Help Design an Encounter with a Giant Eel

[I'm A Banana]

The pharyngeal jaw thing I basically lumped into the "grabs on a bite" mechanic, though you might want to replace it with a swallow...still, swallowing tends to be kind of odd, so I avoided it, but it is cool, and something a giant beast might do to small prey.

As for the no constriction thing...welp, acid can eat a ship just as fast as constriction! Or maybe it tries to catch the ship on fire with its electricity instead! Though that might mean more danger...

 

[Stoat]

Thanks to all for the help! I ran the encounter Tuesday night, and had a blast.

I used KM's phased encounter (with some changes) as my template. The PC's were hunting the eel in order to obtain it's caustic digestive juices. So it spat acid, not electricity. I also gave it the ability to swallow anyone it grabbed with its bite.

The initial search for the creature was somewhat lackluster. We haven't played for a while, and everybody's energy level was a little low. After some arsing around, the players decided to try and lure the eel to them by chumming the waters near its hunting ground. I think mostly because they like to say the word, "chum". It worked.

The eel immediately knocked half the party off the boat and swallowed the ranger. I made a spot call that the ranger could make attack the beast from inside, which in retrospect was probably too generous. Also, the paladin activated his Wavestrider Boots and took the fight to the water. The cleric got out of the water and started working the ballista -- it critted. Phase one ended quickly.

After losing a quarter of its hit points, the eel wrapped itself around the PC's boat and started squeezing. The players were worried at first, but the wizard was able to hit the monster with a Ray of Enfeeblement, and its boat-killing powers were greatly diminished. The eel's attack rolls were dreadful. He only hit twice with his bite, and he failed to swallow his target (the paladin) the second time. Frustrated, the eel flung the paladin into the wizard, knocking both of them down. The ranger made himself into a kind of internal cuisinart. Before long, the eel was down to his last 60 hit points.

He turned to run, but the PC's were able to get their boat moving after him in time. The ballista critted again, and the mighty eel went down for the count.

If I had it to do over again, I would limit the ranger's ability to attack from inside the monster. He took a ton of damage from being inside the monster's gullet, but he gave back worse than that.

Anyway, a good time had by all. Thanks again for the help!

 

[Rechan]

I made a spot call that the ranger could make attack the beast from inside, which in retrospect was probably too generous.

Isn't that generally how swallowing works?

Glad you guys had fun.

 

[Stoat]

Isn't that generally how swallowing works?

A quick run through the Compendium shows that being swallowed whole might carry a variety of different consequences.

Feymire Crocodile? The swallowed target is dazed and restrained. The only attacks the swallowed target can make are basic attacks.

Slavering Maw? The swallowed target is only restrained. A swallowed creature can make only melee or close attacks and has line of effect and line of sight only to the slavering maw.

Elder Dragon Eel? The swallowed target is restrained. The swallowed creature can make melee basic attacks only, and only with one-handed or natural weapons.

Remorhaz? The swallowed target is restrained. The swallowed creature can make only melee or close attacks.

Adult Purple Worm? Seems to be the most forgiving of the bunch. No mention of the swallowed target being restrained. The only restriction on attacks is, "If the target attacks the worm using a close or an area attack, that attack targets all other creatures swallowed by the worm."

So, I had a snak-pak of options to chose from. Letting the ranger use dailies inside the monster definitely hurried the fight along.

 

[I'm A Banana]

The eel immediately knocked half the party off the boat and swallowed the ranger.

Hahahaha, I love it when a combat starts like that.

The players were worried at first, but the wizard was able to hit the monster with a Ray of Enfeeblement, and its boat-killing powers were greatly diminished.

Nice strategy on the wizard's part! I guess I would've ad-hoc'd that to adding a round or two to the eel's constriction.

Frustrated, the eel flung the paladin into the wizard, knocking both of them down.

Hahahaha, I love those kind of action movie cinematics! I might've knocked them into the water, just to add insult to the injury.

If I had it to do over again, I would limit the ranger's ability to attack from inside the monster. He took a ton of damage from being inside the monster's gullet, but he gave back worse than that.

Yeah, the design of the eel as a lurker tried to emphasize that the PC's aren't going to get that many chances to actually damage the thing -- first the water, then the lair, served as things that essentially removed attack opportunities from various characters. Putting the striker in its belly and then having him use the dailies....basically negates most lurking the eel could do!

So, I had a snak-pak of options to chose from. Letting the ranger use dailies inside the monster definitely hurried the fight along.

Swallow whole mechanics in any edition are a little wonky. I might've made it something like: "While swallowed, you take ongoing 10 acid damage, you are restrained and stunned, you have no line of sight or effect to anything but the eel, and nothing but the eel has a line of sight or effect to you. A save ends this condition, dropping you into the water," but that would kind of remove the awesomeness of cutting your way out from the inside, unless they had some power that could remove their Stunned status.

Anyway, a good time had by all. Thanks again for the help!

I can't XP you, but I'm glad you had a fun session! Now have the spirit of nature get angry at them for slaying some paragon spirit, and want to destroy them with a hurricane or something...and feel free to amp up the pressure! They can clearly handle a lot!

 

[was]

prob run it like a grab and run encounter where eel grabs the offending pc and retreats to an underwater lair where the pcs have to fight to save the grabbed player and fight off drowning at the same time