Monster Feat Selection

[Pinotage]

Any suggestions for feats for this critter? It's going to be fighting underwater against a party of 6 11th level characters (who'll have water breathing and freedom of movement). I'm thinking Power Attack (high Str and BAB can be useful), Combat Expertise (helps with the AC), Improved Combat Expertise, and perhaps something like Improved Critical (Talon). Other suggestions? It needs 6 feats. The spellwarped template is from MM III.

I'm tempted to give it some kind of armor (coral/shell/hardened kelp) to improve the AC a bit, but that might make it a bit powerful. Any ideas for equipment and treasure?

Spellwarped Advanced Mutant Sahuagin Warrior 4/Expert 4

Large Aberration (Augmented Monstrous Humanoid, Aquatic)
Hit Dice: 8d8+4d8+4d6+96 (164 hp)
Initiative: +1 (+1 Dex)
Speed: 30 ft, Swim 60 ft
Armor Class: 19 (+1 Dex, +9 Natural, -1 Size), Touch 10, Flat-Footed 18
Base Attack/Grapple: +15/+27
Attack: Talon +22 melee (1d6+8)
Full Attack: 4 Talons +22 melee (1d6+8) and Bite +20 melee (1d6+4)
Space/Reach: 10 ft/10 ft
Special Attacks: Blood Frenzy, Rake 1d6+4
Special Qualities: Blindsense 30 ft, Darkvision 60 ft, Freshwater Sensitivity, Light Blindness, Speak with Sharks, Water Dependent, SR 27, Spell Absorption
Saves: Fort +13, Ref +9, Will +11
Abilities: Str 26, Dex 13, Con 22, Int 16, Wis 11, Cha 11
Skills: Handle Animal +15 (+19), Hide +11 (+15), Listen +10 (+14), Spot +10 (+14), Survival +10 (+14), Profession (Hunter) +10 (+14), Swim +10, Intimidate +2, Jump +10, Climb +10, Ride +5, Appraise +5, Craft (Alchemy) +7, Craft (Weaponsmithing) +6, Craft (Armorsmithing) +6, Heal +2, Knowledge (Arcana) +5, Knowledge (Nature) +7, Move Silently +5, Profession (Blacksmith) +4, Use Magic Device +10
Feats: Multiattack (B) + 6
CR: 11
Alignment: LE
Languages: Sahuagin, Aquan, Common, Infernal


Pinotage

 

[Darklone]

Improved Natural weapon? Weapon Focus?

 

[Dougal DeKree]

feats

With it's reach: combat reflexes. pity it hasn't got dex 14...
dodge/mobility/springattack seems good to me, as would whirlwind attack.
for this you would also need combat expertise...

or go power attack/cleave/great cleave with weapon focus, blindfight and something else...

DD

 

[cordell]

ok, i'll take a crack at the "item" part of the question - just some ideas:

kill two birds with 1 stone - give him some treasure which raises AC. I have no idea what items your party currently has, but certainly if you can give the NPC an item which the party will use, then it's worth the party's *extra* time/resources to defeat the guy. (personally, as a player, i don't mind fighting an encounter which is a little tougher because the npc is wearing magic items - as long as the magic item isn't "usable by Mutant Sahuagin Warriors only", LOL)

The guy is tough, so you could also give him treasure which he might not be able to use, like some items that were present on the last party of adventures that fought him. The current party might/probably has some of these items already, which would result in them selling them off at half value.

The party might try and remove him from the water if they are real creative, maybe an item which would allow him to survive outside the water?

 

[green slime]

Against 6 11th level characters? This guy is toast. A breadcrumb on the path to glory.

Sahuagin have favoured class Ranger? Why not Ranger instead of Warrior/Expert? Or at least include a level or two of Ranger? Just an idea.

I don't have MMIII so don't know spellwarped...

Feats:
Improved Natural Attack (claws) (up one damage die to d8)
Weapon Focus (claws)
Power Attack
Improved Bullrush
Knockback (races of stone)

Equipment:
Octopus Ink bladder (releases cloud of ink in 10' radius, disperses after 3 rounds)
Coral armour from A&EG (+6/+1/-7/30%/20ft/40 lb)

Use the improved Bullrush and knockback feats together with an environmental hazard for the PCs. Use the knockback on the tank, and concentrate other attacks on nasty flanking rogue types.

 

[Pinotage]

Against 6 11th level characters? This guy is toast. A breadcrumb on the path to glory.

Sahuagin have favoured class Ranger? Why not Ranger instead of Warrior/Expert? Or at least include a level or two of Ranger? Just an idea.

Toast? Really? That's a staggering amount of hp, and the SR means that most 11th level casters are going to have a hard time getting a spell to work. Coupled with the huge damage capability (7 attacks - if all hit, it's 68 hp average a round). I know the AC is low so it'll be smacked by most fighters, but that can be remedied with some coral armor and combat expertise. It's attack bonus is high enough that it'll hit AC 30 regularly, even with a few points on Power Attack. Taking Power Attack +3 on 7 attacks is an extra 21 hp damage. That could take a fighter out in one round on average damage of 89 hp alone, and it still has +19/+17 to hit. With Spell Absorption it can use spells that failed against its SR to gain enhancement bonuses to stats, extra hp, extra speed etc.

I think it's a pretty decent encounter. Probably on the tough side.

Taking the Ranger class will up the CR and probably make it too tough. It's an underwater fight, so it has its own perils.

Very good suggestion so far!

Pinotage

 

[Pinotage]

On another note - this critter is going to be the animal trainer for the Sahuagin, training sharks and other animals. In 3e a character could use the Handle Animal skill to rear magical beasts, but alas, that's missing from 3.5e. Is there a 3.5e way to train and rear magical beasts?

Pinotage

 

[green slime]

On another note - this critter is going to be the animal trainer for the Sahuagin, training sharks and other animals. In 3e a character could use the Handle Animal skill to rear magical beasts, but alas, that's missing from 3.5e. Is there a 3.5e way to train and rear magical beasts?

Pinotage

Ummm.... checking out page 74 in the 3.5 PHB...You are right. But I'd allow it anyway...

 

[green slime]

Toast? Really? That's a staggering amount of hp, and the SR means that most 11th level casters are going to have a hard time getting a spell to work. Coupled with the huge damage capability (7 attacks - if all hit, it's 68 hp average a round). I know the AC is low so it'll be smacked by most fighters, but that can be remedied with some coral armor and combat expertise. It's attack bonus is high enough that it'll hit AC 30 regularly, even with a few points on Power Attack. Taking Power Attack +3 on 7 attacks is an extra 21 hp damage. That could take a fighter out in one round on average damage of 89 hp alone, and it still has +19/+17 to hit. With Spell Absorption it can use spells that failed against its SR to gain enhancement bonuses to stats, extra hp, extra speed etc.

I think it's a pretty decent encounter. Probably on the tough side.

Taking the Ranger class will up the CR and probably make it too tough. It's an underwater fight, so it has its own perils.

Very good suggestion so far!

Pinotage

Well, there is a big difference between a prepared encounter and an unprepared encounter.

If the party muscles has stoneskin, haste, keen edge, GMW, and MV, then two of them (in a party of 6) plow into it with +11/+11/+6/+1 BAB, add in Str (+5 at least) magical weapons (+3) feats (+1-2) , perhaps a Divine Might with Smite (if you have one of those in the party) and 168 hp won't seem like so much.

4 Talons +22 melee (1d6+8) and Bite +20 melee (1d6+4) won't do too much against DR 10 / adamantine.

I think for this monster, you want to take use of its advantages: Blindsight in water and large number of attacks. Going Spring Attack (although tempting due to its swim speed) would negate its advantage in Full-attack.

If it fails to drop a melee type in one round, the clerics will have healed them right back up before the next turn.

I'd add in a few Well-sized Hungry sharks to distract spellcasters.

Of course you best know your player's party's strengths, and how prepared you expect them to be.

 

[Pinotage]

Blimey! When you put it that way...

I was planning on throwing some large sharks in as fodder (CR 2 critters with 40 odd hp and a decent attack against spellcasters). We have two straight fighters in the party, getting +17/+12/+7, I think, although one has two-weapon fighting and a two-bladed sword. They both do, however, have very low AC's < 25. Hmm. You've made some good points I'll need to consider. I was betting on Coral armor to raise AC to 25, and Combat Expertise to raise it to 30. I was not counting on DR, though. Perhaps Improved Natural Attack might be prudent, combined with good Power Attack. If it is DR, then Power Attack will be the way to go.

It is, of course, within it's natural environment, so it could use that to its advantage... Natural see tunnels have some potential.

Hmmm.

Pinotage