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Message: <blockquote data-quote="JoeNotCharles" data-source="post: 4604718" data-attributes="member: 79945">You're right, I overdid it with that.  I think 150 hp is about right, though - I looked at other insubstantial creatures, and they don't have exactly half the hp of substantial creatures of their level, more like 2/3.It might be good for a general solo, but the Soul Eater, as used in the module, is specifically created to go after a single target, so I want to give it mechanics where it's good at attacking a single character with defenses to keep the other attackers off it while it does its work.I'd still need to say how the restrained condition ends, and clarify what happens if the Soul Eater moves while restraining a character, etc.  Saying "it's just like a grab except it restrains instead of just immobilizes" does that pretty neatly, I thought.I adapted it from the Black Dragon's tail lash, which only triggers on a miss - I wanted it to be a bit better of a defense than that.  I think you're right, it should be on a hit - it triggers if you can get the Soul Eater's attention away from its target. That's a good way to handle this, but I want to keep the mechanic from the original Soul Eater, that it swipes at you with its claws doing physical damage and also clouding the mind.I wanted to have the -1 Will last until the next rest so that it would still affect the characters in the following encounter - getting your soul damaged shouldn't be something that's easy to shake off.  But I just checked and the next encounter in X4 doesn't have any creatures targeting Will anyway, so I'll simplify.Here's the current version.  I upped the level to 5 because that fits the later encounters a little better - if the characters are level 5, the level 10 Wyvern in the next encounter is 5 levels above the PC's, which is what the DMG gives as the max level for an individual creature in a hard encounter.  (That way the only monster in the module that's completely out of range is the Hydra.)I combined the Soul Suck and Soul Drain attacks into one that does ongoing damage, making it not inferior to the Double Claw.  (That's a bit weird because it means the best attack sequence is to use Soul Drain and then claw the character while the ongoing damage is still in effect, but the claws soften the target up for the Will attack.  I guess this encourages alternating the attacks.)  I also simplified the list of effects a bit by repeating the "stunned/unable to move closer" combo for the encounter power (which gets used to immobilize everyone other than the target when the Soul Eater first appears) and the rebuke (which it uses to keep melee attackers off its back.)  And I cut down on the use of weakened a bit by removing Bloodied Vortex, so the area power that causes weakness is only usable at the beginning of the encounter.  I gave it a flurry of ghostly claw attacks when bloodied instead.[code][B]Soul Eater                                  Level 5 Solo Lurker[/B][B]Medium shadow magical beast (shapeshifter)  XP 1000[/B][B]Initiative[/B] +7       [B]Senses[/B] Perception +12; darkvision[B]Shroud of Darkness[/B] aura 2; within the aura full light becomes dim light anddim light becomes full darkness.  All light sources within the aura illuminateonly the square they are in.[B]HP[/B] 160; [B]Bloodied[/B] 80; see also [I]bloodied fury[/I][B]AC[/B] 23; [B]Fortitude[/B] 19; [B]Reflex[/B] 18; [B]Will[/B] 21[B]Resist[/B] 10 Psychic; insubstantial[B]Saving Throws[/B] +5[B]Speed[/B] 7[B]Action Points[/B] 2m [B]Ghostly Claw[/B] (standard; at-will)    +10 vs AC; 1d6+4 damage and the target takes a -1 penalty to Will whichlasts until the end of the encounter.C [B]Soul Drain[/B] (standard; at-will) + Psychic    Close blast 5; one target in blast; +8 vs Will; 1d10+4 psychic damage andthe target is weakened and takes 5 ongoing psychic damage (save ends both)M [B]Double Attack[/B] (standard; at-will)    The soul eater makes two Ghostly Claw attacks.  If both hit the sametarget, it is restrained.  (Treat this as a successful grab attack whichcauses the target to become restrained instead of immobile.)M [B]Baleful Retaliation[/B] (immediate reaction, when the soul eater is struck by amelee attack; at-will) + Fear    The soul eater's evil will lashes out at the enemy that attacked the souleater; +8 vs Will; the target is stunned until the end of the soul eater'snext turn. Aftereffect: the target is unable to move closer to the soul eater(save ends).C [B]Soul Vortex[/B] (standard; encounter) + Psychic    Close blast 5; +8 vs Will; 3d6+4 psychic damage and the target isweakened and takes 5 ongoing psychic damage (save ends both)C [B]Bloodied Fury[/B] (free; when first bloodied; encounter)    Close burst 1; the soul eater makes a Ghostly Claw attack on all enemiesin burstC [B]Baleful Presence[/B] (standard; encounter) + Fear    Close burst 5; +6 vs. Will; the target is stunned until the end of thesoul eater's next turn. Aftereffect: the target is unable to move closer tothe soul eater (save ends).[B]Alignment[/B] Evil      [B]Languages[/B] Common, Abyssal[B]Skills[/B] Religion +12, Stealth +8[B]Str[/B] 16 (+5)         [B]Dex[/B] 12 (+3)         [B]Wis[/B] 20 (+7)[B]Con[/B] 16 (+5)         [B]Int[/B] 15 (+4)         [B]Cha[/B] 10 (+2)[/code]So now it can inflict the conditions: weakened+ongoing damage (always together); restrained; -X Will; stunned/unable to move closer.It has three encounter area attacks, two of which damage foes and one just stuns them.  It's defended from melee attacks by its Retaliation power, from ranged attacks by its aura, and it's vulnerable to area attacks.</blockquote>

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