CR estimation for monster (Erywin & Backbeat stay out!)

[blargney the second]

In the interest of avoiding the inadvertent smooshification of my PCs, what would you estimate as the CR for this beastie? Btw don't kill yourselves trying to figure out how the modifiers ended up where they did - I rolled a bunch of static bonuses in invisibly.
-blarg


N Large aberration (air, cold)
Init +4; Senses DV 60, low-light, blindsense 30; Listen +7, Spot +20
Aura exude ice field (15’ aura of smooth icy floors)

AC 14, touch 9, flat-footed 14 (-1 size, +3 natural, +2 armor)
hp 80 (10d8+30); fast healing 5, ability healing 1
Special defenses half-dead:
- 50% chance of being healed by negative or positive energy, harmed on failure
- 50% chance of negating critical hits or sneak attacks
- partially immune to flanking: +1 instead of +2
Fort +6, Ref +3, Will +9
Immune acid, cold, mind-affecting, disease, poison, sleep, paralysis, stun, fatigue, exhaustion

Spd 40 ft.
Melee icicle +11 (2d6+5 plus 1d6 cold plus 1d8 acid)
and morningstar +11/+6 (2d6+5)
Ranged touch bilious globule +6/+1 (1d8 acid) replaces icicle
Special attacks quickened rebuke undead (3/day, CL 10), superior TWF
- create spawn (if dying prone in ice field & fails stabilization, becomes ooze immediately)

Abilities Str 20, Dex 11, Con 17, Int 4, Wis 10, Cha 11
Base Atk +7; Grp +16
Feats Iron Will, Overcome Weakness, Quicken Turning, Suppress Weakness
Skills escape artist +10, listen +7, sense motive +5, spot +20 (13 ranks)
SQ sacred site (creature dies if left), blessed life (doesn't age, sleep, breathe, eat, drink, or poop)
Gear handy survival pouch of holding, map to City of Gold, morningstar, leather armor

 

[blargney the second]

Any takers here? I've cross-posted on the wotc boards, and I'm curious to see what advice ENWorld can offer!

 

[Quartz]

Looks pretty much like 10th level fighter-type, but it has a poor AC so CR 9.

I've found it far better to over-CR monsters than under-CR them. You can always give it extra HP ("Yes, it had a Ring of Spell Storing with Heal" or boost its Con) or bring in a second critter.

 

[lottrbacchus]

Hmmm, the low ac hurts, but lots of resistances teamed up with fast heal makes up for that a bit. It seems to have lots of little things (blindsense, slippery floors, reduced flank penalty/50% no crit or sneak) that will make things tricky for the party. And it has a built in range attack and a really hard hitting melee attack to go with the morning star....

Looks tougher than a Slaad. And the 20 str helps make up for lower BAB. Slaad are generally cr=hd, so I'd have to give this bad boy an 11. I agree with Quartz that it is better to over-estimate the CR (especially the first time you use it).

 

[Flynn]

I took a quick stab at it using Upper Krust's CR calculations, and it looks like a CR 7, maybe 8.

Here are my notes, for what it's worth:

Large (+0.4)
Aberattion (+0.2)
Cold (+0.5)
Low-light (+0.1)
Blindsense (+1)
Aura of ice (+0.2)
Natural AC +3 (+0.3)
10d8 HD (+5.5)
Fast Healing 5 (+.35)
Ability Healing 1 (+.1)
Half-Dead (+0.5)
Immunities (+2)
Melee 2d6 + 1d6 ice + 1d8 acid, 2d6 iter (+2.15)
Ranged 2d6 iter (+1.05)
Rebuke Undead (+.1)
Create Spawn (+1)
Ability Scores (+1.3)
Sacred Site (-0.1)
Blessed life (+0)

Total Upper Krust CR: 16.65
After Golden Rule: 13.825
After Silver Rule: 11.75
Total Core Rules CR: 7.834, or 7

Hope that helps,
Flynn

 

[blargney the second]

Thanks for the help! I'm hoping to make this thing the boss monster at the end of a dungeon for a group of five 4th and 5th level PCs with a pair of cohorts. It will definitely be the lucky recipient of a few rays of enfeeblement, so it will lose at least 2 to attack and damage. (more if it succumbs to the hexblade's curse)

Btw, it's a creature made with the Amalgam template from Advanced Bestiary. The left half is ettin, the right half is ice paraelemental, and there's a bit of contagious ooze for glue.

 

[blargney the second]

Hmm, I'm in a bit of a bind. The create spawn ability is too dangerous for this encounter, but it's already been determined in the story that the creature is contagious. What can I do to reduce the ability's lethality?

 

[Quartz]

The ability's only dangerous if someone's already down. Presumably it then has to take a standard or full-round action to activate the transformation.

 

[blargney the second]

Oh, that's good! I'll switch it from automatic to a standard action.
-blarg