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

[maddman75]

The Thurn! The Thurn!

The monster is effectively a wart-covered, elephant-sized gray render with huge bat wings and the BoVD's "corrupted" template attached. They're eeevil, they're tough, they're NOT undead - they're more like vaguely intelligent attack dogs if an attack dog was the size of a rhino - and they need a cool moniker. Any ideas?

Huge Aberration
HD: 20d10+220 (330)
Initiative: -1
Speed: 30 ft., fly 60’
AC: 25 (-2 size, -1 dex, +18 natural)
Attacks: Bite +27 melee, 2 claws +22 melee or weapon +22/+17/+12
Damage: Bite 2d10+12 (+ vile), claw 1d10+6 (+ vile) or huge greatsword 2d8+18
Face/Reach: 10 ft. by 5 ft./15 ft. (elephant sized + bat wings)
Special Attacks: Improved grab, rend 3d10+18, Disruptive attack (+10 pts vile) on non-outsiders
Special Qualities: Scent, darkvision, acid immunity, DR 10/+3, Fast Healing 10 pts
Saves: Fort +23, Ref +11, Will +5
Abilities: Str 35 (+12), Dex 8, Con 32 (+11), Int 3, Wis 10, Cha 6
Feats: None
Skills: Hide +12, Spot +17
Treasure: None
Alignment: Lawful Evil

Improved Grab (Ex): To use this ability, the thurn must hit with its bite attack.

Rend (Ex): A thurn that gets a hold latches onto the opponent’s body and tears the flesh. This attack automatically deals x3 claw damage.

Disruptive attack: When a corrupted creature successfully hits, it does half its hit dice as additional Vile damage (ie not easily healed.) In the case of thurnm, this manifest as grotesquely bulging warts and a swelling of the injured area.

I can't wait for them to get hit by that Vile damage. Should do a good job of freaking them .

 

[Piratecat]

Edit PS - My guess was that Nulloc's mistress was the Drow guide, and the pair was pulling a masterful backstab

Dang it! You know, if this had occurred to me at the time, it would have been brilliant. I wish I had thought of it. Hummph.

The staff of the Rising Spell is a magic item that gets more powerful based on your class.

Non-spellcaster: +2 to int.
Spellcaster but not wizard: +4 to int.
Wizard: +6 to int, grants Improved Spell Focus if you already have Spell Focus.)

The staff is made from hardened mushroom, and the wizard weilding it can change what the head of the staff looks like. For Nulloc, it looked like a toad; for Agar, when he claimed it, he made it look like little tentacles. He can even make them wiggle by concentrating on them.

Incidentally, Nulloc's toad familiar was killed years ago. He liked toads previously, but that traumatic event started his current mania.

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I want to share with you the game announcement that I just sent out to my players. We won;t reach it in the story hour for a month or so, but I thought you might be amused:

This Thursday:

The obscenely malformed formorian giants of Thulk's Wall had been told to kill you, but they apparently thought better of it.

The hideous fishmen of Glubyal Bay don't seem to have the same amount of moral rectitude. Already, the forces of Sea King Blel-Plibbit have betrayed you, tried to messily drown and crush you, and have even tried to destroy you the good old fashioned way: magic, poison and force of arms. Friendly of them. You know that the Sea King is supposedly the mortal husband of Blibdoolpoolp, a kuo-toa priest without peer, and that he's a close ally of the Ghouls. In his mind, that must make him an enemy of yours, and he seems determined to do something about it. Other enemies may want to chat and negotiate, but he's a big fan of using force. Hard, brutal force. Really, it's a religious imperative.

So right now you're temporarily a host of the insane Monitor Thoobbel, a kuo-toa rebel who fancies himself the next God-King of Glubyal. He does seem to control almost a third of the city. Behind coral barricades and using thousands of fanatically loyal troops, Thoobbel has fought for what he knows Blibdoolpoolp would want: a city without ghoulish influence, without a corrupt and cowardly king, a city where the supposedly "insane" can live their lives as the Sea Mother sees fit. He may be using you, but you may be using him just as much; somewhere in the unnavigable maze of the Nautilus Spire lies the royal palace, and with it the Shrine of the Glass Pool. Thoobbel has told you that it's THE holy shrine to the Sea Mother, but it isn't really glass; it's ice, and it's where Blibdoolpoolp whispers her oracular secrets to the Sea King.

Poppycock, you think; it's where Silissa's sister is imprisoned.

Next game, you get to choose and follow your path. Flee Glubyal, leaving the elemental oracle imprisoned? Sneak into the holiest of holies, a public plaza in the heart of the city? Or decide not to leave a vital enemy at your back, and replace the Sea King with your own puppet ruler?

Your decision. But Blel-Plibbit doesn't have this sort of moral dilemma. He has a brand new goal, and it involves the Defenders of Daybreak - and their new role as fish food.

See you Thursday!

- Kevin

 

[Greybar]

HD: 20d10+220 (330)
...
AC: 25

Sadly, we've recently witnessed Malachite doing 150 in a round - though that might have been an anomoly. And I bet AC25 is pretty easy for him. If the thurn hasn't been buffed and is fighting solo, I'm guessing he'll be lucky to last three rounds against all of the Defenders prepped for him.

It's always a surprise to me how many hit points PCs can deal out when they're doing good. But if you plan for that, they start rolling single-digit to hits and get run over....

John

 

[Piratecat]

A round and a half, dang it all. A round and a half.

Really, falling through the blade barrier just added insult to injury.

But that's okay; he was just the warmup act.

 

[Knightfall]

A round and a half, dang it all. A round and a half.

Really, falling through the blade barrier just added insult to injury.

But that's okay; he was just the warmup act.

The question then becomes, PC, did you at least get some vile damage on the Defenders?

Waiting eagerly for the next update, but, in the meantime, I'm off to continue reading Sep's story hour. Only one more thread and I'll finally be ready to start reading his current Wyre thread.

Cheers!

KF72

 

[Greybar]

The question then becomes, PC, did you at least get some vile damage on the Defenders?

Ooh, too late now, but how about adding a vile Final Strike to such beasties. That way even if they get polished off they might have some lasting effect. I was going to have one of the recent enemies in my game have Final Strike, but I wussed out and regretted it. They could have taken the blast and it would have given them pause (and good info).

How about two dozen or so ghouls, swollen with vile pus, charge down on the defenders - or drop from aloves above them into the midst of the party. Everyone that dies explodes in a flash of blackness and vile drippings.

The ghouls might only be 5 or 6 HD, with a Final Strike that does (HD/2)d6 in vile damage in a 30" radius. Reflex SV of only 15 or so for half damage (i.e. easy for the Defenders), but the many rolls they'll need and the not-easily-healable nature might pile up and be scary. Not lethal, just scary.

Of course, I don't have the rules for vile damage, so I don't know just how "unhealable" this damage is - but I like the idea.

John

 

[Bronz Dragon]

how about a disease that is passed on like that?

Some large animal is infected with a necromantic spell, so that it loses 1 con every day until it dies.. when it kicks off, some pustule inside it explodes violently, infecting everything within a radius equal to (5 X con lost to illness)' radius.. Anything hit by the toxic sludge will likely be disgusted, but won't realize that they are infected, just a stomacheache and an unusually strong desire to be around friends and family. Then: *POP* goes the weasel!

A horde of infected rats

I think the really sneaky thing about this is that if the necromancer infects something huge, it'll be a month or more before it really starts making havoc. Even if they kill the necromancer the illness will just keep chugging.

 

[Talix]

I was thinking that just one of those things wasn't much of a challenge to the party. Two might have been better, three might have killed them if they were even mildly unlucky.

Of course, there's also the question of whether this is a challenge for the party, or a realistic defender of the Rift - honestly this could probably take out anything that comes along, with the exception of this ludicrously-powered group.

I'm glad that they're leaving some of the dwarves behind, at least - when I realized/was reminded that the group was 29 members large, I was a little shocked!

Maybe throwing a horde of medium creatures at them instead of all these one-big-baddie battles?

 

[Piratecat]

Of course, there's also the question of whether this is a challenge for the party, or a realistic defender of the Rift - honestly this could probably take out anything that comes along, with the exception of this ludicrously-powered group.

It's specifically designed to be the latter.

I'm not under any illusion that this is supposed to be a major challenge. On the contrary, it's supposed to be little more than threatening set dressing - a realistic and viable defender that just happens to be too weak to stop high level heroes. In terms of pacing and plot, you'll see why during the next post. The thurn was the warm-up act, and even what appears to be a climactic battle is just getting the group ready for the cliffhanger. This was a game I'd prepared for and anticipated for more than six months. It went as well as I could ever have hoped.

As for whether or not they're ludicrously powered, I'd maintain that they're underpowered compared to a benchmark group of their size and level. Although their magic item values generally match the PHB "standards", Velendo must be the only 18th lvl cleric in the world without a wisdom-enhancing item! This relative lack of across-the-board combat optimization is compensated for by sheer number and generally good teamwork/tactics. I'd be curious about other peoples' opinions on this.

The dwarves are hanging in there pretty well, all told (although that might change this Thursday - heh.) They serve as pointmen, scouts, coordinated crossbowmen, aid the PCs in big combats, and to clean up the weaker foes while the Defenders tackle the Commanders.

I'd say that right now, the Defenders are 3/5ths of the way through this adventure arc. Following the kuo-toa city they're currently in (about 3 games ahead of the story hour), they know of a ruined mind flayer city, and then as far as they know it's a relatively straight shot on to the heart of the White Kingdom. Of course, lord knows what can happen, but I have an interesting climax planned. Ought to be fun.

 

[DoctorB]

What constitutes good preparation for a session, PC? I am curious as to what you use for props and notes.