Pimp My Encounter!

[pjrake]

I'm planning on running a really cool encounter involving five 9th level characters facing the new Beholder from the Monster Vault (the 9th level one).

Here is a picture of the Beholder's lair. The players will enter from the spiral stairs (on the right side of the image).

Other than just the Beholder, help me make this encounter an awesome one!

Thanks!

-PJ

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

Just looking at that setup, the first thing that springs to mind is:

1. The Beholder should only appear after someone in the party removes a golden idol from a pedestal
2. Simultaneously, from secret alcoves emerge enslaved moorlocks who are armed with tomahawks and blowguns

 

[Festivus]

Need some sort of a terrain obstacle, something the beholder can float right over but the players have to traverse.

At the same time, something needs to come out of that crevasse to harass spell casters. I am thinking a swarm of some kind, beetles... millions of them!

 

[Dr_Ruminahui]

The magic circle could serve that need - make it block line of effect but not LOS, and do something nasty to those who enter/end their turn in it - maybe an attack versus will that dazes?

 

[ShadesOfGrey]

I kinda like the idea Dannyalcatraz suggested, the beholder should be 'visible' the moment the PC's enter the room.. some sense of foreboding is great.

Also, making the encounter interesting comes mostly from the use of terrain.. Maybe a slightly bigger room with a statue in it so a PC or two could hide behind or climb up on?

Maybe make it a bit more 3D with an outside part / platform / balcony overlooking the middle area? But I guess that doesnt really work against a solo monster.

Or how 'bout this: the beholder is a Load Bearing Boss: Load Bearing Boss - Television Tropes & Idioms
Once the Beholder gets bloodied, parts of the room like say, the ceiling starts fallout (randomly?) every turn or so.. with squares that fall someone underneath need to hit against reflex, and do an appropriate amount of smallish dammage, and turn the square into difficult terain instead?
It kinda needs a lot of working out and maybe balancing, but imo dynamic battlefields give an encounter a lot of spice.
Just be carefull to not make it too random or frustrating, maybe give the PC's the ability to see which pieces are about the fall if they spend a minor action looking or something?

 

[Festivus]

Danny was saying it should not be visible I think, that it appears when you touch something. Perhaps middle grounds is this, the beholder is in stasis, trapped inside the golden energy beams, and it gets released when they grab the idol (or whatever the maguffin is) at which time it is released, and the next person who enters the field is entrapped (perhaps prompting a skill challenge to get them out)

 

[ShadesOfGrey]

By the way, those 3D walls togheter with the tilesheet is awesome! Where does that come from?

 

[pjrake]

The big tile with the circle rune was I believe from one of the first dungeon tiles. I know there's another thread around here where someone has posted all the images of all the dungeon sets.

The walls are from Dwarven Forge.

To everyone else, the suggestions are awesome! I'm going to make the circle runes a a LOS but not a LOE.

Still haven't decided what to do with the crack on the ground. One idea (mentioned earlier) would be that once the Beholder is bloodied, the lair begins to crumble. I can start with a regular ground floor (regular tiles), and then say something like a crack on the ground appears, and replace it with the crack floors.

-PJ