D&D 4E 4E/Dragon Age - Help choosing a monster

[twilsemail]

Greetings all,

I'm currently running a 4E game set in Ferelden of Bioware's Dragon Age series. I know where the climax of the first story arc is supposed happen and I know what, thematically, the PCs will face when/if they get there. I'm clueless on what to use mechanically for their foe.

The PCs will be facing an Ogre Broodmother somewhere around the cusp of Paragon (within 2 levels one way or the other). To sort out pacing for the rest of the plot, I'd like to sort out what I'm using for her now so the encounter isn't too challenging and isn't too easy.

Thoughts on what might well represent a mostly stationary beastie that regularly gives birth to adult ogres? Also, probably has tentacles?

I'm providing a link to the Broodmother entry in the Dragon Age wiki. The image my be considered NSFW. Link.

A broodmother is a giant, immobile ghoul capable of spawning darkspawn in a manner somewhat resembling an insect queen.

"Ghoul" In this case is a corrupted humanoid.

Worst case scenario I'll make up my own, but this is supposed to be my relaxing/lazy game.

 

[Mentat55]

How about starting with the Silt Horror from the Dark Sun guide -- it is a level 12 solo, and has several types of level 12 minion tentacles that act as independent creatures. Maybe have a couple of main tentacles that are normal monsters (not minions) to screen the broodmother, so she can do her ranged and area attacks to mess up the party. Have a fairly limitless supply of tentacles, so that constantly fighting off the minions is a drain, and instead encourage the party to somehow focus on the Broodmother as much as possible.

 

[twilsemail]

Thanks for the help Mentat. The Silt Horror looks like a good start for what I was going for.

Apologies for the late response, I was without internet yesterday.

 

[Neonchameleon]

Having used the Silt Horror, I really can't recommend it. The minions sound cool - but in practice just get blasted (one mage and a warlord with Direct the Strike saw to that). And a lurker solo that hides every other turn is just annoying. In my bottom two fights ever. Would you want her to be a solo - or an elite protected by her brood and providing synergy and buffs?

 

[twilsemail]

I'm really on the fence on the Solo vs. Elite debate at the moment. There are only 3 PCs, though they've had an NPC tagging along for a bit now. I plan on the NPC being taken out of the picture before or during this fight.

The party currently holds an Executioner, a Sentinel and a Knight.

I was eyeing the Ropers in the MV, though I really like the tentacles of the Silt Horror. Without a controller, I'd expect the tentacles to pose more of a threat. Perhaps bump the tentacle regeneration of the Silt Horror up to 6?

I will probably at this point wind up writing up my own critter and sticking those tentacles in with her.

 

[Someone]

As an alternative, design the broodmother as a trap which shoots poison. The creatures are the tentacles and the ogres (minions which are spawned every round). Once the tentacles are defeated, you can assume they hack the immobile broodmother to death. It's not exactly as the videogame version, which had a nasty close range attack, but it could save you some trouble and hell, nowhere say that all broodmothers must be exactly identical.

You can lift the tentacle's stats from the MM3's Delphar Nerra, eliminating the restrictions of where they can teleport.

(Also, as an alternative more true to the videogame, you could count the number of casters the group has and if it's more than 0 the party wins. Always.)