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Message: <blockquote data-quote="LostSoul" data-source="post: 5773911" data-attributes="member: 386">Thanks again for the reply!They descend from him being a level 27 solo.The big question is why is he a level 27 solo?  The answer: because he's a powerful Daemon.  I don't think I've ever dealt with Epic-Tier characters; my experience has been with Heroic.  And with Heroic Tier I divide it into Apprentice (1-3), Journeyman (4-6), Master (7-9), and Grandmaster (10).  If I were to make a veteran warrior, I'd put him within the Journeyman "Tier Band" (4th to 6th level).  The stats that our veteran warrior would have are derived from that level.  I'd mix it up a little bit; an archer wearing leather would have a lower AC than a guy in plate with a shield, but for the most part those numbers don't move more than two or three points.  There's probably more variance in the Epic Tier.For instance, Deja's AC is 15 or 16 (high dex + skill), even though she's naked; standard AC is 19 for a 5th level controller.  Not a big difference.[sblock]Let's work out the archer in leather vs. the sword-and-boarder in plate.  4E says the archer's AC is 17, and the other guy's is 21.  With PC rules, plate and shield is AC 20, leather is AC 12.  Add 1/2 level bonus and you get 22 vs. 14; add in a Dex of 16 and you get 22 vs. 17.  If it's a light shield instead of a heavy shield, AC 21 fits.What I'd actually do is look at the AC that the level table gives me, and then use that to determine what kind of equipment the NPC is carrying.  Which means at level 1 the archer is probably wearing no armour, and the sword-and-boarder has chain + shield.  This is hard to do in 4E, but in a new system I'd make sure that this was spelled out.  I think you could put all that information in a table.Hmm, maybe I should do that for my hack.  That could be fun.[/sblock]Narrative concept.  He's a demon lord, so he's going to be around the high end of the Epic Tier; the books say that means he's got a massive Fort.  Which makes perfect sense to me.Probably not, though that's because of the guidelines we're working with.  I'd probably figure out what the demon lord is lord of, then work out some special abilities from that.  If I were to stat up Mammon, he'd have powers that magically brought out people's lust, avarice, and greed.  (Which is why Deja's powers focus around those things.  Well, lust in particular.)  A level 27 Storm Giant - I'd give him the power to conjure storms and direct lightning bolts down from them, to shape the earth (erosion and rock), and basic stuff from being a big guy.Depends on the bonus, but I'd go with +2 or something like that.  The reason being that his bare-chested AC 41 glory is as strong as starmetal.  He's a demon lord; he doesn't need to wear armour!  Putting on another layer of steel isn't going to help much.If he were an Epic Level human, though, I'd reduce his AC by 10 or more if he were naked.  (What's the exact number?  14?  Yeah, then I'd reduce it by 14.  Which means that you'd want to jump this guy when he's not prepared for it.  I like that.)What I did was take the narrative and use that to determine where I should look on the table, in the same way that one uses the narrative of a glass window vs. metal shutters to determine where you should look on the table to figure out how hard it is to break through.  I don't think that's painting narrative on top.If it's the axe that's magical, I'd write up the axe and give it to the guy.  If the axe were a level 30 magic item, then I'd say that using its lightning power was +33 vs Ref and did a little more damage.  (This is one of the reasons I'm not too keen on Epic Tier; I want to say "Here is an axe" the same way you do.  I can do that in Heroic Tier, but in later levels the math doesn't work as well.)  Here's an example magic item:[sblock](21st) Armour of the Dread Golden Dwarf: This +5 wyrmscale armour was crafted by deephold dwarves long ago for their dreaded emperor.  Made from the golden scales of Io after Erek-Hus, the King of Terror, killed the god of dragons with his wicked axe, this armour has a dread power: when donned it allows the wearer to read the secret fears and desires of anyone within 5 miles (+29 vs Will) simply by concentrating on that person.  The armour bears a curse; it needs to have its wearer hoard away valuables for good (one RMTP of the wearer's level per week, never to be used again) else its effects may fail or be warped.The +29 is derived from: lvl 21 + 5 magic item bonus + 3 for targeting Will.RMTP means "random monetary treasure parcel"; you roll on the table in the DMG to determine the exact amount.  I wasn't sure if I should have the armour demand a specific value of loot or if it would be happy as long as whoever was wearing it was doing their best to hoard away loot.  I went with the latter.  Either way makes sense, though I guess I could have gone with a level 17 treasure parcel (level 17 being the first time a level 21 magic item shows up).  Now that would be a curse![/sblock]</blockquote>

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