Hi all! I'm trying to put together a fairly challenging (and annoying as hell) boss encounter for my group. Failure is a valid option and won't result in a TPK -- nothing will keep them from running away.
This particular baddy is an insane scorpion man (Custom race with 15 race points, this campaign takes place in a world full of humanoid bug-people, though this build works about as well with an Elf. All PCs are also similarly power-gamed custom races. This is a very high power campaign. I follow the Incredibles school of balance -- if everything is super, nothing is.) with a very strong desire to be left alone. He has holed up in his burrow and would like nothing more than for everybody in the world to leave him be forever, and has taken pains to make it so. Once upon a time, he was a promising, intelligent young prize-fighter -- until a series of ill-conceived alchemical treatments left him mad as a hatter and just as angry.
So, the build:
Scorpion Man, name undecided
Inspired Blade Swashbuckler 1/Mutation Warrior Fighter 3/Alchemical Sapper Alchemist 7
Scorpion (15 RP)
Advanced (4 RP) [+2 All Phys, +4 Int, -2 Cha]
Standard Speed (0 RP)
Small (0 RP)
See in Darkness (4 RP)
Burrow 20 ft. (2 RP)
Slapping Tail (3 RP)
Natural Armor (2 RP)
Ability Scores: 9/18/16/26/7/9
Bonuses come from race, level progression (+1 Dex, +1 Con), and Alternate Bonus Progression
Traits: Clever Wordplay (Int to Bluff), Second Chance
FCB: +1 HP/lvl
Feats:
Weapon Finesse (Rapier) [Inspired Blade]
Weapon Focus (Rapier) [Inspired Blade]
Fencing Grace (1st Level)
Combat Expertise (2nd Level) [1st Fighter Bonus Feat]
Blind-Fight (3rd Level) [2nd Fighter Bonus Feat]
Moonlight Stalker (3rd Level)
Improved Feint (5th Level)
Moonlight Stalker Feint (7th Level)
Deceptive Exchange (9th Level)
Moonlight Stalker Master (11th Level)
Discoveries:
Delayed Bomb (Alchemical Sapper)
Precise Bomb
Darkness Bomb (3rd Party, can be replaced with Smoke Bomb)
Trip Mine (Alchemical Sapper)
Extracts:
1st: Long Arm, Targeted Bomb Admixture, Negate Aroma, Tears to Wine
2nd: Blur, Alchemical Allocation, Invisibility (replaced w/ Burrow if not custom race)
3rd: Fly
Special Items:
Swordmaster's Flair (Blue), Goz Mask (if using Smoke Bombs)
Basically, the idea is to litter the field with Darkness Trip Mines, which create fields of Darkness/Smoke all over. This provides him with concealment throughout the fight. In the event that he isn't in Darkness/Smoke, he can fall back on Blur for concealment.
Having concealment allows him to make a feint as a swift action via Moonlight Stalker Feint, which then allows him to discreetly plant a bomb on the party's person. Delayed Bomb ensures this goes off at the end of his turn, and Precise Bomb protects him from the splash. Delayed Bomb can be stacked with other bomb discoveries, so every bomb he plants is a new zone of smoke/darkness. He then uses Burrow/Fly to dance around, planting bombs on everybody, covering the field in vision-restraining clouds while he acts unabated. His high Dex and a Keen rapier ensure that his typical melee damage isn't too shabby either, and the levels in Fighter allow for full plate and a high AC. Although making a bomb requires a standard action, it's easy enough to retreat underground to make a new bomb and hold it until he can place it, and there will be mooks keeping the party busy while he does.
He's annoying as hell, assuming he works, which is why I'm a bit worried using him. Him main weakness is that his Will save is absolute hot garbage, which means an enchantment could take him right out of the fight -- he'll be relying on his elusiveness to avoid this. Fortunately, my party is very low on enchantment spells, and has been trained to distrust save-or-sucks. That being said, having the presence of mind to enchant an insane bug person is good thinking and would go rewarded.
Does anybody see any strict mechanical issues that I'm overlooking, or have any suggestions to make him more dangerous?
