Ellie_the_Elf
First Post
Hi all,
At the very end of our last session, my players had their archnemesis arrive at their base while they were having dinner. He's accompanied by four shades wielding swords, but my players don't know anything about them yet...
The pcs and their allies who are present are an artillery-style wizard/cleric (casts up to 9th level wizard and about 4th level cleric spells),a bladesinger (can cast up to 6th level wizard spells) , an arcane archer (can cast up to 4th level arcane spells), a spellthief (the only one of the lot to be straight-classed, she's a new character), an NPC paladin/devoted defender and his wife (who is also an NPC, a cleric/morninglord of lathander, but she's recently renounced her faith for story reasons, and has their young baby with her at the time of the attack so she won't be a combatant) and an NPC wizard. The PCs are all low-epic (22nd-24th level), both combatant NPCs are around 20th. We're playing in the Forgotten Realms if that makes any difference.
There are scores to settle all round- said archnemesis has already been killed once by the PCs, and just barely escaped with his life on several other occasions. He's previously kidnapped the NPC cleric (before she had the baby) and needs her and the child for a big dark ritual. He's running out of time to do his ritual which is why he's come looking for trouble. The PCs want to capture him in some way so he can't bother them anymore (either an imprisonment spell or by polymorphing him into something else). The paladin just wants to kill him by the quickest method possible because of what he's done to the paladin's family.
So the groundwork is laid for an epic battle. But my problem lies with the fact my bad guy is up against an incredibly effective party- they have a lot of power both from class abilities and the array of magic items that they've collected over the 18 months we've been playing this campaign- and they know how best to use it all to really hit this guy where it hurts. I've posted his stat block from their last battle (it's copied from Etools, so there may be odd mistakes in it) and am looking for advice on how to improve him to challenge this party. I can give him a couple more levels if need be since it's been a few months, and templates are an option too. He's got a lot of resources (he's a high ranking worshipper of Shar, with links to the Shades and the Cult of the Dragon) at his disposal which he can use to equip himself more effectively, and four shade allies, which I would like to be melee types but haven't fully statted out. More allies are an option too.
What I don't want to do is either load him up on save-or-die spells and have him cast them repeatedly until the PCs fail a save, or give him half the epic level handbook in equipment. I'm more than happy for him to be defeated for good this time round- it's probably about time- but I want him to go down fighting, and give the PCs a real challenge- since this guy's been hounding them for over a year real time, I think he deserves that at least.
The combat arena is the second floor of the PCs base, which is over an inn which they own. The room they're in currently where he's teleported in is a large dining hall but there's a huge open plan common area with a big balcony outside so there's plenty of potential for moving the fight around.
So I'm looking for suggestions, tactics, evil tricks- basically anything I can add to my big bad to do this fight justice! Thanks for reading this far, I didn't realise this post would be quite so long!!
Ellie
Handragath, Male Human Wiz7/Sha10/Clr7: CR 24; Medium Humanoid ; HD 7d4+35(Wizard) , 10d4+50(Shadow Adept) , 7d8+35(Cleric) ; hp 236; Init +4; Spd 30; AC:23 (Flatfooted:19 Touch:18); Atk +11/6 base melee, +16/11 base ranged; AL CE; SV Fort +16, Ref +13, Will +21; STR 9, DEX 18, CON 20, INT 34, WIS 16, CHA 18.
Skills: Alchemy +37, Concentration +30, Knowledge (Arcana) +37, Knowledge (Local - Anauroch) +37, Knowledge (Local - Waterdeep) +22, Knowledge (The Planes) +22, Search +24.5, Spellcraft +37.
Feats: Armor Proficiency: heavy, Armor Proficiency: light, Armor Proficiency: medium, Blind-Fight, Extra Spell, Greater Spell Focus: Necromancy, Improved Critical: Spell - Ray, Insidious Magic, Leadership, Pernicious Magic, Reach Spell, Scribe Scroll, Shadow Weave Magic, Shield Proficiency, Silent Spell, Simple Weapon Proficiency, Spell Focus: Necromancy, Spell Penetration, Spellcasting Prodigy, Tenacious Magic (Shadow Weave).
Spells Prepared (Wiz 4/7/7/7/7/6/6/5/4/2): 1st - Magic Missile x3, Shield x2, True Strike x2; 2nd - Darkness x2, Mirror Image x4; 3rd - Dispel Magic x2, Haste x2, Protection from Elements x2; 4th - Dimension Door x4, Phantasmal Killer x2; 5th - Beltyn`s Burning Blood x3, Feeblemind x2, Wall of Dispel Magic; 6th -- Disintegrate, Repulsion, True Seeing; 7th - Finger of Death, Insanity, Nybor`s Stern Reproof, Teleport without Error; 8th - Maze, Prismatic Wall, Protection from Spells; 9th - Meteor Swarm, Time Stop.
(Clr 6/5/4/3/1): 1st - Cure Light Wounds x3, Faith Healing, Protection from Good (d), Sanctuary; 2nd - Blindness/Deafness (d), Death Knell, Hold Person x2, Lesser Restoration; 3rd - Cure Serious Wounds x2, Magic Circle against Good (d); 4th - Cure Critical Wounds, Unholy Blight (d).
Possessions:
Magic: Amulet of natural armor (+5); Amulet of health (+6): Gloves of Dexterity (+6); Robe of the archmagi; Ring of Protection (+4); Headband of Epic Intellect (+8)
Spells already cast: Chain contigency (greater dispelling on area, then teleport without error to his tower if dropped below 0 HP), Protection from Spells (+8 to saves vs spells and spell likes abilities, Shield (+7 AC) , Repulsion, (will save dc 28 to move within 50ft), Teleport without Error to PCs location
At the very end of our last session, my players had their archnemesis arrive at their base while they were having dinner. He's accompanied by four shades wielding swords, but my players don't know anything about them yet...
The pcs and their allies who are present are an artillery-style wizard/cleric (casts up to 9th level wizard and about 4th level cleric spells),a bladesinger (can cast up to 6th level wizard spells) , an arcane archer (can cast up to 4th level arcane spells), a spellthief (the only one of the lot to be straight-classed, she's a new character), an NPC paladin/devoted defender and his wife (who is also an NPC, a cleric/morninglord of lathander, but she's recently renounced her faith for story reasons, and has their young baby with her at the time of the attack so she won't be a combatant) and an NPC wizard. The PCs are all low-epic (22nd-24th level), both combatant NPCs are around 20th. We're playing in the Forgotten Realms if that makes any difference.
There are scores to settle all round- said archnemesis has already been killed once by the PCs, and just barely escaped with his life on several other occasions. He's previously kidnapped the NPC cleric (before she had the baby) and needs her and the child for a big dark ritual. He's running out of time to do his ritual which is why he's come looking for trouble. The PCs want to capture him in some way so he can't bother them anymore (either an imprisonment spell or by polymorphing him into something else). The paladin just wants to kill him by the quickest method possible because of what he's done to the paladin's family.
So the groundwork is laid for an epic battle. But my problem lies with the fact my bad guy is up against an incredibly effective party- they have a lot of power both from class abilities and the array of magic items that they've collected over the 18 months we've been playing this campaign- and they know how best to use it all to really hit this guy where it hurts. I've posted his stat block from their last battle (it's copied from Etools, so there may be odd mistakes in it) and am looking for advice on how to improve him to challenge this party. I can give him a couple more levels if need be since it's been a few months, and templates are an option too. He's got a lot of resources (he's a high ranking worshipper of Shar, with links to the Shades and the Cult of the Dragon) at his disposal which he can use to equip himself more effectively, and four shade allies, which I would like to be melee types but haven't fully statted out. More allies are an option too.
What I don't want to do is either load him up on save-or-die spells and have him cast them repeatedly until the PCs fail a save, or give him half the epic level handbook in equipment. I'm more than happy for him to be defeated for good this time round- it's probably about time- but I want him to go down fighting, and give the PCs a real challenge- since this guy's been hounding them for over a year real time, I think he deserves that at least.
The combat arena is the second floor of the PCs base, which is over an inn which they own. The room they're in currently where he's teleported in is a large dining hall but there's a huge open plan common area with a big balcony outside so there's plenty of potential for moving the fight around.
So I'm looking for suggestions, tactics, evil tricks- basically anything I can add to my big bad to do this fight justice! Thanks for reading this far, I didn't realise this post would be quite so long!!
Ellie
Handragath, Male Human Wiz7/Sha10/Clr7: CR 24; Medium Humanoid ; HD 7d4+35(Wizard) , 10d4+50(Shadow Adept) , 7d8+35(Cleric) ; hp 236; Init +4; Spd 30; AC:23 (Flatfooted:19 Touch:18); Atk +11/6 base melee, +16/11 base ranged; AL CE; SV Fort +16, Ref +13, Will +21; STR 9, DEX 18, CON 20, INT 34, WIS 16, CHA 18.
Skills: Alchemy +37, Concentration +30, Knowledge (Arcana) +37, Knowledge (Local - Anauroch) +37, Knowledge (Local - Waterdeep) +22, Knowledge (The Planes) +22, Search +24.5, Spellcraft +37.
Feats: Armor Proficiency: heavy, Armor Proficiency: light, Armor Proficiency: medium, Blind-Fight, Extra Spell, Greater Spell Focus: Necromancy, Improved Critical: Spell - Ray, Insidious Magic, Leadership, Pernicious Magic, Reach Spell, Scribe Scroll, Shadow Weave Magic, Shield Proficiency, Silent Spell, Simple Weapon Proficiency, Spell Focus: Necromancy, Spell Penetration, Spellcasting Prodigy, Tenacious Magic (Shadow Weave).
Spells Prepared (Wiz 4/7/7/7/7/6/6/5/4/2): 1st - Magic Missile x3, Shield x2, True Strike x2; 2nd - Darkness x2, Mirror Image x4; 3rd - Dispel Magic x2, Haste x2, Protection from Elements x2; 4th - Dimension Door x4, Phantasmal Killer x2; 5th - Beltyn`s Burning Blood x3, Feeblemind x2, Wall of Dispel Magic; 6th -- Disintegrate, Repulsion, True Seeing; 7th - Finger of Death, Insanity, Nybor`s Stern Reproof, Teleport without Error; 8th - Maze, Prismatic Wall, Protection from Spells; 9th - Meteor Swarm, Time Stop.
(Clr 6/5/4/3/1): 1st - Cure Light Wounds x3, Faith Healing, Protection from Good (d), Sanctuary; 2nd - Blindness/Deafness (d), Death Knell, Hold Person x2, Lesser Restoration; 3rd - Cure Serious Wounds x2, Magic Circle against Good (d); 4th - Cure Critical Wounds, Unholy Blight (d).
Possessions:
Magic: Amulet of natural armor (+5); Amulet of health (+6): Gloves of Dexterity (+6); Robe of the archmagi; Ring of Protection (+4); Headband of Epic Intellect (+8)
Spells already cast: Chain contigency (greater dispelling on area, then teleport without error to his tower if dropped below 0 HP), Protection from Spells (+8 to saves vs spells and spell likes abilities, Shield (+7 AC) , Repulsion, (will save dc 28 to move within 50ft), Teleport without Error to PCs location
