[EL] How many Slaad is too many

[der_kluge]

My party:
(all 10th level)

Half-orc Barbarian (he's actually a minotaur, but he's equivalent in strength to a half-orc)
Dwarven Fighter
Human Rogue
Human Cleric
Human Sorcerer
Human Fighter/Wizard/Spellsword

They are generally tougher than average PCs, since we started at 9th, and they tweaked their magic items to fit their personal preference.

I'm trying to design an encounter of Slaad for them to fight.

What I'm thinking is:
4 Reds + 2 Blues + 1 Green = ?TPK, or not?

I want something *just* on the verge of a TPK, but obviously I don't want a TPK. They will be fully healed and rested.

for reference:
Red = CR 7
Blue = CR 8
Green = CR 9

Green also has some NASTY spell-like abilities usable at will, most significantly chaos hammer. Blues have hold person, usable at will.

 

[der_kluge]

BTW, what exactly does it mean when it says "The save DCs are Charisma-based". Does that just mean that the DC itself is based on the 10 + 1/2 HD + Charisma modifier of the creature?

I assume that, for something like Hold Person, I would just use a regular Will Save, as per the definition of the spell, right?

 

[MerakSpielman]

You can never have too many. Heck, put in an all-you-can-eat Slaad bar.

*ba-dum ching!*

Anyway, what I would recommend is going through the tactics of your Slaad mini-army. Set them up against an imaginary party and play them to win. How easy is it? You don't have to go round-by-round, but you know the possible reactions and capabilities of your party better than we do.

 

[BryonD]

BTW, what exactly does it mean when it says "The save DCs are Charisma-based". Does that just mean that the DC itself is based on the 10 + 1/2 HD + Charisma modifier of the creature?

I assume that, for something like Hold Person, I would just use a regular Will Save, as per the definition of the spell, right?

It means that if you customize them, the DC goes up or down based on changes in CHR. (As if these were spells and the Slaad was a sorcerer)

 

[Hypersmurf]

BTW, what exactly does it mean when it says "The save DCs are Charisma-based". Does that just mean that the DC itself is based on the 10 + 1/2 HD + Charisma modifier of the creature?

Yup. So you know how to alter the Save DCs if you use a non-standard ability lineup.

You can never have too many.

That was going to be my line... but I didn't have the Salad Bar joke to back it up.

It cries out for a link to the Slaad Farming thread, though.

-Hyp.

 

[the Jester]

Sounds like a tough but not quite overwhelming encounter to me.

Four CR 7= EL 11
Two CR 8= EL 10
Plus one CR 9;

One CR 9 + one CR 11 = EL 12; and
One CR 12 + one CR 10 = EL 13.

Your party consists of six 10th-level pcs; I'd say that's roughly an 11th level party for purposes of figuring encounter strength (double the number should give +2). So this is an EL of 2 above the party- tough, with a good chance to kill a pc or two, but not unbeatable.

 

[Hypersmurf]

The long-standing precedent is that "Maths = Rules".

And then there's that Save DC question just to cement it

Whoosh.

-Hyp.
(Moderator)

 

[Olive]

Yup. So you know how to alter the Save DCs if you use a non-standard ability lineup.

If you give them class levels, does that alter the save DCs?

 

[Hypersmurf]

If you give them class levels, does that alter the save DCs?

It's explicitly racial hit dice in 3.5.

-Hyp.

 

[der_kluge]

Hyp, the Slaad Farming thread was... interesting.

Tell me you searched for that, and didn't have the link stored somewhere.