Some Help With Companion Characters?

[Wik]

So, the PCs have just rescued a bunch of drow (long story, but basically in my campaign, drow and eladrin are the same species, just different political factions... with shadar-kai essentially being half-drow and half-eladrin). One of the drow is a potential princess with political aspirations, and the PCs want to get her back to the Eladrin capital of Mithrendain (all I took was the name).

Anyways. There are now five NPCs in the group, and since I have five PCs, I figured I'd make each NPC a companion-level character, and throw some big fights at the group next session. I have some pretty good plans, regarding this.

However, I wouldn't mind some help developing my companion characters beyond their personality. Some class hooks and neat abilities to seperate them from each other would be great.

So, here are the five. All are level 8.

1. Tongs. Eladrin Warlord. Formerly a PC, but he's being phased out of the campaign because it's difficult for his original player to run two PCs. I already have this one figured out - just pick a few of his powers, and roll with it.

2. Guineadh. Drow Princess. I want her to be a defender, but with some "leader" like powers that make her the obvious queen bee of the drow. She is the leader of a drow hunting pack, and her main role in a fight is to close with the monster while the rest of the drow deal a buttload of damage with striker abilities. So, I'm most concerned with this NPC. How do I make her a good defender, yet not one that just acts like a soldier? I want her to have powers that make her move around the battlefield, but at the same time, keeps the enemy pinned. And the powers can't overtly be magical.

3. Crynsheigh. Shadar-Kai Cleric. Obviously a Leader. Cryn is a drow slowly turning into an Eladrin due to her views on the sanctity of life. She isn't much of a fighter, but is a great healer. Obviously, I want her to have some healing powers, yet I want her to definitely be a "part drow, part eladrin" in nature.

4. Galen. Drow Wizardling. A Controller, and a master manipulator. The PCs did some snooping about this guy, and realized that he's an opportunistic type that connected himself to Guineadh for personal power. How to convey that in a statblock, I don't know. I was thinking something along the lines of an encounter power that made the monster hit another monster (minor domination, basically).

5. Cinei. Drow Scout. A striker. I want her to be the typical drow, the sort of drow that the PCs realize makes up the majority of the functional drow huntresses. So, she has to be able to sneak, deal a buttload of damage, and the like. I don't really want her to be much different from a "typical" drow rogue, because if I deviate too far with her, it will ruin the PCs' image of what the "typical" drow in my campaing setting are like.

SO, yeah. Any power ideas you have, or feedback using companion characters in play, would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Wik]

Oh, I forgot one thing. The PCs already know that the typical Drow hunting technique is for one person to keep the enemy pinned down, for a few drow to keep other enemies at bay, and then the rest of the drow take turns using their Faerie Fire power (or Darklight? Whatever it's called) to grant everyone else combat advantage, dealing super striker power until it goes down.

The next few fights are really going to take advantage of this, with something like four of the ten characters in the party drow... and enemy groups that consist of primarily elites (so the PCs will have a numerical advantage). I really want to display the power of a co-ordinated drow hunting attack.

Also, I want Guineadh to have an aura that only affects drow and Shadar-Kai allies, but I can't figure out what it should do. Maybe an additional +1 to attack rolls against enemies you have combat advantage against? Or a damage boost?

 

[Rechan]

Just posting this so you dont' think you're being ignored, Wik. I have some ideas and I'd like to help, but I need to review the companion rules and Iam really slammed right now.