Monsters, Demons, Beasts of all manner[Foes from an Epic Game]

[Burne]

Since I've spent the last several days typing up my coffee-stained handwritten notes on the monsters my PC's fought, I figured I would post them here for others to perhaps use and/or enjoy.

Campaign background:
PC's started at 20th level with 16th level equipment on a 34 point buy. Pretty much any P-class was allowed, with the restriction to "not be cheesy"

World notes: Homebrew world, earth like, an almost infinite number of gods. After reaching the heights of their professions and running out of worthy challenges, our heroes retired to their hometown of Smithhold. 11 years pass, when suddenly things start to get interesting again.

PC's:
Lily: Elven Fighter/Order of the Bow Intitate/Arcane Archer 10
Black: Human Monk 20, a stunning machine
Clarendon: Teifling Rogue/Ninja Spy, big hide/MS
Aria: Human Sorcerer/Divine Oracle/Archmage, Boom
Dawn: Human Paladin 1/Cleric 19, Mass Heal, I made my save

Posts from here on out will include a bit of relevant background, and some notes of how the fight went.

 

[Burne]

Crazed Boars

Our brave hero's are woken up in the middle of the night by a very loud and wooden crash. Something large has just smash through the wooden wall surrounding the town of Smithhold.

Black was the first on the scene. He discovered two Huge Boars smashing into the walls and buildings of the town. The boars were strangely deformed and clearly evil.
After the defeating party defeated the pair of boars, they receive word that one of the outlying farms was under attack. At the farm, they face another pair of boars.
Following the boar's path of destruction, they discovered two more boar's dead. One slain by unknown means, the other killed by a combination of weapons and spells.
Tracking the boar's back to the source, our party encountered the Bad Guy's. A Illusionist 18, a 16th level Devoted Defender, and a 16th level Lasher. The Lasher was detained and questioned, the Devoted Defender was slain, and the Wizard escaped. This 3 NPC's where leading a caravan which contained 6 Evil Dire Boars (Cash on delivery), which got loose, and a large number of, now, dead child slaves.


Character Name : CrazedBoar Player Name : BadGuys
Race: Modified Half-fiend Dire Boar Size: Huge Alignment: CE
Str: 46 (+18)
Dex: 20 (+5)
Con: 32 (+11)
Int: 14 (+2)
Wis: 20 (+5)
Cha: 18 (+4)

Class Animal Barbarian
Level 20 10
Hit Points: 500
Initiative: +9
Speed: Walk 50'

Defense
Type Total Natural Item Ability Size
AC 24 11 0 5 -2
Fortitude +30 +19 +11
Reflex +22 +17 +5
Willpower +16 +11 +5

Weapons
Bite (Natural/Primary)
+41 Damage: 2d6+27 + d6 Acid 20x2

Feats: Blind-Fight,Cleave,Combat Reflexes,Destructive Rage,Great Cleave,
Improved Initiative,Iron Will,Lightning Reflexes,Power Attack

Skills: Appraise(2) Balance(18) Bluff(4) Climb(18) Concentration(11)
Diplomacy(4) Disguise(4) Escape Artist(5) Forgery(2) Gather Information(4)
Heal(5) Hide(13) Intimidate(4) Intuit Direction(15) Jump(41) Listen(38)
Move Silently(16) Spot(38) Swim(39) Tumble(18) Use Rope(5) Wilderness Lore(16)

Special Abilities: Rage 3/day,Uncanny Dodge (Dex bonus to AC),
Uncanny Dodge (can't be flanked),Uncanny Dodge (+1 against traps),Scent(Ex),
Ferocity(Ex),Immune to poison, Acid Resistance 20, Cold Resistance 20,
Electrical Resistance 20, Fire Resistance 20

Miscellaneous
* A hit with Slashing or Piercing Weapon: Ref Save vs DC: 30 or take d6 acid
and Fort Save vs Blood Poison DC: 28
Acid Charge (Su): Fills mouth with poisonous acid. Can be spit as a Ranged touch attack
or discharged on a bite.
Spit: Ranged Touch does 16d6 Acid and Save Vs Blood Poison DC:36,
8d6 Splash damage Reflex half vs DC: 30 and Fort:28 vs Blood Poison
Bite: As spit but without a splash effect.
Blood Poison: DC:28 d6 Dex/d6 Str
Rage: +2 to hit, +3 to damage, +60 max hitpoints, +2 Will Saves, -2 AC
CR:16-18


Notes on the Fight: The monk loves his 20/+1 damage reduction/ He would have been quite dead without it. The first fight almost resulted in a causality, as the last one to arrive on the scene was the cleric.

DM's chagrin: The parties rogue couldn't flank the 10th level barbarian Dire Boar's, doh. Because I assumed that the 3 NPC's the party fought last would be brutally slain, I didn't bother to name them. Double Doh!

Next up: The party follows evil NPC's trail backwards toward the port town of Durn, and a child slavery ring.

 

[Burne]

The game sessions that this post covers is honestly one of the most memorable moments in the campaign so far. This will be a statistic light post as none of the NPC's where particularly interesting.

Background.
The City of Durn, a small city with strict rules but a caring government. Our party members, being the vigilantes that most adventuring groups end up being, are not well loved by the powers that be.
Our hero's were told by the Bloke (I still haven't named him) they questions that his boss "Bob" the evil wizard picked up the slave children from an Orphanage in Durn.

The party go to said orphanage, Clarendon (the rogue) follows the party as they enter invisibly. The interior foray is a room that wouldn't be out of place in a dentist office, sitting behind the desk is a pleasant looking young woman.
Woman: "How can I help you"
Black: "I here you've been selling children out the back door."
Rest of Party: "What the hell!"
Clarendon: "I try to hit the woman behind the counter with my sap, darn I'm not weapon finessed in Sap, I hit an AC:18"
DM: "You miss"

The players of both Black and Clarendon are still mocked for taking that situation and fouling it right up.

The enemies:
Helena Monk 8/Assassin 8
Saril Cleric 15
lots of 0 level children
Heger: Monk 6, Cleric 8, Contemplative 14

Behind the Scenes: The orphanage is selling children. They take in street kids, feed em, cloth em, and sell em. The children know that kids "disappear" and fear the "Badmen." Saril was an enchantment focused Cleric and kept the children under control.

While the party is attempting to beat up Helena in the foyer. Saril suggests to the children that the "Badmen" are coming and that they must defend themselves.
The party finish dealing with Helena, they held[i/] her, enter the main room to confront 20 scared and angry children armed with hatchets and dagger, with a 15th level cleric casting Bless, Prayer, and whatnot.

After subduing the children (Aria: Time Stop, Color Spray, Color Spray, Color Spray, Color Spray), Hegar headmaster of the Orphanage and all around cool guy, arrives with Helena in tow.

Heger was an experiment to feel out the upper level of enemies that the party could deal with. While he technically was a 28th level character, he only had the equipment of a 21st level npc and he was doomed to only use sub par tactics.

Cool moment in fight: Heger is badly pressed and out of heals. he has successfully gotten the blade barrier up, boxing him of from most of the rest of the party, like so:

XXXXXXXXXXXX H=Hegar
..........HX b=Bladebarrier
bbbbbbbbbbbX X=Wall
...party...X

Black, steps into the blade barrier and stands there attempting to start a grapple with Heger. he succeeds on his last attack by the thinnest of margins, allowing Clarendon to deliver the fatal damage.

Wrap up: Scared frightened children, dead bad guys, little to no evidence that bad guys are bad. Unhappy authorities.

Next up: A better set of fights than these as our Hero's follow the trail o the badguys in the other direction towards the Lair of the Beast.

 

[Burne]

Beast Lair part 1

Skipping ahead a bit, as some of the later enemies are ready to go, but I'd like to have them posted in order.

Reserved for a Badger Tempest

Ye Olde Hidden Evil Fortress. Such a classic part of D&D. Our heroes know that the Boars and slave children were being delivered to a hidden mountain lair several weeks to the north of Smithhold.

Dungeon Design notes:
* Traps should never hinder those who know the secret.
* Evil organizations need flunkies, lots of flunkies. Most flunkies are your average folks. ie even Saruman needs someone to clean the bathroom.
* Evil organization is a world wide affair (note that someone made Evil Boars and then shipped them to the current local) with basically unlimited money and xp to spend.
* This particular evil lair is still expanding and receiving troops (ie Evil Boars).
* Most of the mid level flunkies are wizards, with a large section of the lair being a mage academy.
* Most importantly of all, never do what the party expects. In this case, its the old game of mistaken identity.
Party approaches lair, gives the password they received from questioning the defeated Lasher and are welcomed with open arms. Very nervous our hero's slink around a rather mundane underground barracks, kitchen, and warehouse area. Much to the parties disappointment, no one laughs manically at them.
They finally investigate the forbidden door that they were told not to go through. There they are immediately thrown into a gauntlet of traps and tricks, cunningly designed to be of absolutely no danger to your average Half-fiend animal.

Gauntlet:
Wall of Fire(8th level caster), 20 ft gap
Wall of Lightning(8th level caster, 10ft gap
Wall of Greater Dispell(20th level caster),10ft gap
Wall of Acid(8th level caster) 10 ft gap
Wall of Protection from Good, 10 ft gap
Wall of Cold(8th level caster), 40 ft gap
Solid block of rock mounted on rails, mechanically locked. Button which disengaged locks, only works if the pusher fails a poison saving throw.

The party tried dealing with it in an organized fashion, but about half way through half of the party blindly Dimension Doored 100ft forward, putting half of the party in the gauntlet and the other half out of it. Next section was a simple shaft that any creature with natural flight would have no problem navigating. Our parties result, Black the Monk and Aria the Sorcerer ended up in the Acid pool after hitting a antimagic area, Clarendon the rogue ended up being greater dispelled again. Two exits from the shaft, up and down. Up the parties enters a clearly unfinished and huge space. Therein they party discovers a small squad of wizards expanding the room by use of Disintegrate. The party talks briefly to the wizard, wizards get suspicious, wizards die a horrible dry itchy skin death. With the wizards was a Dire badger Fighter/Tempest. While fun, the party's superior damage dealing capacity slew him in a single round. Oh well.

<Insert badger here>

Also in the room, clearly chained to the wall is a Huge Scorpion sitting on a pile of trash and shiny bits. Note the important bit, chained to the wall, harmless little chained scorpion. Party charges scorpion improved grab, party triumphs barely. The players went home that night feeling very defeated.

Paragon Huge Scorpion
Huge Vermin
Hit Dice: 16d8+144+192
Init: +7 (Dex)
Speed: 150 ft
AC: 37 (-2 size, +8 natural, +12 luck, +12 insight, +7 Dex)
Attacks: 2 claws +48, sting +43
Damage: Claw d8+33, Sting 2d4+26 and poison
Face: 10x20/10
SA: Improved Grab, Squeeze, Poison, Spell-like abilities
SQ: Vermin traits, Cold & Fire resistance 10, DR:20/+6, Fast healing 20, SR:28
Saves: Fort +29, Ref +22, Will +22
Abilities: Str 36, Dex 25, Con 29, Int -, Wis 25, Cha 17
Skills: Climb +30, Hide +17, Spot +24
Epic Feats: Blinding Speed x 2
CR:18

Improved Grab (Ex): To use this ability, the monstrous scorpion must hit with its claw attack. If it gets a hold, it hangs on and stings. Grapple bonus: +58
Squeeze (Ex): A monstrous scorpion that gets a hold on an opponent of its size or smaller automatically deals damage with both claws, biting and stinging at its full attack value.
Poison: DC:42 d8 Str+2d6 Acid/d8 Str +2d6 Acid
Spell like abilities: 3/day - Haste, Greater Dispelling, See Invis. 15th level caster.
Vermin: Immune to mind-influencing effects.

Scorpion notes: I modified the poison a bit as acidic poison featured in a number of the traps in the complex, as well as to do something a little different.
DM's beware: The paragon template is a tricky beast, the above scorpion by the book is a CR:18, but he seriously hurt our party of 21st level characters. High level CR should be used as a guide only, at high levels, especially, tactics (or the lack) matter much more than a couple more hit dice and a few more to hit.

 

[Burne]

Beast Lair part 2

Reserved for the Best of the best: DireRogues!!!! and the many things the party members didn't fight.


Afterword:
Time passed for our noble(sort of) adventurers, a few weeks to rest, and read, and have magic items created. During this time they received a package from abroad.

Dear Heroes of Smithhold:
A mighty dragon ravages our land. We will pay gems and gold for it's destruction. Meet Shaman Xit'blik in Hope's End if you can help us.

Hope's End is the only open port on the almost entirely uncivilized eastern continent. Was the party suspicious, yes. Did they go anyway, yes.

 

[Burne]

Dragon Time!

Turns out Shaman Xit'blik is a Lizardfolk and is waiting for them in Hope's End. Also turns out that he didn't send any letter.

Two weeks travel leads them to the Lizardfolk village, and the sketchy information that the beast has never been seen, that it comes in the night and takes people away, and that a dragon once lived in the Temple of the Enlightned Sun many years ago.
It is four days to the Temple from the Village.
Day 1: Walked through jungle, unknown beast attacked from the air during night. Dropped a stinking cloud on us, then fireballed us repeatedly. Beast left without us effecting it.
Day 2: Set careful watches at night. Clarendon hide in a tree watching the sky, Black and Lily stayed on the group watching the trees. We knew the beast had returned when Clarendon fell from the tree, dead. Beast proceeded to use wall of force to keep our sleeping companions from assisting those awake. Once the rest of the party had freed themselves from the walls of force, dragon fled.
New information on the beast: Very quiet, no one heard it arrive. Looks roughly dragon shaped. Has strange defenses, a pair of Meteor swarms and a searing light passed right through it without
effect.
Day 3: Teleported home to sleep. The heck with the damn dragon.
Day 4: Reached Temple, discovered lair under Temple. Dragon slain, ouch.

Dragon Lair: Our hero's first came upon the dragons 5 children, once the party has engaged the smaller dragons and learned the awful true, Mama dragon reared her ugly head by lifting her head out of the floor and breathing on the whole party. What awful truth you ask, Undead Dragons. That's right, "Mama" was a Wraith, while the children were Ghasts. Best part, Gold Dragons.

Mama includes always active spells
Wraith Epic Advanced Great Wyrm Gold Dragon
Colossal Undead(Fire)
HD: 47d12 (400 hp)
Initative: +16 (+12 Dex, +4 feat)
Speed: fly 250 ft(perfect)
AC: 33 (-8 size, +12 Dex, +15 deflection, +4 mage armor)
Attacks: Bite +30 incorporeal touch, 2 claws +28 incorporeal touch, 2 wings +27 incorporeal touch, tail slap +27 incorporeal touch; Crush*
Damage: Bite 2d8+2 and Constitution drain, Claw 2d8+2, Wing 2d8+2, Tail Slap 2d8+2; Crush 4d8+2
Face: 40 x 80/15
SA: Breath Weapon, Constitution Drain, Create Spawn, Detect Gems, Frightful Presence, Polymorph Self, Spell-like Abilities, Spells
SQ: Blindsight 220 ft, Daylight Powerlessness, DR: 25/+4, Fire Subtype, Incorporeal, Immunities, Keen Senses, SR:37, Turn resistance +2, Undead traits, Unnatural Aura
Saves: Fort +17, Ref +29, Will +42
Abilities: Str -, Dex 34, Con -, Int 40, Wis 41, Cha 40
Skills: Bluff +65, Concentration +65, Diplomacy +77, Escape Artist +62, Hide +37, Intimidate +46, Intuit Direction +40, Jump +50, Knowledge(Any six) +65, Listen +65, Move Silently +37, Scry +65, Search +65, Sense Motive +40, Spellcraft +65, Spot +65
Feats: Dodge, Empower Spell, Flyby Attack, Improved Initiative, Maximize Spell, Mobility, Multiattack, Silent Spell, Quicken Spell, Quicken Spell-like Abilities, Weapon Focus(Claw), Weapon Focus(Bite)
Epic Feats: Auto-Quicken, Improved Spellcasting Capacity
CR:26-28

Breath Weapon (Su): A gold dragon has two forms of breath weapon, a 80 ft cone of fire that does 28d10 points of fire damage (Reflex save DC:33 half) or a 80 ft cone of weakening gas. Creatures within the latter take 14 points of temporary Strength damage (Fortitude save DC:33 half).
Constitution Drain: Creatures hit by the dragon's bit attack must make a Fortitude save DC 48 or suffer 1d6 points of Constitution drain.
Desecrate (Sp): Once per day the dragon can create a Desecration effect centered on itself. This function as a Desecrate spell cast as a 47th level caster cast in the area of a evil alter except it has a 140-foot radius. The enchantment lasts 1d3 hours plus 42 hours.
Frightful Presence (Ex): Will save DC 48
Spells: A gold dragon knows and casts arcane spells as a 23rd sorcerer and may choose spells from the Cleric spell list and the Evil, Law, and Luck domains.
Spell-Like Abilities: 3/day-polymorph self and bless; 1/day-geas/quest, power word(blind), and foresight. Caster level 23rd.

Spells: 23rd level Sorcerer, Spell DC: 25+Spell Level
Known: 9/ 5/ 5/ 4/4/4/3/4/2/3
Cast: 6/10/10/10/9/9/9/9/8/8/3

1: Divine Favor, Endure Elements, Mage Armor, Magic Missile, Shield
2: Bull's Strength, Cat's Grace, Desecrate, Darkness, Silence
3: Haste, Protection from Elements, Stinking Cloud, Vampiric Touch
4: Dimensional Anchor, Inflict Critical Wounds, Nondetection, Phantasmal Killer
5: Cone of Cold, Hold Monster, True seeing, Wall of Force
6: Greater Dispel, Harm, Mass Haste
7: Delayed Blast Fireball, Greater Scrying, Teleport without Error, Spell Turning
8: Create Undead, Protection from Spells
9: Energy Drain, Miracle, Wail of the Banshee

Active Spells:
Desecrate: Bonus hit points(permanent),+2 to hit, damage, saves.
4x Empowered Cat's Grace: +10 Dex
Nondetection(DC:38)
Mage Armor
Endure Elements(Cold)

Continued Next post

 

[Burne]

Some commentary on the above, before I post the "kids" stats:

Mama never used her fire breath only the weakening breath. Almost every round a stinking cloud or a darkness was used to harass the spellcasters and the archer. Black died to a Wail of the Banshee. Aria was rendered useless via energy drain attacks.

Thanks goes out to the B.A.D.D website for some help with the dragon's spell list.

Background: What do you do if you are the solo evil type and you need to distract a bunch of adventurer's for a couple of weeks? Easy, you create an evil far far away, and make sure that the adventurer's know about it. Hmmm, Undead are relatively easy to make........ And you know, it's a darn shame they took up all that space with the Metallic Dragons in the Monster Manual when nobody uses them anyway.....

Children:
Ghast Young Adult Golden Dragon
Huge Undead(Fire)
Hit Dice: 20d12 (170 hp)
Initiative: +3 (+2 Dex +1 Cat's Grace)
Speed: 60 ft, fly 200 ft(poor), swim 60 ft
AC: 36 (-2 Size, +21 natural, +2 Dex, +1 Cat's Grace, +4 Mage Armor)
Attacks: Bite +25, 2 Claws +23, 2 Wings +22, Tail slap +22
Damage: Bite 2d8+23, Claw 2d6+9, Wing 1d8+9, Tail slap 2d6+23
Face/Reach: 10 x 20/10
SA: Breath Weapon, Create Spawn, Frightful Presence, Paralysis, Polymorph Self, Spell-like Abilities, Spells, Stench
SQ: Blindsight 90 ft, DR: 5/+1, Fire Subtype, Immunities, Keen Senses, SR:21, Turn Resistance +2, Undead traits
Saves: Fort +8, Ref +11, Will +20
Abilities: Str 38, Dex 17, Con -, Int 20, Wis 23, Cha 24
Skills: Alchemy +10, Bluff +30, Concentration +30, Diplomacy +32, Escape Artist +22, Jump +34, Knowledge(Arcana) +28, Listen +29, Scry +28, Search +28, Spellcraft +28, Spot +29
Feats: Cleave, Flyby Attack, Hover, Multiattack, Power Attack, Weapon Finesse(Bite), Weapon Focus(Bite), Weapon Focus(Claw)
CR: 15-16

Breath Weapon (Su): A gold dragon has two forms of breath weapon, a 50 ft cone of fire that does 10d10 points of fire damage (Reflex save DC:20 half) or a 50 ft cone of weakening gas. Creatures within the latter take 6 points of temporary Strength damage (Fortitude save DC:20 half).
Create Spawn (Su): In most cases, ghouls devour those they kill. From time to time, however, the bodies of their humanoid victims lie where they fell, to rise as ghouls themselves in 1d4 days. Casting protection from evil on a body before the end of that time averts the transformation. (The statistics above are for human ghouls and ghasts. Ghouls and ghasts may vary depending on their original race or kind.)
Frightful Presence (Ex): A gold dragon can unsettle foes with its mere presence. The ability takes effect automatically whenever the dragon attacks, charges, or flies overhead. Creatures within a radius of 180 feet are subject to the effect if they have fewer HD than the dragon. A potentially affected creature that succeeds at a Will save (DC 48) remains immune to that dragon's frightful presence for one day. On a failure, creatures with 4 or fewer HD become panicked for 4d6 rounds and those with 5 or more HD become shaken for 4d6 rounds. Dragons ignore the frightful presence of other dragons.
Immunities (Ex): All dragons are immune to sleep and paralysis effects.
Paralysis (Ex): Those hit by a ghast's bite or claw attack must succeed at a Fortitude save (DC 27) or be paralyzed for 1d6+4 minutes. Even elves are vulnerable to this paralysis.
Spells: A gold dragon knows and casts arcane spells as a 5th sorcerer and may choose spells from the Cleric spell list and the Evil, Law, and Luck domains.
Spell-Like Abilities: 3/day-polymorph self and bless. Caster level 6th.
Stench (Ex): The stink of death and corruption surrounding these creatures is sickening. Those within 10 feet must succeed at a Fortitude save (DC 27) or be wracked with nausea, suffering a -2 circumstance penalty to all attacks, saves, and skill checks for 1d6+4 minutes.
Undead: Immune to mind-influencing effects, poison, sleep, paralysis, stunning, and disease. Not subject to critical hits, subdual damage, ability damage, energy drain, or death from massive damage.

Spells: 5th level sorcerer
Known: 6/4/2
Cast: 6/8/6
0:
1: Magic Missile, Obscuring Mist, Shield, Shield of Faith
2: Inflict Moderate Wounds, Mirror Image

Active Spells: All cast by Mama
Mage Armor(23rd)
Cat's Grace(23rd)
Maximized Bull's Strength(23rd)
Desecrate(-)

Half way through the battle, Dawn receives a Sending from her son, who is back in Smithhold. "something is attacking the town, it came up out of the group and gobbled up part of the Old Inn, people are hurt"

Next time: Back in Smithhold and a walk down Vile lane.

 

[Burne]

If you found what I've posted so far, vaguely interesting or if you have a question, just speak up.

Interesting monsters are a valuable commodity which should be shared whenever possible. After all, if it wasn't ultimately about combat encounters, then they wouldn't have called it Dungeons & Dragons. Maybe, "Taverns & Town Councils" or some such foppery.

 

[Cheiromancer]

Makes me look forward to when my party is high level...

Good work, very entertaining.

 

[Cheiromancer]

So, what ate the Inn?