Conversion of Mammy Graul to Witch Class (Possible Spoilers)

[Frostflame]

I did a conversion of Mammy Graul from Hook Horror Mountain Massacre to the witch class. I thought it was more fitting considering the theme and setting. I pretty much left her stats alone until we get some more info on how the ogrekin will be like. I changed the toad familiar to rat to keep it within a necromancers theme. I readjusted her skill points and added Use Magic Device and Intimidate. As far as feat are concerned I dropped Brew Potion for toughness and instead gave her the cauldron hex. Scribe scroll she loses of course. Hit points I redid she started with full hitpoints 6hp plus 7d6 plus any other modifiers. Since she is bascially a blob of flesh and can baely move I decided to make her tougher thus the toughness feat. And I got rid of Craft Wonderous Item for Improved Initiative to give her a chance in combat.
Mammy Graul CR 9
Female human ogrekin Witch 8
CE Medium giant
Init +1; Senses special senses; Listen +2, Spot +2
DEFENSE
AC 17, touch 7, flat-footed 17
(+4 armor, –3 Dex, +6 natural)
hp 91 (8d6+32+13 from false life +8 from Toughness)
Fort +8(+2 from Rat familiar), Ref –1, Will +6
OFFENSE
Spd 5 ft.
Melee mwk quarterstaff +10 (1d6+5)

TACTICS
Before Combat As soon as she hears trouble outside, Mammy Graul casts
mage armor and false life on herself. If she realizes someone’s about to
enter her room, she casts mirror image and fly as well.
During Combat If the PCs confront Mammy Graul here, she’s
more enraged at her boys for allowing the PCs to get this far
than she is at the PCs themselves, and her profanity-laced
shrieks against her boys fill any surviving Grauls with such fear
that none of them dare come to their mother’s aid. Mammy
Graul sends her three zombies to engage the PCs while she
remains on her bed in the northwest corner of the room and
casts spells. She starts with summon monster spells and follows
up with her ranged spells. Once anyone reaches her in melee,
her first act is to cast mirror image (if she hasn’t already), and
then cast her melee spells.
Morale If reduced to 20 hit points or less, she attempts to dimension
door into area A16 to secure the aid of any surviving Grauls there.
She casts fly on herself and leads them back to the farmhouse to
attack the PCs again, this time fighting to the death.
STATISTICS
Str 20, Dex 4, Con 19, Int 15, Wis 10, Cha 10
Base Atk +4; CMB +10 CMD +17
Feats Alertness (when Blub-Blug is in arm’s reach), Toughness, Craft
Wand, Improved Initiative, Greater Spell Focus (necromancy),
, Spell Focus (necromancy)
Skills ,Intimidate +8 Knowledge (arcana) +10, Spellcraft +10 Use Magic Device+8
Languages Abyssal, Common, Giant
SQ deformities, familiar (rat named Blub-Blug)
Combat Gear potion of cure moderate wounds, scroll of animate
dead, wand of magic missile (CL 3rd, 44 charges), wand of
ray of enfeeblement (28 charges), wand of vampiric touch (33
charges); Other Gear amulet of health +2, Varisian idols (2,
grant summoned monsters +2 hp per HD if used as an additional
material component—see the Rise of the Runelords Player’s Guide)
SPECIAL ABILITIES
Mammy’s Deformities (Ex) Mammy Graul’s thick layers of blubber
increase her natural armor bonus by an additional 3 points. She is
also hideously overweight, and suffers a –4 penalty to her Dexterity.
Blub-Blug CR —
Rat familiar
hp 26 (MM 282)
Spells:
Cantrips All Witches cantrips
First Level:Mage Armor, Chill touch, Grease, Ray of Enfeeblement, Reduce Person, Enlarge Person, Summon Monster I, Detect Undead*
Second Level:Blindness/Deafness, False Life, Summon Monster II, Spectral Hand, Command Undead*
Third Level:Summon Monster III, Bestow Curse, Vampiric Touch, Fly, Contagion*
Fourth Level:Dimension Door, Fear, Summon Monster IV, Black Tentacles, Animate Dead*
Spells Prepared
Cantrips: Message, Touch of fatiguex2, Daze
First Level:Mage armor(Already Cast)Chilltouch (DC 15), Ray of Enfeeblementx2(Dc 15),Reduce person (DC 13).
Second Level:False Life(Already Cast)Summon Monster II, Blindness (DC16), Spectral Hand
Third Level:Vampiric Touch, Fly, Summon Monster III
Fourth Level:Dimension Door, Black Tentacles
Hex:
1.cauldron
2.Evil Eye
3.Misfortune
4.Healing
5.Ward

[wspatterson]

My only immediate comment is that witch's cantrips aren't expended when cast, so she probably shouldn't have touch of fatigue twice.

[Frostflame]

wspatterson wrote:

My only immediate comment is that witch's cantrips aren't expended when cast, so she probably shouldn't have touch of fatigue twice.

oops my foul that is easily replaced by any cantrip, the cantips are unimportant

[Tom Baumbach]

Correct me if I'm wrong (because it's been a while since I played this one), but was the presence of magic items and potions an important aspect of that whole Grawl farm encounter? (Thus, by removing those feats, you remove the logic behind where those items came from - this could easily have been something I added and don't remember accurately.)

[wspatterson]

Tom Baumbach wrote:

Correct me if I'm wrong (because it's been a while since I played this one), but was the presence of magic items and potions an important aspect of that whole Grawl farm encounter? (Thus, by removing those feats, you remove the logic behind where those items came from - this could easily have been something I added and don't remember accurately.)

The Cauldron hex takes care of the Brew Potion feat. I don't actually recall a lot of wondrous items laying about the place, but I could certainly be wrong.

[Frostflame]

Tom Baumbach wrote:

Correct me if I'm wrong (because it's been a while since I played this one), but was the presence of magic items and potions an important aspect of that whole Grawl farm encounter? (Thus, by removing those feats, you remove the logic behind where those items came from - this could easily have been something I added and don't remember accurately.)

Well I went over all the Grauls and the cabin to look for wondrous items there werent that many. I can see the dropping of craft wondrous item and saying Mammy Graul and her kin managed to collect some items over the years. After all they raided Fort Rannick. Well the Cauldron Hex covers Brew Potion Mammy's 'Medicine.' (Kind like how hillbillies are distilling moonshine out in the backyard)

[Lord Fyre]

Actually, for the undead theme, I would go with a Raven for the familiar over even a rat. (Corvus Birds have a long mythic association with death.)

Other good choices, now that the APG is available are Centipede or Spider.

Actually, I have always had a problem with Mammy Graul as a Wizard anyway.

No Spellbook.

Ogrekin in general, and the Grauls in specific, don't seem especially educated or scholarly.

Of course, as a Witch "Plague" is the obvious patron.

[Evil Lincoln]

Lord Fyre wrote:

No Spellbook.

Ogrekin in general, and the Grauls in specific, don't seem especially educated or scholarly.

Just a note, I reconciled this by making her spellbook the creepy easel she was painting on with body parts (in the room description for her encounter).

In my telling of Runelords, Mammy's brand of necromancy was learned from Barl Breakbones as an attempt to build up spellcasting giants in the region that he could conscript later for Mok's invasion.

*puts away his plot-hole-spackle*

[MillerHero]

I, too, made her into a witch. Though I needed her to be a bit higher level.
Stat block and tactics

[Lord Fyre]

MillerHero wrote:

I, too, made her into a witch. Though I needed her to be a bit higher level.

Stat block and tactics

Darn it. Cannot access. :(

Gmail says I don't have permission.

[MillerHero]

Lord Fyre wrote:

Darn it. Cannot access. :(

Gmail says I don't have permission.

Hmmm. I thought I changed it to allow anyone with the link. I'll look into it.

[MillerHero]

MillerHero wrote:

Lord Fyre wrote:

Darn it. Cannot access. :(
Gmail says I don't have permission.

Hmmm. I thought I changed it to allow anyone with the link. I'll look into it.

Settings appear correct. Can anyone else view?

[catdragon]

MillerHero wrote:

MillerHero wrote:

Lord Fyre wrote:

Darn it. Cannot access. :(
Gmail says I don't have permission.

Hmmm. I thought I changed it to allow anyone with the link. I'll look into it.

Settings appear correct. Can anyone else view?

I can't view it either. :(

[MillerHero]

I changed the settings from anyone with the link to anyone.
Sorry for the difficultly.

[Lord Fyre]

MillerHero wrote:

I changed the settings from anyone with the link to anyone.

Sorry for the difficultly.

Yes. The link is working now. ;D

[coldvictim]

I know I may be reviving this post from a long while ago. I was just wondering how the conversions went in practice? I am about to be GMing this adventure and I was thinking of converting her to a witch. my pro's and con's:

Pro's for witch
Witch seems more thematically correct for inbred hillbillies
Hexes seem to be a good crowd control tactic to hit PCs that have been stomping big bads so far.

Pro's for Wiz
Drops a spellbook as loot (can be good to pad out the party mages spellbook with spells he might not ordinarily take).

[Haladir]

The Cook People hex hadn't been published in 2010...

That would be a fitting hex for Mammy Graul!

[Kalshane]

Yeah, I converted Mammy Graul to a Gravewalker Witch with the Cook People Hex in my own game. I also had her dimension door out of her room into the yard when the party attacked and used Animate Dead on her sons and their dogs that party had killed on their way in. Made for a much more satisfying fight than them playing whack the pinata with her in her bedroom.

[Latrecis]

I did not convert her to a witch - though the Cook People hex screams for it. That would have taken more work. I did though change out her spells for one's that seemed more her thing (and were new to my players) like - Eldritch Fever, Eruptive Pustules, Excruciating Deformation, and Howling Agony. More to the point, I also changed her tactics along Kalshane's line - I had Crowfood cooperate more with the boys in the barn and he retreated into the house, trying to lure the pc's into the traps (with some success.) He called out to his mother while fleeing "Mammy! More'n o'those damn rangers is here puttin' up a fuss. If'n you want dinner you best lend a hand." Once he met up with her, they retreated outside via dimension door. By the time the pc's got back out there, she was flying with mirror image - she lasted a lot longer than she would have fighting the pc's in her room.

[Bellona]

Kalshane wrote:

Yeah, I converted Mammy Graul to a Gravewalker Witch with the Cook People Hex in my own game. I also had her dimension door out of her room into the yard when the party attacked and used Animate Dead on her sons and their dogs that party had killed on their way in. Made for a much more satisfying fight than them playing whack the pinata with her in her bedroom.

I'm trying the same thing myself (Gravewalker Witch), and upping her to Witch 10 too. (For my larger, more powerful second group.) One thing which bothers me though, is that she loses a lot of defensive spells when converted to Witch. Spells like Mirror Image, Blur, and Displacement are not on the Witch class spell list, unfortunately. :(

Does anyone have any advice/a solution for this issue?

[Kalshane]

I'll have to see if I can find my sheet for when I converted her. I do know I made the assumption that she had fed well off her Cook People hex prior to the party's arrival in her room.

[Kalshane]

Finally found what I had: (Stats include her bonuses from using Cook People) I had 6 PCs with 20PB and Hero Points, so I buffed her a bit.

Mammy Graul (Witch)
XP: 9,600
human witch (gravewalker) 10
CE Medium humanoid (giant, human)
Init -1; Senses low-light vision; Perception +12

DEFENSE

AC 20, touch 9, flat-footed 20 (+4 armor, -1 Dex, +7 natural)
HP 132 (10d6+72)
Fort +10, Ref +4, Will +9

OFFENSE

Speed 5 ft., fly 60 ft. (good)
Melee mwk quarterstaff +7/+3 (1d6+7/1d6+7)
Space 5 ft., Reach 5 ft.
Special Attacks Aura of Desecration (40'); Deliver Touch Spells; Bone Thrall;
Spell-Like Abilities (CL 10th; concentration +16), Possess Undead
Witch Spells Prepared (CL 10th; concentration +16)
5th-cloudkill (DC 21), suffocation (DC 23)
4th-bestow curse (DC 22), black tentacles, contagion (DC 22), dimension door
3rd-ray of exhaustion (DC 21), lightning bolt, twilight knife, vampiric touch
2nd-blindness/deafness (DC 20), false life, hold person (DC 18), mirror image, pox pustules (DC 20)
1st-chill touch (DC 17), mage armor, ray of enfeeblement (2; DC 19), reduce person (DC 17)
0th-daze

TACTICS

Before Combat: As soon as she hears trouble outside, Mammy Graul casts mage armor and false life on herself and consumes the "special treats" she made with her Cook People Hex (already included in stats). If she realizes someone's about to enter her room, she casts mirror image and fly as well.
During Combat: If the PCs confront Mammy Graul here, she's more enraged at her boys for allowing the PCs to get this far than she is at the PCs themselves, and her profanity-laced shrieks against her boys fill any surviving Grauls with such fear that none of them dare come to their mother's aid. Mammy Graul sends her three zombies to engage the PCs while she remains on her bed in the northwest corner of the room and casts spells. She uses her poppet to deliver touch spells at range.
Morale If reduced to 90 hit points or fewer, she casts dimension door and retreats to area A16 to secure the aid of any surviving Grauls there. Any dead Grauls are put back into service via Animate Dead. She then waits outside to ambush the PCs, this time fighting to the death.

STATISTICS

Str 20, Dex 8, Con 20, Int 22, Wis 10, Cha 10
Base Atk +5; CMB +10; CMD 19
Feats Alertness, Combat Casting, Craft Wand, Craft Wondrous Item, Greater Spell Focus (necromancy), Improved Natural Armor, Scribe Scroll, Spell Focus (necromancy), Toughness
Skills Climb +9, Craft +10, Fly +9, Handle Animal +4, Heal +4, Intimidate +10, Knowledge (arcana) +16, Knowledge (religion) +16, Perception +10, Profession +4, Ride +3, Sense Motive +10, Spellcraft +16, Survival +4
Languages Abyssal, Common, Giant, Necril
SQ familiar: poppet, ogrekin deformities
Gear potion of cure moderate wounds, potion of cure serious wounds, wand of cure light wounds (CL 3rd, 44 charges), wand of ray of enfeeblement (28 charges), wand of vampiric touch (33 charges), belt of con +2, scroll of animate dead, cloak of resistance +2, brooch of shielding (101 HP)
Other Gear masterwork quarterstaff, spellbook (contains all prepared spells plus animate dead, magic missile, ray of enfeeblement, and 2d4 additional spells of your choice)

SPECIAL ABILITIES

Ogrekin Deformities (Ex) Mammy Graul's thick layers of blubber increase her natural armor bonus by an additional 3 points, but her obesity also reduces her speed to 5 feet and imparts a –4 penalty to her Dexterity.
Cauldron (Ex) The witch receives Brew Potion as a bonus feat and a +4 insight bonus on Craft (alchemy) skill checks.
Flight (Su) The witch grows lighter as she gains power, eventually gaining the ability to fly. At 1st level, the witch can use feather fall at will and gains a +4 racial bonus on Swim checks. At 3rd level, she can cast levitate once per day. At 5th level, she can fly, as per the spell, for a number of minutes per day equal to her level. These minutes do not need to be consecutive, but they must be spent in 1-minute increments. This hex only affects the witch.
Evil Eye (Su) The witch can cause doubt to creep into the mind of a foe within 30 feet that she can see. The target takes a –2 penalty on one of the following (witch's choice): AC, ability checks, attack rolls, saving throws, or skill checks. This hex lasts for a number of rounds equal to 3 + the witch's Intelligence modifier. A Will save reduces this to just 1 round. This is a mind-affecting effect. At 8th level the penalty increases to –4.
Cook People (Su) The witch can create fabulous spells by cooking an intelligent humanoid creature in her cauldron, either alive or dead. Using this hex creates one meal or serving of food of the witch's choice, typically a delicious stew or a dough suitable for cookies, pastries, or other desserts. Cooking the victim takes 1 hour. Eating the food provides one of the following benefits for 1 hour: age resistance, bear's endurance, bull's strength, cat's grace, eagle's splendor, fox's cunning, neutralize poison (instantaneous) owl's wisdom, remove disease (instantaneous). Alternatively, the witch can shape the dough into a Small, humanlike creature, animating it as a homunculus for 1 hour. The witch must have the cauldron hex to select this hex. Using this hex or knowingly eating its food is an evil act.

[Bellona]

Thanks for a peek at your conversion, Kalshane! :)

A couple of questions: what is her patron, and how can she cast Mirror Image (it's not a Witch spell, and even if she got it through the Trickery patron then the Gravewalker archetype would replace it with Command Undead)?

[Kalshane]

Bellona wrote:

Thanks for a peek at your conversion, Kalshane! :)

A couple of questions: what is her patron, and how can she cast Mirror Image (it's not a Witch spell, and even if she got it through the Trickery patron then the Gravewalker archetype would replace it with Command Undead)?

I apparently missed that in my conversion. :P

[gustavo iglesias]

We recently made this encounter in my game. I made her a gravewalker with, but also made an ogre zombie (his lover and sexual toy) who had a swarm of cockroachs inside. When pc killed the ogre they freed the swarm. Also I had a shelf full of pickled punks, with 2d6 of them breaking and joining the fight, plus two regular zombies. Have Mama Graul a scroll of dimensional Door and made her use animate dead with the fallen grauls. It was a fun fight, although the PC were never in dangerous, but they had to over come different challenges to beat it

[Tusk the Half-Orc]

OK, I'm convinced. My group is about to start HMM, and I'm turning Mammy into a witch. Going with plague patron, still making up my mind about the gravewalker archetype.