Gestalt campaign means
gestalt NPCs, too, right? I'm going to assume yes. I'm also going to assume ECL 8 means CR 8, because it's an NPC that they're going to fight. Spells followed by (SC) are from the Spell Compendium.
#1:
"Straight Up" -- Human Cleric 8 // Rogue 8
Skills: Bluff, Sense Motive, Listen, Spot, Hide, Move Silently, Concentration, Spellcraft, Kn(Religion), plus Int bonus
1/ Domains: Evil, Trickery -- Improved Initiative, Scribe Scroll
3/ Spell Focus (Evocation)
6/ Craft Wand
Typical spells:
1 - [Disguise Self], Divine Favor, Bless
2 - [Invisibility], Death Knell, Silence, Energy Resistance
3 - [Nondetection], Dispel Magic, Energy Vortex (SC)
4 - [Unholy Blight], Divine Power
Tactics: Make a Wand of Unholy Blight. Use it a lot. Make scrolls of Confusion, too. You'll also enjoy a Wand of Invisibility (for your inevitable escape). If you have time, protect yourself against cold damage, and throw a few Energy Vortex (Cold) spells at the assembled heroes... your skeletons are immune, of course.
#1:
"Black Widow" -- Aranea 3 / Sorcerer 4 // Cleric 7
Skills: Bluff
1/ Domains: Evil, Death -- Weapon Finesse
3/ Point-Blank Shot
6/ Precise Shot
Sorcerer Spells known:
1 - Ray of Enfeeblement, Chill Touch, Mage Armor, Shield, Targeting Ray (SC)
2 - Invisibility, Greater Alarm (SC), Stone Bones (SC)
3 - Dispel Magic, Undead Torch (SC)
Cleric spells: basic buffs, see above.
Tactics: It's all about the Strength damage. Your poisonous bite causes Str damage, and so do your spells. If you are forced into melee, cast
chill touch. Before that, hit someone new with a
ray of enfeeblement every round (after buffing your allies with
bless and
desecrate and
stone bones and
undead torch). When you run out of foes to
enfeeble, switch to
chill touch + bite.
#3:
"Surprise!" -- Human Barbarian 8 // Cloistered Cleric 8
Skills: Bluff, Hide, Disguise, Concentration, Spellcraft, Kn(Religion), Listen
1/ Domains: Trickery, War, Knowledge -- [Weapon Focus: Heavy Flail], Power Attack, Improved Initiative
3/ Improved Sunder
6/ Craft Magic Arms & Armor
Cleric Spells:
1 - [Disguise Self], Divine Favor, Bless
2 - [Invisibility], Silence, Lesser Restoration, Bull's Strength
3 - [Nondetection], Dispel Magic, Energy Vortex (SC)
4 - [Unholy Blight], Freedom of Movement
Tactics: Buff self, cast
silence, enter Rage, and KILL. Once Rage wears off, cast
lesser restoration to remove Fatigue. Repeat as necessary.
- - -
Strategy:
In all three cases, she can cast
lesser planar ally, and she should use this spell to bind a Quasit Rogue 3 who will act as an (invisible) lookout, and a hit-and-run flanker of opportunity.
She should make use of her undead minions as warning devices. A skeletal rat in a wall (looking out of a hole) can pull a string to ring a bell whenever humanoids approach. She should ward all obvious entryways with such critters; these rats each eat one HD of undead minion, so she should have at most four.
She should have one "heavy hitter" disguised as furniture -- or just hidden under a table with a tablecloth on it -- in the center of the room. She should have other skeletons concealed around the room -- one under the bed, two in the closet, three behind the dressing curtain, etc. -- all primed to come out when she shouts a command phrase. For skeletons under beds (and similar), they should start out as prone but with cover. One shot with a heavy crossbow each, then they have to stand (provoking an AoO). For the heavy hitter, an owlbear or troll would be fantastic -- perhaps she's attracted attention by buying one of these from another adventuring party recently? In any case, if the heavy hitter is size Large, it should start prone as well, but with cover... it'll take one round to stand up, but won't attract an AoO thanks to the table, and it can position the up-ended table wherever it wishes to give her (or itself) more favorable cover.
Hope this helps, -- N
