Challenging my high-lvl group (NPCs and monsters; my players shouldn't read this!)

[Graywolf-ELM]

“Good job, but we still need more support,” decides Agar. Throwing his mind out into the far reaches of the earth, he calls an elder earth elemental to him. Channelling it through a tiny section of the far realms is simplicity itself for the alienist, and the elemental arrives with earthen tentacles squirming."


Just another suggestion to consider. A faction from or tainted by the Far Realms, trying to make a foothold into This realm.

GW

 

[MavrickWeirdo]

You asked for brainstorming for your 3rd group of demons, this may come out more theoretical than pratical

Shapeshifters represent change, so what is the opposit of change?

Stasis

Their theme would be to oppose change or "maintain balance"

They move slowly (they prefer not to move, but if it will prevent major changes then it would be worth moving). In fact they would act as if under the effect of a iron body spell at all times. This would give them major damage reduction (damage would be a change). In addition depending on how powerful the individual "stasis demon" is, they can use as a touch attack sleep, slow, otiluke's resilient sphere, hold, stone to flesh, power word - stun, or temporal statis.

 

[The Forsaken One]

Someone posted these earlier on in this RogueGal thread but just to remind you that they are here if you're taking the much suggested fallen celestial path.


Desolation Angel
Medium-size Outsider (Evil)
HD: 12d8+24 (78)
Initiative: +5 (Dex, Improved Initiative)
Speed: 30’, fly 60’ (average)
AC: 21 (+10 natural, +1 Dex)
Attacks: +2 ranseur +17/+12
Damage: +2 ranseur 2d4+6
Face/Reach: 5’x5’/ 5’ (10’ with ranseur)
Special Attacks: Spell-like abilities, Negative Energy Beam +13 ranged touch, Desolation Field
Special Qualities: DR 20/+2, SR 21, Immunities, Fire, cold, and electricity resistance 10, Telepathy
Saves- F: +10 R: +9 W: +10
Abilities: Str 17, Dex 13, Con 14, Int 14, Wis 14, Cha 16,
Skills: Concentration +17, Knowledge (any 2) +17, Listen +17, Spot +17, Move Silently +16, Hide +12
Feats: Fly-by Attack, Weapon Focus (ranseur), Improved Initiative, Ability Focus (Desolation Aura)
Clime: Any land and underground
Organization: Solitary
CR: 10 (?)
Treasure: No coins; double goods, double items
Align: Neutral Evil
Adv. Range: 13-24 HD (medium-size)

Desolation angels are beings of pure destruction. Their very presence withers their surroundings. Used as assassins, guardians, and sometimes even deadly shock troops, these beings are almost always in the employ of a powerful outsider. They are not particularly cruel or sadistic, but they have no real conscience. They were born to kill, and that’s what they do.
Desolation angels are always beautiful females with chalky-gray skin and jet-black hair. They have large feathery wings the color of cooling lava. Desolation angels favor flowing black, gray or blood red robes that do nothing to hide their figure. Their clothing is often adorned with vulture or crow motifs, and some enjoy wearing expensive jewelry. All carry magical ranseurs the color of dried blood.

Combat
Desolation angels favor surprise attack, sweeping down to strike from above. They use fly-by attack, negative energy, and spell-like abilities at first, keeping to cover and avoiding melee. When all their abilities are exhausted, they close for melee, allowing the desolation field to winnow away at their enemies.
Spell-like Abilities: At will- detect good and detect magic; 1/day- magic circle against good, unholy blight, and summon monster IV.
Negative Energy Beam (Su): Once every 1d6 rounds, a desolation angel can unleash a burst of negative energy. This counts as a ranged touch attack, with a maximum range of 20’ and no range increments. If the target is struck, he suffers one negative level. The DC to remove the level is 17. This is an energy drain attack.
Desolation Field (Su): At the beginning of a desolation angel’s action, all creatures within 10’ of the angel are affected as if struck by an inflict serious wounds spell. All those affected take 3d8+12 negative energy damage, and may make a Will save for half (DC: 19).
Immunities (Ex): Desolation angels are immune to all negative energy effects.
Telepathy (Su): Desolation angels can communicate telepathically with all creatures within 100’ that have a language.



I'm using these myself inclusing some with class levels. Some aditional charisma to boost the Inflict aura DC... it does wonders


Btw if you want to be really really nasty.... I've got a player in my game who's playing a fallen astral Deva, whom I gave DR 5/good since Savage Species didnt update to 3.5... I changed it to DR 5/magic and at level 14 he gets dr 10/ magic and good but what the hell...

But my point is, I changed the DR /evil from Devas to /good for flavor and balance. If you have fallen Celestials there really is no real reason why they shouldn't still have their /evil DR.... So if you have a good alligned party as you do, they will have some problems facing DR 20/Magic and Evil damage reduction.... Paladins and good clerics weaving Evil weapons around isnt the first thing that comes to mind

 

[Spatzimaus]

I'd say go with something a bit different. When most people are confronted with Fiends, it's always about the ooze, or spiky bits, or tentacles, or in general something icky.

So, since IMO information is the most dangerous commodity, my suggestion is the Inquisition. Psionic Truth Seeker fiends. (Truth Seeker was a psionic PrC from the Mind's Eye with its own power list, sort of Paladin-like in many ways) Basically, they're psions who specialize in reading minds, detecting lies, and so on. Many of these have combat uses, too.
While other factions might handle the actual infiltration through shapeshifting, these guys use magic to extract all sorts of information out of enemies, often without anyone knowing. Or, they could use their skills on innocents on other planes to give their side a strategic advantage. To add the fiendish aspect, give them skill in things like torture.

Don't know how well it'd work in practice, but it's a thought.

 

[DrZombie]

So, since IMO information is the most dangerous commodity, my suggestion is the Inquisition.

Noooh, not the fluffy pillow, have mercy. Aaaaaaarghh, the comfy chair, you fiend.

Name the series :

Spoiler

Monty Python, who else?

Sorry, just couldn't help myself. Works with the lawfull idea really. You can also link it with the fallen celestials. Nothing as bad as a witch hunt. Let the inquisition be the "good guys", protecting the innocents from fiends by rooting them out. Offcourse you can't make an omelet without breaking eggs, but it's for the beter good. Really. trust me.

 

[Sandain]

I had a mental image about flies. Trillions of them. Imagine the typical cinderella spired fantasy castle. (maybe use castle ravenloft floor plan) Now imagine its all made of flies. people have to wade through flies, squeeze though thinner curtains of flies, and listen to the constant sounds of a trillion fly wings as they explore the castle.

What holds the flies in shape? 1000 millenia of collected rotting and regenerating corpses. The flies wings may tell countless secrets that the devils can understand - like a living library.

Custodians of this citadel of flies may be 'flies who fly' (worms who walk)

The castle may be mounted on the back of those super huge bugs from the ELH (devastation flies?) so the castle is portable. May even plane shiftable.

The following villain is inspired from a true story (the girl was the sole survivor of a plane crash in the amazon jungle)

The Lord of the Flies (sorry couldn't resist the reference) may look like a fly blown 10 year old human girl. Gaunt, maggot infested, gibbering - but still alive. She sits calmly in a chair of flies and constantly trys to cut out maggots from her flesh with an innocent looking seashell ring. The true ruler of this faction may be the ring itself - a truely evil artifact.

We can use traditional devils and creatures and create a fly blown template perhaps.

Let me know if these ideas are of interest and i can stat things out for you.

 

[Sandain]

Estrella is based on Blackdirge's Pyrak.

Estrella, Lady of the Flies

Huge Outsider
Hit Dice: 24d8+312 plus 288 (936 hp)
Initiative: +9 (Dex)
Speed: 90 ft., Fly 150 ft. (good)
AC: 54 (-2 size, +9 Dex, +23 natural, +12 insight, +12 luck)
Attacks: 2 claws +58 melee, bite +54 melee, 2 rakes +54 melee or Affliction +66/+66/+61/+56/+51 melee and bite +54 melee
Damage: Affliction 4d6+55 plus 3d6 disease, claws 2d6+36, bite 1d8+28, rake 1d6+28
Face/Reach: 10 ft. by 10 ft. /15 ft.
Special Attacks: Spell-like abilities, disease, summon devil
Special Qualities: Damage reduction 20/+6, SR 39, devil qualities, fast healing 20
Saves: Fortitude +37, Reflex +33, Will +33
Abilities: Str 42, Dex 28, Con 36, Int 29, Wis 29, Cha 27
Skills: Bluff +28, Climb +36, Concentration +50, Diplomacy +28, Hide +46, Intimidate +28, Jump +36, Knowledge (the planes) +29, Knowledge (arcana) +46, Listen +54, Move Silently +46, Search +46, Sense Motive +46, Spellcraft +46, Spot +54, Tumble +29, Wilderness Lore +29
Feats: Power Attack, Cleave, Weapon Focus (heavy lance), Expertise, Improved Disarm, Sunder, Multiattack, Great Cleave, Improved Flight, Fly by Attack, Greater Fly by Attack
Climate/Terrain: The Citadel of Flies
Organization: Unique
Challenge Rating: 29
Treasure: Quadruple standard
Alignment: Lawful Evil
Possessions: Affliction +7, keen, wounding, vorpal, unholy, speed, gargantuan, disease blast, heavy lance

Special Attacks:
Spell-Like Abilities: At will-animate any object, blasphemy, charm monster (no save if insect less than huge size or a Fly-Blown creature), creeping doom, desecrate, detect good, detect magic, dispel magic, fireball, hold monster, improved invisibility, magic circle against good, major image, produce flame, polymorph self, pyrotechnics, suggestion, teleport without error (self plus 50 pounds of objects only), unholy aura, unhallow, and wall of fire; 1/day-meteor swarm (any) and symbol (any). These abilities are as the spells cast by a 17th-level sorcerer (save DC 13 + spell level).
Once per year a pit fiend can use wish as the spell cast by a 20th-level sorcerer, and wake her devastation fly and command it for 1 hour/per hit dice.
Fear Aura (Su): As a free action, Estrella can create an aura of fear in a 20-foot radius. It is otherwise identical with fear cast by a 15th-level sorcerer (save DC 19). If the save is successful, that creature cannot be affected again by that Estrella's fear aura for one day. Other devils are immune to the aura.
Poison (Ex): Bite, Fortitude save (DC 28); initial damage 1d6 temporary Constitution, secondary damage death.
Disease (Su): Even if an affected creature saves against the poison, it must succeed at a Fortitude save (DC 28) or be infected with a vile disease called maggot infestation (incubation period immediate, damage 1d4 points of temporary Strength per day).
Improved Grab (Ex): To use this ability, the pit fiend must hit a Medium-size or smaller opponent with its tail slap attack. If it gets a hold, it can constrict.
Constrict (Ex): Estrella deals 2d4+10 points of damage with a successful grapple check.
Summon Devil (Sp): Twice per day Estrella can automatically summon four lemures, osyluths, or barbazu, or two erinyes, cornugon, gelugon or pit fiends.

Special Qualities: Regeneration (Ex): Estrella takes normal damage from holy and blessed weapons of at least +6 enchantment.
Immunities (Ex): Estrella is immune to fire and poison.
Resistances (Ex): Estrella has cold and acid resistance 20.
See in Darkness (Su): Estrella can see perfectly in darkness of any kind, even that created by deeper darkness spells.
Telepathy (Su): Estrella can communicate telepathically with any creature within 100 feet that has a language.

Affliction: Estrella is never far from her gruesome weapon; a powerfully enchanted jagged bone shard from Imbardarla. Is still has remnants of rotting flesh on it, and is infused with maggots. Any hit unleashes a spray of maggots that does extra damage. On any Vorpal hit the victim is not beheaded, but immediately afflicted with the Fly-Blown template and immediately falls under Estrella's control.

 

[Elric]

One idea for an evil celestial faction would be celestials who have decided that all creatures are prone to evil and, as such, need to be controlled (from behind the scenes) by a greater force for their own good. This might have some trouble squaring with typical D&D assumptions, which seem to be that there are certain creatures prone to good and others to evil. If you can work “magic, mystery and authority” into it, I’ll be happy.

This is similar to Lord Pendragon’s suggestion, but a little different. Where he suggests that the celestials should attempt to control creation to fashion it into paradise, my vision of the celestials is that they have given up on paradise and wish to make inertia (not sure if that’s the right word for what I mean) the highest ideal possible.

I have an image that I’ve probably stolen from somewhere of a solar weeping tears of blood as he decides that paradise cannot be achieved. If Agar is still around, Vision Cascade lets you put in almost any scene you want. Keep up the great work!

 

[The Amazing Dingo]

The following villain is inspired from a true story (the girl was the sole survivor of a plane crash in the amazon jungle)

The Lord of the Flies (sorry couldn't resist the reference) may look like a fly blown 10 year old human girl. Gaunt, maggot infested, gibbering - but still alive. She sits calmly in a chair of flies and constantly trys to cut out maggots from her flesh with an innocent looking seashell ring. The true ruler of this faction may be the ring itself - a truely evil artifact.

*shivers at the image*

Wow Sandain...freaky. I like it a lot. I don't think the heroes have seen an evil intelligent artifact in quite a while or am I mistaken?

Heck, I miss TMOSAT...wonder if this ring (should it ever be) could hold up to him?

And one other little idea of flavoring might be that when the ring does "take control" of the girl, it doesn't actually take control of the girl so much as it takes control of the maggots in the girl. Not sure if maggots actually make sounds, but perhaps they communicate to the flies and other demons through smell or such.

 

[Lela]

I've never heard a maggot. But anyone can smell them. And there are few who like it.

I recall an encounter I had with food winding up in the vacuum (an 8 y/o sibling trying to clean up). Though we soaked the hose itself in bleech for a day the smell was as potent as ever. Had to get a new vacuum.

Perhaps the addition of a stench ability might be appropriate?