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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Quickleaf" data-source="post: 7015619" data-attributes="member: 20323">OK, here's my work-in-progress stat block for the BBEG.<img src="http://i.imgur.com/BL8nkFz.png" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " data-size="" style="" />Spells marked (EE) are in the Elemental Evil Player's Companion, those marked with a * are my conversions of AL-QADIM spells, and those with a ** are unique Brotherhood spells kitbashed from older editions / my imagination.My goal was in the CR 17 to 20 range, but according to my quick maths (for what those are worth) he's easily looking like a CR 22! How did that happen? In a word: meteor swarm.[SBLOCK=CR Maths]Defensive CR = 16200 hit points, with three uses of fire feed on large fires (3*13.5) = 240.5 effective HPBaseline CR 12AC 17, with +2 saves, +2 magic resistance, +5 from at-will shield = 26 effective ACBump CR up to 16Offensive CR = 29 !!!A possible 3-round combat simulation...Round 1. casts delayed blast fireball but lets it build power, cantrip fire bolt (4d10+5 dmg = 27), fire feed, moving through the flames, and assume 1 attacker takes 9+5 dmg from warm fire shield cast in advance = 41 damageRound 2. triggers the delayed blast fireball for (13d6+5 dmg * maybe 3 targets = 151.5) <note 1>, casts Nar-Aidiya's blood boil (14+5 dmg, and another 14 ongoing = 33), cantrip fire bolt (4d10+5 dmg = 27), fire feed, moving through the flames, and assume 1 attacker takes 9+5 dmg from warm fire shield = 225.5 damageRound 3. ongoing damage from Nar-Aidiya's blood boil (14), casts meteor swarm (40d6+5 * 4 targets = 580!!!) <note 2>, cantrip fire bolt (4d10+5 dmg = 27), fire feed, moving through the flames, and assume 1 attacker takes 9+5 dmg from warm fire shield= 635 damage!!!Average DPR. (41 + 225 + 635) / 3 = 300 !!!<note 1> Normally the DMG pg. 249 targets in area of effect theater of the mind guidelines suggests that the # targets in a sphere are radius ÷ 5 (round up). So a 20-ft. radius delayed blast fireball would technically be assumed to catch 4 creatures. However, due to its delayed component, I'm giving the PCs the benefit of the doubt.<note 2> Meteor swarm is a beast of a spell and could easily lay waste to an army, much the less 5 PCs. However, for calculating damage-per-round purposes, it seems that the MM assumes a party of 4 PCs, so that's what I'm going with as the maximum number of targets: 4.[/SBLOCK]So maybe the takeaway is not to use meteor swarm in his lair cause that could obliterate much of the hard work he's done creating Krak al-Mazhar. Maybe this is a spell better reserved as a plot device...Like if the PCs rally support from the Grand Caliph or other nobles/sheikhs and field an army, meteor swarm is The Bonfire's response. Or if the Bonfire is betrayed or outraged, he sends meteor swarm against the hometown of the offending individual.</blockquote>

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