My boss plant monsters need fixin'

[Chaoszero]

This is a long post; I'm sorry. If you're one of my players.. STOP READING!

I am running an overgrown castle in my game and the main opponents are the overgrown plants themselves. There is a single master plant (behemoth) that has grown its tendrils (deathflowers) into other parts of the castle.
The plan is that the main boss is unable to be reached in its underground chamber unless its tendrils are first cut, each in one of three separate rooms.

Fangvine Deathflower Level 4 Elite Controller
Medium natural animate (plant) XP 350
Initiative 3 Senses Perception +4; blindsight
HP 112; Bloodied 56
AC 20; Fortitude 19, Reflex 15, Will 18
Speed 1
Action Points 1
Vine Whip (standard; at-will)
+9 AC; 1d6 + 4 damage.
Vicious Vines (standard; encounter)
Close burst 5; targets enemies; +8 vs reflex; the target is grabbed and takes ongoing 10 damage (save ends both).
Alignment Unaligned Languages -
Str 18 (+6) Dex 13 (+3) Wis 15 (+4)
Con 16 (+5) Int 3 (-2) Cha 12 (+3)


Fangvine Behemoth Level 5 Elite Brute
Huge natural animate (plant) XP 400
Initiative +4 Senses Perception +4; blindsight
Grasping Thorns aura 1; enemies treat the area within the aura as difficult terrain; at the start of the fangvine behemoth’s turn enemies within the aura take 3 damage.
HP 152; Bloodied 76
AC 19; Fortitude 20, Reflex 16, Will 19
Speed 2 (forest walk)
Action points 1
Bite (standard; at-will)
Reach 4; +8 vs AC; 1d10 + 4 damage, and the opponent is pulled 2 squares.
Tendril Wrap (standard; sustain standard; at-will)
+6 vs reflex; 1d6 +4 damage; and the target is grabbed (until escape). A target trying to escape the grab takes a -4 to the check. The fangvine behemoth can sustain the power as a standard action, dealing 2d8 + 4 damage and maintaining the grab.
Threatening Reach
A fangvine behemoth can make opportunity attacks against all enemies within its reach (4 squares).
Rooted
When an effect forces a fangvine behemoth to move-through a pull, push or a slide-the fangvine behemoth moves 1 square less than the effect specifies. When an attack would knock the fangvine behemoth prone, the fangvine behemoth can roll a saving throw to avoid falling prone.
Alignment Unaligned Languages -
Skills Stealth +8
Str 18 (+6) Dex 13 (+3) Wis 15 (+4)
Con 16 (+5) Int 3 (-2) Cha 12 (+3)


Fangvine Chomper Level 1 Brute
Medium natural animate (plant) XP 100
Initiative +1 Senses Perception +1; blindsight
HP 35; Bloodied 17
AC 13; Fortitude 15, Reflex 13, Will 12
Speed 2 (forest walk)
Bite (standard; at-will)
Reach 2; +4 vs AC; 1d6 + 3 damage.
Rooted
When an effect forces a fangvine to move-through a pull, push or a slide-the fangvine moves 1 square less than the effect specifies. When an attack would knock the fangvine prone, the fangvine can roll a saving throw to avoid falling prone.
Alignment Unaligned Languages -
Skills Stealth +6
Str 17 (+3) Dex 12 (+1) Wis 10 (+0)
Con 15 (+2) Int 3 (-4) Cha 10 (+0)

The three deathflowers are to be fought with 4 "chompers" (see above) for a lvl3 encounter each and I haven't finished building the encounter with the behemoth though I am aiming for a lvl5 encounter. The idea of the deathflower is to open with the encounter, grab everybody and pull them through briars in the room towards it, doing damage both by the ongoing and by the briars themselves. (Moving through them does 1d4 + 4 damage)

I already ran one of the deathflower encounters yeasterday and it was unexeptional. First, I think a faster speed for the deathflower is in order, or a recharge on its encounter, or a ranged ability to pull. It opened with the encounter and nobody was grabbed except the party dwarf and he escaped the next save.

What should I do?

 

[Fede]

(I won't comment stats because i don't have the books with me and don't remember the tables about monster creation)
An elite enemy counts as 2 standard enemies, so it should have ways to be the equivalent of 2 enemies (mainly by making 2 attacks every round):

-the deathflower has a normal attack and an encounter attack. after it uses the encounter (nitpick about the encounter attacK: vicious vines should end when the target escapes the grab, not with save ends), he can only use the basic attack, and with speed 1 it will be very difficult to reach a pc.
I suggest adding another attack to remove this problem, something like

R venomous spores:
+X vs reflex, 2 attacks, range 10, X damage + 5 ongoing poison (save ends)
this will make it able to attack even with it's very low speed and it's 2 attacks becaues it's an elite.

or, if you want it to be able to pull,

R hypnotic scent(minor, 1/round):
+X vs will, close burst 10, pull 5

and maybe making the encounter power a recharge 5 power.

-i'd make the behemoth different (i'm imagining it as a big carnivorous plant, with a big mouth and tendrils that grab), here are the changes that i'd make:

i'd make it Large, but with aura 3, representing the 2x2 squares mouth and the aura represents the entangling roots

i'd make the bite very powerful and damaging (maybe with an added effect? i'd say based on poison, maybe ongoing poison damage or weakness), but without reach

i'd make the tendril wrap reach 4, less damaging but sustain minor and with pull 4

i'd add something to make it able to do 2 attacks in a round, so maybe the bite could be minor/1 round, so it can make a tendril attack and a bite in the same turn.

also, because it's rooted to the ground, i'd make it immune to forced movement

I hope that it helps (and rereading it, i also hope that it makes sense...)

 

[Chaoszero]

I'm pretty confident the numbers add up properly, its the powers and the synergy thereof that I was iffy about.

The initial idea of the behemoth was like the diababa from Twilight Princess where the plant-maw reached forward, bit and dragged the PC into its aura of thorns.

I think I see you suggestion as a Jumaji-plant thing where a vine whips out, grabs the player and drags them into its mouth. Which is fine too. The ranged attacks are a good idea too. Same with the 'large size' suggestion.

I think I'll do a little play test with myself or some neutral friends to test either build.

 

[Mesh Hong]

Fangvine Deathflower Level 4 Elite Controller
Medium natural animate (plant) XP 350
Initiative 3 Senses Perception +4; blindsight
HP 112; Bloodied 56
AC 20; Fortitude 19, Reflex 15, Will 18
Speed 1
Action Points 1
Vine Whip (standard; at-will)
+9 AC; 1d6 + 4 damage.
Vicious Vines (standard; encounter)
Close burst 5; targets enemies; +8 vs reflex; the target is grabbed and takes ongoing 10 damage (save ends both).
Alignment Unaligned Languages -
Str 18 (+6) Dex 13 (+3) Wis 15 (+4)
Con 16 (+5) Int 3 (-2) Cha 12 (+3)

Ok this is a level 4 elite, your stats are all fine, it should have the Save +2 though.

As a general design point I think a creature with a speed of 1 should have some sort or ranged attack, probably range 10/20. This is to try and stop its enemies just standing at range and taking it down with bow fire and magic.

Vine Whip seems fine.
Vicious Vines; I would make this recharge and add; on hit target is pulled 2 squares. I am a bit warey of the ongoing 10 damage, i think I would be more inclined to make it:

Close burst 5; targets enemies; +8 vs reflex;1d6+4 damage; on hit target is grabbed, pulled up to 2 squares and takes 5 ongoing damage (escape ends).

I also think it needs another at will attack, as it is a grabber I would probably give it the following:

Vine Pull (minor, at will) 1/round; grabbed target only
Attack +8 vs. Fortitude; on hit slide target up to 3 squares and maintain grab; target must stay within 5 squares of Deatflower.

Vine Crush (minor, at will) 1/round; grabbed target only
Attack +8 vs. Fortitude; damage 1d8+4; on hit target takes -2 penalty to escape grab (save ends)

Fangvine Behemoth Level 5 Elite Brute
Huge natural animate (plant) XP 400
Initiative +4 Senses Perception +4; blindsight
Grasping Thorns aura 1; enemies treat the area within the aura as difficult terrain; at the start of the fangvine behemoth’s turn enemies within the aura take 3 damage.
HP 152; Bloodied 76
AC 19; Fortitude 20, Reflex 16, Will 19
Speed 2 (forest walk)
Action points 1
Bite (standard; at-will)
Reach 4; +8 vs AC; 1d10 + 4 damage, and the opponent is pulled 2 squares.
Tendril Wrap (standard; sustain standard; at-will)
+6 vs reflex; 1d6 +4 damage; and the target is grabbed (until escape). A target trying to escape the grab takes a -4 to the check. The fangvine behemoth can sustain the power as a standard action, dealing 2d8 + 4 damage and maintaining the grab.
Threatening Reach
A fangvine behemoth can make opportunity attacks against all enemies within its reach (4 squares).
Rooted
When an effect forces a fangvine behemoth to move-through a pull, push or a slide-the fangvine behemoth moves 1 square less than the effect specifies. When an attack would knock the fangvine behemoth prone, the fangvine behemoth can roll a saving throw to avoid falling prone.
Alignment Unaligned Languages -
Skills Stealth +8
Str 18 (+6) Dex 13 (+3) Wis 15 (+4)
Con 16 (+5) Int 3 (-2) Cha 12 (+3)

As a level 5 elite brute again the stats are fine, I would ass the save +2.

Grasping Thorns;Aura; I would increase this to aura 2 and change the wording back to the standard creatures entering or starting their turn inside aura take 3 damage; the area inside aura is treated as difficult terrain.
Bite; I am not sure I understand how it has a reach 4 bite, but that probably makes sense to you so its fair enough. Damage is good and I like effects like the pull.
Tendril Wrap; no reach on this attack is a little strange, especially as it can bit 4 squares away. I think the standard action sustain is going to hamper it, I would change it to minor action sustain and reduce the damage to 2d6+4. This way it has the chance of grabbing more than one person whilst maintaining its damage, remember this is an elite creature so it should have teh capability of attacking more than one target.
Threatening Reach 4 (Bite); nasty but fair enough as it doesn't actually have many other attacks. By the way there is nice synergy with the aura with this.

Fangvine Chomper Level 1 Brute
Medium natural animate (plant) XP 100
Initiative +1 Senses Perception +1; blindsight
HP 35; Bloodied 17
AC 13; Fortitude 15, Reflex 13, Will 12
Speed 2 (forest walk)
Bite (standard; at-will)
Reach 2; +4 vs AC; 1d6 + 3 damage.
Rooted
When an effect forces a fangvine to move-through a pull, push or a slide-the fangvine moves 1 square less than the effect specifies. When an attack would knock the fangvine prone, the fangvine can roll a saving throw to avoid falling prone.
Alignment Unaligned Languages -
Skills Stealth +6
Str 17 (+3) Dex 12 (+1) Wis 10 (+0)
Con 15 (+2) Int 3 (-4) Cha 10 (+0)

This poor thing is going to have a hard time hitting with its (strange) reach 2 bite attack. I would consider upping the damage to the high expression 2d6+3 or redesigning it as a skirmisher or lurker so this it gets better attack stats.

I also agree with a lot of Fede's comments.

Hope this helps.