Changeling Arch-Nemesis

[Tomn]

I'm going to be DMing an adventure to take four level 3 characters up to level 5. As the final battle of the adventure, I'm going to introduce an NPC who will become their arch-nemesis, appearing many more times in order to get revenge on the players.

What I need is a way to make the character an extremely difficult fight without resorting to minions or monsters. So far, I've decided that it will be a changeling (hopefully surprising since we aren't playing Eberron) with a cat for a familiar.


As for background, Nym (the nemesis in question) has lived with the drow ever since she was a child, using her shapeshifting ability to give her an edge in the ceaseless fight for power that is drow society. She has become a favorite of one of the more powerful houses' Matron, and she first enters the PCs' lives when the Matron falls horribly ill and sends Nym on a mission to the surface in order to obtain an apple from the Gulthias Tree (this adventure is directly following Sunless citadel). Nym has decided to let the PCs (who still have no idea that she exists, except for having seen her cat a few times) do all the work for her. She is going to steal the hard-earned apple as they get some rest after a tough day of adventuring. The PCs will learn of this, and follow her into the Underdark to retrieve it.

Through a long series of events the PCs will end up fighting her, alone, inside a giant stalagtite (serving as her House's ...erm... house) which is about to explode. They are attempting to get back the apple and stop her from dissarming the explosives. The PCs will have a way to escape once they stop her.


I've been planning on giving her a few levels in Rogue, a level in Monk, a level in Sorcerer, and 2 levels in Warshaper (from Complete Warrior), to total up to 8 levels. I'm not sure about this, however, and I'd really like some advice.

The PCs include a fire focused Psion, a water/weather focused Druid, A dex-based Fighter (who doesn't believe in killing), and a Rogue.

 

[StreamOfTheSky]

Do you use partial BAB rules? Cause with a level in sorc and monk adding ZIP to its BAB, you'd need SIX rogue levels to meet the +4 BAB requirement of warshaper.

If you insist on a casting changeling, I suggest a Transmuter wizard using some or all of the available racial substitution levels in Races of Eberron, and work towards the changling transmutation prestige class in that same book.

Instead of Evasion, consider surprising the psion with Spell Reflection variant from C.Mage. It replaces Evasion, and 1 + dex mod times/day, when a foe misses you with a touch spell or spell-like (you use psionics-magic transparency rules, I assume), you can use an immediate action to reflect it back at the caster. Heck, take 2 monk levels and you can have both evasion and that.

 

[emoplato]

Have you thought about a wild-shaping ranger/scout swift hunter? With this skirmish stacks with those levels and favored enemies no longer can have immunity against it. It also stacks favored enemy but that isn't that great. I would also suggest the spider shape variant from drow of the underdark since it sounds like this will be underground. The dark template also gives you free hide in plain site, darkvision 60, hefty bonuses to hide and move silently, cold resistance 10, and +10 to any move speed for a mere LA 1.

 

[Herobizkit]

Changeling Bard -> Chameleon, or Artificer/Factotum. Or even Master of Masks, if you want a 'cool' villain.

 

[Tomn]

Sorry for the long wait; I had a bunch of essays and I couldn't find the time.


[MENTION=35909]StreamOfTheSky[/MENTION]: We have house-ruled that instead of adding the base attack bonus of the other class, we just progress our base attack at the rate of the new class. So the zeroes won't really factor in.

The Transmuter idea is great, and I'm definitely going to use that, though I didn't like the dual focus offered by the substitution levels. The shifting familiar is very tempting, though.

The spell reflection idea is great, too; I can't wait to see the look on the psion's face when he shoots at her only to have it zip right back!


[MENTION=97812]emoplato[/MENTION]: The wildshape would take too long to get to to really be worth the levels, and skirmish/favored enemy don't look too attractive, either. The dark template looks really powerful, but it would almost seem cheap to use that against the party. Thanks for the ideas, though!


[MENTION=36150]Herobizkit[/MENTION]: Thanks for your input, but we're using 3.5e. I'm pretty sure that the stuff you're talking about are 4e.

 

[Herobizkit]

Nope, all of those are 3.5 ---

Changeling: Eberron Campaign Setting
Chameleon: Races of Destiny
Artificer: Eberron Campaign Setting
Factotum: Dungeonscape
Master of Masks: Complete Scoundrel

All of these are 3.5 products.

 

[StreamOfTheSky]

The spell reflection idea is great, too; I can't wait to see the look on the psion's face when he shoots at her only to have it zip right back!

Oh, spell reflection is IMO one of the funnest things a DM can throw at a party. There's just nothing quite like getting to say, "Ok, roll to hit yourself."

 

[Thrallherd]

If you want a really cool villain, take 8 levels of Factotum from Dungeonscape, then go into Chameleon from Races of Destiny. The Factotum is basically an "I can do anything" class, and Chameleon is an "I can do anything" prestige class. And the best part is, Chameleon is only available to a few races, and Changeling is one of them.

 

[Tomn]

@ Herobizkit: Oops, my mistake. Also, thank you! The Chameleon PrC is awesome! It's perfect for this character. The other classes are pretty cool, too, but I don't think I'll use them for this character.

[MENTION=6679976]Thrallherd[/MENTION]: I don't think I want to take Factotum, just because I do want her to be actually good at some things. The flexibility would be great, but the power level would be too weak to hold against the PCs for very long.

So right now I'm thinking that I'll go with rogue for the first 3 levels, taking Adept Learner as my first feat (in order to meet the requirements for Chameleon). Then I'll take a level as a Transmuter Wizard and then a level of Monk. By this time I should be eligible for the Chameleon class which I will take for 3 levels, bringing Nym up to a total of 8 levels. That sound good to everyone? Any more suggestions?

I'm thinking that, for encounters with Nym at higher levels, she'll take more levels of Chameleon and at least 2 levels of Warshaper.

 

[Thrallherd]

When you take this level of Transmuter wizard, will you use the PHB2 Transmuter variant? This replaces having a Familiar, which isn't much of a sacrifice.