My party is going to start the 100 mile hike on foot to the cathedral of feathers this Friday. I have looked at the random encounter tables and found them rather blah. For the most part you are going to have the same 5 or six encounters OVER and OVER again during this chapter. I wish to increase the number of available monsters for variety. So far I have entered all the demons from CR 3-14 and hellwasp swarm. I just now thought to add some devils...lost/hiding in Occcipitus due to the low number of demons waiting to regroup and rejoin the blood war. What I am looking for is ideas on what else to add to the encounter tables. I am looking to add some fun stuff you don’t get to play often between CR 3-14....unless you feel something bigger just should not be left out. So what do you think?
remember that, because occipitus is part celestial, it's considered cursed by most demons. In other words, they avoid it as much as possible.
creatures you might encounter on the layer are fallen celestials (malicious lantern archons, anyone?), hordes of lesser tanar'ri, some generic evil creatures and a few exiled greater tanar'ri. From the description in the HC, though, the layer is mostly empty.
My party is going to start the 100 mile hike on foot to the cathedral of feathers this Friday. I have looked at the random encounter tables and found them rather blah. For the most part you are going to have the same 5 or six encounters OVER and OVER again during this chapter. I wish to increase the number of available monsters for variety. So far I have entered all the demons from CR 3-14 and hellwasp swarm. I just now thought to add some devils...lost/hiding in Occcipitus due to the low number of demons waiting to regroup and rejoin the blood war. What I am looking for is ideas on what else to add to the encounter tables. I am looking to add some fun stuff you don’t get to play often between CR 3-14....unless you feel something bigger just should not be left out. So what do you think?
There are at least two (Odopi and one other) creatures listed in the MM3 that are supposed to be from Carceri and would probably fit in well. You might consider some environmental hazards (such as those from Sandstorm, et al) and NPC encounters, as well.
Well I did not get much of a tread started so I revamped the tables myself. To help anyone who is interested here are the tables I am using. I am using several books to add monsters. I am using the following texts...MM, MM2, MM3, FF, VoVD, FC1 Hordes of the Abyss. If you copy and past to a word document the spacing should work out.
Flats
D % Encounter Book/page Ave EL
01-10 1d6 Thunder Beasts pg 330 12
11-15 6 Armanite demons plus FC1 pg 28 14
1 w/ 4 levels of ranger
16-25 1 Hezrou demon MM pg 44 12
6 Mame demon FC1 pg 45
2 Dretch demon MM pg 42
26-35 1 Basilisk, Greater Abyssal MM pg 24 12
36-45 1d3 Vrock demon MM pg 48 13
2 Bulezau demon FC1 pg 33
46-50 1 Alkilith demon FF pg 46 10
51-55 1d6+4 Rutterkin demons FC1 pd 51 9
56-60 1 Jarilith demon MM2 pg 61 13
61-65 1d4+2 Babau demon BoVD pg 173 10
66-70 1 green salad MM pg 230 9
71-75 4 Jovoc deamons MM2 pg 58 9
76-85 1d3 Chos beasts MM pg 33 9
86-90 1d3 fiendish dire lions MM pg 63 + 108 9
91-95 2 Arrow demons MM3 pg 34 9
96-00 1 Grey Slaad MM pg 231 9
Ossaic Forest Encounters
D % Encounter Book/page Ave EL
01-10 1d6 Thunder Beasts pg 330 12
11-25 1 Hezrou demon MM pg 44 11
26-50 1d3 Vrock demon MM pg 48 13
2 Bulezau demon FC1 pg 33
51-65 1d4+3 Babau demon BoVD pg 173 10
66-70 1d4 Arrow demons MM3 pg 34 10
71-80 1d3+3 Bar-Lgura demon FC1 pg 29 10
81-85 1d6+4 Rutterkin demons FC1 pd 51 9
86-95 1d3 Chos beasts MM pg 33 9
96-00 1d4+3 fiendish owlbears MM pg 206+108 9
Fibrous Forest encounters
D % Encounter Book/page Ave EL
01-05 5 Abyssal Skulker MM pg 57 9
5 Abyssal ravager MM2 pg 57
06-20 1d3 Hezrou demon MM pg 44 13
21-35 1d3 fiendish dire bears MM pg 63 + 108 11
36-45 1d3 Vrock demon MM pg 48 13
2 Bulezau demon FC1 pg 33
46-50 4 Jovoc deamons MM2 pg 58 9
51-65 1d4+2 Babau demon BoVD pg 173 10
66-85 1d4+2 findish girallons MM pg 126 + 108 10
86-90 1d3 greater shadows MM pg 221 10
91-00 1 Jarilith demon MM2 pg 61 13
Aerial Encounters
D % Encounter Book/page Ave EL
01-10 1 Nalfeshnee demon MM pg 45 14
11-35 1d4+2 Vrock demon MM pg 48 13
36-40 1d4+2 fiendish wyverns MM pg 256 + 108 11
41-50 1 Shadow demon BoVD pg 173 8
51-60 1d3 greater shadows MM pg 221 10
61-85 Plasm eddy pg 180 9
86-95 1 Chasme demon FC1 pg 34 10
96-00 1d4+3 Fiendish Giant Eagles MM pg 93 + 108 8
Celestial Rubble Encounters
D % Encounter Book/page Ave EL
01-10 1 leonal guardinial MM pg 142 12
11-30 1d3+1 Spectres MM pg 232 10
31-40 1 Couatl MM pg 37 10
41-50 1 Stone golem MM pg 137 10
51-60 1 Palrethee demon MM2 pg 59 8
61-70 1d3 green slaadi MM pg 230 9
71-80 1d3 ghost fighter 5 9
81-90 1 Shadow demon BoVD pg 173 8
91-00 1 Blood fiend FF pg 47 14
Skull Encounters
D % Encounter Book/page Ave EL
01-10 1 Nalfeshnee demon MM pg 45 14
11-20 1 Blood fiend FF pg 47 14
20-25 1d4+2 Vrock demon MM pg 48 13
26-30 1 Shadow demon BoVD pg 173 8
31-45 1d3 Hezrou demon MM pg 44 13
46-55 4 Jovoc deamons MM2 pg 58 9
56-65 1d3 greater shadows MM pg 221 10
66-70 1 Palrethee demon MM2 pg 59 8
71-80 1d3 Succubus demons MM 47 9
81-00 Plasm eddy pg 180 9
Use the half fiend and fiendish templates to create truly unique encounters. You could also use the 1/2 celestrail template. My party had a lot of fun whent he fiendish centaurs attacked them in the ossaic fortress. The longbows at range forced them to maneuver to use there close and mid range spells more effectively. It was fun.
The thunderbeast herd is a must! My party realling got into the cowboy spirit.