Help with homebrew boss: Mikal

[Grimmjow]

I'm trying to create a servant of Orcus named Mikal. This villain has already met my players face-to-face but was acting as a servant of the raven queen. He's served Orcus for a long long time and i need help making him into an actual monster.

What i've got so far is as follows:
1) Blazing skeleton claw graft (mainly cause i love blazing skeleton)
2) Festering strike from Orcus blood cult
3) Deathmaster template (at least thats what i think its called)

I'd like for him to fill the roll of a skirmisher, but i want him to be able to stand against the PCs by himself as well. He'll be able to raise minions to help him, and he'll be able to shift around and in between the minions and PCs.

Im also thinking about adding either/both the cultist and vile sorcerer themes to him, just to help me fill like he's more real.

The first time the players fight him will be early paragon (12-13)

Any idea's to make him better?

 

[(Psi)SeveredHead]

We'd need to know his level and "status" (eg elite?).

IMO, the deathmaster "template" is a controller [leader] thing. He could be backed up by an evil cleric with the "template", but a skirmisher with that set of powers doesn't make much sense, IMO.

I don't know what Festering Strike is, but if you combine that with Mobile Melee Attack, it could get aggravating to the victim.

I don't know what a claw graft is (Eberron?) but if it's an item, just toss it in there.

 

[Grimmjow]

We'd need to know his level and "status" (eg elite?).

IMO, the deathmaster "template" is a controller [leader] thing. He could be backed up by an evil cleric with the "template", but a skirmisher with that set of powers doesn't make much sense, IMO.

I don't know what Festering Strike is, but if you combine that with Mobile Melee Attack, it could get aggravating to the victim.

I don't know what a claw graft is (Eberron?) but if it's an item, just toss it in there.

Solo baby.

The reason i give him the death master template is so that the players can see he's been studying undeath long enough to be able to bring them up, i want to be able to use it incase he needs a little backup the first time i use him, and he can remove the radiant vuln.

Festering strike lets him but a dot when he hits

Blazing skeleton claw is exactly like the blazing skeleton's attacks (only they rant at will but no big deal there)

Im hoping that all this will give him an aura of death, after all by the end of them game he will be one of Orcus's top living servants.

 

[Arctic Wolf]

First off, can you tell me where this stuff is located? I am not an expert and my memory is bad . So what sorta feel are you going for besides a necromancer with a blazing arm? I am thinking but I need more info

 

[Grimmjow]

(100th post!)

First off, can you tell me where this stuff is located? I am not an expert and my memory is bad . So what sorta feel are you going for besides a necromancer with a blazing arm? I am thinking but I need more info

Dungeon master books one and two and the blazing claw is open grave.

I don't want the necromancer that everyone thinks about, standing in the back ordering his undead around while he casts spells. I want Mikal to be more like a battle mage, able to use melee with some magic. I might give him a wizard template or some necromancer spells from heroes of shadow but i want to be a melee character.

Also I'm thinking he doesn't have to have the skirmisher stuff just as long as he's a threat to the whole party, maybe a controller with defense and HP so can be in the front lines.

lol typing all this helps me think about how i want it XD

 

[Arctic Wolf]

Gratz Hmm, maybe give him a monk templete instead and just add necrotic dmg to the physical dmg or just copy off monk moves. Give him a minor or two that casts weak spells to throw the PCs off and think of the generic necromancer and then when they try to get close or he slowly moves up, open up a can of whoop-ass on them with his monk abilities .

 

[(Psi)SeveredHead]

I saw a great skirmisher-type necromancer in Dark Sun. (I don't think it was a skirmisher, but it had a skirmishing power.)

I wouldn't use a template; that just weakens a monster.

I would give it the Shroud of the Grave aura trait. It's not a controller, so IMO it shouldn't be summoning minions directly. However, it can teleport (like a skirmisher), perhaps every round. And every time it teleports, it leaves behind a minion made of its bones. (It grows new ones quickly.) Or it just drops a bag of animating bones, or however you want it to look.

These minions should be soldiers (to protect the skirmisher) and have an at-will immobilize attack (dealing 3/4 the regular damage, since that's a substantial nerf).

So, the skirmisher starts the fight by teleporting near a PC (leaving behind a minion), then doing some sort of run by attack to leave the victim with ongoing damage, and then move away. The PC won't be able to follow, because the minion will move up to them, attack, mark (as an effect) and possibly immobilize the PC. Ow.

 

[Grimmjow]

hm thats food for thought. lol

the reason want the minions is so that i have four monsters that can grab but the teleport idea works well with that

how do templates weaken monsters?

 

[Dr_Ruminahui]

Templates weaken monsters because they are designed based on MM1 principles... basically, the add to a monsters HPs and make them worth more XP, but otherwise do little to improve the monster's capabilites.

In other words, 2 standard monsters, although the same XP as a monser with a template, are superior in moblity, damage and ability to inflict conditions.

 

[Arctic Wolf]

I would say just stealing some of the abilties is all they are good for , but yeah you should make him have monk powers hehe