James Heard
Explorer
Tyreus said:
Darnit, I misread that and started looking in the thread for stats on Undead Iron Sheep.
Adventuring Party Needed!
- Thread starter Morrus
- Start date
Darnit, I misread that and started looking in the thread for stats on Undead Iron Sheep.
Morrus said:Double hit dice, I think. That thing needs some beefing up, otherwise it's gonna be toast as soon as one of the PCs sneezes on it.
Plus, some kind of freaky attack form; I'm still thinking of a banshee wail/scream, but I'm not sure what effect I'd like it to have. I'm not really keen on fear effects, and certainly don't want the banshee death effect (I hate death magic, too!). Any ideas?
Here's how I envision the breath weapon for the beasties ...
Not so much gaseous as fibrous. Although it would at first be perceived as a gas attack, in reality it is a cloud of filament like worms exuding acidic fumes from their mucus-like skin. They also carry disease. Anyone that fails a save against the gas attack is presumed to have inhailed a fair amount into their lungs and will also have to make disease saving thows.
Describing the itching feeling of the little worms writhing about on their exposed skin a round after the breath weapon is used, and the eventual onset of the illness with coughing fits as the PC coughs up a handful of these little worms in a gooey, oozing, darkened clump of fluid ... that should serve to creep them out.
Leander
First Post
Antilife Shell
A very easy way to protect your undead champions is the spell Antilife Shell. All your PCs cannot enter close combat with the Undeads. If the breath weapon of your wyvern is also obscuring vision and thus producing miss chances for ranged combat, the undead orcs can power down the PCs before they close combat themselves and thus breaking the shell. This is an tactic I used with a vampire opponent successfully. First the players were frustrated, because they couldn't get a hold on their opponent, but after working out a good strategy they were very happy to have solved that obstacle.
A very easy way to protect your undead champions is the spell Antilife Shell. All your PCs cannot enter close combat with the Undeads. If the breath weapon of your wyvern is also obscuring vision and thus producing miss chances for ranged combat, the undead orcs can power down the PCs before they close combat themselves and thus breaking the shell. This is an tactic I used with a vampire opponent successfully. First the players were frustrated, because they couldn't get a hold on their opponent, but after working out a good strategy they were very happy to have solved that obstacle.
Whisper72
Explorer
Hmm.. indeed, the trick is more in the tactics then the exact ability scores I think, if you want to make this challenging. It is how you DM th scene that is the most important.
These dudes know they are being called in because there is serious trouble. They should come all prepared to meet serious resistance, even so far as assuming by the time they arrive, the fortress may have fallen. They sould EXPECT an ambush and be fully ready for anything the players may think of.
Maybe they all have several special abilities (either innate or through use of spells / magic items etc. does not really matter unless they are magical items that may fall into the hands of the players) since they are in essence PC's:
- improved invisibility (maybe retainers / familiars etc. are trailing the undead invisibly)
- blinking / dimension door ability (maybe inherent for the wyverns themselves)
- displacement effect
- protection from missiles / stoneskin etc. prep spells active
- protection from elements
- haste
- maybe they can summon monsters/demons etc., thus the PC's who prepare to meet 6 foes in reality will face more
- the foes could have True Sight so they will see through invisible PC's etc.
It is a combination of giving the creatures several cool powers and using them wisely to make an enounter memorable. The PC's will never see the real stats of a monster/foe anyhoo.
What always works wonders if you want to scare the PC's a bit is to not have all the stats and protections figured out first hand, but basically make it so that the first attack by the PC's is somehow negated completely. Just for a little scare and pause. Why did it not work? What is the trick? How to circumvent this?
Do the PC's fire arrows? The monsters happen to have some effect that repels them. Is this a spell effect? Is it because they are displaced? Is it because of their armor? Who cares!
Do the PC's set off a fireball? Maybe the monsters have high spell resistance and happen to save, maybe they are immune to heat/fire damage. Is this because they have this as innate power? Is this because some strange spell effect is active? Who cares!
The important thing is that the PC's suddenly have to rethink their strategy. Having to actually think things through and figure out how to damage the enemy is the key to a memorable fight, not just more HP to wade through. Maybe the enemy itself does not do a lot of damage per round, so you give the PC's ample tries to figure out how to defeat their foes, they will still feel the clock ticking towards death. They are under pressure to find the types of attacks / combo's that land onto the enemy.
Hope this helps, even though it is not an exact answer to your question.
These dudes know they are being called in because there is serious trouble. They should come all prepared to meet serious resistance, even so far as assuming by the time they arrive, the fortress may have fallen. They sould EXPECT an ambush and be fully ready for anything the players may think of.
Maybe they all have several special abilities (either innate or through use of spells / magic items etc. does not really matter unless they are magical items that may fall into the hands of the players) since they are in essence PC's:
- improved invisibility (maybe retainers / familiars etc. are trailing the undead invisibly)
- blinking / dimension door ability (maybe inherent for the wyverns themselves)
- displacement effect
- protection from missiles / stoneskin etc. prep spells active
- protection from elements
- haste
- maybe they can summon monsters/demons etc., thus the PC's who prepare to meet 6 foes in reality will face more
- the foes could have True Sight so they will see through invisible PC's etc.
It is a combination of giving the creatures several cool powers and using them wisely to make an enounter memorable. The PC's will never see the real stats of a monster/foe anyhoo.
What always works wonders if you want to scare the PC's a bit is to not have all the stats and protections figured out first hand, but basically make it so that the first attack by the PC's is somehow negated completely. Just for a little scare and pause. Why did it not work? What is the trick? How to circumvent this?
Do the PC's fire arrows? The monsters happen to have some effect that repels them. Is this a spell effect? Is it because they are displaced? Is it because of their armor? Who cares!
Do the PC's set off a fireball? Maybe the monsters have high spell resistance and happen to save, maybe they are immune to heat/fire damage. Is this because they have this as innate power? Is this because some strange spell effect is active? Who cares!
The important thing is that the PC's suddenly have to rethink their strategy. Having to actually think things through and figure out how to damage the enemy is the key to a memorable fight, not just more HP to wade through. Maybe the enemy itself does not do a lot of damage per round, so you give the PC's ample tries to figure out how to defeat their foes, they will still feel the clock ticking towards death. They are under pressure to find the types of attacks / combo's that land onto the enemy.
Hope this helps, even though it is not an exact answer to your question.
One suggestion which has worked well in creeping out my players: A Shadowdancer with the Shadow Creature template from Manual of the Planes.
The abilities of Blend in Shadows, Shadow Jump, Fast Healing and the rest complement each other well, and literally make your players jump at shadows!
The abilities of Blend in Shadows, Shadow Jump, Fast Healing and the rest complement each other well, and literally make your players jump at shadows!
RangerWickett
Legend
One Orc would of course be a cleric specializing in counterspells, with Improved Counterspell, lots of dispel magic, and the Reactive Counterspell feat from Magic of Faerun, so he can counterspell 'fly' spells.
Reactive Counterspell
Prereq: Improved Counterspell, Improved Initiative
Benefit: You can counterspell as a reaction when it is not your turn, even if you have not readied an action. If you do so, you give up that part of your action in your next round, so if your counterspell uses a standard action, you can only take a move action on your next turn.
The cleric can also, of course, bolster the undead legion with his bolster undead ability. He wears a bear skull mask, so when you first see him, knowing that he's undead, you might think he's actually some sort of werebear, not an Orc. With the Reach Spell metamagic feat from Defenders of the Faith and Blindness, he can disable an enemy archer from the air.
For some real fun, if they're in a copse of trees, have the cleric hit them with Mass Inflict Light Wounds, and have it kill all the trees. Don't tell them that's what the spell is. It's a special groovy undead Orc cleric spell that just kills everything. Make the PCs roll saves for half damage, and then have fun describing how the trees splinter and collapse under their own weight, like they rotted from within.
Are we going for 'creepy' or 'intimidating'? For creepy, give the leader supreme damage reduction, and have it apply to his critter. The only thing that can bypass his DR is the same sort of weapon that killed him the first time. And of course, living flesh is anathema to him.
Reactive Counterspell
Prereq: Improved Counterspell, Improved Initiative
Benefit: You can counterspell as a reaction when it is not your turn, even if you have not readied an action. If you do so, you give up that part of your action in your next round, so if your counterspell uses a standard action, you can only take a move action on your next turn.
The cleric can also, of course, bolster the undead legion with his bolster undead ability. He wears a bear skull mask, so when you first see him, knowing that he's undead, you might think he's actually some sort of werebear, not an Orc. With the Reach Spell metamagic feat from Defenders of the Faith and Blindness, he can disable an enemy archer from the air.
For some real fun, if they're in a copse of trees, have the cleric hit them with Mass Inflict Light Wounds, and have it kill all the trees. Don't tell them that's what the spell is. It's a special groovy undead Orc cleric spell that just kills everything. Make the PCs roll saves for half damage, and then have fun describing how the trees splinter and collapse under their own weight, like they rotted from within.
Are we going for 'creepy' or 'intimidating'? For creepy, give the leader supreme damage reduction, and have it apply to his critter. The only thing that can bypass his DR is the same sort of weapon that killed him the first time. And of course, living flesh is anathema to him.
Nick_Danger
First Post
Quick and dirty while on break at work
Nos`rahiim
Wyverns of the Lingering Rot
Undead Large Dragon
Hit Dice: 8d12 (52 hp)
Initiative: +1
Speed: 20 ft. (4 squares), fly 60 ft. (poor)
Armor Class: 18 (–1 size, +1 Dex, +8 natural), touch 10, flat-footed 17
Base Attack/Grapple: +7/+15
Attack: Sting +10 melee (1d6+4 plus poison) or talon +10 melee (2d6+4) or bite +10 melee (2d8+4)
Full Attack: Sting +10 melee (1d6+4 plus poison) and bite +8 melee (2d8+4) and 2 wings +8 melee (1d8+2) and 2 talons +8 melee (2d6+4)
Space/Reach: 10 ft./5 ft.
Special Attacks: Breath weapon, improved grab, poison
Special Qualities: Undead traits, Darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision.
Saves: Fort +7, Ref +6, Will +6
Abilities: Str 19, Dex 12, Con 0, Int 6, Wis 12, Cha 9
Skills: Hide +7, Listen +13, Move Silently +11, Spot +16
Feats: Ability Focus (poison), Alertness, Flyby Attack, MultiattackB
Environment: Warm hills
Organization: Solitary or flight (3–6)
Challenge Rating: 8
Treasure: Standard
Alignment: Usually neutral
Advancement: 9–12 HD (Huge); 13–21 HD (Gargantuan)
Level Adjustment: —
A wyvern’s body is 15 feet long, and dark gray; half that length is tail. Its wingspan is about 20 feet. A wyvern weighs about one ton.
Wyverns speak Draconic, but usually don’t bother with anything more elaborate than a loud hiss or a deep-throated growl much like that of a bull alligator.
COMBAT
Wyverns are rather stupid but always aggressive: They attack nearly anything that isn’t obviously more powerful than themselves. A wyvern dives from the air, snatching the opponent with its talons and stinging it to death. A wyvern can slash with its talons only when making a flyby attack.
Breath Weapon (Su): The Nos`rahiim’s breaths a cone of green gas that has the smell of rotting earth and corpses. Anyone caught within its effects will find their eyes watering, their stomachs nauseated and an overall feeling of being unclean. However, just as their sting seeks to rot the flesh from a person’s bones, their breath rots away everything else, inflicting 8D6 points of damage to objects, equipment, and weapons. The Reflex save DC against a breath weapon is 10 + 1/2 wyvern’s HD.
Improved Grab (Ex): To use this ability, a wyvern must hit with its talons. It can then attempt to start a grapple as a free action without provoking an attack of opportunity. If it wins the grapple check, it establishes a hold and stings.
Poison (Ex): Flesh Rot, Fortitude DC 17, initial damage 2d6 rounds of bleeding (1 point on round 1, 2 on round 2, 4 on round 3, etc as the flesh rots from the poison) secondary damage 2d6 Con (from rot spreading to internal organs). The save DC is Constitution-based. Bleeding will continue at its last amount, up to the required number of rounds, once the poison has been neutralized. A cure spell will stop this bleeding, but only if it cures at least as much as damage being taken per round. Only spells that restore flesh can heal the damage caused by this rotting.
Skills: Wyverns have a +3 racial bonus on Spot checks.
I figure this might be a basic start - 15 minutes is not enough time to flesh out everything I needed to, plus a lot depends on campaign background.
Nos`rahiim
Wyverns of the Lingering Rot
Undead Large Dragon
Hit Dice: 8d12 (52 hp)
Initiative: +1
Speed: 20 ft. (4 squares), fly 60 ft. (poor)
Armor Class: 18 (–1 size, +1 Dex, +8 natural), touch 10, flat-footed 17
Base Attack/Grapple: +7/+15
Attack: Sting +10 melee (1d6+4 plus poison) or talon +10 melee (2d6+4) or bite +10 melee (2d8+4)
Full Attack: Sting +10 melee (1d6+4 plus poison) and bite +8 melee (2d8+4) and 2 wings +8 melee (1d8+2) and 2 talons +8 melee (2d6+4)
Space/Reach: 10 ft./5 ft.
Special Attacks: Breath weapon, improved grab, poison
Special Qualities: Undead traits, Darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision.
Saves: Fort +7, Ref +6, Will +6
Abilities: Str 19, Dex 12, Con 0, Int 6, Wis 12, Cha 9
Skills: Hide +7, Listen +13, Move Silently +11, Spot +16
Feats: Ability Focus (poison), Alertness, Flyby Attack, MultiattackB
Environment: Warm hills
Organization: Solitary or flight (3–6)
Challenge Rating: 8
Treasure: Standard
Alignment: Usually neutral
Advancement: 9–12 HD (Huge); 13–21 HD (Gargantuan)
Level Adjustment: —
A wyvern’s body is 15 feet long, and dark gray; half that length is tail. Its wingspan is about 20 feet. A wyvern weighs about one ton.
Wyverns speak Draconic, but usually don’t bother with anything more elaborate than a loud hiss or a deep-throated growl much like that of a bull alligator.
COMBAT
Wyverns are rather stupid but always aggressive: They attack nearly anything that isn’t obviously more powerful than themselves. A wyvern dives from the air, snatching the opponent with its talons and stinging it to death. A wyvern can slash with its talons only when making a flyby attack.
Breath Weapon (Su): The Nos`rahiim’s breaths a cone of green gas that has the smell of rotting earth and corpses. Anyone caught within its effects will find their eyes watering, their stomachs nauseated and an overall feeling of being unclean. However, just as their sting seeks to rot the flesh from a person’s bones, their breath rots away everything else, inflicting 8D6 points of damage to objects, equipment, and weapons. The Reflex save DC against a breath weapon is 10 + 1/2 wyvern’s HD.
Improved Grab (Ex): To use this ability, a wyvern must hit with its talons. It can then attempt to start a grapple as a free action without provoking an attack of opportunity. If it wins the grapple check, it establishes a hold and stings.
Poison (Ex): Flesh Rot, Fortitude DC 17, initial damage 2d6 rounds of bleeding (1 point on round 1, 2 on round 2, 4 on round 3, etc as the flesh rots from the poison) secondary damage 2d6 Con (from rot spreading to internal organs). The save DC is Constitution-based. Bleeding will continue at its last amount, up to the required number of rounds, once the poison has been neutralized. A cure spell will stop this bleeding, but only if it cures at least as much as damage being taken per round. Only spells that restore flesh can heal the damage caused by this rotting.
Skills: Wyverns have a +3 racial bonus on Spot checks.
I figure this might be a basic start - 15 minutes is not enough time to flesh out everything I needed to, plus a lot depends on campaign background.
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