The defensive benefits from the circle are not included in Memphis’s statistics block.)

Spell-Like Abilities
At will— blasphemy (DC 27), dominate monster (DC 29), greater dispel magic, greater teleport (self plus 50 pounds of objects only), plane shift (self plus 50 pounds of objects only), power word stun, unholy aura (DC 28); 1/day—fire storm (DC 29), implosion (DC 29). Caster level 20th. The save DCs are Charisma-based.

Summon Demon (Sp)
You've tweaked this.

Flaming Body (Su)
The body of a balor is wreathed in flame. Anyone grappling a balor takes 6d6 points of fire damage each round.

True Seeing (Su)
Balors have a continuous true seeing ability, as the spell (caster level 20th).

Skills
Balors have a +8 racial bonus on Listen and Spot checks.

Equipment:
Large +2 adamantine thundering speed falchion
Large +3 heavy fortification mithral chain shirt
Other stuff to taste