Help me kill Darmanicus & Friends!

[Navar]

You're going to kill them all with just those black slaad.
You can just stun lock all non-chaotic players with word of chaos and blind/stun/outright kill the remaining PCs with power words.
Anything that is stun locked is only a few rounds of melee or even plain chaos hammers away from death.
Where are the statistics for the queen?

No, look at the death slaad. The word of Chaos and power words are given to him and he is CR 13. The Paladin is already death warded, so they have access to that spell. Remember these are SMART players who buff each other often. This is the Boss fight so it should take all of their recources, but they should easily be able to defeat the black slaadi by themselves reguardless. If a couple of PCs fall all the better for putting fear in the PCs. They have access to Res spells.

 

[Navar]

Check my posts

Oh and to everyone please check my posts to make sure I don't have any errors in them. There is a lot of stuff to do when creating monsters and NPCs.

Thanks.

 

[BSF]

Navar,
Keep in mind that the party averages 15th level. Those three Slaad right there are already approaching a EL18. That's without the Githzerai, the Lich Queen or the Slaad King involved. As a result, I think those Slaad might be a tad bit overpowered.

 

[Navar]

Navar,
Keep in mind that the party averages 15th level. Those three Slaad right there are already approaching a EL18. That's without the Githzerai, the Lich Queen or the Slaad King involved. As a result, I think those Slaad might be a tad bit overpowered.

The last thing he threw at them (the lich queen's sister) was pushing EL 22 and they wiped the floor with her. THIS IS A SMART PARTY.

 

[Sarellion]

Reading the other thread gave me the feeling that they are all lost even without helping the DM.

 

[Navar]

Well if someone feels my Slaadi are too tough then please suggest another, I am going to work on the slaad king when I get back, but I figure about an EL 20 or so (without the lich queen) should be good for this fight. We will see what morrus has to say about it though.

 

[coriolis]

You're going to kill them all with just those black slaad.

I agree. You have 6 PCs vs. 8 enemies (3 slaads + 3 githzerai guards + Queen + King). The minions should be below the PCs in ability, and use relatively simple strategies. Their role is to slow down the party and to force the PCs to expand energy on them. That way, Morrus can concentrate on the big guns to pound the party from a safe position. I think you need to dial down the black slaads a bit -- get them down to 13-14 HD, and take off a few spell-like abilities such as the power words.

 

[Daalbar]

given the nature of slaad, I'm a bit surprised there is a "Slaad King"

However, accepting this possibility, it seems to me that if the Slaad King drops the 3 bodyguards should do one of two things...

1) being held together and functioning as a group only through his personal strength and will they should immediately figure there is no good reason to bother putting their hides on the line and just leave (if they can teleport or some such)... like the way medieval armies used to often pack up and go home if the King was killed.

2) They see opportunity for personal aggrandizement... for whichever of them is the strongest. They all shift focus and start going after each other first -- last Slaad standing is the new King... The King is dead, long live the King!!! This doesn't necessarilly mean they will all just fall upon one another though... they will start yelling bargains and deals to whichever side will back their play, perhaps the party will see the benefit of adding one of them to their "side" temporarilly while the battle continues to rage (the Paladin can deal with the consequences of such a bargain later ). They will of course, be most focussed on one another, but the conflict will weaken the party's opponents.

If the party is really clever, they might offer their support to whichever of the 3 bodyguards slays the Lich Queen! That would really be harnessing some potential!

This is all predicated on them focusing on the King, of course.

 

[Truth Seeker]

Oh, I thought I'd mention one of the problems I generally have running encounters against this group. They tend to be immune to everything, what with all their gear, buffs, etc. It's hard to get through their resistances, protections, ghostforms, displacements, and so on; and when some damage does get through, the cleric is completely loaded with ranged heals (through a telepathic bond, I think - I don't recall offhand, what abilities he's using precisely) and so forth. He pretty much only uses heals (unless he's fighting undead).

So part of the overall strategy, I think, should involve (1) stripping down a lot of their protections and making them actually vulnerable; and (2) preventing the cleric from healing them.

1.Yes!!! Make dead zones of null magic...nothing will function.

2. With the dead zones, the cleric cannot power heal anything. Time to use that heal skill fellows!!!

3. With that possible telepathic bond, broadcast a massive static interference zone. That will cause the concentration roll *use succession rolls from Unearthed Arcana format* to become more difficult...much more difficult, as long they are in the field effect.

4. Armor removal...let them be attacked by a ant colony size of invisible miniatures rust monsters

5. They have to breathe oxygen, then let them run into low oxygen areas, where carbon dioxiode is greater, then reflexes will start to slow down. Environmental temperatures get very uncomfortable. Add this to the mix.

6. Lastily...use nature's surroundings to hamper them greatly...magic cannot defend against everything.

Added:If the party is expecting a big body fight...to soften them up, use small bodies first, that they won't suspect...to weaken them up first.

Sufferance is so much greater, than a quick death

 

[Darkness]

given the nature of slaad, I'm a bit surprised there is a "Slaad King"

Lots of powerful slaadi are CE, in which case self-aggrandizement and bullying weaker slaadi comes naturally.