Goblin Vampire!

[MortalPlague]

For the first session of my new 4th edition campaign, I wanted to have a unique but not-too-challenging villain for a goblin lair. The party will be 9th level, so an ordinary goblin boss simply wouldn't do. And so... my goblin vampire.

Boggorok, Goblin Vampire - L10 Elite Skirmisher
Small undead humanoid (goblin)

Resist 5 necrotic, vulnerable 5 radiant
+10 initiative, +2 saving throws
HP: 210 Bloodied: 105 Surge: 52
AC 26 Fortitude 22 Reflex 24 Will 25
Action Points: 1

Stab: minor action: +15 vs. AC; 2d8+5 damage.

Piggyback: minor action: +13 vs. Reflex; Boggorok climbs up onto the target's back (effectively a grab). While on the target's back, Boggorok shares a space with and moves with his target. Boggorok has combat advantage against the target, though he grants combat advantage to everyone else. Furthermore, any attack against Boggorok which misses will strike whoever he's clinging to. Another character may break Boggorok's grab using acrobatics or athletics, but a failed check permits Boggorok to scramble onto that character's back as a free action.

Suck Blood: standard action, encounter: +13 vs. Fortitude; 3d10+5 damage, and the target is weakened (save ends). Boggorok regains 52 hit points. This power recharges when an adjacent creature becomes bloodied.

But I'm Made Of Spiders: move action: Boggorok shifts 3 squares. During this movement, Boggorok may shift through opponents' spaces, and he ignores difficult terrain. He may also climb as part of this movement.

Goblin Tactics: immediate reaction, when missed by a melee attack; Boggorok shifts 1 square.


Thoughts? Comments? This guy will be encountered with a pair of level 6 soldiers who will mark the adventurers.

 

[Mesh Hong]

That is a very amusing creation you have there, its got a lot of personality.

I love the Piggyback power, though I would probably have it target Reflex rather than Fortitude.

I am a bit concerned about the potential damage output from Stab. As a minor action the max damage output is:
3x 2d8+5 = 63 max damage (which is about the amount of HPs a level 9 PC will have?)

I would be more inclined to make it 1d6+5 damage and add on hit target takes 5 ongoing bleeding damage (save ends). This would give the max damage output of:
3x 1d6+5 = 33 damage + 5 ongoing bleeding damage

If you did this you could give him an additional skirimisher type ability that granted him a +2 damage bonus against bleeding or bloodied targets.

 

[MortalPlague]

I love the Piggyback power, though I would probably have it target Reflex rather than Fortitude.

Oops, you're right. I've changed it on the stat block.

I am a bit concerned about the potential damage output from Stab. As a minor action the max damage output is:
3x 2d8+5 = 63 max damage (which is about the amount of HPs a level 9 PC will have?)

In my experience, 9th level PCs tend to have upwards of 70 hp. Tanks have even more, usually over 90. That means that even if he hits with three attacks, and max damage comes up, Boggy still won't one-shot a PC. With all the healing PCs tend to have, I'm comfortable with that number.

Also, at 210 hit points, he won't have much staying power. Probably six or seven rounds...

 

[Mesh Hong]

In my experience, 9th level PCs tend to have upwards of 70 hp. Tanks have even more, usually over 90. That means that even if he hits with three attacks, and max damage comes up, Boggy still won't one-shot a PC. With all the healing PCs tend to have, I'm comfortable with that number.

Thats cool. I was just highlighting it as part of my civic duty. Its damage is slightly higher than I would usually expect from an elite of its type and level, but there is absolutely nothing wrong with that.

 

[Neuroglyph]

Awesome use of the template - oh, to see the Player's faces the first time your little horror starts sucking blood and regenerating a chunk of hit points

 

[Turtlejay]

I like it. . .don't change anything.

For personal taste, I would switch a couple things around. His minor action power would be the blood drain, and it would do minor damage (1d6+5 or some small thing) but heal him for some amount. Effectively regeneration as long as he is piggbacked. Then have his standard be that big damage stab.

Thinking about it, regen 8.5 (roughly) is pretty good, since it is situational, and deals a similar amount to the PC. I'd also maybe flesh him out some more with a few other abilities, maybe a little control since it is just him and two soldiers. Something that dazes, or a 1/encounter that dominates for a turn (effectively 'riding' the PC away from combat).

As is though, it is a promising fight!

Jay

 

[MortalPlague]

I'd also maybe flesh him out some more with a few other abilities, maybe a little control since it is just him and two soldiers.

The design has about five small encounters that are designed to spill into each other, so I don't want to make this guy too complicated. I might wind up running a few complex monsters at once, if things go south.

That's an interesting thought, though, to give him regeneration while he's piggybacked, whether by biting or by actually regenerating.

 

[Nytmare]

But I'm Made Of Spiders

I can't stop thinking about this and giggling...

 

[MortalPlague]

I've updated Boggorok's stat block with a slight adjustment to the shifting power.

So I ran the encounter, and the whole combat went beautifully. It was a running battle that took about 3 and a half hours in real time, drawing the PCs back and forth to multiple fronts as new and interesting threats emerged. Finally, only Uggrit (Ogre Savage, Level 8 brute) and his keeper (Goliath Guardian, Level 9 soldier) stood, both bloodied, while Boggorok and his guards made their appearance.

Boggorok wound up on the back of the paladin on his first turn, dealing some damage with his knife, but the paladin threw him off immediately, acting right after the goblin vampire. Poor Boggorok was then immobilized, so in the spirit of that condition, I didn't allow him to use his piggyback power. He whittled down the paladin with his knife over the course of two rounds, though he only hit about a third of the time. The rest of the group managed to down the goliath, and Uggrit the Ogre was in bad shape, so the heavy hitters shifted focus to Boggorok, managing to bloody him.

And then the goblin vampire had his day. He sprang up onto the paladin's back once more and sank his fangs into him, draining him to -3 health! He had healed out of bloodied and taken down the defender in the process! A glorious, devilish turn for our fearsome foe!

He was, once again, unable to use his piggyback power to his defense (since the paladin was on the ground), so Boggorok took three massive hits (two crits from strikers) and promptly died. He exploded into a cloud of spiders, and the adventurers tracked him to his coffin where they put an end to his menace for good.

Overall, I call it a success. The goblin vampire took everyone by surprise, and was pleasantly dangerous in combat. And in the end, with all the dailies in effect, and some radiant damage from the paladin, he went down in a satisfying way. Fun for everyone!

 

[Mesh Hong]

Sounds like an excellent encounter. Poor old Boggorok, it's amazing how often a nicely crafted elite will get hit by 2 crits and go down like a sack of potatoes!

I had a Rat King once that quickly became bloodied, so he thought he would make his escape while he still had plenty of HPs. The door wasn't that far away, surely it would be an easy dash..... 2 crits later he was lying dead having only made it half way.