Pimp the basilisk

[carborundum]

This week's Savage Tide game will involve 7th level characters and a basilisk they know is there. How can I make it a challenge without bumping the CR too much and overloading the party with xp? I'll probably bump the hit-points and give it an extra 1 or 2 on saves and Gaze DC just to get it even with the action points and splatbooks of the PCs.

What I would like is a nice 'twist' to the basilisk - any ideas? I thought of giving it wings or a stoneskin, or have it already be dead with a dragon in its lair - but I'm sure you folks can do better.

(I realize I could let it go 'as written' until the story catches up with the characters' levels but the players like at least one big dramatic fight every week and that means out-of-the-ordinary. )

 

[blargney the second]

If I were to run that encounter over again, here are a few things I might do:
- add in a gaze-proof ally or two (blind or immune to petrify)
- make the map more interesting with difficult terrain, obstacles, and some steam vents for concealment
- play the basilisk as a hit and run skirmisher

 

[Tinner]

Try this on for size

Here's something to try. You might want to double check my math (if you're the kind of person who cares about such things.)
Basically, the idea is take a basilisk, advance the HD to 12, it gets large, and strong. I tweaked the feats a little to make sure he could take Awesome Blow.
Now you have a Large sized menace that turns people to stone, then sends the statues flying. Improvise rules for flying stones and shrapnel as you see fit. Maybe a REF save to avoid some minor damage. Treat an entire stone body as a thrown rock from a giant? YMMV.
Smashy here works out to about a CR 8, which should challenge your 7th level PC's nicely.

Smashy - Pimped Out Basilisk
Advanced Large Magical Beast

Hit Dice: 12d10+36 (102 hp)
Initiative: –2
Speed: 20 ft. (4 squares)
Armor Class: 17 (–2 Dex, +10 natural, -1 size), touch 7, flat-footed 17
Base Attack/Grapple: +11/+17
Attack: Bite +13 melee (1d10+8)
Full Attack: Bite +13 melee (1d10+7)
Space/Reach: 10 ft./10 ft.
Special Attacks: Petrifying gaze
Special Qualities: Darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision
Saves: Fort +11, Ref +3, Will +3
Abilities: Str 25, Dex 6, Con 19, Int 2, Wis 12, Cha 11
Skills: Hide +0*, Listen +5, Spot +5
Feats: Power Attack, Improved Bull Rush, Blind-Fight, Great Fortitude, Awesome Blow,
Challenge Rating: 8

 

[blargney the second]

Oh yeah, one thing I did do was come up with some quick descriptions for a few petrified people. The PCs may want to save one or two, and it can be a good way to insert some useful NPCs on the voyage.

IIRC there was a half-orc with a greatsword, a shifter with claws out, a human archer, and a warforged with a wand. They took the warforged, who ended up being a very handy artificer. (I was hedging my bets - the human archer was a Cannith artificer as well.)

 

[Runestar]

Debatable how effective it will be as a skirmisher with only 20-ft speed...

Annoying thing I found about fighting a basilisk is that if everyone chooses to play it safe and close their eyes, the fight becomes very protracted and boring, with both sides missing a lot (and the lisk's attack is very pathetic).

A "dracolisk", or a basilisk with the half-dragon template might be interesting. Advancing it to 12HD makes it large, which nets it wings from the dragon template. But this makes it potentially cr10, which may make it too tough for the party. It also has a breath weapon (take that feat from races of dragon to make it reusable) and decent natural attacks as a backup.

 

[Alzrius]

What I would like is a nice 'twist' to the basilisk - any ideas? I thought of giving it wings or a stoneskin, or have it already be dead with a dragon in its lair - but I'm sure you folks can do better.

Try changing the nature of its gaze attack. Perhaps it inflicts fire damage on those who fail their save (similar to a pyrolisk), or maybe it charms or confuses its victims instead.

 

[frankthedm]

The basilisk's bite damage is pathetic for it's CR. Bump it to that of the CR2 crocodile, 1d8+6. Also give it the option to do the 1d12+6 tail attack instead, but at -4 to hit if the foe can see it coming.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>.

If you feel the need to counterbalance this, make the gaze cause the victim to act as if Slowed & cause the victim to gain hardness 1. Each round & each extra time the character is effected by the gaze, add in one more point of hardness. Adjust the hardness rate to adjust how long the PC gets to act for before the failed save catches up.

When, not if, the character's hardness reaches 8, full petrification has occurred. If you feel the need to give the PC a chance, allow a Restoration (level 4) spell to stop the process and remove the effects before full petrification sets in. Just don't forget the spell takes 3 entire rounds to cast. If you are a real softy, allow the much more common Remove Curse to remove the effects before full petrification sets in.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>.

Also, do not put all your eggs in one basket. Splat book PCs mean extra damage. Why let one lucky crit end the fight? Deploy a mated pair and maybe a bunch of hyperative young. Give the young the stats of dire rats [no disease, too young to have petrification].

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Also creature catologe did up a dracolisk.

http://www.enworld.org/cc/converted/magical_beast/dracolisk.htm

 

[blargney the second]

Annoying thing I found about fighting a basilisk is that if everyone chooses to play it safe and close their eyes, the fight becomes very protracted and boring, with both sides missing a lot (and the lisk's attack is very pathetic).

Grimlock rogue archer ally.
-blarg

 

[carborundum]

Great stuff! Numbers will be vital - good point guys!

I wanted to give them a workout against a bag-of-hitpoints monster, let them have something to be proud of, so I had a big squid attack their ship last session. They dished out almost 400 points of damage in 4 rounds!

It's time to put the fear back.

 

[carborundum]

I love the dracolisk and I like the idea of having young ones there, it makes it a much more intersting tactical encounter too. I'm thinking of 5 or 6 young with 2d4 breath weapons flying around, trying to drive a few PCs into the 30' gaze zone.

Thanks all!