Help with evil cleric NPC

[Angerland]

ok...I need help designing a super tough cleric of Loki for our game. It is coming back around to my turn to run the game and we are approaching the climactic battles. One of the main protagonists is to be a Cleric of Loki (we are using a very Norse themed campaign). Trouble is we have a few characters in our party that are tweaked to the max, namely an archer ranger build that routinely does insane damage. (magic bow of exit wounds, distracting shot, the usual archer feats, rolls a d8 and d6 per hit for damage, arrow mind spell, hunter's mercy, swift haste, etc....)

We are all 11th level so this cleric would have to be pretty high. A cohort to go with him would be nice but not needed.

I need help crunching the numbers for this villain. I have little skill when it comes to min-maxing or really optimizing a character to it's fullest, but I want this guy to be TOUGH. Everything from race,Domains, spells and feats would be great. The books that I have are the Complete X (all of them) , PHBII, Spell Compendium, Races of Stone, Wild, and Dragons. I also have a 3.0 Dieties and Demigods and Forgotten Realms Source book and Book of Magic (Also Forgotten Realms) and of course the Core Three plus MM 2 (3.0) and MM 3. I also have access to Frostburn and Sandstorm I believe.

I would love to really challenge the other players to a good, hard one finale, but I truly need help. Thanks in advance.

 

[Darklone]

Are undead allowed?

 

[shilsen]

Are undead allowed?

Funny - that's just what I was thinking

 

[Kwitchit]

Domains available to Loki: Chaos, Destruction, Evil, Trickery.
I'd make this guy at least CR 15- probably 16.
Race: Human Lich, so he can heal himself with Inflict spells.
Class: Straight Cleric, I think. Not very many PrCs fit. Clr14 makes him CR 16
Ability scores:
Str 12 Dex 10 Con- Int 15 Wis 20 Cha 16
I'd probably go for the Destruction and Evil domains.
Have him fight the party in a sanctuary of Loki that he's cast Desecrate on (makes him stronger).
If you really want to kill the party, have him go for the Divine Metamagic trick, especially as he won't be using his turn attempts on anything else. He has just enough turn attempts to have one Persistent Spell up at all times. If you buy him a Nightstick (Libris Mortis, 7500gp, 4 extra turn attempts per day) he could also use them for something else (maybe the Profane Boost feat?)

 

[Darklone]

Funny - that's just what I was thinking

Evil minds think alike.... wait. Was it great minds?

The lich proposal looks nice but the meanest thing I ever did to some PCs included a vampire cleric... All he needs is something to counter targeted dispel magics and some time to buff

Put him into a full plate... the players will need some time to notice he's undead. Trickery.

Righteous Might and Divine Power plus some nice feats... Darn, how was that nice paladin feat called that allows to increase damage? Divine thingie prerequ Power Attack. Take it and get good Charisma.

Buy him nice medium items... str, wis, cha, dex +4. And don't forget the energy resistance items.

Get him a cohort. Chain fighter vampire. Will keep the PCs busy and away for two or three rounds while the big buddy buffs.

Make certain he has some vampiric escape routes prepared.

Edit: Forgot something. Unhallow plus Desecrate plus some other undead buffing and fullplates and weapons for skeletons go a long way to really bother level 10 characters with low HD undead. Add to this some wights and vampires with character levels who aren't visibly distinguishable from the zombies/skeletons and the players go haywire.

 

[2nd Ed Paladin]

The desecrate idea is a good one. The paladin feat referred to above is divine power and found in C Warrior (its not only for paladin's). When I've used evil clerics I have found that the inflict attacks are very dangerous, do decent damage, don't have to prep them and they are touch.

He should have some mooks available to stand in front as well, consider some rogues.

Also as mentioned above, righteous might and divine power are good spells. Just ensure he also has a ring of counterspelling to avoid the dispel magics. This doesn't seem to fit with the Loki theme though. Consider using charm spells , illusion spells and other spells to disorientate the PCs. Possibilities include:

Symbol of persuasion/fear
The various 'wall of' spells used in creative ways
The mislead spell from the trickery domain (7th level domain spell)
Confusion - again from trickery
ring/wand of mirror image

If you alter it to evil and chaotic, the shadowbane inquisitor would be another appropriate template PrC (rogue and cleric combo). My divine Prc knowledge isn't that great, maybe there are some others.

 

[Darklone]

Thanks for Divine Power, I confused it with the spellname.

Going the vampire way I wouldn't bother with inflict spells since buffed vampire clerics in Desecrated areas are usually able to hit everything they want (except perhaps for concealment). And you miss your precious second attack. For a lich though a pretty good idea. Sadly you can't combine it with the lichs touch attack.

 

[Solarious]

Between (Greater) Create Undead, Animate Dead, Rebuking, and the Planar Ally series, most high level clerics (especially of the evil-inclined) can bring in some serious reinforcements with time. Prep the battlefield with Desecrate and an Unhallow (don't forget to tie a spell to it). Make sure all the spells are beefed up with a Bead of Karma (especially the Unhallow and Desecrate spells), and prepare spells with an Insence of Meditation on the day of the encounter.

Your characters are very capable famous persons: divinations shouldn't have too much of a problem locking on to their movements and tactics. Most importantly, they have breached the level 11 barrier, which has guidelines for this kind of thing under the Legend Lore spell.

Basically, unleash the full might of CoDzilla upon your players. It's not like they aren't prepared to take on one: they clearly have their act together. Feel free to toss in a few arbitrary bonuses to the cleric for BBEG status.

 

[IcyCool]

Put him into a full plate... the players will need some time to notice he's undead. Trickery.

Make it ghost touch full plate. And make him a ghost with ghost touch weaponry (or give him the Ghostly Grip feat from Libris Mortis) and the Transdimensional spell metamagic feat. Once they figure out that the walking suit of armor doesn't actually have a body in it, then the horror begins.

 

[Vuron]

Keeping with Loki's background (son of a giant I believe) you could consider making it a Frost Giant Cleric. I'd say that Cleric levels are nonassociated for the frost giant so you could have a decent number of cleric levels on top of the base frost giant.

You could make an argument that a 10th level Frost Giant Cleric would be a roughly 14-15 Encounter.

Thrym Frosttouch
10th level Cleric of Loki
Frost Giant Male


HP-14d8+98 plus 10d8+70 (276HP) this becomes 430 HP with Divine Power, Righteous Might and Bear's Endurance active

Str-32 (42 with Divine Power and Righteous Might) Dex-10 Con-24 (30 with Bear's Endurance and Righteous Might) Int-8 Wis-22 Cha-10

BaB-17 (20 with Divine Power)

AC- 28 (-1 Size, +9 Natural, +10 +2 Full Plate) 30 with Righteous Might

Saves- Fort +23 (+26 with Bear's Endurance and R. Might) Reflex +9 Will + 17

Attack - +3 Large Frost Greataxe +31 (3d6+19/19-20 x3 plus 1d6 Cold) / with Divine Power and Righteous Might this becomes +3 Huge Frost Greataxe +39 (4d6 + 24/19-20 x3 plus 1d6 Cold)
Full Attack - +3 Large Frost Great +31/+26/+21/+16 (3d6+19/19-20 x3 plus d6 Cold)/ with DP and RM this becomes +3 Huge Frost Great Axe +39/+34/+29/+24

Skills- Figure out yourself
Feats - Cleave, Great Cleave, Imp Bullrush, Imp Crit (greataxe), Imp Sunder, Lightning Reflexes, Power Attack

Spells (Chaos and Trickery are domains)
1- Bane, Cure Light x2, Divine Favor, Endure Elements, Protection from Law, Shield of Faith
2- Aid, Bear's Endurance x3, Death Knell, Invisibility
3- Cure Serious x2, Dispel Magic, Magic Circle vs Law, Nondetection, Protection from Energy
4- Confusion, Cure Critical, Deathward, Divine Power, Freedom of Movement
5- Dispel Law, Righteous Might, Spell Resistance, True Seeing

Give him two fully advanced Winter Wolves

Garm and Carok

HP- 18d10+90 (189 HP) with Bear's Endurance this becomes 225 HP

Str-26 Dex-11 Con-20 Int-9 Wis-13 Cha-10

BaB-18

AC- 16

Saves- Fort +16 Ref +13 Will +9

Attack- Bite +29 melee (3d6 + 19 plus 1d6 Cold)
Full Attack- Bite +29/+24/+19/+14 (3d6 +19 plus 1d6 Cold)

Feats- Alertness, Imp. Initiative, Imp. Natural Attack, Iron Will, Lightning Reflexes, Power Attack


If given advanced warning Thrym will cast Bear's Endurance on himself and his two winter wolves and Divine Power and Righteous Might on himself. Thrym will cast an dispel the first round of combat and then charge his opponents. The two wolves will charge and seek to flank the party. Thyrm will generally only heal if his HP or the wolves HP drop below half. Thrym will withdraw from combat if one or more of the Wolves are killed and he's hard pressed.

Altogether this should be a very very difficult battle with a Encounter Level of 15 which would be a very difficult encounter for 4 11th level PCs