Adventuring Party Needed!

[jgsugden]

6 enemy undead PC types riding 6 undead wyverns?

Versus a level 11 party?

If you're looking for something in the EL 14 to 15 range (very, very tough battle), you'll want the CR types and the undead to all be between 5 and 10 with an average around 7 or 8.

I'd start by using modified fiendish wyverns. Those would be CR 7. Replace Smite good with a 1/day breath attack of poisonous gas [DC17F - d6con/d6con]. Make the general's wyvern be an advanced version (huge size, 9 HD, CR 8). The undead look is fine for a fiendish creature.

For the PC types, I'd go with 3 CR 8s, 2 CR 9 and a CR 11.

The CR 8s would be 7th level PC types with a template applied with an LA of +1. I'd go for archer types in this spot. Perhaps ranger/barbarians for all three?

The 2 CR 9s should be spellcasters with the same template. One arcane and one divine/druid.

Cloron Shattersoul should be a barbarian type with the same template. He is an orc, after all. The trick here is to make him appear really nasty without making this encounter too hard for the PCs to have a chance. This can be acheived by using a fatal flaw in the general. I'd make him a 14th level barbarian, but rip off one of his arms. This reduces him to 1 handed weapons with no shield, a significant burden for a barbarian. As a further issue, I'd make him defensively minded: Have him hold off in combat until most of his allies have fallen or the PCs come to him.

Alternatively, you can go with 6 separate encounters of EL 11 to 15, but that just feels fake. It is best to have the enemy 'party' act like a party, even if it means reducing their power level accordingly.

 

[Ferret]

Something to think about, a bard or ranger ghost? A +4 against humans (+2 vs elves), archery combat style, with arrows of human slaying. Kick in the other archery feats...

 

[Zaruthustran]

Something to think about, a bard or ranger ghost? A +4 against humans (+2 vs elves), archery combat style, with arrows of human slaying. Kick in the other archery feats...

I like that idea. Alas, a Ghost Touch bow does not shoot corporeal arrows, does not impart the Ghost Touch ability to its ammunition, and there is no way to enchant arrows with the Ghost Touch ability. Of course, Morrus can modify this.

If he does, he should keep the bow as a Frost bow and just make the arrows Ghost Touch. So the ghost shoots real arrows that can also affect other ghosts. If the PCs kill this ghost then they can recover the magic arrows but the bow is just an incorporeal bow.

Other ideas:

1. Have the bad guys animate all the dead orcs in the keep, then send them out (under cover of darkness) to surround the copse. When the big bad guys attack the zombie horde also attacks. The PCs have little to fear from the zombies, but they'll be distracted by having to protect the little girl. And, heck, even heroes can be pulled down by enough zombie grapplers.

2. Give the wyverns and their riders a level of Shadowdancer. Hide in Plain Sight, combined with Spring Attack, Ride-by-Attack, or Fly-by-Attack (or any feat that allows a move/hide check, attack, and another move/hide check) is deadly and very scary. A full moon will ensure there are *plenty* of shadows in the copse of trees. Remember that hiding while attacking carries a -20 penalty. The ranger will likely still be able to spot these guys, but the other party members are going to have a hard time (give the bad guys shadow armor and cloaks of elvenkind for a quick +10 to hide).

3. Speaking of shadows: have one of the wyverns' breath shadows be:

Shadowsoul Stream: the wyvern vomits forth howling shades, remnants of the hundreds of souls it has consumed in life and undeath. A creature caught in the line-shaped area of effect must make a Reflex save or take damage as if it had been hit by a shadow (1d6 Str damage). No spawn creation. Undead are immune to this effect. A creature that is the subject of a Daylight spell is immune to this effect. When the wyvern dies, all the remaining souls inside the beast explode into the night, causing 5d4 negative energy damage to all within 10' and creating 1d6+2 free-willed Shadows. This phenomenon does not occur if the creature is killed during the day or while under the effect of a daylight spell.

4. Still speaking of shadows? Give the undead the ability of shadow mastiffs:

Shadow Blend (Su): In any condition of illumination other than full daylight, a shadow mastiff can disappear into the shadows, giving it total concealment. Artificial illumination, even a light or continual flame spell, does not negate this ability. A daylight spell, however, will.

This ability can be used in place of the shadowdancer level, if you like. The downside is that Daylight can end this ability, unlike Hide in Plain Sight (the Daylight spell creates strong shadows, obviously).

5. Skeletal is a nice template to add to foes who are facing archers. DR5/bludgeoning. Consider making some of the riders be skeleton warriors, ideally skeleton warriors made from the corpses of former human champions.

6. Did someone say skeletons? This is a nice breath weapon for another wyvern:
Spew Skeletons: the wyvern belches forth a concussive cone of skeletal bits and pieces from undigested meals. 6d6 bludgeoning damage, Reflex save for half damage. 1d6 medium-size skeletons rise from the scattered, shattered remains and immediately attack the nearest living creature with their claws (as "Human Warrior Skeleton", less the heavy shield and scimitar). When the wyvern dies, 3d6+2 skeletons claw their way out of its ruptured body and attack.


7. Another breath weapon:

Black Maw: the wyvern's withered lips are curiously and grossly puckered; the cause of this phenomenon is revealed when it opens its maw, exposing a gasping, shrieking black hole straight to Pandemonium. The hole sucks in and swallows objects and creatures in a cone area of effect. Reflex save or be sucked into the maw and blasted through the multiverse to a random location (not necessarily on solid ground) in Pandemonium. Flying creatures take a -2 penalty to the reflex save. Small creatures take a -1 penalty for every size category smaller than Medium size. All creatures and objects affected by the same usage of the breath weapon appear in the same general location (within a roughly 30' diameter area). When this wyvern dies it collapses in on itself and vanishes with a loud bang (Fort save or temporarily deafened).

8. That's a lot of Reflex saves. The other wyverns should force will or fort saves. Actually, why wyverns? If they're breathing they should be dragons. Anyway, here's another breath weapon:

Phantasmal Froth: the wyvern hisses and spits out a foaming black cloud. Those within the cloud see their worst fears rise up against them: old foes, new failures, dread prophecies. Will save to recognize the images as unreal, then if that fails Fort save or 3d6 damage and shocked into unconsciousness from fear (take enough nonlethal damage to drop the target to -1 hit points). A successful Fort save prevents the unconsciousness effect but still deals 3d6 damage. This is a Fear, Mind-affecting effect. When this creature dies a Fear (as the spell) effect goes off in a 30' radius centered on the middle of the creature's space.

9. One more wacky breath weapon:
Sigh of Gloom: a depressing sigh of despair escapes the creature's throat, the agonizing sadness of unrealized potential of every creature it has slain. Those within the cloud-shaped area of effect must make a Will save or be Shaken and unable to use Extraordinary or Supernatural abilities for 1d2 rounds. This is a fear effect. In addition, magic items within the area of effect must make a Will save or be suppressed for 1d2 rounds. Likewise, test all active spells in the area of effect with a dispel check (1d20 + wyvern's HD, maximum +10). The DC for this dispel check is 11 + the spell’s caster level. Affected spells are suppressed (as with Antimagic Field) for 1d2 rounds. Undead, including incorporeal undead, are unaffected, though their items are not safe. When this creature dies it lets out a final wail of despair equivalent to a Banshee scream, and an area Dispel Magic goes off centered in the middle of its space.

-z

 

[demiurge1138]

So these are undead orc riding undead wyverns? Only one spell you really need, then, to make it nice and horrible. Cloudkill. 1d4 Con with no save to any PCs in the cloud, it'll probably kill off followers and maybe even cohorts and animal companions, and it's a good "fleeing spell" that the undead mage casts before the orcish death squad retreats, as it obscures vision like a fog cloud.

Another fun spell to throw in would be Lahm's finger darts from the BoVD. They're magic missiles that deal Dex damage and always hit, but they deal Dex damage to the caster, as well as fingers. The undead are immune to ability damage. Growing back fingers might be a problem, though.

It almost goes without saying that the group should have a battle standard with the desecrate spell cast on it. The benefits to the undead are very nice, and it'll keep them from being turned by those pesky paladins and clerics.

Just my 2 cents.
Demiurge out.

 

[Iron Sheep]

Edit--Dangit! I just noticed you want them all to be undead. And here I am without appropriate undead templates to play with. Oh well. I'll leave them up anyway--maybe someone else will use them /edit

Here's Smazzhup Yustef with the swordwraith template applied. Total CR 14, which is probably too high. Of course the lack of Con really hurts the character, and DR 10/magic and slashing probably won't help much in melee, so I fear that CR 14 is an overestimate of the effectiveness of the character.

----
Smazzhup Yustef, Male Swordwraith Orc Ftr 4/Bbn 1/Tribal Protector3/Eye of Gruumsh 4
Medium Undead (Augmented Humanoid, Orc)
Hit Dice: 12d10 (83 hp)
Init: +3
Speed: 30 ft.
Armour Class: 22 (+7 breastplate, +3 dex, +1 deflection, +1 natural)
Base Attack/Grapple: +12/+16
Attack: +18 melee (1d8+9 plus 1 Str, Orc Double Axe); or +16 ranged (1d6+4 javelin)
Full Attack: +18/+13/+8 melee (1d8+9 plus 1 Str Orc Double Axe); or Wild Fighting +16/+16/+11/+6 (1d8+9 plus 1 Str orc double axe); or TWF +16/+11/+6 and +16/+11 (1d8+7 plus 1 Str and 1d8+5 plus 1 Str, Orc Double Axe); or Wild Fighting and TWF +14/+14/+9/+4 and +14/+9 (1d8+7 plus 1 Str and 1d8+5 plus 1 Str, Orc Double Axe); or +16 ranged (1d6+4 javelin)
Space/Reach: 5 ft./5 ft.
Special Attacks: Rage 2/day, Wild Fighting, Swing Blindly, Blinding Spittle 1 hour, Tribal Enemy: whoever you want, strength damage
Special Qualities: Damage reduction 10/magic and slashing, Follow Orders Blindly, Homeland: wherever you want, Terrain AC bonus +2, Ritual Scarring +1, turn resistance +2, undead traits
Saves: Fort +14, Ref +10, Will +8
Abilities: Str 18, Dex 17, Con --, Int 12, Wis 12, Cha 15
Skills: Climb + (4), Intimidate +16 (15), Jump +4 (4), Intuit Direction +4 (4), Knowledge: Religion +(7.5), Listen +(4), Sense Motive +(6) Wilderness Lore +(4)
Feats: Alertness (B), Blindfight, Cleave, Exotic Weapon Proficiency (orc double axe), Great Cleave, Improved Critical (orc double axe), Improved Two Weapon Fighting, Iron Will, Power Attack, Superior Two Weapon Fighting, Two Weapon Fighting, Weapon Focus (orc double axe), Weapon Specialization (orc double axe)
Challenge Rating: 14
Alignment: Chaotic Evil
Possessions: +2 Cloak of Resistance, +2 breastplate with masterwork armor spikes, +1/+1 Orc Double Axe, +1 Ring of Protection, 2x Potion of CSW, Potion of Blur, Potion of Fly, masterwork dagger, 3 masterwork javalins.

Follow Orders Blindly: The eye of Gruumsh may grant a +2 morale bonus on Will saves to any nongood orcs or half-orcs with HD lower than his character level within 30 feet of him. Any recipient who willingly goes against the eye of Gruumsh’s directions loses this bonus immediately. Using this ability is a standard action and the effect lasts for 1 hour per eye of Gruumsh level.
Ritual Scarring: The eye of Gruumsh gains a +1 bonus to natural armor
Swing Blindly: The Eye of Gruumsh gains an additional +2 bonus to his Strength score while raging. While this ability is in effect, the character provokes attacks of opportunity as though he were casting a spell whenever he takes any kind of attack action.

Blinding Spittle: The eye of Gruumsh can launch blinding spittle at any opponent within 20 feet. Using a ranged touch attack (at a –4 penalty), he spits his stomach acid into the targets eyes. An opponent who fails a Reflex save (DC 16 DC 10+Eye of Gruumsh level + Cha modifier) is blinded until he or she can rinse away the spittle. This attack has no effect on creatures that don’t have eyes or don’t depend on vision. Blinding Spittle is usable once per hour at 4th level.

Tribal Enemy: Tribal protectors gain a +3 bonus to Bluff and Sense Motive checks when using these skills against their enemies. They gain the same +3 bonus to weapon damage rolls against these creatures. This damage does not apply to damage against creatures who are immune to critical hits, and the tribal defender does not gain this bonus when using a ranged weapon from more than 30 feet distant.

Homeland: Tribal Protectors gain a +2 bonus to Hide, Intuit Direction, Move Silently, and Wilderness Lore checks when they are within the terrain type and geographical area of their tribal homeland.

Wild Fighting: Similar to a monk attacking with a flurry of blows, a tribal defender of 2nd level or higher can enter a state of wild fighting, attacking in a storm of ferocious assaults. The character gains one extra attack per round, at his highest base attack bonus, but all the character’s attacks in that round suffer a –2 penalty. This penalty lasts for an entire round, so it also affects any attacks of opportunity the protector might make in that round.

Terrain AC Bonus: You take great advantage of your homeland’s features and gain the listed deflection bonus to your AC when in your homeland.

Rage: HP 83, AC 20, Atk +21/+16/+11 (1d8+9 plus 1 Orc Double Axe) or Wild Fighting +19/+19/+14/+9 (1d8+13 plus 1 orc double axe) or TWF +19/+14/+9 and +19/+14 (1d8+10 plus 1 and 1d8+6 plus 1 Orc Double Axe), or Wild Fighting and TWF +17/+17/+12/+7 and +17/+12 (1d8+10 plus 1 and 1d8+6 plus 1 Orc Double Axe) or +16 ranged (1d6+7 javalin)—note that this uses the Swinging Blindly modifiers and therefore provokes AoOs; BAB +12; Grapple +19/+14/+9 SV: Fort +14, Ref +10, Will +10; lasts 7 rounds.

Notes: Skills need to be fixed up: Alertness and racial +4 to move silently & hide not applied.

 

[Krail Stromquism]

Focus, focus, focus

HEY!

I love making focused bad guys for my game.

The trick is to make them really stick in the craw of the party.

To make them really memorable or worthy of the parties focus over many adventures make it personal. Go after their followers, friends and property.

I dont think its so much what exactly they are so much as what they do. I had a focused Weapon Breaker, she had a few tricks to get outa a fight quick but not before she broke a few weapons first.

Im under the assumption your group isnt always all together all the time. Plan an ambush on a few of them, prepared your badies should be able to tame them quickly, you dont wanna kill them, take a weapon or kill a follower, or better yet kill a follower and have them raise them as an undead. What a slap in the face!

Have an archer take shots at the wizard, have a grappler take on the archer.

Take it from a story perspective, how would it be most compelling, interesting and engaging for your players to face off with the villains?

MAn, did that help? Were you looking for stat blocks? sorry just advice from me.

Good Luck

 

[Iron Sheep]

For a bit of variation, here's a wyvern-like creature which is definitely different. This is a base creature: it needs a gaseous breath weapon and and other special abilities added in.

A blind creature like a yrthak might mesh will with the whole blinded/one-eyed Gruumsh orcish theme.

----
Corpse Yrthak
Huge Undead (Augmented Magical Beast)
Hit Dice: 12d12 (78 hp)
Initiative: +5
Speed: 20 ft., fly 60 ft. (clumsy)
AC: 17 (-2 size, +1 Dex, +8 natural), touch 9, flatfooted 16
Base Attack/Grapple: +12/+27
Attack: bite +17 melee (2d8+7); or sonic lance +11 ranged touch (6d6)
Full Attack: bite +17 melee (2d8+7) and 2 claws +15 melee (1d6+3) and slam +15 melee (2d6+3); or sonic lance +11 ranged touch (6d6)
Space/Reach: 15 ft./10 ft.
Special Attacks: Sonic lance, explosion
Special Qualities: Blindsight 120 ft., immunities, vulnerability to sonic
Saves: Fort +8, Ref +9, Will +5
Abilities: Str 24, Dex 12, Con --, Int 7, Wis 13, Cha 11
Skills: Listen +12, Move Silently +9
Feats: Endurance, Flyby Attack, Improved Initiative, Multiattack, Snatch
Challenge Rating: 10
Alignment: Chaotic Evil


COMBAT

A corpse yrthak prefers to attack from the air, strafing the ground with sonic attacks or snatching up and dropping prey.

Sonic Lance (Su): Once every 2 rounds, a corpse yrthak can focus sonic energy in a ray up to 60 feet long. This is a ranged touch attack that deals 6d6 points of damage to a single target.

Explosion (Su): A corpse yrthak can fire its sonic lance at the ground, a large rock, a stone wall, or the like to create an explosion of shattered stone. This attack deals 2d6 points of piercing damage to all within 10 feet of the effect’s center. This counts as a use of the sonic lance attack and thus is usable only once every 2 rounds, and never on the round following a sonic lance attack.

Blindsight (Ex): A corpse yrthak can ascertain all foes within 120 feet. Beyond that range it is considered blinded. Corpse yrthaks are invulnerable to gaze attacks, visual effects of spells such as illusions, and other attack forms that rely on sight. A corpse yrthak whose sense of hearing is impaired is effectively blinded, treating all targets as having total concealment.

Immunities: Corpse yrthaks have immunity to gaze attacks, visual effects, illusions, and other attack forms that rely on sight.

Skills: Corpse yrthaks have a +4 racial bonus on Listen checks.

 

[shilsen]

Not to spoil the fun that people are already having on this thread, but I'd like to play devil's advocate here. Using 90% of the suggestions made here will result in a TPK. Six normal MM wyverns is a balanced encounter (in the sense the DMG uses for the term) for a party consisting of two 11th and two 10th lvl PCs. With undead templates on the wyverns, and the six orc riders with classes and PrCs on them, Morrus will need some really classy fudging to not TPK the party.

 

[Iron Sheep]

Not to spoil the fun that people are already having on this thread, but I'd like to play devil's advocate here. Using 90% of the suggestions made here will result in a TPK. Six normal MM wyverns is a balanced encounter (in the sense the DMG uses for the term) for a party consisting of two 11th and two 10th lvl PCs. With undead templates on the wyverns, and the six orc riders with classes and PrCs on them, Morrus will need some really classy fudging to not TPK the party.

I think you may have missed what Morrus said earlier:

Oh, one thing I didn't mention - the group doesn't have to be balanced against the party for a straight up fight. If they get in a straight up fight with this group, I want them to die; they need to strategise, divide, conquer. I'm thinking that 2-3 of the group should be about an equal fight (that includes the wyverns, of course, which bump up the power of the orcs somewhat).

So six of these should be a TPK.

Also, CR issues aside, it sounds like the archer PC has a holy bow, and probably gets 3-4 attacks per round with it and most will likely hit, since undead typically have weak AC. That's a PC who is ideally suited for dealing with flying undead. The yrthak I posted above would be lucky to survive more than 2-3 rounds of sustained fire from the archer. If it was spotted at maximum range for a bow, it might not even get to see the archer before it gets taken down.

Add in the fact that putting an undead template on a combat brute significantly weakens the creature in that role (a fighter or barbarian will typically lose about a third of their hp because of the lack of Con, a wyvern loses a quarter) unless you also get good DR, regeneration, or something similar to help out.

Undead templates help caster types much more, though. They get more hp on average, and so will last longer and get off more spells before being taken down or forced to flee, on average.

So if I were building the entire encounter, I'd be going for higher nominal CR for the melee-types, and lower CR for the caster-types. The wyverns either need to be much beefier than a typical undead wyvern, or need to gain a significant special attack (more than just a one-shot or weak breath weapon). And the BBEG should be riding something special.

I don't think any of the creatures posted in this thread have been too over-the-top for the sort of encounter that Morrus has planned against the group of PCs that Morrus has.

Corran

 

[GodPhoenix]

Hey Morrus,

Would you mind posting the full stats for the encounter you finally decide on? I'm curious what you pick...this turns out to be *extremely* relevant to a campaign I'm running. Thanks!