Wanted: boss monster for level ~3 characters (my players stay out!)

[Jarrod]

I'm looking for a fun little toy to throw at my players, and so I turn to the hive mind.

Background: the party is working on clearing out a take-over of a thieves' guild by a singularly nasty character. This guy, call him M, brought along foot soldiers in the shape of a wererat. Mr. Rat (call him R) started making buddies... and so it goes. Now the party is wiping out the 'rat nest prior to taking on M.

Third level party, all encounter and daily abilities intact. Six players: two defenders, three strikers, one leader. The enemy makeup is:

Wererat leader
8x "normal" rats (1/2 HP, -1 to defenses/attacks)
1 wererat per the book.

The party controls the battlefield; they're fighting at a chokepoint, and the plan is for the defenders to meatwall while the strikers kill things. Good plan.


Okay, enough background. I'm looking for a monster that can be repurposed for the wererat leader. Level 5 or 6 preferred; above that I can cut down. What I want is stats for a big guy that can rip, claw, and shred; in particular, someone that can break formations. I'd love a basic attack that pushes or slides. I flipped through the Monster Manual, but I didn't have very long to do it (and not very long to prep).

Does this ring any bells for folks?

 

[Sitara]

Evistro (carnage Demon) that one of the wererats summons via a ritual. You can even have the pc's see the pentagram drawn on the floor while fighting the wererat, when he is loosing he calls out to his demonic patrons for aid and an evistro materializes in the pentagram

To make matters more fun, grant the evistro some bonuses while he is in the pentagram (+2 to AC or something) which makes him reluctant to step out.

 

[Engilbrand]

Make him extra special by giving him a couple of class powers. There are Swordmage and Fighter powers that can move people around a bit. Look for a couple of good ones like that.

 

[Slaved]

You could simply have M be a Character with Real Character Levels. In Theory it is Balanced enough and you can take Powers that do what you want.

 

[Goumindong]

I'm looking for a fun little toy to throw at my players, and so I turn to the hive mind.

Background: the party is working on clearing out a take-over of a thieves' guild by a singularly nasty character. This guy, call him M, brought along foot soldiers in the shape of a wererat. Mr. Rat (call him R) started making buddies... and so it goes. Now the party is wiping out the 'rat nest prior to taking on M.

Third level party, all encounter and daily abilities intact. Six players: two defenders, three strikers, one leader. The enemy makeup is:

Wererat leader
8x "normal" rats (1/2 HP, -1 to defenses/attacks)
1 wererat per the book.

The party controls the battlefield; they're fighting at a chokepoint, and the plan is for the defenders to meatwall while the strikers kill things. Good plan.


Okay, enough background. I'm looking for a monster that can be repurposed for the wererat leader. Level 5 or 6 preferred; above that I can cut down. What I want is stats for a big guy that can rip, claw, and shred; in particular, someone that can break formations. I'd love a basic attack that pushes or slides. I flipped through the Monster Manual, but I didn't have very long to do it (and not very long to prep).

Does this ring any bells for folks?

There is a monster you can re-tool from Siege of Bordins Watch which might be handy. Look at Encounter V-5

Its a large creature which has a lot of grab attacks. So long as you can justify making your wererat friend being large sized it works just fine.

Also note, that with 3 strikers and no controller, any "big baddie" you throw at a group is not going to do well, the three strikers will chop it up in no time flat.

You might want to consider instead use minions to keep breaking up their actions if you are looking for a harder fight.

edit: Another option is to look for an artillery monster, perferably elite and re-tool that. Artillery means that the enemy will be doing the same thing as you, and if he has the advantage in terrain it means that your team might have to change up its tactics.

 

[Mengu]

Wererat Leader - Level 6 Elite Skirmisher
Medium natural humanoid (shapechanger) XP 500
Initiative +10 Senses Perception +10; low-light vision
HP 144; Bloodied 72
Regeneration 5 (if the wererat takes damage from a silver weapon, its regeneration doesn’t function on its next turn)
AC 21; Fortitude 19, Reflex 20, Will 16
Saving Throws +2
Immune filth fever (see below)
Speed 6, climb 4 (not in human form)
Action Points 1
Short Sword (standard; at-will) * Weapon
+12 vs. AC; 1d6 + 5 damage.
Off-hand Trick (minor; at-will, limit once per round)
+10 vs. Fort; Target is pushed 1 square.
Bite (standard; at-will) * Disease
+12 vs. AC; 1d4 + 3 damage, and the target takes ongoing 2 damage (save ends) and contracts filth fever (see below).
Pressing Attack (standard; recharge ) * Weapon
+12 vs. AC; 1d6 + 5 damage. Slide target one square, shift 1 square and make secondary attack +12 vs. AC; 1d6+5 damage.
Unbalancing Riposte (immediate interrupt when missed by a melee attack; encounter, recharge when bloodied) * Weapon
+12 vs. AC; 1d6 + 5 damage. Target is pushed back 1 square and knocked down.
Change Shape (minor; at-will) * Polymorph
A wererat can alter its physical form to appear as a dire rat or a unique human (see Change Shape, page 280). It loses its bite attack in human form.
Combat Advantage
The wererat deals an extra 2d6 damage on melee attacks against any target it has combat advantage against.
Alignment Evil Languages Common
Skills Bluff +9, Stealth +13, Streetwise +9, Thievery +13
Str 10 (+2) Dex 18 (+7) Wis 12 (+4)
Con 16 (+6) Int 10 (+3) Cha 11 (+3)
Equipment cloak, short sword

 

[kerbarian]

I recently repurposed a Cave Bear (MM p.29) as a super-hobgoblin who had been enhanced by an artifact, and I added a couple extra effects to its attacks. It worked pretty well as a beefy bad guy.

If what you want is a line-breaker, you could add push 1 and daze until end of next turn to its recharge power. If it hits both defenders, it could push one to create a diagonal gap in their line, and then the other rats can flood past without fear of opportunity attacks, since you can't make an OA while dazed.

[Edit] Also note that the Cave Bear damage has been errata'd to 2d8+5.

 

[ObsidianCrane]

Looking at the wererat the "racial" side to it would seem to be Regeneration, Bite Attack and Change Shape. The rest is pretty much standard skirmisher fare.

So keep those abilities and make a level 5 or 6 Warlord, Cleric or Fighter NPC.

Nothing quite like having the bad guy leader start standing his mooks up. Also take a look at the Demagouge Template as well.

Also consider things with Aura's that hurt the enemy, or something with an area attack - ie some type of Artillery. Boxing up in a corner is great until the bad guys start raining multiple PC hitting attacks on you every round because you are all bunched up.

Though I suspect an alternate solution is to simply not engage the PCs. While they are all there the bad guys escape some alterante way (unless that is known to be impossible by the PCs).

Also you could use Rat Swarms - sticking one in front of each defender will break them up fast enough. (Taking 3+ attacks a round hurts)

Consider the following encounter;

Rat Boss (900 xp) for 5 PCs of 3rd level.
4 Giant Rat (lvl 1 Minion 25xp)
1 Elite Boss (lvl 5 Artillery Leader)
2 Rat Swarm (lvl 2 Skirmisher)
1 Wererat (lvl 3 Skirmisher)

To use this take the Human Mage, give him the Demagogue Template, and the Wererat Bite, Regeneration and Change Shape powers, adjust defences for being an Elite and give him the AP. Keep a couple of the Giant Rats next to the leader for the defence boost, keep him within 5 of the other critters and things suddenly get meaner.

Oh and give the Wererat a shortbow so it can hang out behind the swarms to start with, until the PCs break their formation.

 

[Jarrod]

Awesome! This gives me a lot to work with.

Some replies:

I realize that sending in a single brute will get him _diced_ in no time flat. On the other hand, the PCs could use a bit of a walkover for their morale right now. I figure that throwing in a big-damage brute with movement capabilities will get them going "Oh ", especially as their carefully chosen chokepoint starts falling apart. Then they rally, swarm, and munch.

The stats look great, and thanks for the reminder to look at PC powers. I keep forgetting those...

 

[PSchirf]

Wererat Boss

I've got a party of the same level (6 3rd level characters) who finished the last session dropping a group of wererats (and a few hobgoblin mercenaries the wererats hired as "protection"). Unfortunately for the group, the cleric has been infected with a serious case of Filth Fever, and the rogue is nearly as bad. One wererat also escaped, and the party suspects that he went to seek help. The party retreated to safety and arranged for some rituals from a local monk to remove the affects of the disease.

The group has faced a number of Hobgoblins in the past, and developed some history with the clan that is raiding the area. I was planning to start the next session with the Hobgoblin leader, General Guknutz and a handful of minions approaching the groups location and demanding supplies and payment of a "protection" fee. I think I'll include the Wererat leader described above, making him Snifel Fingerknot, advisor to General Guknutz.

I'm going to try to work in a non-combat skill challenge that results in an advantage to the group in the combat to follow...

I'll let the party decide if they want to have their champion face General Guknutz in single combat, knowing that, if he should be dropped, Snifel and the other hobgoblins will surely attack... or if they want to call out Snifel first, and potentually face the General and his minions should Snifel fall. The skill challenge results set by the party, a success gets them their desired foe order and a failure results in the opposite being forced upon them.

I may have to have different stats for the General and his soldiers, depending on how the party does in the challenge... Throwing everything at them at once may result in a wipe of the party, but working out the skill challenge can result in a more satisfying combat and better rewards...