I had that thought as well. That touch AC is tempting, but he is immune to everything.
Just finished a monk with 147 hp and 140,000 gp to spend
The dimension door is a great idea. The 2nd party member is a transmuter with Discovery (True Name) (Akhana Aeon). It could be any outsider with no more than 12 HD.
This wizard could possibly get past that SR.
And why not have multiple vorpal blades swinging at it.
A PC once said "If it has hit points it can be killed."
Third member is a Ranger with Dragon Hunter archetype. Two weapon fighting with +1 vorpal longswords.
17/12/7 with primary and offhand :-) Another 6 rolls per round.
If they fail there is always
https://pathfinderwiki.com/wiki/Dragonslayer%27s_Handbook
That looks like it would be at least $10 worth of fun.
Fourth is an unchained summoner.
You're riding a mare or a stallion?
Menan is on a stallion, Arawyn a mare. We plan to introduce them.
I imagine Abadon to be in Andoran, Taldor or Quadira away from any large cities and on the coast, of course. Have you given the location any thought?
I guess both Andoran and Taldor would work. Qadira won't as it's mostly desert.
But I actually didn't care to even place it in Golarion. As the adventure was to be limited to the city and it's surroundings.
Still into dragon slaying. Will simulate your dimension door approach with the party I created when time permits and let you know how that goes. Covered up over here. Give me a few days.
Have run them through some basic encounters to flesh them out and tweak their abilities. First summoner I have played even locally. Whew, that is one impressive class. The angelic eidelon has 114 hps, AC 30 and +18/13 with his vorpal greatsword that does 2d6+10 and crits at 17. The three vorpal blades in play end opponents way early but +5 cost is questionable to its worth.
I did play with a very talented player who was always in the fray but he was small with a decent medium sized mountable eidelon. He did save the day with his pits more than once.
After "our" simulation against the black dragon, I will purchase the dragon slayers handbook. Very curious as to how they address that. Could only help against other foes in PBP is my guess.
A vorpal blade crits beheadingly only on a nat 20. No chance to improve that with an extended crit range.
Also even if it worked, it wouldn't help, as only a nat 20 is an automatic hit.
Your monk has to few hit points. He/she needs 150 to be immune to the power words.
I get the vorpal blade. We were fighting CR13 type stuff. The power word spell at level 9 is 100 hp iirc. Are you referring to something else? That is a rough spell. Enchantment iirc.
I just clicked on power word stun in the list of the dragon. That thing has no save and if you don't have 151 HP you're screwed.
For power word blind you need 201 HP, while only the Monk and the caster to dim in would need to keep seeing.
One issue with dimdoor is how do your make you appearance where everyone is ready for a full round. Beginning to give thought to your idea. If you pulled it off, I know how the dragon would respond at first and then adjusted the second time. So, if it plays out like I think it would you have two or three rounds but the dimdoor accuracy in this scenario is problematic to me.
Regarding the big bad spells. I do not think he would begin with that. Most likely natural attacks and breath for starters. But if things look rough, he goes there.
Have not begun any of my own solutions yet as yours is so appealing. Aboleth's lung was my first thought but he breathes underwater as well.
The dragon slayer vorpal blade party is doing well on the low level stuff. Just took down a 12 headed hydra in one round. The transmuter blew the touch attack for disintegrate three time is a row on previous encounters. Finally landed one.
Omari approaches the guy who tries to sell diamond dust at the bar in the battle market. Go for it.
Check the maps for Abadon. Found a city that is pretty close to how I imagined it.
That's a hamlet at best. Far too small.
Yep, according to my vision of it as well. Way small but the layout is similar imo.
If we're abusing existing maps, then more like this
LOL. That is pretty close to the size I imagined.
You know Magnimar? It has several districts like ten or so. Magnimar is too large, so I can't work with that map. But the structure of the city Abadon is similar.
You got the nobles district to the NE. You got the Docks in the west. You got the working class district SE. And then you got a district in the center running from north to south, that is not grown over time but artificially designed and built between the docks and the rest of the old town to connect the two and make the temple of Abadar the central piece of the resulting city.
It is hard to estimate how big the city is, but I'd guess somewhere between a mile or two from east to west.
Found the d20pfsrd entry for ilthuliak.
https://www.d20pfsrd.com/bestiary/unique-monsters/cr-17/ilthuliak/
The big bad spells are not there. I also looked for discussions and most waited until they leveled up a bit. I recall the mention of level 16 in one post. The approaches were mostly the same and the obvious buffs you would do when facing this brute. They did succeed.
This d20pfrd Ilthuliak is listed as CR17. Killing that at level 16 isn't that big of a challenge.
It has only AC48 instead of 54 and SR28 instead of 32. Where do you have to fight this dragon? It sounds a lot like the ariginal dragon you linked is a leveled up version.
All I have on it is a rumor. "People say the black dragon Ilthuliak has returned to the Stolen Lands and has recently moved into Hooktongue Slough."
Since she can breath indefinitely under water and Hooktongue lake would be a consistent source of nourishment, I would imagine the lair is under water. But, she could easily be located when she places her food out to let it spoil in the sun and corrupted water she created.
Rumor from an AP, or rumor from the Kingmaker computer game?
That rumor is from the AP. The first dragon I found was from the computer game. In the computer game, there is a lair that is accessible on a mountaintop and even found an image of the lair itself. That computer game seems to be quite popular.
It is just a rumor and the beast has done nothing wrong if it is there. The king is more concerned about the new ruler of Pitax right now. Rumors of war. Will revisit at level 16.
The Dragonslayers handbook was really a let down. Many +1 and +2 buffs that are not going to change anything. My research on discussions regarding dragons produced much better tactics and info.
Moved on to book 5/6, Found the dragon's lair and she is not there. Will encounter her in book 6/6.
Did find a wyvern at cr14, players are 14 now. The dragonslayers totally prepped and used a modified version of your dimdoor approach.
She had a -2 to initiative so two got into place (60 foot double move).
Was prepared to dimdoor or similar spell and then return with a fresh first round of initiatives.
She got the first attack. Reduced the ranger to half his hps and missed hitting the monk.
First swing from ranger with vorpal blade was a nat 20. LOL.
Where are you playing that? That's a lot level ups in just a few days.
Just me and maptool. I thought they went from 13-14. I do have several parties for different things. And, I skip over boring or outcome is certain encounters and then find it is time to level up.
There is one rule that prevents that your rapier is ready. You can craft 1000gp worth of magic per day max. Even if our very talented dwarf can do a day's work in 4 hours, that's still not allowing your 6000gp improvement to be finished in two days.
Time to do Ilthulia in the AP. Hopefully this evening.
Where this occurs:
This huge clearing consists of a grassy field in which stand thousands of stone statues. Each statue depicts a different strange denizen of the First World, from mire worm to treant to linnorm to nymph and more, and each is encrusted with moss and grime. At the center of the clearing rises a low but strangely round hill, atop which rises a three-hundred-foot- high tower of white stone with a peak consisting of three conical rooftops. An immense archway gapes at the base of the tower, wide and tall enough for a pair of elephants to walk through side by side.
Her tactics:
Before Combat Ilthuliak casts mage armor, shield, and invisibility (in that order) on herself before she initiates combat. As a result, the dragon’s AC increases to an impressive 48—this may be far too high for your PCs to handle, so if you are worried that the battle won’t be fair, feel free to replace mage armor or shield with other 1st-level spells like magic missile and obscuring mist. During Combat The dragon opens combat with her breath weapon, following up with a few rounds flying overhead and casting spells like acid fog, mass reduce person, and flesh to stone at PCs on the ground below. When her breath weapon recharges, she casts haste, then on the next round swoops down to land amid the PCs and uses her breath weapon again—on the following several rounds, she loses herself in the glory of melee battle, periodically taking to the sky to cast a few more spells.
The dragonslayers party at Level 16:
Ranger (dragonslayer archetype)
Summoner (eideon weilds vorpal blade as well)
Monk
Wizard (transmuter)
The Encounter:
Before entering glade, the party buffs everyone with bless, see invisible, darkvision, resistance, resist energy, PFE, haste, shield and armor where applicable. The two casters have wands of dimension door. Escape into tower is the plan.
The wrym is at the far end of the huge field. Roll initiative. Wyrm is dead last in initiative. Summoner casts dimdoor. Party is against or within 5 feet of the flatfooted beast. The ranger gets five swings and brings her down to 278 hps. The eidelon takes a five foot step and beheads the beast.
Do not see how they survive this one. Level 17 now. Note her wish :-)
That one is easy. Antimagic field and beat her to death.
Gave it some thought and did a little math. Debuffed her skill in athletics is pretty much as high as the PCs cmd, so she will escape. Normally that would be a problem but the room we are in makes your approach a show stopper for her. The only way in and out is dimdoor. The room is 10x10.
She has a high initiative. That could be trouble and a game changer.
Read a scroll.
So if the whole party comes in you're already squeezed? You're sure you didn't miss the 10 ft/square labeling of the map?
The map states 5 foot square. Wording indicates the rooms in this tower are 20 feet in diameter. There are partial squares in each direction away from the four complete. Guess you are to treat those partials as full. That comes to 20. Will play it that way and let you know how it goes.
Monk stunned her, then blinded and deafened her. I called it at that point.
It's a nice change, that I can simply ask questions, and you have to make up all the stuff to answer. ;)
Noticed that as was typing it. LOL.
I need to call it a day. But a question that might be in your alley:
How to boost a will save as far as possible. I need a bonus of +13. Only spells, no magic items.
What beyond the obvious of Owls Wisdom and Resistance would add to that?
Context would be helpful. There are feats and traits. Spells...Greater Heroism is a +4 Morale bonus on all saves and Moment of Greatness doubles that. Grand Destiny. Death Ward if applicable LOL. Moment of Prescience. Channel Vigor-Spirit is +6.Wrathful Mantle. Prayer. That is probably not everything imo. Also, you could debuff the source depending on context.
Persephone needs to manage a DC20 will save on Rova, 30th. I'm not sure yet of the caster level of the available person to cast that, but it will probably be 4th level spells at best.
I think this game has run too long without a fight. The evening of this day there will be one. Random encounter. You're in?
That would be interesting but my primary weapon is being heated and beaten by a dwarf.
So? You still have a cold iron dagger.
My thought exactly.