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

Piratecat

Sesquipedalian
Whoops! "Dodge" should be "flanked," of course. My apologies.

Telay was a tiefling bard who trained Nolin in Sigil. They've had an on-again, off-again love affair since then (about six years game time.) She was last seen studying with Nolin at the library of Hagiok the lich. Nolin was charmed and mostly drained by two of Hagiok's vampire necromancer students. As far as he remembers, she got disgusted with him and left.

Uh huh.

Don't bring this up elsewhere; when she shows up, I want it to be something of a surprise. :)
 

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Kaodi

Hero
Challenge

PirateCat, I am itching to see what happens in this battle. If this is as bad as it is, I want even more to see the final, climactic encounter, hehehe...

Just wondering too... how much do you appreciate the ideas that people post here? Do you consider many of them for future battles?
 

Mathew_Freeman

First Post
Hello all. Great thread.

I have a small idea for everyone. I've been reading the Quintessential Wizard, and there is a great deal in there on Wizards with spells with very different visual effects. This has been a long standing interest of mine, and I just wanted to mention it here.

Combine this with feats like Energy Substitution and suddenly you've got an ordinary wizard throwing spells the party can't identify at them. Good for atmosphere and scariness without affecting power!
 

Piratecat

Sesquipedalian
Tallarn, YOINK!

Kaodi, are you kidding? I freakin' love this thread. My DMing strategy has always been predicated on borrowing good ideas from everywhere around me, such as published modules, fiction, and the real world. With you folk, this gets remarkably easier, because you think of things that I never would. (And with luck, you're borrowing from me, as well.)

This might not always be obvious, though, because for all the good things I can say about my game it doesn't go fast. Plot often takes quite a while to spin itself out. But as long as you want to give me ideas, I'd be honored to learn from them and take bits and pieces. Have I said thanks recently? If not, I should. :D
 
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Piratecat

Sesquipedalian
Spells in red are active during combat. I just noted a mistake or two, as well, but it will give you an idea of what they were up against.

----------------------------------------------------------------------

Oathenor, Mature adult half-earth elemental deep dragon: CR 18; Huge Outsider (Earth, Chaotic, Evil); with many spells active.

HD
24d12+216; hp 372;
Init -3;
Spd 40 ft (freedom of movement), fly 90 ft (good) or 150 ft (poor), burrow 20 ft, swim 30 ft;

AC 41/48 (+7 shield, +4 mage armor, -3 Dex, +4 haste, -2 size, +26 natural); + expertise

Melee
bite +34 (2d8+12), 2 claws +29 (2d6+6), 2 wings +28 (1d8+6), tail slap +28 (2d6+18); + haste

SA breath weapon, frightful presence, spell-like abilities, true seeing, snake form, humanoid form, half-earth elemental spell-like abilities;

SQ +4 save vs. poison, immunities, cold resistance 10, sonic resistance 5, fire resistance 10 (half damage), acid resistance (half damage), blindsight, keen senses;

DR 50/+3 iron body or 10/+5 (150 stoneskin points max) or 10/+1,
Face/Reach 10 ft by 40 ft / 10 ft;
SR 26;
AL CE;
Saves Fort +21, Ref +11, Will +19;

Abilities Str 35, Dex 5 (normally 8, with cat’s grace and iron body), Con 28, Int 20, Wis 21, Cha 20.

Skills: Bluff +29, Concentration +31, Diplomacy +29, Escape Artist +23, Knowledge (arcana, underdark, history, tasty yummy things) all +29, Listen +29, Scry +29, Search +29, Sense Motive +29, Spellcraft +29, Spot +29;

Feats: Hover, Flyby Attack, Power Attack, Expertise, Improved disarm, Quicken spell-like ability

SA–Breath Weapon (Su): Cone of flesh corroding (acid) gas, 50 feet long, every 1d4 rounds; damage 14d8, Reflex half DC 29.

SA–Frightful Presence (Ex): Dragons can unsettle foes with their mere presence. This ability takes effect automatically (radius 210 ft) whenever the dragon attacks, charges, or flies overhead. A potentially affected creature (one with less than 24 HD) that succeeds at a Will save (DC 27) remains immune to that dragon's frightful presence for one day. On a failure, creatures with 4 or fewer HD become panicked for 4d6 rounds and those with more than 5 HD become shaken for 4d6 rounds.

SA–Spell-Like Abilities: detect magic, true seeing (always active).

SA–Half-Earth Elemental Spell-Like Abilities (at 24th lvl): 1/day-magic stone, soften earth and stone, stone shape, spike stones, wall of stone, earthquake, iron body, elemental swarm*, plane shift.
* Cast as an earth spell only.

Spells Known (cast 6/8/7/5; as a level 7 sorcerer): 0–daze, resistance, detect poison, read magic, dancing lights, ghost sound, mage hand; 1–endure elements, mage armor, shield, true strike, ventriloquism; 2cat’s grace, endurance, fog cloud; 3–fly, haste

SA–Snake Form (Su):
4/day, this dragon can assume a serpentine form. In this form, the AC drops to 27 and the dragon loses claw attacks, but gains a constriction attack at the same bonus, dealing 3d6+9 damage; this attack has Improved Grab. Speed in this form: 30 ft, fly 20 ft (poor), swim 30 ft.

SA–Humanoid Form (Su): 4/day, shapechange into a basic Humanoid (human, elf, dwarf, hobgoblin, etc.)

SQ–Immunities (Ex): (includes immunities granted by active spells) Immune to charm, disease, earth-based effects, sleep, paralysis, blindness, critical hits, ability score damage, deafness, disease, drowning, electricity, poison, stunning, and all spells or attacks that affect the character's physiology or respiration.

SQ–Blindsight (Ex): Dragons can ascertain creatures by nonvisual means (mostly hearing and scent, but also by noticing vibrations and other environmental clues); this dragon's range is 210 feet.

SQ–Keen Senses (Ex): Dragons can see four times as well as humans in low-light conditions and twice as well in normal light. They also have darkvision (range 700 feet).

Note: Haste only lasts 7 rounds. Already figured in to AC.
 
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Victim

First Post
Elemental Swarm?! That's nasty! How many elementals have been summoned so far?

I don't know whether to laugh at your poor players or cry for their characters.
 

Piratecat

Sesquipedalian
Don't cry too hard - the PCs are fully buffed and prepared, and that means a lot. Oathenor's normal strategy is to take out the cleric first, then the wizard, and then take his time finishing off the others. As it turns out, Velendo made that strategy a wee bit problematical.

It's a fine battle. You'll see. :)
 

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