Converting Epic Level Creatures

[Cleon]

I guess we should do skills and feats next, but that feels a bit intimidating. Let's take a hack at the skills. I guess I'd go for max ranks to keep things simple.

Concentration, Intimidate, Knowledge (religion), Knowledge (the planes), Listen, Sense Motive, Spot, ???

Maybe Diplomacy for dealing with cultists? Any other thoughts?

Those all seem fine, which means we'll need another seven (assuming we are maxing-out the skills).

Let's consider a few Demon Lords for ideas:

Juiblex: Bluff +28, Concentration +36, Diplomacy +6, Hide +22, Intimidate +30, Knowledge (arcana) +30, Knowledge (dungeoneering) +30, Knowledge (religion) +30, Listen +30, Move Silently +26, Search +30, Sense Motive +30, Spellcraft +32, Spot +30, Swim +34

Obox-Ob: Climb +41, Concentration +42, Hide +24, Intimidate +37, Jump +47, Knowledge (arcana) +35, Knowledge (religion) +35, Knowledge (the planes) +35, Listen +36, Move Silently +32, Sense Motive +36, Spellcraft +37, Spot +36, Tumble +34

Of those, Climb, Knowledge (arcana), Knowledge (dungeoneering), Sense Motive, Spellcraft and Swim seem appropriate.

That only leaves one more. Maybe Use Magic Device?

 

[freyar]

Sure, I can go for those 7.

He gets 2 epic feats. If we go for Overwhelming Crit and Dire Charge, then I think that determines the rest of the feats, too:

Cleave, Dire Charge, Great Cleave, Improved Critical (mace), Improved Initiative, Overwhelming Critical (mace), Power Attack, Weapon Focus (mace)

But that's if we're going melee-intensive.

 

[Cleon]

Sure, I can go for those 7.

I'll figure out the numbers and update it with those, then.

He gets 2 epic feats. If we go for Overwhelming Crit and Dire Charge, then I think that determines the rest of the feats, too:

Cleave, Dire Charge, Great Cleave, Improved Critical (mace), Improved Initiative, Overwhelming Critical (mace), Power Attack, Weapon Focus (mace)

But that's if we're going melee-intensive.

Well he is pretty much a Combat Monster, but I'd like a bit more versatility than that for the feats.

I don't much like Overwhelming Crit for him, so we can cut that in favor of, say, Epic Reflexes (to help his worst saving throw), Epic Reputation (for enhanced impressiveness), or Epic Leadership (for "leader of a cult" flavour).

That'd make the Great Cleave and Weapon Focus a little surplus to requirements, so we could swap those for a could other feats.

How about Quicken Spell-Like Ability (greater dispel magic) for one?

 

[Cleon]

I'll figure out the numbers and update it with those, then.

Hold on, we've got Sense Motive in their twice. We need another skill. Bluff or Escape Artist maybe?

Climb, Concentration, Diplomacy, Intimidate, Knowledge (arcana), Knowledge (dungeoneering), Knowledge (religion), Knowledge (the planes), Listen, Sense Motive, Spot, Spellcraft, Swim, Use Magic Device plus one.

 

[Cleon]

I don't much like Overwhelming Crit for him, so we can cut that in favor of, say, Epic Reflexes (to help his worst saving throw), Epic Reputation (for enhanced impressiveness), or Epic Leadership (for "leader of a cult" flavour).

Looking through the Epic Feats, some possible SLA substitutes for Overwhelming Critical are Spell Stowaway (greater teleport) or Tenacious Magic (screen).

 

[freyar]

Let's go for Bluff.

On feats: Epic Reputation sounds fun, since we've not used that beffore. So Epic Reflexes and Epic Reputation? Quicken SLA (greater dispel) is also good. We could Quicken another SLA if we're low on inspiration, maybe dimension lock?

 

[Cleon]

Let's go for Bluff.

Okay, so we're going for Bluff, Climb, Concentration, Diplomacy, Intimidate, Knowledge (arcana), Knowledge (dungeoneering), Knowledge (religion), Knowledge (the planes), Listen, Sense Motive, Spot, Spellcraft, Swim, Use Magic Device, all at 29 ranks.

Including synergies and ability adjustments, that works out:

Skills: Bluff +38, Climb +42, Concentration +42, Diplomacy +46, Intimidate +42, Knowledge (arcana) +36, Knowledge (dungeoneering) +36, Knowledge (religion) +36, Knowledge (the planes) +36, Listen +37, Sense Motive +37, Spot +37, Spellcraft +40 (+44 deciphering scrolls), Survival +8 (+12 underground and on other planes), Swim +42, Use Magic Device +38 (+42 with scrolls)

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On feats: Epic Reputation sounds fun, since we've not used that beffore. So Epic Reflexes and Epic Reputation? Quicken SLA (greater dispel) is also good. We could Quicken another SLA if we're low on inspiration, maybe dimension lock?

He can only have two Epic Feats, and Dire Charge is pretty much a must-have.

Do you prefer Epic Reputation or Epic Reflexes for the other one? Reflexes seems the most useful.

As for the other Quicken SLA, I was thinking greater dispel magic would be more generally useful than dimension lock.

So we're talking:

Cleave, Dire Charge, Epic "X*", Improved Critical (mace), Improved Initiative, Power Attack, Quicken Spell-Like Ability (dimension door), Quicken Spell-Like Ability (greater dispel magic)

*X = Reflexes or Reputation.

That's eight feats so we need one more.

Hmm... if its eyebeams count as natural weapons he could have Multiattack, which would help him hit with a secondary bite or eyebeam.

Although I think I prefer a general-purpose magic-assisting feat like Spell Penetration.

 

[freyar]

Skills look fine (thoug I didn't check all the numbers).

I guess Epic Reflexes is more useful, so we'll have to wait on Reputation. But where did Quicken SLA (dim door) come from? We hadn't discussed that. I do like greater dispel for Quicken, but I think I prefer dimension lock to dimension door.

Spell Penetration sounds good.

 

[Cleon]

Skills look fine (thoug I didn't check all the numbers).

I guess Epic Reflexes is more useful, so we'll have to wait on Reputation. But where did Quicken SLA (dim door) come from? We hadn't discussed that. I do like greater dispel for Quicken, but I think I prefer dimension lock to dimension door.

Spell Penetration sounds good.

I wanted greater teleport, but then noticed that's a level too high for him to Quicken, so substituted dimension door without remembering we hadn't given him that SLA.

Since dimensional lock is 8th level that's also too high for Quicken Spell-Like Ability. Of its SLAs only false vision, greater dispel magic, plane shift, true seeing, and prying eyes are within the 1st-6th spell level Quickening limit of his Caster Level.

We either need to pick one of those, give it a lower-level spell (maybe the "normal" version of one of its greater spells), or make the feat something else.

 

[freyar]

Rats, keep forgetting about the spell level limits on Quicken SLA for some reason...

How about we get him Awesome Blow? That seems thematically appropriate for a Gargantuan monster with a mace. We just need to swap something out for the Imp Bull Rush prereq --- either Spell Penetration or Imp Crit. What do you think?