Estimating CR, This one asks, what are 2 negative levels worth?

[frankthedm]

The Age of wyrms adventure path started off with a great cover of the 'heroes' fighting gargantuan worms bursting from the ground. Sadly the first level adventure failed to deliver the promised battle on the cover of the magazine. In an attempt to create a similar combat that low level PCs could possibly win, I've been playing with the purple worm stats. Is my CR guess of 2 even slightly accurate for this just woken up and needs to heal stat damage specimin? I'd like input on how to make these things good fights for the 1 to 4 level range

Would dropping the special abilities [swallow / poison], reducing the bite down to 2d6-5 and boosting the con to make a nice long multi round fight be feasable?

Necrotic worm
Gargantuan Magical Beast
Hit Dice: 16d10 -80 [16HP]
Initiative: –5
Speed: 15 ft. (4 squares), burrow 5 ft., swim 10 ft.
Armor Class: 16 (–4 size, –5 Dex, +15 natural), touch 1, flat-footed 16
Base Attack/Grapple: +16/+27
Attack: Bite +8 melee (2d8-5)
Full Attack: Bite +8 melee (2d8-5) and sting +3 melee (2d6-5 plus poison)
Space/Reach: 20 ft./15ft.
Special Attacks: Improved grab, swallow whole, poison
Special Qualities: Tremorsense 60 ft.
Saves: Fort +5, Ref +5, Will +4
Abilities: Str 1, Dex 1, Con 1, Int 1, Wis 8, Cha 8
Skills: Listen +18, Swim +3
Feats: Awesome Blow, Cleave, Improved Bull Rush, Power Attack, Weapon Focus (bite), Weapon Focus (sting)
Environment: Underground
Organization: Solitary
Challenge Rating: ? 2 ?
Treasure: No coins, 50% goods (stone only), no items
Alignment: Always neutral
Advancement: 16–32 HD (Gargantuan); 33–48 HD (Colossal)
Level Adjustment: —

The body of a mature purple worm is 5 feet in diameter and 80 feet long, weighing about 40,000 pounds. The creature has a poisonous stinger in its tail.

COMBAT

In battle, a purple worm forms into a coil 20 feet in diameter, biting and stinging anything within reach.

Improved Grab (Ex): To use this ability, a purple worm must hit with its bite attack. It can then attempt to start a grapple as a free action without provoking an attack of opportunity. If it wins the grapple check, it establishes a hold and can attempt to swallow the foe the following round.

Poison (Ex): Injury, Fortitude DC 13, initial damage 1d6 Str, secondary damage 2d6 Str. The save DC is Constitution-based.

Swallow Whole (Ex): A purple worm can try to swallow a grabbed opponent of a smaller size than itself by making a successful grapple check. Once inside, the opponent takes 2d8-5 points of crushing damage plus 1 points of acid damage per round from the worm’s gizzard. A swallowed creature can cut its way out by using a light slashing or piercing weapon to deal 10 points of damage to the gizzard (AC 17). Once the creature exits, muscular action closes the hole; another swallowed opponent must cut its own way out. A Gargantuan worm’s interior can hold 2 Large, 8 Medium, 32 Small, 128 Tiny, or 512 Diminutive or smaller opponents.

Skills: A purple worm has a +8 racial bonus on any Swim check to perform some special action or avoid a hazard. It can always choose to take 10 on a Swim check, even if distracted or endangered. It can use the run action while swimming, provided it swims in a straight line.

 

[Shade]

The problem, IMHO, is the grapple modifier. Against a character of that level, it can't lose a grapple check, so you'll most likely end up with one character swallowed per round. Dropping swallow whole would probably put it at the CR you desire. The poison isn't too unfair, since it does Str damage, and the save DC isn't too tough for that level.

The good news is that those worms do make an appearance later in AoW.

 

[Mortis]

The problem, IMHO, is the grapple modifier. Against a character of that level, it can't lose a grapple check, so you'll most likely end up with one character swallowed per round. Dropping swallow whole would probably put it at the CR you desire. The poison isn't too unfair, since it does Str damage, and the save DC isn't too tough for that level.

It's mathematically possible to escape with an Escape Artist check, but I wouldn't like to stake any money on it.

Worm: 28 (27+1)
Escapee:30 (1<BAB>+4<Dex>+3<Skill Focus>+2<Agile>+20) 2 general feats at 1st level needs to be human.

But I agree, dropping swallow whole would be a good idea.

Regards
Mortis

 

[frankthedm]

Thanks for th input, here is the next monster alteration. This one asks, what are 2 negative levels worth? This ashwraith was built off the specter, swapping the dreaded two negative levels with an inflict wounds [which still adds to the criters HP like inflicting negative levels would] and a produce flame effect. Keeping with the theme, it has fire subtype and an Obscuring Mist ability that has a mild side effect. Added in two weak spots to the monster that should be real easy to figure out.

Ashwraith Medium Undead (Incorporeal) (Fire)
Hit Dice: 7d12 (45 hp)
Initiative: +7
Speed: 40 ft. (8 squares), fly 80 ft. (perfect)
Armor Class: 15 (+3 Dex, +2 deflection), touch 15, flat-footed 13
Base Attack/Grapple: +3/—
Attack: Incorporeal touch +6 melee (1d8+5 plus 1d6+5 fire) or +6 ranged touch (1d6+5 fire)
Full Attack: Incorporeal touch +6 melee (1d8+5 plus 1d6+5 fire) or +6 ranged touch (1d6+5 fire)
Space/Reach: 5 ft./5 ft.
Special Attacks: cause burn wounds, produce flame, create spawn, Obscuring Smoke.
Special Qualities: Darkvision 60 ft., incorporeal traits, fire subtype, +2 turn resistance, sunlight powerlessness, undead traits, unnatural aura
Saves: Fort +2, Ref +5, Will +7
Abilities: Str —, Dex 16, Con —, Int 14, Wis 14, Cha 15
Skills: Hide +13, Intimidate +12, Knowledge (religion) +12, Listen +14, Search +12, Spot +14, Survival +2 (+4 following tracks)
Feats: Alertness, Blind-Fight, Improved Initiative
Environment: Any land and underground
Organization: Solitary, gang (2–4), or swarm (6–11)
Challenge Rating: 7
Treasure: None
Alignment: Always Chaotic Evil
Advancement: 8–14 HD (Medium)
Level Adjustment: —

The scent of burning hair and searing flesh fill your nose while screams of agony begin to assault your ears as a flaming apparition of some poor soul being burned to cinders bursts into view. Your worst fears are proven true as you realize its anguished screams are a condemnation of your own deeds…

Those who are killed by the undead and life draining attacks often rise as undead. Many adventures recognize the danger this poses to the world around them and even if they cannot restore an ally to life, they make sure the unfortunate soul won’t spend eternity walking the world. Fire is the usual solution. Ghouls, wights, and vampire spawn need a body more intact than a pile of ashes.

But sometimes that is not enough. Sometimes whatever spirit it is that causes an undead creature to rise up refuses to be denied. When that happens an ashwraith is born into unlife. Sadly, this is not the only way these creatures come to be, for those who are unjustly burned alive also may become ashwraiths if their desire for vengeance burns too hot.

Above the waist, an ashwraith looks like a person burned to skeletal remains, below a roaring pyre with ashes swirling. Those who knew the individual in life may recognize the screams of agony it emits whenever it wishes to make its presence known. Its one driving goal is to burn living and undead creatures, preferably those who hand in its death and or incineration, though it is not picky. An ashwraith that succeeds in obtaining vengeance will likely realize its burning agony will never end and usually goes on a fiery rampage until destroyed.

COMBAT
In close combat an ashwraith attacks with its flaming touch that also inflicts horrific burn scars. It makes full use of its incorporeal nature, moving through walls, ceilings, and floors as it attacks.

Supernatural sources of cold ignore the 50% incorporeal miss chance of an ashwraith.

Holy water deals an extra 1d6 damage when used against an ashwraith.

Create Spawn (Su): Any humanoid slain by an ashwraith becomes an ashwraith in 1d4 rounds as their remains burst into a horrific conflagration. Spawn are under the command of the ashwraith that created them and remain enslaved until its death. They do not possess any of the abilities they had in life.

Fire Subtype: An ashraith has immunity to fire. It has vulnerability to cold, which means it takes half again as much (+50%) damage as normal from cold, regardless of whether a saving throw is allowed, or if the save is a success or failure.

Inflict burn wounds (Su): Living creatures, and only living creatures, hit by an ashwraith’s incorporeal touch attack suffer an effect similar to an inflict wounds spell [1d8+5]. A will save; DC 15 reduces this amount by half. The ashwraith also gains 10 temporary HP each time this ability harms a living creature. This is a negative energy effect.

Produce flame(Sp): An ashwraith has Produce Flame in effect at a caster level equal to its hit dice. An ashwraith can suppress or resume this ability as a swift action. This flame also damages any object the ashwraith touches or passes through. Those who pass through or otherwise enter an Ashwraith’s space also suffer the damage of a produce flame spell.

Obscuring smoke (Sp): Once per hour as a standard action, an ashwraith can create an Obscuring Mist effect that also has the properties of smoke as listed in the DMG under heat dangers. This is the equivalent of a second level spell.

Sunlight Powerlessness (Ex): Ashwraiths are powerless in natural sunlight (not merely a daylight spell) and flee from it. An ashwraith caught in sunlight cannot attack and can take only a single move or attack action in a round.

Unnatural Aura (Su): Animals, whether wild or domesticated, can sense the unnatural presence of an ashwraith at a distance of 30 feet. They do not willingly approach nearer than that and panic if forced to do so; they remain panicked as long as they are within that range.

So is it too mean, too easy? Should the obscuring smoke be at will? Originally I was going to keep the specter's base 1d8 damage in addition to the inflict burn wounds 1d8+5 though i was thining that might be too much damage. Though it is aimed to be at CR 7

 

[Shade]

Interesting.

I think you can add back the initial base damage and still keep it at CR 8. The obscuring mist effect might be a bit much at will, since it already has a miss chance due to incorporeality. How long does it last? If it just lasts say, 1 round, you can probably let it be used once every 1d4+1 rounds.