Into the Maw’s Lillianth seems like a wrecking ball. Of course, she’s a melee punisher. But what I like best is that she is a “brilliant tactician” with 18 intelligence. She’s had enough time on her hands (I count six) to think about how to defend her territory. She has a nice set of at-will spell-like abilities. Here’s some of the things she could do for a tactical advantage:
>make dozens of blade barriers to funnel attackers
>patrol her area with project image for advanced warning and hit-and-run blade barriers
>telekinesis 375 pound hunks of lava out of the pool to make walls, traps, or rough terrain. I’m thinking about having her add five feet of ill-supported walkway around the edge of the pool.
> given time, she could make crude objects from hardened lava. Flyers may pause if they see giant open-bottom cages hanging from the ceiling over the pool (telekinesis to pull a pin and drop a cage).
Did anyone else give her special tactics?
Very nice! We're not there yet but I'm going to use your tactics.
RPG Superstar 2015 Top 16, RPG Superstar 2013 Top 16
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Lillianth is a wrecking ball. In converting her to PFRPG, I added the Stunning Assault feat, which she used to good measure to kill 2, almost 3, of the party. With 9 attacks she spread out her Stunning Assault attacks to stun anybody she could reach (and that whip can reach 20 feet). She did this for 3 rounds, hitting every PC in reach until he or she blew a Fort save and got stunned. She saved her crushing coils attack for use against obvious spellcasters (knocked both mages unconscious that way). To me as a GM, smart monsters that are described as good tacticians are carte blanche for me to really take the kid gloves off and play for blood. The written monster tactics for that area also very nearly guarantee that the party will trigger all of Lillianth's domain as a single encounter due to demon telepathy: 8 hezrous, Jariaxer, Lillianth herself, and probably also Lynnara.
If you use the stats as given for Lynnara she's a wrecking ball, too, and way under-CR'ed. Not many PCs will be able to make the saves against her mind-controlling SLAs. Fortunately for them, my group got her out of the fight way early when the wizard hit her with a finger of death for 160 points.
This is tentatively what my version of her looks like. I really enjoy all of those ideas though, particularly the cages. Will definitely be implementing it.
Advanced marilith fighter 4/cavalier 2
XP 819,200
CE Large Outsider (Chaotic, Demon, Evil)
Init +13; Senses Darkvision, true seeing; Perception +38
Languages Abyssal, Celestial, Common, Draconic; telepathy 100 ft.
Aura unholy aura (DC 29)
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AC 45, touch 22, flat-footed 36, combat 59
(+6 armor, +4 deflection, +9 Dex, +17 natural, -1 size)
hp 439 (22d10 + 308); DR 10/cold iron and good
Immune electricity, poison
Resist acid 10, cold 10, fire 10; SR 34
Fort +33, Ref +25, Will +16
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Speed 40 ft.; fly 60 ft. (average)
Melee halberd +37/+32/+27/+22 (2d8 + 23 plus 3d6 electricity /x3 plus 4d10 electricity) and
whip dagger +38/+33/+28/+23 (1d8 + 17 plus 4d6 fire /19-20) and
heavy pick +37/+32/+27/+22 (1d8 + 16 plus 3 bleed /x4) and
rapier +38/+33/+28/+23 (1d8 + 17 /15-20) and
longsword +39/+34/+29/+24 (2d6 + 18 /19-20) and
tail slap +29 (2d6 + 6 plus grab) or
6 slams +34 (1d8 + 13) and tail slap
Space 10 ft.; Reach 10 ft. (20 ft. halberd, 30 ft. whip)
Base Atk +22; Combat +36 (+40 disarm, +38 dirty trick, sunder, trip)
Atk Options combat expertise (-6, +6), greater disarm, power attack (-6, +12)
Special Actions challenge (+8 damage), constrict (tail slap, 2d6+20 plus crushing coils), staggering critical (DC 32), tactician
Combat Gear
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Spell-like Abilities (Caster level 16th)
3/day - blade barrier (DC 27), fly
1/day - summon (level 5, 1 marilith 20%, 1 nalfeshnee at 35%, or 1d4 hezrous at 60%)
At will - greater teleport, project image (DC 27), telekinesis (DC 26)
Constant - true seeing, unholy aura (DC 29)
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Abilities Str 36, Dex 28, Con 38, Int 26, Wis 21, Cha 32
SQ armor training 1, bravery 1, infuse weapon, multiweapon mastery, order of the demon, weapon training 1
Feats Combat Expertise, Combat Reflexes, Critical Focus, Dazzling Display, Greater Disarm, Improved Dirty Trick, Improved Disarm, Improved Initiative, Improved Sunder, Improved Trip, Paired Opportunists, Power Attack, Quick Draw, Quicken Spell-like Ability, Staggering Critical, Tactical Warrior
Skills Acrobatics +34, Bluff +30, Diplomacy +30, Fly +25, Intimidate +36, Knowledge (arcana) +26, Knowledge (dungeoneering) +30, Knowledge (engineering) +30, Knowledge (history) +30, Knowledge (planes) +30, Perception +38, Sense Motive +30, Stealth +30, Use Magic Device +36; Racial +8 Perception
Possessions Combat gear plus Foewrack (+3 shocking burst halberd), Skullthorn (+3 wounding adamantine heavy pick), Windruin (+4 keen mithril rapier), Profane Ascendance (+5 ghost touch cold iron longsword), Flamerazor (+4 flaming whip dagger), +6 bracers of armor
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Crushing Coils (Ex) A creature that takes damage from a marilith's constrict attack must succeed on a DC 34 Fortitude save or lose consciousness for 1d8 rounds. The save DC is Strength-based.
Infuse Weapon (Su) Any weapon a marilith wields gains a +1 enhancement bonus to attack and damage, and strikes as if it were a chaotic and evil cold iron weapon (in addition to retaining the qualities of its actual composition).
Multiweapon Mastery (Ex) A marilith never takes penalties to her attack roll when fighting with multiple weapons.
I don't recall exactly how I made it happen but I had a PC jump into the lava! I thought it was using some sort of mind control but looking at the abilities of the marilith it must have been telekinesis.
The look on the platers faces was pretty awesome!
I don't recall exactly how I made it happen but I had a PC jump into the lava! I thought it was using some sort of mind control but looking at the abilities of the marilith it must have been telekinesis.
The look on the platers faces was pretty awesome!
We played this encounter last night and the party's enchanter did dive into the lava, via the succubus under Lillianth's sway.
I didn't adjust the encounter and almost lost the party fighter, barbarian and wizard. If you want the party to win, I advise running it as is.
I suspect my players might be 19-20th level by the time they get to this point. I want the idea of allying with Lilianth and bringing the heads of all the other leaders a valid one, despite the utter distaste my party is going to have for that course of action. And her being as powerful as a balor lord is a good way to accomplish that.
But awesome tactics plus balor lord power level? Just once I'd like to see my players have to back off from a fight and come back to it.