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So I'm in the middle of designing a CR 10 encounter with a giant tarantula, 2 ogre spiders, and their ettercap trainer and I'm having a bit of trouble designing the trainer. So far I have him as a 4th level expert and I'm trying to decide on what final feat would work well with the build. As it stands his role during the whole affair will be to scamper around the battlefield and cause chaos while the giant spiders tank and disable the party. Currently I've left the old ettercap feats and given him skill focus (handle animal) and am thinking on having rapid reload (light crossbow) so that he can load and fire poisoned crossbow bolts into combat as he slinks around the field but I don't know how viable that will be in this set up. Anyone have any ideas?
Well compared to the giant tarantula (CR8) and the two ogre spiders (CR5 each) the poor trainer has a piddly CR of 2 (I think, NPC classes count as 1/2). He wont be doing much of anything at all. You would probably want precise strike as the spiders will most likely be in melee. You need point blank for that so why not make him lvl 5 for the last feat and go with that?
BTW epic pic ;D Looks sexy :)
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Well compared to the giant tarantula (CR8) and the two ogre spiders (CR5 each) the poor trainer has a piddly CR of 2 (I think, NPC classes count as 1/2). He wont be doing much of anything at all. You would probably want precise strike as the spiders will most likely be in melee. You need point blank for that so why not make him lvl 5 for the last feat and go with that?
BTW epic pic ;D Looks sexy :)
Lol I know it's like looking in a mirror ;)
Anyways the expert levels stack at a rate of 2 to 1 so the ettercap with 4 levels of expert counts as a CR 5. That being said he's meant to be as much support and distraction for the spiders as he is a viable threat.
To give a little more background the plan is that the party; while flying their necromancers newly minted zombie dragon; will fly into a giant parachute spider net set adrift in the air currents above the jungle. This grapple will send them and their dragon hurtling to the canopy below where the ettercap plans to have he and his spiders attack his unsuspecting prey as they have been for weeks. From here the party will have to fight these nasty monsters while trying to free themselves and the dragon and not dropping hundreds of feet to the ground below.
The plan is that after the Ettercap sees what the hell he is up against he's going to use the distraction of the tarantula tanking and the 2 ogre spiders webbing the party while he squirms around the map causing havoc. One of the things I have planed is for him to try and undo the Howdah they are riding in and trying to send them hurtling to the ground. In between that and everything else he will just try to chip the party with poisons and directing the mob.
Luckily on the parties side if they manage to hurt him enough the ettercap will flee with his warband rather then die here so he's also kind of the secret bypass to get out of this if they can get him.
why not give him levels in rogue and use the canopy's concealment to make ranged sneak attacks, that way there is a since of urgency to find the source of sneak attack poisonings?
Well? How did it go? Have you ran the module yet?
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why not give him levels in rogue and use the canopy's concealment to make ranged sneak attacks, that way there is a since of urgency to find the source of sneak attack poisonings?
The problem with giving him levels in rogue is 2 fold.
1.) the minute you add PC levels to a monster it messes with the way you calculate CR, often increasing it much more. Now you might be able to get away with throwing PC levels on it if the class doesn't synergize with but when you are talking about a giant spider people race known for traps and guile I'm pretty sure they synergize. The upside of expert though is that as an NPC class they never synergize.
2.) I've been wanting to mess with the mechanic of monsters with NPC levels since I don't really see it often, it allows me to stack more levels onto a creature, and I feel like it helps lend more credence to the idea that PCs and people with PC levels are a unique and uncommon commodity by allowing these other characters who may not be as important just be experts. Finally it makes the ones with PC levels all the scarier when these guys put the fear of god in them ^-^.
I would love it. Always interested to hear how builds, ideas and encounters play out in the story :)
You can put it up here or PM me, your choice.
Ohh, just had a thought of an ettercap druid with the Mammoth Rider PrC riding a huge giant spider animal companion...
I would consider adept levels rather than expert. Then he can cast some minor buffs and heals on the spiders in addition to plinking with xbow.