RolandOfGilead
First Post
Thanks to all for the input! never did get any suggestions on WHAT offensive magic items to give. or what type of undead to use with his 48hd hehe
Familiar - Tough encounter?
- Thread starter RolandOfGilead
- Start date
blargney the second
blargney the minute's son
How tough do you want the controlled undead to be? 24 zombified human commoners will fill that 48 HD right up. If you want to go tougher, animate things with more natural HD. Here are the natural HD of various doodads from the MM. Skeletons retain the same number of HD, zombies get twice as many.
2 HD Gnoll or Lizardfolk
3 HD Bugbears
3 HD A swarm of ravens (Use the Bat Swarm)
4 HD A swarm of rats
4 HD A heavy warhorse
5 HD The village's prize bull (Animal: Bison)
5 HD A rust monster
6 HD Minotaur or Troll
7 HD Girallon
12 HD Hill Giant
Have fun!
-blarg
2 HD Gnoll or Lizardfolk
3 HD Bugbears
3 HD A swarm of ravens (Use the Bat Swarm)
4 HD A swarm of rats
4 HD A heavy warhorse
5 HD The village's prize bull (Animal: Bison)
5 HD A rust monster
6 HD Minotaur or Troll
7 HD Girallon
12 HD Hill Giant
Have fun!
-blarg
I'd go with mostly skeletons and zombies, but with about a quarter of the hit die reserved for a serious nasty. If you're lucky, the PCs will for a while think that the encounter is over, and that the big undead was the BBEG. Then the ravens come to pick the bones, and the villagers who were slain stand up again.
So, something with about 12 HD. Either a skeletal Giant, or a Zombified Minotaur or Troll. Something in that range, anyway.
Edit: Oh, and if we didn't suggest much before, its because we were in shock at the awesomeness of the familiar. Or at least that's my excuse.
So, something with about 12 HD. Either a skeletal Giant, or a Zombified Minotaur or Troll. Something in that range, anyway.
Edit: Oh, and if we didn't suggest much before, its because we were in shock at the awesomeness of the familiar. Or at least that's my excuse.
RolandOfGilead
First Post
...
I like the idea of the really big bad mofo zombie or skelly... ack! I wonder if there's a way I can squeeze a disguise on the big bad skelly or zombie to make them appear as more of a boss undead.. My only problem with the little undead is that they will be turned and destroyed by an 8th level party pretty quick. lets see.. the paladin can turn up to a 7th undead to dust.. so.. hmm.. 6 6 hit die undead and 1 12 hit die undead.. might be alright. or 9 4 hit die..
I like the idea of the really big bad mofo zombie or skelly... ack! I wonder if there's a way I can squeeze a disguise on the big bad skelly or zombie to make them appear as more of a boss undead.. My only problem with the little undead is that they will be turned and destroyed by an 8th level party pretty quick. lets see.. the paladin can turn up to a 7th undead to dust.. so.. hmm.. 6 6 hit die undead and 1 12 hit die undead.. might be alright. or 9 4 hit die..
blargney the second
blargney the minute's son
Don't forget the fun stuff an evil cleric can do to make undead tougher: desecrate, bolster undead, etc.
RolandOfGilead
First Post
For those of you following this thread, see my new thread about 48hd worth of undead. I had an idea about what monster to use for the "Boss undead" heh heh heh.
Maybe the party is told to kill the familiar as the adventure - just to weaken the wizard for a future assault. Every animal they meet takes on new menace... and then the final meeting amongst a cloud of crows, as the beast darts in and out. Surely he could Hide in the cloud of other crows, making him harder to target.
RolandOfGilead
First Post
Folks - update:
I decided the master of the familiar was one Cassan of Iuz, a 12 hd Lich. This changed only 1 facet: the familiar had 50 hp's base, +1d10+10 from false life.
The familiar proved hard to kill, and they did kill the blackguard. His dimension door, high touch ac, and immunity to nearly everything made him very cool. The party had a warlock which was very dangerous to the beast, and thus it used its summon monster ability to summon 1d4+1 fiendish ravens (disguise self worked like a charm)...
it got away of course and now the party is paranoid of any avian they see in the trees above them. Huzzah! also, it nearly defeated the party (mostly through its animate dead power; the hydra was too much.)
I decided the master of the familiar was one Cassan of Iuz, a 12 hd Lich. This changed only 1 facet: the familiar had 50 hp's base, +1d10+10 from false life.
The familiar proved hard to kill, and they did kill the blackguard. His dimension door, high touch ac, and immunity to nearly everything made him very cool. The party had a warlock which was very dangerous to the beast, and thus it used its summon monster ability to summon 1d4+1 fiendish ravens (disguise self worked like a charm)...
it got away of course and now the party is paranoid of any avian they see in the trees above them. Huzzah! also, it nearly defeated the party (mostly through its animate dead power; the hydra was too much.)
RolandOfGilead
First Post
So is the familiar of a 12th level lich like this one too powerful? Its all by the books, I assure you..what CR should it be in your opinion? I awared CR 8 based on the idea thats its similar to an 8th level sorceror...
ok, thanks for the input!
ok, thanks for the input!
