I make the following suggestions to those running the Savage Tide:
First and foremost, I strongly encourage the GM to take one or two breaks at the major action points - at the conclusion of the assault on Farshore by Vanthus and again just after the group wipes out the Crimson Fleet command at Scuttlecove are ideal points to take a breather from the campaign. Not having done so myself, I can see in hindsight that it would have been of great benefit to have done this.
Second, be an Iron GM and be VERY firm on what gear the PCs can get ahold of, especially customized gear. I recommend the same effort on swift and immediate action items unless you are willing to dole the same items out liberally to the baddies - and then make those
non-recoverable by the party.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Epilogue session was rather half-a$$ed on my end I'm afraid.
Farshore continued growing once the FTC (Farshore Trading Company) rebuilt its fleet and resumed operations.
Monkamuck's only son is being thoroughly educated in the fine arts of swearing by his mum, while both educate the four year old in sailoring and beating people up. He has a velociraptor ranch in the same vein as Jade's, involving mutliple-species cross-breeding, the most prominent of which is maintaining a strong half-celestial bloodline in the mix.
Ineptus still to this day pursues his eternal woo'ing of Torsin, daily rebuffed with comparatively gentle blasts of various arcane energies. After these past years she finally told him something to the effect of: "You have the animal handling skills of a donut - learn how to deal with animals, I might reconsider." Ah, fickle, as an elven woman should be. ^_^
Joselin worked on her journal detailing her adventures in her post-death-then-true-rez retirement on a far-off beach somewhere in the Spindrift Isles with her paramour.
Da Squeeze opened a multiple-venue Inn with a variety of eateries, ranging from tavern to bistro to full-service five-star restaurant.
Da Fighter had a second child with his wife, amazingly enough. He oversaw the grand ceremonies in the opening games held in the enormous Coliseum that was completed quite recently.
Da Pimp's sylph proselytized locally, going to great expense to have small temples to Olidamarra constructed in Farshore as well as amongst the local Olman villages that would tolerate (or, more likely, find amusing) the presence of such construction. The phanatons, however, took
a very strong liking to the Gawd becoming the strongest pool of local converts.
Jade found that for the past 18 months the succubus (with class levels, lots of class levels) that fell for her so hard on the Abyss had been subduing her lover and taking his place. Fortuitous daily castings of Remove Disease by her cleric follower the following mornings prevent a certain related set of conditions from becoming a problem.
After a number of entertaining or 'as usual' suggestions ensued. Monkamuck proposed the usual - beat the stuffings out of the critter until it went away. Da Fighter proposed finding a more suitable, presumably demonic, love interest for the infatuated demoness. Jade took it upon herself to have her comrades-at-arms ensconced in the chammbers around hers - or, in Da Pimp's case, in her Neverempty Bag of Popcorn - while she finally broke the news to her. After a VERY zesty farewell fling, the tearful succubus returned to the Abyss.
Our Heroes did some checking around and were surprised to find that the succubus had remained faithful to Jade (or, at least, had not deposited any half-fiend orphans anywhere in town).
The adventure of the day started in the aftermath of the Dragon's emissary and arena champions not arriving for the opening games. Once the festival was concluded and the clean up completed, Our Heroes packed up and flew on critter-back to the location reported to them by way of Discern Location of said emissary.
Our Heroes were a might dismayed to land and see the cracked bones and skulls of said emissary and champions scattered over a charred killing ground. Investigation led them to believe about a dozen or so assailants brought the victims low.
They used a Find the Path to track down the general location of the mysterious dragon's lair. Our Heroes arrived at the lizardfolk village outside the entrance to her lair - to find the Old dragon's carcass strung up like giant warding totem, her forelimbs and wings stretched out to their furthest reach and lashed by vines to the strongest trees screening the approach to the lair. The village itself had been decimated by fire and lightning, although they did find evidence of the dragon's breath weapon having been discharged enough to have largely dissolved the carcasses of a half-dozen hobbit-sized assailants.
Da Pimp and Jade scoured the dragon's lair and eventually located the very sophisticated - and lethally trapped - puzzle box that proved to be an extradimensional storage device, within which the dragon's vast hoarde was stored, high on the ceiling in a well-hidden crevice. An overkill Moment of Prescience-aided Disable Device check handily bypassed the magical trap and figured out the correct unlocking sequence of said device.
After several Speak with Dead spells were deployed to interrogate the fallen dragon, Our Heroes returned to the scene of the slaughter they landed at the previous day. Employing a Hindsight spell, Da Squeeze witnessed the brutal slaughter, from the view point of the ambush. She could see an immense pillar of smoke rising from the lizard folk village to the north, then 11 psychotic-looking spear-toting hobbit-sized pygmies sprinting thrice the speed of a running man chase down and horrifically slaughter the emissary and arena champions of the dragon as they were fleeing the carnage at the village behind them.
As she explained the vision of the spell to her comrades-at-arms, she and Jade managed to beat the critters' effective Hide check of 42, initiating the combat encounter of the session.
The fight was pretty rough, with at times Torsin, Jade, Buttercup, Da Squeeze and even at the end Monkamuck, Da Fighter and Ineptus at risk of a messy demise. Alas, they figured out the way to crush the pesky foes and summarily slaughtered the 11 Psycho Pygmies assaulting them.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Pygmy Critters (variant Redcap) CR 17 (2 +15 paragon)
Small Fey (Augmented Fey) – Paragon Redcap Initiative +13
Neutral / Chaotic Evil
HD: 4d6 Space/Reach: 5’/5’
Hit Points: 108 each (24 +48 bonus +36 from CON)
Speed: 90 feet Weakness: Susceptible to the Lesser (ex)
AC: 21/47 Flat-footed AC: 12/38 (+1/+5 natural armor)
With minor spells +10 AC = 31/57 (flat-footed 22/48)
Touch AC: 20/44
Flat-footed Touch AC: 11/35 (+1 size, +0/+12 insight, +0/+12 luck)[/i]
With minor spells +2 = 22/46 touch AC (flat-footed 13/37)
Base Attack Bonus: +2
Grapple: +11 (+0 size due to powerful build, +9 STR)
Melee AB: +12/+57 (+1 size, +0/+25 luck, +9 STR, +0/+20 insight)
Finesse/Ranged AB: +12/+57 (+1 size, +0/+25 luck, +9 DEX, +0/+20 insight)
Attack: +12/+57 bite (1d6+13/+33, 20/x2) or by weapon @ +12/+57 AB for +9/+29 damage; +13/+33 with a two-handed weapon (rarely uses projectile weapons other than slings to gain their full STR bonus to damage); powerful build permits them to use Medium-sized weapons to full effect. They are fond of using the weapons of those they fell on their friends, familiars, companions…
Special Attacks: Natural and wielded weapons ignore magical and epic DR (Su), True Strikes (Su), paragon +0/+20 luck bonus on damage rolls for all melee and thrown weapon attacks (including natural weapons)
SQ: Powerful Build (ex), Perceive the Powerful (ex), Inverse Invulnerability (ex), Low-light vision (ex), Hide in Plain Sight (ex), Skill Mastery (ex)
SAVES:
Fortitude +12/+22 (base +1, +0/+10 insight, CON +9, Great Fortitude +2)
Reflex +13/+23 (base +4, +0/+10 insight, DEX +9)
Will +12/+22 (base +4, +0/+10 insight, WIS +8)
ABILITY SCORES:
29 STR (+9) [14, +15 paragon] Light Load: 466 lbs. Load: 20 lbs.
28 DEX (+9) [13, +15 paragon]
29 CON (+9) [14, +15 paragon]
26 INT (+8) [11, +15 paragon]
27 WIS (+8) [12, +15 paragon]
28 CHA (+9) [13, +15 paragon]
FEATS: Improved Initiative, Weapon Finesse and Quick Draw (paragon bonus); Great Fortitude (B); proficient with all simple and martial weapons
SKILLS: (paragon +10 competence bonus on all skill checks) (14 @ 7 ranks each)
Balance* +28 = 38 (+9 DEX, +2 synergy)
Climb* +26 = 36 (+9 STR)
Disable Device +25 (+8 INT)
Escape Artist* +26 = 36 (+9 DEX)
Hide* +30 = 40 (+4 size, +9 DEX); ring +skill mastery totals Hide check of 50
Jump* +52 = 62 (+9 STR, +24 speed, +2 synergy)
Can make a 30’ long jump from a standing start or a 15’ high jump from a standing start; with a 20’ running start they can achieve a 20’ height and/or a 60’ length. (Ideally, they get a 20’ start, a 60’ jump and a 10’ distance on the other end of the jump…)
Intimidate +26 (+9 CHA)
Listen +25 (+8 WIS)
Move Silently* +26 = 36 (+9 DEX)
Search +25 (+8 INT)
Spot +25 (+8 WIS)
Survival +25; +27 when following tracks (+8 WIS)
Tumble* +28 = 38 (+9 DEX, +2 synergy)
Use Magic Device* +26 = 36 (+9 CHA) [CL = item’s +15 @ +13 DC from minimum for all magical devices they use with this skill; staves @ DC 32 + spell level]
* Skills with which these vicious little bastards have Skill Mastery
Languages (10): Common, Sylvan; Druidic, Dwarven, Elven, Hobbit, Auran, Aquan, Ignan and Terran
These vicious critters normally live at one with nature, subsisting on foraged vegetation and fruits and dwelling in either abandoned structures or naturally occurring shelters.
They cannot perceive nor be perceived by mindless creatures – they literally do not exist for each other. Animals and creatures with an INT score of 1 or 2 are ignored by them unless they attempt to eat them. Sapient creatures that have not achieved the first year of their “young adult” age range are rather similarly ignored – they treat them as they do each other. Children are common play partners, since children perceive them as “our strange friends over there”. The critters won’t even consider harming children, as they are ‘innocent’ to them.
What these things do predate upon are the very things they are impervious to – spells and spell-like effects of 4th level or greater (including epic level spells), magical items of a caster level greater than 8th level, non-neutral creatures of 26 or more HD, undead of 9 or more HD, non-neutral elementals and outsiders of 11 or more HD, non-neutral divine spell casters of 11th level or higher and non-NPC-classed sapient creatures of 16th level or higher. Such creatures are prey to them, to be hunted down and brutalized in the most horrific fashion that they can come up with at the moment, then devoured – alive if possible.
They are immune to spells and spell-like effects of 4th level or higher, including epic spells. They are immune to any and all weapons that have more than the most meager of magical enchantments – i.e., greater than a +1 enhancement bonus, to include additional enchantments upon the same weapon – or natural weapons that bypass magical and/or epic damage reduction.
What’s worse is that their inverse invulnerability is blanket immunity – they utterly ignore any and ALL spells and spell-like effects of greater than 3rd level spells. Against foes that use comparatively mundane gear, they are far more susceptible to being dispatched.
Against supernatural abilities they receive their full bonuses unless they originate from creatures beneath their ‘prey range’.
In short, the numerical bonuses and values to the left of any / marks are used against comparatively mundane defenses – non magical or not ‘buffed’ with greater than 3rd level spells and spell-like abilities.
The Set-up: A band of 11 of these little buggers has finally noticed Our Heroes’ deliciously high aura strengths and decided to acquire themselves some new food and swag. (EL 24 for a party of 7 21st level characters)
These charming beasties have the following gear (90,000 gpv each):
Chameleon Ring (CL 3rd, disguise self at will (+18); +10 competence Hide) (12,700 gpv)
Minor Spell Storing ring (CL 5th; holds 3 spell levels) (18,000 gpv) with Mage Armor (+4 force-effect armor bonus for 6 hours) (CL 6th 150 gpv), Shield (+4 force-effect shield bonus for 6 minutes) (CL 6th 150 gpv) and Shield of Faith (+2 deflection bonus for 6 minutes) (CL 6th 150 gpv) = (18,450 gpv)
A sheaf of 3 Masterwork Medium Spears (302 gpv each) (+13/+58 melee, 1d8 +13/+33 [20/x3] P) & can be thrown +13/+58, 20’ range increment, 1d8+9/+29; totals 906 gpv and 18 lbs’ encumbrance. (They use these two-handed in melee combat.)
Masterwork Sling (300 gpv) and 20 adamantine sling bullets (1,340 gpv, 10 lbs) totaling 1,640 gpv & 10 lbs. Range Increment: 50’, +14/+59; 1d4 +9 B (20/x2).
• 2 Type 7 Necklaces of Fireballs are also carried for additional, literal firepower (Reflex DC 14 half/d20+10 vs. SR / CL 10th); 2x 10d6 & 4 each of 9d6, 7d6, 5d6 and 3d6) =17,400 gpv.
Eversmoking Bottle (5,400 gpv; 1 lb.; CL 3rd) (50’ spread of billowing smoke in 1 round, then +10’ to spread for next 5 rounds until covers a 100’ spread; persists until the stopper is resealed by a command word or dispersed by wind.) Note that they rely on their ability to ‘perceive the powerful’ to track down their prey within the billowing smoke…
Staff of Evocation, 25 charges (32,500 gpv) CL 13th (28th = dispel DC 39) is built into one of their above MW Spears.
1 charge each: Fireball (DC 35), Magic Missile (5d4+5),
and Shatter (DC 34)
2 charges each: Ice Storm, Wall of Force
3 charges: Chain Lightning (DC 38)
With their Use Magic Device bonus they can snap these in a half-strength Retributive Strike, as per a Staff of Power.
Wand of Cure Moderate Wounds, 44 charges (3,960 gpv) (CL 3rd, 2d8+3 ea.)
= 89,916 gpv
A small belt pouch (with a “lucky” set of dice & 83 gp in gold coins) also holds their wand, both necklaces of fireballs and the eversmoking bottle. Two larger pouches hold their supply of adamantine sling bullets.
Most excellent Sir Charles. If you would be so kind as to take a gander at a certain ... kraken ... over on yonder thread ?
I have looked at it, Turin, and I was most saddened that it did not get up close and personal with your players' characters; surely you could have allowed them (the PCs) to (harmlessly) neutralise the shadow-pearl & defeat Demogorgon (technically a 'win') before being swept out of existence by that cute little critter?
Alas, that was not in the cards Sir Charles, at least not at that time.
Although, had I strongly desired a player mutinee - or perhaps a B.A. Felton-esque lynching - that would have been a strong contender to achieving both a TPK and a GM-lynching, complete with Growler in the trousers... ^_^
Still ... it is tempting ...
As promised some days ago, I'm posting my home-brewed stat blocks for the enjoyment of all. First up, a more accurate "Blackfang Rhagodessa" that is the correct write-up for a CR 6 Deathbug.
Advanced Augmented Antagonist “Blackfang” Rhagodessae
Flavor Text: as per Dungeon #139 p.46, replacing "pony" with "destrier", or perhaps "small house".
Always Neutral Large Vermin (Augmented Vermin): CR 6 (base 2, +2 for +8 vermin HD, +1 for template, +1 for tremorsense added on)
Initiative + 1
Senses: darkvision 60ft, low-light vision, tremorsense 60ft; Listen +3; Spot+3
AC: 15 (natural armor+5; DEX +1; -1 size); Flat-footed AC 14
Touch AC 10; Flat-footed Touch AC 9
HP: 156 (12d8+60 CON, maximized) {statistical average hit points would be a mere 114, although I would reduce the CR to 5 in such cases.}
Immune: Vermin traits
Fort +13; Reflex+5; Will+7
Speed 40ft, Climb 40ft
Melee pedilpalp+21 (0 damage plus improved grab = free bite attack)
Full Melee Attack: 2 pedilpalps+21 (0 damage, or 1d4 damage if grappled creature escapes with an opposed grapple check instead of an Escape Artist check, plus improved grab) and bite+19 (2d6+15 B/S/P)
[The free action bite from winning each pedilpalp grapple check is at a +23 on the attack roll. The -1 size penalty to attack rolls is factored in.]
Space 10ft, Reach 5ft
Base Attack Bonus+9 (effectively +12 with WIS modifier as insight attack bonus), Grapple+27 (BAB+9, size+4, STR+10, racial+4)
Attack Options: Spring Attack (as per the feat), Improved Grab (pedilpalp), Powerful Bite [These are detailed in Dungeon magazine issue #139, page 46]
Abilities: STR 31 (19,+8 size,+4 template), DEX 12(+2 template,-2 size), CON 21(+4 size,+4 template), INT -, WIS 16(+2 template), CHA 6
FEATS: Multiattack(bonus), Spring Attack (bonus)
SKILLS: Climb +18 (can always take 10, as per Climb speed description), Listen+3, Spot+3
Environment: Any underground
Organization: Solitary, Pair, Brood (3-8)
Treasure: none unless the GM is feeling generous; could be from the carcasses of your previous PCs, you Monster Manual-reading player you.
Advancement: none or by templates that are compatible with augmented vermin.
Next up are the far nastier CR 9 versions of the Deathbugs put together by yours truly.
“Bile Gas Rhagodessa” CR 9
Advanced Augmented Antagonist Half-Farspawn Rhagodessae
Typically encountered underground in broods of 3-8; sometimes in pairs or a single bug.
Large Outsider (Augmented Vermin, Native) Initiative +2
Space/Reach 10’/5’ (15’ tentacles)
HD: 12d8 +96 (= 192 maximized hp [96+96])
Speed 40’; Climb 40’
Base Attack Bonus: +9
Grapple +28 (9+4 size +4 racial +11 STR)
AC: 20 (10, -1 size, +8 natural armor, +2 DEX, +1 morale)
Flat-Footed AC: 18
Touch AC: 12 (10, -1 size, +2 DEX, +1 morale)
Flat-Footed Touch AC: 10
When emitting their trademark fog: AC 22/Touch AC 14, DR 2/-, not subject to reach weapon and ranged weapon (thrown/projectile) attacks nor Attacks of Opportunity from beyond 5’ from most foes.
Immune: Mind-Affecting, Poisons, critical hits/sneak attacks; are not subject to being flanked.
Resist: Acid 10, Electricity 10
Ability Scores
STR 33 (+11), DEX 14 (+2), CON 27 (+8), INT --, WIS 20 (+5), CHA 8 (-1)
Skills
Climb +19 (+8 racial, +11 STR), Listen +5, Spot +5
Bonus Feats:
Multiattack, Spring Attack and Extended Reach (tentacles)
Saving Throw Bonuses
Fortitude +16 (b+8, CON +8)
Reflex +6 (b +4, DEX +2)
Will +9 (b +4, WIS +5)
Vermin Traits (Mindless: immune to all mind-affecting effects [charms, compulsions, morale effects, patterns, and phantasms])
SQ: (Ex): Tremorsense 60’; Blindsight 60’; immune to poisons; Resistance to Acid 10; Resistance to Electricity 10; powerful bite; amorphous form: cannot be flanked & are not subject to critical hits & creatures from the Material Plane suffer a -1 morale penalty on all attack rolls against them. {This has been factored into their AC values above.}
Stinking Solid Fog Emission (Su): When Bile Gas Rhagodessa become aware of potential prey, such as unfamiliar light sources or creatures entering line of sight {which underground means that they become aware of prey by light source at a minimum distance of 400’ provided that line of sight exists to the light source(s)}, tremorsense and/or blindsight ranges, they move to devour their meals. In so doing, they instantly and continually emit a 20’ radius, 20’ high spread of black, dense, nauseating fog from the center of their space until they are slain or have successfully secured their meal and withdrawn to eat without further hostilities or resistance. This fog effectively combines solid fog with stinking cloud. Unless a severe wind (31+ mph) is continually generated in the area of such a fog, it automatically reforms at the beginning of the creature’s next round should it be temporarily dispersed. All vermin and augmented vermin are not subject to any of the effects of this fog.
This fog obscures all sight – including darkvision – beyond 5 feet. A creature within 5 feet that cannot perceive it by non-visual means treats the bug as though it had concealment (20% miss chance). Creatures more than 5 feet distant from a bug cannot use sight to locate one, granting the bug the benefit of total concealment (50% miss chance). Any creature within this fog that is not a vermin or augmented vermin attempting to move through it progress at a speed of 5 feet regardless of its normal speed, taking a -2 penalty on all melee attack and melee damage rolls and are unable to take a 5’ step within the fog. The fog prevents effective ranged weapon attacks (excepting magical rays or the like). Finally, all non-vermin (or non augmented vermin) living creatures within the fog become nauseated {unable to attack, cast spells, concentrate on spells, or do anything else requiring attention; affected creatures are only able to take a single move action plus non-spell-casting free actions per turn} for as long as they remain in the fog and for (1d4+1) rounds after leaving unless they succeed on a DC 23 (10 +5 equivalent spell level +8 CON modifier) Fortitude saving throw. Remaining within the fog requires successful saving throws for each round of exposure, at the beginning of the bug’s turn.
Game Mechanics Note: Creatures that cannot perceive a totally concealed attacker, such as is likely to be the case given the bugs’ reach advantage from inside the fog, cannot use reach weapons nor thrown/projectile weapons against them, nor make attacks of opportunity against them even if they know which squares they occupy.
This ability is in place of the spell-like abilities normally granted to half-farspawn creatures.
4 tentacles +24 melee (1d6+11, 20/x2, improved grab {grapple +28}: creatures that escape the grapple by way of successful grapple checks suffer 1d4 damage from the horrid grip of the tentacles; successful improved grabs generated by tentacle attacks provide the bug with a free bite attack at an additional +4 attack bonus [+26]) and bite +22 melee (2d6+16, 20/x2). {Melee attack bonus: 9, -1 size, +5 WIS, +11 STR; Multiattack bite -2 attack penalty.}
Special Attack: True Strike (Su) 1x per day (usually on the first attack after missing a foe by a considerable margin): gains a +20 insight bonus on a single attack roll. This attack is unaffected by any miss chance due to a concealed target, unlikely given their blindsight and tremorsense qualities…
The CR 10 Olangru ...
Olangru
Bar-lgura Scout 4 CR 10 SR 20 (HD +10)
CE Medium Outsider (Chaotic, Evil, Extraplanar, Tanar’ri)
Speed 50’; Climb 20’ // trackless step
Senses: Trapfinding, Darkvision 60’, Listen +17, Spot +17
10 HD (6d8+4d8) (= 160 hp {48 +32 +80})
Initiative +8 (+7 DEX, +1 battle fortitude)
Base Attack Bonus +9 Grapple +19 (9 +10 STR)
AC: 28, uncanny dodge; skirmish +1 = 29 (10, +9 natural armor, +2 force-effect armor, +7 DEX)
Touch AC: 17, uncanny dodge; skirmish +1 = 18 (10, +7 DEX)
AC Options: Dodge (+1), Mobility +4 AC vs. AoO (AC 32 or 33/Touch AC 21 or 22, plus Dodge)
Immune to electricity and poison; Resistance to Acid 10, Cold 10 and Fire 10, DR 10/cold iron or good
Telepathy 100’ Languages: Abyssal, Celestial, Common, Draconic
Melee: +19 claw (1d6+10, 20/x2)
Melee Full Attack: 2 claws +19 (1d6+10, 20/x2) and bite +14 (1d6+5)
Attack Options: Pounce (full attack with a charge), Skirmish +1d6 damage (during turn only), Ring of the Ram, Telekinesis (bull rush or trip @ +5; disarm or grapple @ +15; violent thrust +14 – typically uses 10 warhammers [1d8, 20/x3] or 10 light crossbow bolts [1d4, 19-20/x2] for this)
Ability Scores
STR 30 (+10), DEX 24 (+7), CON 26 (+8), INT 18 (+4), WIS 18 (+4), CHA 20 (+5)
Saving Throw Bonuses
Fortitude +18 (7 base, +8 CON, +1 competence, +2 resistance)
Reflex +19 (10 base, +7 DEX, +2 resistance)
Will +15 (7 base, +4 WIS, +2 Iron Will, +2 resistance)
Feats
Proficient with all simple and martial weapons & light armor; Dodge, Mobility, Spring Attack, Power Attack, Run (Bonus), Iron Will (Trained)
Skills
Balance +22, Bluff +18, Climb +31, Concentration +21, Disguise +18, Hide +24, Jump +35 or +39 running start, Listen +17, Move Silently +20, Spot +17, Tumble +22
Gear:
Bracers of Armor +2
Cloak of Resistance +2
Ring of the Ram (25 charges) [typically uses 3 charges at a time as a standard (command) action, ranged attack +16, 50’, 3d6 force damage plus if within 30’, a Bull Rush at a STR check of +13]
40 light crossbow bolts (in bundles of 10)
10 warhammers
2 masterwork potion belts worn as bandoleers:
1x Vigor (fast healing 2 for 15 rounds)
2x Lesser Vigor (fast healing 1 for 15 rounds)
1x Fly
1x Neutralize Poison
2x Lesser Restoration
4x Cure Moderate Wounds (2d8+3 hp healing each)
Spell-like Abilities:
Caster Level: 10th; Save DC’s = 15 + spell level (Charisma based)
(At Will):
Darkness, Dispel Magic, See Invisibility, Cause Fear (DC 16), Greater Teleport (Abduction DC 22), Telekinesis (800’; concentration up to 10 rounds, up to 250 lbs)
(2x/day each)
Disguise Self (Disguise +28), Invisibility, Major Image (DC 18)
(1x/day)
Summon Tanar’ri: 35% chance to successfully summon another bar-lgura demon
And the CR 15 Olangru that was fragged on a nat-1 save vs. massive trauma on a stinkin' attack of opportunity from Monkamuck...
Olangru, version 2
Male Bar-lgura Scout 6, Ghost-Faced Killer 3 CR 15
CE Medium Outsider (Chaotic, Evil, Extraplanar, Tanar’ri) SR 25
Speed 50’; Climb 20’ // trackless step*, flawless stride**
* Trackless Step = cannot be tracked in natural terrain
** Flawless Stride = move through any terrain that slows movement at his normal speed & w/o taking damage or suffering impairment.
Senses: Darkvision 60', Trapfinding, Listen +22, Spot +22
Telepathy 100’; Languages: Abyssal, Celestial, Common, and Draconic
15 HD (6d8 +9d8) (= 240 hp {48 +72 +120})
Initiative +12 (+7 DEX, +1 competence, +4 feats)
Base Attack Bonus +13 (6+4+3) Grapple +23 (13 +10 STR)
AC: 32, uncanny dodge; skirmish +1c = 33 (10, +9 natural armor, +6 DEX, +7 armor)
Touch AC: 19, uncanny dodge; skirmish +1c = 20 (10, +6 DEX, +3 ghost ward armor)
AC Options: Dodge (+1), Mobility (+4 vs. AoO = AC 36 or 37)
Immune to electricity and poison; Resistance to Acid 10, Cold 10 and Fire 10, DR 10/cold iron or good
Ability Scores
STR 30 (+10), DEX 24 (+7), CON 26 (+8), INT 18 (+4), WIS 18 (+4), CHA 22 (+6)
Saving Throw Bonuses
Fortitude +23 (+11 base, +8 CON, +1 competence, +3 resistance)
Reflex +22, Evasion (+12 base, +7 DEX, +3 resistance)
Will +18 (+9 base, +4 WIS, +2 Iron Will, +3 resistance)
Feats: Dodge, Mobility, Spring Attack, Power Attack, Run (Bonus, racial), Iron Will (trained), Improved Initiative (Scout bonus), Proficiency with all Simple and Martial Weapons (racial), Proficiency with Light Armor (Scout), Mighty Leaping, Elusive Target (trained), Leap Attack.
Skills
Balance +24*, Bluff +21 or +23 to feint in combat, Climb +33*, Concentration +26, Disguise +21, Hide +29*, Intimidate +26, Jump +55*, Listen +22, Move Silently +25*, Spot +22, Tumble +27
Melee: +23 claw (1d6+10, 20/x2) {attack bonus = 13 +10 STR} or by weapon
Melee Full Attack: 2 claws +23 (1d6+10 +13, 20/x2) and bite +18 (1d6+5, 20/x2) or by weapon
Attack Options: Pounce (full attack with a charge); Skirmish +2d6 damage (during turn only, moves 10’ or more during his turn); Sudden Strike +1d6 (when foes are denied their dexterity bonus to AC against his attacks); Telekinesis (see below); Frightful Attack.
Ghost Step 1/day (Su): Swift action to become invisible for 1 full round.
Frightful Attack 1/day (Su): Designate a sudden strike attack as a frightful attack. He must use at least a -1 Power Attack as part of this attack. If the attack deals damage to the foe = Will DC 19 (10 +3 +6 CHA). Success means the victim is shaken for 3 rounds; failure means they die from fear. Creatures with more than 15 HD (or who are immune to fear) are unaffected by Olangru’s Frightful Attack.
In addition, all creatures (excluding the victim, Olangru and Olangru’s allies) within 30 feet who see the frightful attack become shaken for 3 rounds (Will DC 19 + damage bonus from Power Attack on the Frightful Strike [10 +3 +6 CHA] negates); they are panicked for 3 rounds instead if they have less than 10 hit dice and fail the same DC Will saving throw.
Spell-like Abilities: Caster Level: 15th Save DC’s = 16 + spell level (Charisma based)
(At Will):
Darkness, Cause Fear (DC 17), Dispel Magic, See Invisibility, Greater Teleport (Abduction DC 23), and Telekinesis (1,000’; concentration up to 15 rounds or instant violent thrust; up to 375 pounds of objects; bull rush or trip @ +6 bonus; disarm or grapple @ +21; prefers violent thrust to sling volleys of carried weapons at an attack bonus of +19 per weapon, either 15 light crossbow bolts [1d4 P, 19-20/x2) or a single boulder of the proper weight (doing 15d6 bludgeoning, 20/x2) to pulverize those of hostile intent.
(2x/day each) Disguise Self (Disguise +31), Invisibility and Major Image (DC 19)
(1x/day) Summon Tanar’ri: 35% chance to summon another bar-lgura “decoy” demon
Gear: (NPC gear allowance for 15th level is a paltry 59,000 gpv, increased to 70,950 gpv.)
(22k gpv): rank 4 domain affiliations tithing for Trickery and rank 3 tithing for War, granting the following benefits (from Complete Champion):
A +2 bonus on Bluff checks made to feint in combat (in above stat block).
1x per day he can ignore the armor check penalty (if any) on one skill check.
1x per day he can ignore the effects of difficult terrain on his movement for 1 round.
1x per day he can gain a +7 bonus on one Bluff, Disguise or Hide check.
1x per day he can gain double the normal bonus when using his Power Attack feat. If he uses a two-handed weapon when doing so, he instead gains triple the normal bonus. If he elects to do so when performing a leap attack, this becomes FIVE (5) times the normal damage bonus for each -1 attack penalty he accepts (x4 with his natural weapons).
(Su): As a swift action he can become Invisible for up to 15 rounds per day. The duration need not be consecutive. Deactivating this effect is also a swift action unless ended prematurely.
He has two (2) Outsider Lifestones, one of which is bonded to him.
Cloak of Resistance +3 (9k gpv) {1/2 lb, hooded, dark black-red.}
+3 Ghost Ward Mithril Chain Shirt (10,100 gpv; CL 9th Moderate Abjuration & Conjuration; hardness 21; hit points 50; armor bonus +7 / touch AC bonus +3; armor check penalty 0; arcane spell failure 10%; 12 ½ lbs’ encumbrance; the Mithril is the same dark black-red as his cloak.)
Elixir of Greater Heroism (CL 10th;Moderate Enchantment;2,500 gpv.) For 10 minutes after Olangru imbibes this elixir, he gains: 10 temporary hit points; +4 morale AB, saves, skill checks; immunity to fear effects. These are not factored into his stat block.
Medium-sized +1Vampiric Manticore Greatsword (CL 10th; moderate evocation & necromancy (DC20), 26,350 gpv) fitted with a Witchlight Reservoir weapon augment crystal (currently filled with blood). {This weapon has a hardness of 11 & 11 hit points. If sundered, the crystal is sundered with the blade.}
Melee +24/+19/+14 (2d6+16 slashing, 19-20/x2 plus 1d6 vampiric plus 2d6 (blood witchlight) plus possible 2d6 skirmish plus possible 1d6 sudden strike/frightful strike); leap attack charge + pounce = +25/+20/+15 (+27/+22/+17 when invisible and his target cannot perceive him), less power attack penalty/ plus power attack and other damage bonuses. {8 lbs.}
The blade is a dark black-red coloration by inclusions within the steel blade when it was forged. The grip is almost identically-colored, tanned from many layers of humanoid skin – who still lived at the time the procurement of materials was initiated, wrapped around bone from the same creatures the skin was tanned from. The pommel-stone is the Manticore bulb from which the spikes are launched, fashioned of iron-hard bone from the same creatures mentioned above. Those with 5 or more ranks of Heal, among other qualifications that can be guessed, will recognize that his gear’s black-red coloration is identical to that of arterial blood freshly spilled.
The Vampiric property of the weapon deals an extra 1d6 damage per hit to living creatures, healing him the same amount so dealt.
The weapon augment crystal, for the next five (5) successful melee attacks with the sword upon a living creature, deals an extra 2d6 damage per attack that hits. Afterwards, he must immerse the crystal in a pint or more of blood for 8 hours in order to recharge this property.
As either a standard (command) or a full-round (command) action, he can launch either 1 or all 6 spikes from the pommel as though they are thrown weapons = +21 ranged attack bonus (13 +7 +1). Each deals 1d6+11 piercing damage (magic strike), 19-20/x2, with a range increment of 20’. Once thrown, these spikes crumble to dust 1 round later, regenerating at dawn of the following day.
Ideally, he will place himself in a straight line 100’ from his desired foe, executing a leap attack-charge-pounce with his sword. While do so, the first attack is a Frightful Attack, packing a -6 Power Attack penalty (dropping his attack bonus sequence to +21/+16/+11 melee against a foe subject to his sudden strike due to his being Invisible while joyfully gaining a +30 damage bonus from Power Attack due to his affiliation ability and the leap attack feat). Due to the distance moved he gains the skirmish damage bonus per blow. Each of the hits landed with the sword gains the damage bonus from the crystal, the vampiric bonus damage, totaling 2d6 +46, 19-20/x3 & 6d6 bonus damage per hit with the sword and 3d6 bonus damage with his secondary bite attack (+16 melee for 1d6+23, 20/x2, plus 3d6 skirmish & sudden strike). While the DC 19 Will save to not die from fear for the hacked foe does not change due to the damage bonus from the Power Attack, the DC 49 Will save (10 +3 +6 Cha +30 Power Attack damage bonus) for witness’ to resist being shaken (10+ HD) or panicked (9 or less HD) is not insignificant…
Invisible leap attack +charge +pounce with Ulioth’s buff spells adding +8 melee attack and +3 melee damage, declaring a 6 point Power Attack and using his War domain affiliation’s multiplier bonus gives: +32/+27/+22 (2d6+19 slashing @ 19-20/x2 plus 1d6 vampiric plus 2d6 blood witchlight plus 2d6 skirmish plus 1d6 sudden frightful strike, totaling 8d6+49 slashing – if a critical hit, that goes to 10d6+68 slashing. He gets to bite as well as a secondary attack @ +26 melee, doing 4d6+26, 20/x2. The DC of the Frightful Strike remains unchanged – Will DC 19 for the victim not to die from fright (presuming he survives the massive trauma and hit point damage) with the DC for our heroes within 30’ not to become shaken is 49. Buttercup, if she is within 30’, must save to not become panicked. Either effect lasts 3 rounds.
90 medium Crossbow Bolts, in two chest bandoleers of 45 bolts. (9 lbs = 30 lbs’ enc. Total)
Olangru’s Decoy Bar-Igura (if successfully summoned): Note that this critter has been given his old +2 bracers of armor and +2 cloak of resistance, along with a junk jewelry ring and 30 medium crossbow bolts (used 6 at a time with telekinesis if it is around long enough). As one of Olangru’s 'buddies', he is accustomed to “playing the role” before being returned to the Abyss, content to crack open a cold one and enjoy the chuckling.
CE Medium Outsider (Chaotic, Evil, Extraplanar, Tanar’ri) CR 5
Initiative +4 Darkvision 60’; Listen +11, Spot +11 Space/Reach 5 ft/ 5ft
Languages: Abyssal, Celestial, Common, and Draconic Telepathy 100 ft
AC 25 (ff 21), Incorporeal Touch AC 15 (12); Touch AC 13 (10) SR 16
AC Options: Dodge, Mobility (AC 29 or 30, Incorporeal 19 or 20, Touch 17 or 18)
Speed 40’/ Run; climb 20’ Fort +11
Hit Points: 72 (6d8 +24 HD); DR 10/ cold iron or good Reflex +11
Immune to electricity and poison; Resistance to Acid 10, Cold 10 and Fire 10 Will +9
Melee 2 claws +12 (1d6 +6) and bite +7 (1d6+3); Pounce
(Sp): At Will: Greater Teleport (Abduction DC 18 Will); Cause Fear; Darkness; Dispel Magic; See Invisibility; Telekinesis (+1 Cha/+7 attack or disarm or grapple; 150 pound limit; 6 object max – a volley of 6 bolts @ +7 AB per bolt, 1d4 piercing per bolt, 19-20/x2)
2x per day each: Invisibility, Disguise Self, Major Image
STR 22 (+6) DEX 19 (+4) CON 19 (+4) INT 13 (+1) WIS 14 (+2) CHA 13 (+1)
Balance +15, Climb +23, Hide +17, Intimidate +10, Jump +27, Listen +11, Move Silently +13, Spot +11, Tumble +15
Gear (returns with him when fragged): Bracers of Armor +2, Cloak of Resistance +2, 30 crossbow bolts and a junk jewelry ring.
And of course Olangru's buddy, Vrocky Fireboa
Vrocky Fireboa CR 15
Large Outsider (Augmented Outsider, Chaotic, Evil, Extraplanar, Tanar’ri)
Augmented Antagonist Vrock Master of the Unseen Hand 5
Space/Reach 10’/10’(-1 size AB & AC, -4 size Hide)
Speed 30’, fly 50’ (average)
15 HD (10d8 +5d4) = 235 hp (80 +20 +135); SR 20
Base Attack Bonus +15 Grapple +26 (15, +4 size, +7 Str)
AC: 26 (10, -1 size, +11 natural armor, +3 Dexterity, +3 deflection)
Flat-footed AC: 23
Touch AC: 15 (10, -1 size, +3 Dexterity, +3 deflection)
Flat-footed Touch AC: 12
Telepathy 100'; Languages: Abyssal, Celestial, Common, Draconic, Ignan
Abilities
STR 24 (+7), DEX 17 (+3), CON 29 (+9), INT 14 (+2), WIS 16 (+3), CHA 28 (+9)
Saving Throw Bonuses
Fortitude +20 (base 8, +9 Con, +3 resistance)
Reflex +14 (base 8, +3 Dex, +3 resistance)
Will +17 (base 11, +3 Wis, +3 resistance)
(Template grants Vrocky his Charisma modifier as insight bonus on all attack rolls, which has been factored into this stat block.)
2 claws +32 melee (2d6 +8, 20/x2) and bite +32 melee (1d8 +4, 20/x2) and 2 talons +32 melee (1d6 +4, 20/x2); permanent greater magic fang grants a +1 enhancement bonus to all of these. {Attack bonus totaled as 15 base, -1 size, +9 insight from Charisma, +1 enhancement, +7 Str.}
* If performing a dive attack: 2 claws +34 (4d6 +16, 20/x2) & 2 talons +34 (2d6 +8, 20/x2)
SQ: Aligned Strike (natural & wielded weapons are treated as both chaotically and evilly-aligned); Magic Strike (natural weapons, due to a permanent greater magic fang +1 on all of his natural weapons); darkvision 60’; DR 10/good; immunity to fire and poison; resistance to acid 10, cold 10 and electricity 10; +9 insight attack bonus from Charisma modifier.
Feats (6): Multiattack, Power Attack, Combat Reflexes, Improved Multiattack, Cleave, Quicken Spell-like Ability (Telekinesis) 3x/day &
(Outsider) Proficient with all Simple and Martial weapons.
Skills: (10 @ 13 ranks plus 4 at 5 ranks)
Concentration +27, Craft (sculpture) +8, Diplomacy +11, Hide +12, Intimidate +27, Knowledge (arcana) +20, Listen +24, Move Silently +12, Search +15, Sense Motive +16, Spellcraft +15, Spot +24
Special Attacks:
Spores (ex): As a free action 1x per 3 rounds, Vrocky can release a mass of spores that automatically deals 1d8 damage to all non-demons adjacent to him. They then penetrate the skin and grow, contributing 1d4 continuing damage per round for the next 10 rounds. Bless, Neutralize Poison or Remove Disease kills the spores, as does sprinkling a victim with a vial of holy water. Delay Poison halts the growth of these spores for the duration of the spell.
Stunning Screech (Su): 1x per hour he can emit a piercing screech, that stuns all non-demons within a 30’ radius spread who do not succeed on a DC 26 Fortitude save {10 +7 +9} for 1 round.
Summon Tanar’ri (Sp, 3rd level): Vrocky cannot summon any of his buddies to the Material Plane for a time, on account of how bad his last box office receipts were.
Dance of Ruin (Su): Vrocky cannot perform the Ultimate Chicken Dance, because his buddies are a mite out of touch for a while.
Spell-like Abilities (Sp) CL 12th [17th for Telekinesis], Charisma-based = DC’s 19 + spell level):
Mirror Image retrained for Body of the Sun (at will): 5’ radius emanation that illuminates the area; SR applies; adjacent creatures take 5d4 fire damage on his turn; Reflex DC 21 half.
Greater Teleport (at will): Himself plus up to 50 pounds of objects only.
Telekinesis (at will): Range is 1,080 feet (216 squares); SR applies; Will DC 24
o Sustained Force: 375 pounds or less; up to 17 rounds’ with concentration; 20’/rd.
o Combat Maneuver: +9 ability score modifier for bull rush or trip; +26 to disarm or grapple; lasts up to 17 rounds unless he ceases concentration earlier.
o Violent Thrust: Up to 15 objects totaling no more than 375 pounds – or a single object weighing no more than 375 pounds. (Like Olangru, he is fond of precisely-sized boulders or statuary, dealing 15d6 bludgeoning damage with a single attack.) An object or all objects to be hurled must be within 10’ of each other and within a maximum of 170’ of the target; +35 attack bonus {15 base +9 Cha +9 insight} with a +9 damage bonus. Due to his fire fetish, Vrocky carries 45 flasks of alchemist’s fire on a series of bandoleers on his torso, which can be telekinetically deployed to lethal effect in a few rounds’ time…
o Versatile Telekinesis: He may switch between versions of this ability as he likes, although it ends with using a violent thrust.
o Telekinetic Wielder: Using the combat maneuver version/mode, he may have a weapon move up to 20’ & make a single attack. Attack bonus is +35/+30/+25 {17 +9 +9}. The weapon wielded can be one he has taken from a foe with a telekinetic disarm attempt.
o Sustained Concentration: It only takes a move action for him to maintain concentration on the sustained force. To use another of his spell-like abilities successfully requires a DC 24 Concentration check.
o Full Attack Telekinesis: When using the combat maneuver or wielding a weapon telekinetically, using his caster level as the base attack bonus. (AB +35/+30/+25)
o Improved Violent Thrust: Uses CL instead of BAB. Gains Cha modifier as a damage bonus. Using a violent thrust no longer ends the effect, although doing so again requires a recharge time of 1d4 rounds.
o Telekinetic Flight: With a move action he can move himself and any willing creatures (up to a maximum equivalent of 5 additional medium creatures carrying their maximum loads) 20’ with perfect maneuverability, none of which may be further away than 40’ from him. A large creature counts as 2 medium, while a huge creature counts as 4.
o Fling Skyward: He can use the violent thrust version of telekinesis (ending that use of it, regardless of improved violent thrust) to hurl a creature that he can lift straight up – SR applies & a DC 24 Will save will negate this – a maximum distance of 170’. At the beginning of the victim’s next action, they fall, taking 1d6 damage per 10’ fallen.
Heroism retrained for Fireball (1x per day): 880’ range; 10d6 fire damage + combustion; SR applies; Reflex DC 22 half.
Gear:
15 flasks of alchemist’s fire: hurled 15 at a time at a single target; each hit deals 1d6 +9 fire damage (1 pt splash fire damage) plus combustion (Reflex DC 15 negates, per flask that hits); ranged touch attack +35, 1d6 +9 fire (plus 1 point of fire splash damage), 20/x2 plus 1d6 continuing fire damage, per flask.
15 flasks of black bile (same AB as for alchemists’ fire): deals 1d6 +9 acid damage (plus 1 point of acid splash damage) on initial impact, persists for 2 rounds afterwards, dealing 1d6 acid damage per each of those rounds, per flask that hits; lawful subtype creatures suffer double damage.
Large Battle Axe (2d6+10 or +9 slashing, 20/x3, used two-handed or by telekinesis full attack)
+3 Ring of Protection
+3 Vest of Resistance
2 Outsider Lifestones, 1 of which is bonded to him.
Next up is Ulioth's buddy, dubbed "Cuddles" in the Sunday campaign:
Cuddles, Bilewretch of Holashner CR 15
Chaotic Evil Huge Aberration (-2 size AC & attacks; -8 size Hide) SR 23
Space/Reach 15’/10’ Initiative +11 (+4 feat, +7 Dexterity)
24d8 +192 HD (384 hp {192 +192})
Base Attack Bonus +18 Grapple +36 (18, +8 size, +10 Strength)
Speed 40’/air walk (Su); swim 40’ * hold w/o impeded -20 = +16
Immune to acid, fire, inhaled toxins, mind-affecting effects and suffocation
SQ: No Breath (ex: does not need to breathe); Black Bile Affinity (ex: while at least partially submerged in black bile, Cuddles gains fast healing 15; FRA to transform a 5’ block of bilestone into black bile of the world; Cuddles can swim through black bile unimpeded & sees through it as if it were clear.); Darkvision 60’.
AC: 31 (10, -2 size, +16 natural armor, +7 Dexterity) Flat-footed AC: 24
Touch AC: 15 (10, -2 size, +7 Dexterity) Flat-footed Touch AC: 8
STR 30 (+10) Fortitude: +16 (base 8, +8 Con)
DEX 24 (+7) Reflex: +17 (base 8, +7 Dex, +2 Lightning Reflexes)
CON 26 (+8) Will: +18 (base 14, +4 Wis)
INT 10 Language: Aboleth (cannot speak)
WIS 18 (+4)
CHA 18 (+4)
Skills: Listen +18 (14 rk), Move Silently +20 (13 rk), Spot +18 (14 rk), Swim +31 (13 rk, +8 racial)
Feats (9): Ability Focus (poison), Combat Reflexes (8 AoO/round), Blind-Fight, Empower Spell-like Ability (poison), Improved Critical (tentacle), Improved Initiative, Lightning Reflexes, Recover Breath (1 rd faster), Quickened Spell-like Ability (poison)
Spell-like Abilities (3x per day each): Caster Level: 18th
Confusion (PHB page 212; 280’; 15’ radius burst – indiscriminant; Will DC 18 negates)
Deeper Darkness (shadowy illumination 60’; lasts 18 days (D); spell level 3 [Darkness])
Empowered Poison (melee touch or tentacle-delivered; Fort DC 25 negates 1d10 +5 initial Con damage/ secondary Fort DC 25 negates 1d10 +5 Con damage 1 min. later.)
4 Tentacles +26 melee {18, -2 size, +10 Strength} (1d8 +10, 19-20/x2) and Tail +21 melee (2d8 +5, 20/x2); tentacles deal an additional 1d6 continuing acid damage per hit (with another 1d6 acid damage per tentacle hit on the following round – lawful subtype creatures suffer 2d6 acid damage per round for 2 rounds per tentacle hit).
* Improved Grab (ex; tentacle or tail): free action to attempt to establish a hold; if a hold is established, each successful grapple check with its tail deals automatic tail damage. If it establishes a hold with at least 2 tentacles, it can use its breath weapon against that foe.
Breath Weapon (Su): Reflex DC 30 half (10 +12 +8): Once every (1d4-1, 0 = able to hwarf the stuff again on the following round) rounds, Cuddles can spew forth a 30’ line of black bile of the world that deals 8d6 acid damage to every creature in the line. If the bile is exposed to air, it ignites, inflicting an additional 8d6 fire damage. Creatures with the lawful subtype take double acid damage (16d6). On the round after suffering damage from this breath weapon unless they were successful on the initial saving throw, a creature takes an additional 4d6 acid damage and 4d6 fire damage (8d6 acid damage to creatures with the lawful subtype) as the stuff clings and continues to burn, unless victims take a full-round action to wash or scrape off the bile. If it so chooses, a bilewretch can heave bile on a victim grappled with at least 2 tentacles, inflicting its breath weapon upon the hapless foe with no saving throw permitted.
Unlike most bilewretches, Cuddles is particularly intelligent (for a bilewretch). It has worked with Ulioth for some time now, so it has some considerable experience with divine spellcasters. It knows, for example, that meat snacks suddenly becoming bigger is probably a Bad Thing. It also knows that trying once to grapple something that hits him in the face generally means it cannot be grappled. [In short, it knows about the Close Quarters Fighting feat from previous experience.] It also knows to fight from the benefit of the black bile’s fast healing properties, submerging within unless allies are around. In general terms, it will seek to return to the healing embrace of the stuff once reduced below about 165 hit points unless it is shredding something delectable and still screaming, or if Ulioth needs its assistance in continuing to procure food and victory. If by some chance a lawfully subtyped creature is shrieking suitably due to the black bile, Cuddles prefers to immerse such victims in black bile until nothing remains but a twitching, smoking pile of ashen sludge. To be fair, Cuddles prefers spewing black bile on anything humanoid, while slathering on more from its tentacles. Although its first three tentacle attacks in a day are backed up by quickened empowered poisons. Presuming Cuddles has been forewarned by Ulioth of impending meat snack combat, it will ‘charge’ one poison use as it moves into combat, quickly deploying all 3 as rapidly as they are delivered – preferably on two or three different targets, with the hope that a battle of attrition from close proximity to its beloved black pile will see the poison fell 3 meat snacks in a minute’s time.
Ulioth for your viewing pleasure
Ulioth Male Kopru Cleric 8 / Thrall of Demogorgon 4 CR 14
Initiative Bonus +6
CE Medium Monstrous Humanoid (Aquatic) Speed 5’, Swim 40’
Space/Reach: 5ft /5ft
AC: 32 (10, +5 natural armor, +8 armor, +6 DEX, +3 deflection) / flat-footed AC: 26
Touch AC: 19 (10, +6 DEX, +3 deflection) / flat-footed touch AC: 13
20d8 + HD (=260 hp {160 +80 CON +20 Improved Toughness}) (6d8 +8d8 +4d8)
Base Attack Bonus +16 {6 +6+4} / Grapple +29 {+7 racial bonus on grapple checks}
Melee: +2 Unholy Spear = +24/+19/+14/+9 (1d8 +11, 20/x3 & 2d6 bonus profane) and tail slap +21 (1d6 +7, 20/x2; improved grab if M or smaller => constrict 3d6 +10; each successful grapple check it makes during successive rounds automatically deals tail and constrict damage totaling 4d6+17) and bite +21 (1d4 +4, 20/x2).
STR 22 (+6) Fortitude: +16 (base 12, +4 CON)
DEX 22 (+6) Reflex: +14 (base 8, +6 DEX)
CON 18 (+4) Will: +20 (base 12, +6 WIS, +2 Iron Will)
INT 14 (+2)
WIS 22 (+6) 26 (+8) (D) Corruption: 1x per day he can ignore a struck object’s hardness.
CHA 18 (+4) 20 (+5) (D) Demonic: +1 profane bonus to attack & damage w/ natural weapons.
Languages: Aboleth, Abyssal, Aquan, Olman (from Automatic & INT bonus) and Common
SQ: Amphibious, Darkvision 60’, Spontaneous Inflict Spells, Dual Actions 2x per day (Su: can take two full rounds’ worth of actions in the same round), Reaching Touch (Su: 3x per day as a free action Ulioth can cause his arms to stretch unnaturally, increasing his reach by 5 feet for 1 round.), Dominate Person (Su: 1x per day @ CL 10th; Will DC 18 {10 +4 +4}; 180’ range; duration: 8 days), Hypnosis Gaze (Sp); Touch of Fear (Sp); Scaly Flesh (ex – natural armor bonus improved by 2); Rebuke Undead 20x per day {3+4/5+12} (to fuel Divine Metamagic)
Feats: (Kopru) Proficiency with all simple weapons; (Cleric) Proficiency with shields (except tower shields) and light/medium/heavy armor; (Thrall) Proficiency with all martial weapons
(1st) Iron Will (3rd) Multiattack (6th) Improved Toughness
(6th trained) Divine Metamagic: Quicken (5 rebuke attempts per use) Can do 4 per day
(9th) Thrall to Demon (Demogorgon): +1 luck bonus on any attack roll when performing an evil act 1x per day
(12th) Willing Deformity: +2 deformity bonus to Intimidate checks
(12th trained) Extra Turning +4
(15th) Extra Turning +4
(18th) Extra Turning +4
(18th trained) Craft Wondrous Item
Skills: (4 @ 11 ranks each plus 4 @ 8 ranks each plus 6 @ 4 ranks each)
Concentration +27 (23 ranks) Knowledge (arcane) +10 (8 ranks)
Escape Artist +17* (11 ranks) Knowledge (religion) +10 (8 ranks)
Move Silently +17* (11 ranks) Knowledge (the planes) +10 (8 ranks)
Search +13 (11 ranks) Spot +12 (4 ranks) Speak Language: Common
Swim +16** (2 ranks, +8 racial) Intimidate +23 (16 ranks, +2 deformity)
Gear:
+4 Mithril Chain Shirt (armor bonus +8; max DEX +6; no armor check penalty; 12 ½ lbs.)
+3 Ring of Protection
Periapt of Wisdom +4
Bracelets of Charisma +2
Portable Hole (ruby Ring of Wizardry II; 2,400 gpv gold and ivory tiara of coiling snakes & shrieking monkeys)
Gold unholy symbol of Demogorgon (+500 gpv) Necklace of Adaptation
Strand of Prayer Beads:
Healing {CL 5th: cure serious wounds (3d8+5), remove blindness/deafness or remove disease)
XKarma (1x per day increase wearer’s caster level by +4 for 10 minutes)
Smiting (1x per day either Chaos Hammer or Unholy Blight [DC 17, CL 7th]
+2 Unholy Spear: +24/+19/+14 melee (used two-handed = 1d8 +11 piercing, 20/x3, double damage when set to receive a charge; 20’ range increment when thrown; +2d6 bonus damage against good-aligned creatures per hit; hardness 7/12 hit points; 6 lbs.)
Wand of Cure Moderate Wounds (2d8+3; 12 charges)
XPotion of Resist Acid 10 (30 minutes)
XPotion of Heroism (CL 3 = +2 morale AB, saves & skill checks for 30 minutes)
Decanter of Endless Water
Prepared Spells: (Caster Level 10th, 14th with the bead of karma in effect; +22 touch; base DC 18)
5th Level (4): Triadspell: Protection from Energy
Righteous Wrath of the Faithful x2 (self and all allies within a 30’ radius burst gain 1 additional melee attack/round [q.v. Haste]; +3 morale bonus on melee attack and damage rolls; for 10/14 rounds.)
Divine Retribution (personal: the next creature that attacks Ulioth whether by physical attack, spell or other means is struck immediately for 10d6 or 14d6 damage {half fire, half divine} & 1d4 Constitution damage; Will save by the creature so struck DC 23 negates ability damage & halves hp damage; spell is active for 100 or 140 minutes, or until it is discharged.)
Domain: Feeblemind (DC 23, effective DC 27 for arcane spell casters; 200’; INT & CHA drop to 1; PHB p 230)
4th Level (5): X Air Swim (variant of Air Walk, uses his Swim speed in air; lasts 100 or 140 minutes)
Control Water (100’ x 100’ x 20’ or 140’ x 140’ x 28’; one horizontal dimension x ½ to x2 the other)
Recitation (all allies in a 60’ radius burst of himself, including himself, gain a +3 luck bonus to AC, saving throws and attack rolls for 10 or 14 rounds.)
Wrack x2 ([Evil] one humanoid within 50’; Fortitude DC 22 to negate falling prone, blind and helpless for 10 / 14 rounds; after this period, the subject is shaken for 3d10 minutes)
Domain: Dimensional Anchor (200’ ray, no save, lasts 10 or 14 minutes)
3rd Level (5): Bestow Curse (touch, Will DC 21 to negate a -4 penalty on attack rolls, saves, ability checks and skill checks until the curse is removed)
Knight’s Move (swift action to move himself into a square from which he flanks an enemy: 25’/35’)
Dispel Magic (200’; d20 +10 dispel check vs. DC of [11 +CL] of targeted item or creature’s spells)
Protection from Energy {triadspell = x3} (typically against Cold, Fire & Sonic; each @ 120 points; lasts 100 or 140 minutes, or until discharged)
Mass Conviction (all allies within a 20’ radius burst are granted a +3/ +4 morale bonus on saving throws for 100/ 140 minutes,)
Domain: Contagion([Evil], touch, Fortitude DC 21 negates Blinding Sickness {1d4 Strength damage – for every 2 Strength lost, must make another Fort save @ DC 16 to negate permanent blindness; every day after contracting the disease another Fort save DC 16 is req’d.})
2nd Level (6): Death Knell ([Death, Evil] touched subject at negative hp that fails a DC 20 Will save dies, bestowing a +2 Strength bonus and 1d8 temporary hp on Ulioth for 100 / 140 minutes.)
Shatter (50’; single solid object @ 100 lbs or less that is nonmagical OR 5’ r burst vials, flasks, etc.)
Silence (800’; 20’ r emanation point in space, object or creature {Will DC 20 negates}; 10 min. (D))
Spiritual Weapon x2 (Spear of force; +24/+19/+14 AB; 1d8 +3/ +4 piercing, 20/x3; move action to redirect – on any round of a redirect, the weapon gets one attack; 200’ range)
Interfaith Blessing (20’ radius burst, CT 1 round; lasts 10 minutes; self & all affected allies gain a +2 profane bonus on attack rolls)
Domain: Blindness/Deafness (200’; Fortitude DC 20 negates permanent (D) blindness.)
1st Level (6): Divine Favor x2 (personal +3 luck bonus on attack & weapon damage rolls for 1 min.)
Blade of Blood x4 (swift action to enable touched weapon to deal 1d6 extra damage, or 3d6 extra damage if he voluntarily takes 5 hp in the process of casting the spell)
Domain: Doom ([Fear, Mind-Affecting] 200’; Will DC 19 negates becoming shaken for a duration of 10 or 14 minutes)
Orisons (6): Summon Holy Symbol; Create Water x3; Guidance x2 (+1 competence bonus on a single attack roll, saving throw or skill check within the next minute)
Tactics: Once Ulioth is aware of the party’s impending approach, he and his allies will gather within a 20’ radius of him to do the buff dance. In Ulioth’s case, this means he does the following in order:
Round 1 – Activates the Karma bead of his Strand of Prayer Beads
Round 2 – Drink his potion of heroism (+2 morale AB, saves & skill checks for 30 minutes)
Round 3 – Drink his potion of acid resistance 10 (lasts 30 minutes)
Round 4 – Cast Divine Retribution on himself
Round 5 – Cast Air Swim on himself
Rounds 6,7,8 – Cast (via benefit of Triadspell) Protection from Energy three times, selecting Cold, Fire and Sonic energy types unless scout’s information indicates other choices would be better.
Round 9 – Mass Conviction (granting himself and his buddies a +4 morale bonus on all saves)
Round 10 (1 minute) – Interfaith Blessing (granting himself and his buddies a +2 profane bonus on attack rolls; note that this is only a 1 point improvement to Ulioth’s natural weapon attack bonuses)
Once it is time to engage the enemy, he burns 10 rebuke attempts, casting Righteous Wrath of the Faithful and Recitation (presuming all his allies remain within 30’ of him until they get the buffs, which they are certainly smart enough to do), tacking on +3 luck bonuses to saves, AC and attack rolls AND +3 morale bonuses to melee attack & damage rolls plus the extra attack on a full round action, as his swift and move actions for that round. Most likely he will use his standard action – casting defensively if necessary – to cast Guidance on himself. This still leaves him able to quicken 2 more spells for the day…
Total buff bonuses provided to allies (presuming they do not have better):
AC Saving Throws Attack Melee Attack Melee Damage
+3 luck +4 morale; +3 luck +2 profane; +3 luck +3 morale +3 morale
Total is +3 AC, +7 saving throws, +5 attacks (+8 melee attacks) & +3 melee damage rolls.
Ulioth with these buffs: AC 35 (ff 29), Touch AC 22 (ff 16); Fort +23, Reflex +21, Will +27; Melee Full Attack = Unholy Spear +33/+28/+23/+18 (1d8+14, 20/x3) plus 2d6 unholy & tail slap +28 (1d6 +10, 20/x2, improved grab {+29 grapple} = constrict 3d6 +13 – sustained rounds = 4d6 +23) & bite +28 (1d4 +7, 20/x2). +27 touch attack bonus. These buffs last only 14 rounds after they are cast, so if his foes (let alone himself) last that long … things are not going well…
In general terms, he greatly prefers to soften up his foes as rapidly as possible. Using his dual actions ability for the first 2 rounds (after the ‘time to engage’ mentioned above), he unlimbers his heavy artillery as fast as possible:
Dual-Action 1 of 2, round 1 of 2:
Quickened Greater Command, catching as many foes as possible – depending on the terrain, he will either command them to halt or to flee.
Quickened Dimensional Anchor – deliberately targeting any obvious spell caster (move action), preferring any obvious arcane spell caster.
Feeblemind whomever he hits with the Dimensional Anchor (standard action).
Dual Action 1 of 2, round 2 of 2:
(Move action) adjusting to 60’ of the nearest foes, ideally behind an ally that is not a spell caster.
(Standard action) tag either the character that resisted the Feeblemind or any other foe of pansy build with Blindness / Deafness (ideally, to render another caster or a sneaky type blind and unable to contribute meaningfully to the rest of the combat).
Dual Action 2 of 2 – both rounds will be used to drop Wrack spells on the most susceptible-appearing foes still present or returning from shrugging off the Greater Command.
Subsequent rounds, his preferences are to drop his 2 Spiritual Weapons into play – stabbing those who hang in the rear ranks of his foes preferably – then Silence any pets, target a clearly nasty melee weapon with a Dispel Magic (then Shatter it) {in no particular order – if some one is clearly whomping on his buddies with a demon slaying or holy weapon, that puppy gets shut down as fast as possible} before setting up his melee gambit. At that point, if things are not completely out of hand, he will Knight’s Move into flanking position with an ally, then (depending on the foe) proceed to stab them with his unholy spear. On subsequent rounds, he will burn through his Blade of Blood spells (taking the damage if he feels he can get away with it to ramp up his damage output) while continuing to skewer the enemy, redirecting Spiritual Weapons as necessary – although letting them drift back to his side certainly doesn’t hurt either. Should his Wrack spells have been successful in rendering foes helpless, and he finds himself with nothing better to do, he will certainly stab them in the face to coup de gras their blasphemous carcasses. Do not forget his ability to extend his reach round by round, which could make for some very rude surprises…
The Scholarly Devourer, encountered in Dread Golismorga:
“Scholarly Devourer” Rakis-Ka CR 18
An ancient creature, he came to Golismorga some months ago and became fascinated by the ruins. Upon noticing the party’s presence, he will seek them out to discover what they know about the Elder Evils, conversing arrogantly about what he has learned. That consists of Bolothamogg [Him Who Watches from Beyond the Stars], honored here by leaving large gaps and empty spaces in the facades of buildings & constructing large open coliseums or other structures without roofs; Holashner [The Hunger Below], honored here by the inclusion of myriad spindly protrusions, tangled foundations at the base of buildings or – rarely – by the inclusion of bilestone inlays in walls, ceilings and floors; Piscaethces [The Blood Queen], honored here by the inclusion of large domed windows of red crystal; Shothotugg [Eater of Worlds], honored here by the placement of large pools and fountains of magically treated and colored liquids that are much heavier than water, or by swirling vortex pattern inlays in floors; and Y’chak [The Violet Flame], honored here by 4 massive pillars of violet flame that burn even underwater. It is his hypothesis that the pulsations and writhing of these columns of fire are used to mark the passage of time or perhaps even to send simple messages throughout the entire city to whatever beings could perceive them. Engaging the Scholarly Devourer in a civil discussion reaps a CR 9 experience award, CR 12 if they are diplomatic enough to achieve a DC 50+ result – which keeps the creature from tracking them down later…
Advanced Augmented Antagonist Devourer Neutral Evil
Huge Undead (Extraplanar) (-2 size AB & AC, -8 Hide) Space/Reach: 15’/15’
36d12 HD (432 hp, maximized) Speed: 30’ Initiative: +4
Base Attack Bonus: +18; Grapple +41 (18 +8 size +15 STR) SR 28 (CR +10)
2 claws +32 melee, 2d6+15 s/p (19-20/x3) plus energy drain
{AB = 18, -2 size, +15 STR, +1 weapon focus}
AC: 28 (10, -2 size, +18 natural armor) Touch AC: 8
Combat Expertise = +27 claws attack bonus; AC 33; Touch AC 13
STR 40 (+15) Fortitude +13 (b 11, +2 feat)
DEX 10 (+0) Reflex +13 (b 11, +0 DEX, +2 feat)
CON – Will +26 (b 22, +4 WIS)
INT 16 (+3) Languages: Common, Undercommon,
WIS 18 (+4) Aboleth and Draconic
CHA 27 (+8)
SQ: Darkvision 60’; immune to mind-affecting effects [charms, compulsions, morale effects, patterns and phantasms]; immune to death effects, disease, exhaustion, fatigue, paralysis, poison, sleep effects, stunning; not subject to nonlethal damage, critical hits, ability damage to its STR & DEX, ability drain and energy drain; immune to any effect that requires a Fortitude saving throw unless it also affects objects; not at risk of destruction from massive trauma; uses its CHA modifier for Concentration checks; proficient with its claws and all simple weapons; does not breathe, drink/eat or sleep; Spell Deflection (su): MM p 58-59.
SA: Energy Drain (claws or spectral hand): Living creatures struck gain one negative level {it gains 5 temporary hit points per negative level so bestowed; each negative level bestowed = -1 skill and ability checks; attack rolls and saving throws; a loss of 5 hit points; -1 effective level; spell casters lose access to one spell as if they had cast their highest level currently available spell; a creature that gains enough negative levels to equal its HD without dying first is slain, spawning as a wight [MM p 255] 24 hours later. The negative levels gained may be recovered – unless removed magically – 24 hours later with a pre-negative-level Fortitude saving throw DC of 36. If unsuccessful on the first day, each subsequent day that passes permit further attempts, gaining a cumulative +1 bonus per day after the first to attempt to shrug off the foul taint.}
Trap Essence (Su): By forgoing its normal melee attacks, it may attempt a single trap essence attack with a claw strike that deals no damage. The living creature so struck must succeed on a DC 36 Fortitude saving throw or be slain, its essence trapped within the creature to fuel its spell-like abilities for a time…
Spell-like Abilities (Sp) (Caster Level 18th; 1x per round, 32 uses remaining, 18+SL DC):
True Seeing (120’; PHB p 296) Note that this ability will be ‘up’ when it moves in.
Ray of Enfeeblement (+18 Ray to 70’; STR penalty of [1d6+5] for 18 minutes)
Spectral Hand (280’; lose 1d4 hp; melee touch +20; used to energy drain and ghoul touch; hand itself has the same 1d4 hp lost; is incorporeal; Reflex +11 with improved evasion; AC 25)
Ghoul Touch (touched living humanoid must succeed on a DC 20 Fortitude save or be paralyzed for [1d6+2] rounds & exude a sickening stench to a 10’ radius spread (same DC negates being sickened by a particular creature’s ghoul touch paralysis))
Suggestion (This creature doesn’t generally waste time with this ability; DC 21)
Confusion (Enchantment (Compulsion) [Mind-Affecting]; 280’; 15’ radius burst; lasts for 18 rounds; SR applies; Will DC 22 negates; PHB page 212 has the random d% chart)
Control Undead (DC 25)
Lesser Planar Ally (A waste of time as it only calls 6 HD or weaker creatures unless it needs a bunch of fodder to soak up hits for some reason.)
Feats (13):
Blind-Fight Combat Casting Combat Expertise
Improved Initiative Weapon Focus (claw) Great Fortitude
Lightning Reflexes Improved Critical (claw) Augmented Critical (claw)
Empowered Spell-like Ability: Ray of Enfeeblement 3x per day ([1d6+5] x1.5; avg 12)
Quickened Spell-like Ability: Ray of Enfeeblement 3x per day (swift actions)
Death Blow (finishing [critical] claw strike as a standard action that provokes AoO)
Improved Natural Attack (claw; 1d8 = 2d6)
Skills: Climb +41(26 r) Concentration +47/+51 to cast defensively (39 ranks)
Jump +41 (26 r) Diplomacy +29 (19 r, +2 sy) Sense Motive +24 (20 r)
Listen +30 (26 r) Hide +31 (39r, -8 size) Survival +12 (8 r)
Spot +43 (39 r) Move Silently + 31 (31 r) +14 to follow tracks
Neh-Thalggu Scion, Doomed Guardian of Golismorga (After it destroys Tlaloc’s Tear) CR 17
Advanced Brain Collector Loremaster 4, variant Monster of Legend DR 5/magic
Chaotic Evil Huge Outsider (Augmented Aberration, Chaotic, Evil, Native) SR 30
Speed 60’ (-2 size AB & AC, -8 size Hide, +8 size grapple) Fast Healing 5
Space/Reach 15 ft/ 10 ft Languages: Aboleth, Neh-Thalggu; Telepathy 60’
20 HD (16d8 +4d4) = 375 hp (115 +260) Initiative +10 (+6 feats, +4 Dexterity)
Base Attack Bonus +14 Grapple +39 (14, +8 size, +17 Strength)
AC: 29 (10 base, -2 size, +16 natural armor, +1 dodge, +4 Dexterity) Flat-footed AC: 24
Touch AC: 13 (10 base, -2 size, +1 dodge, +4 Dexterity) Flat-footed Touch AC: 8
STR 45 (+17) Fortitude +22 (base 9, +13 Constitution)
DEX 18 (+4) Reflex +13 (base 9, +4 Dexterity)
CON 36 (+13) Will +21 (base 17, +4 Wisdom)
INT 22 (+6)
WIS 18 (+4)
CHA 34 (+12)
Feats (7 +2 bonus): Eschew Materials Improved Initiative Quick Reconnoiter (bonus)
Improved Natural Attack (bite) Skill Focus (Knowledge (arcana))
Extend Spell Maximize Spell Widen Spell
Improved Critical (bite) (bonus) Improved Critical and Quick Reconnoiter were awarded as bonus feats instead of Improved Initiative and Multiattack from the standard template.
Skills: Concentration +32 Hide +15 Jump +48 Knowledge (arcana) +28
Knowledge (the planes) +25 Knowledge (religion) +29 Listen +23 Spellcraft +27
SQ: No Breath (ex: does not need to breathe); Otherworldly Physiology (ex: immune to critical hits, death from massive damage, sneak attack / sudden strike / skirmish and other forms of precision-based bonus damage & coup de gras attacks; immune to diseases and poisons; does not age); Loremaster Lore +10; Loremaster Secrets: Weapon Trick (+1 AB) & Dodge Trick (+1 dodge AC); Darkvision 60’; Metamagic (Su: TLD p 64 for details); Extract Brain (ex: full-round action, requires a helpless victim; this provokes attacks of opportunity & immediately slays the target at the end of the round – once extracted, the brain can be swallowed as a free action); Fast Healing 5; SR 30
Bite +30 melee (4d8 +25, 20/x2) {AB = base 14, -2 size, +17 Strength, +1 weapon trick)
Touch spells: melee +30; ranged +17
Spellcasting: Caster Level 10th; Save DC’s = 22 + spell level (all spells are Charisma-based)
This doomed, sorry bastard, forever tasked to guard Golismorga from all who seek to slay the Aboleth masters soon to recover from their Long Dreaming, casts spells both as a Sorceror (albeit with full access to the Sorceror/Wizard spells list) and as a spontaneous-casting Cleric variant (cleric # per day chart, access to the full list of Cleric spells as well as the domains of Protection, Strength and War). It requires no rest – every 24 hours at the exact, precise moment it shattered Tlaloc’s Tear, its full compliment of spell slots automatically refreshes. It no longer need worry about such mundane things as sustenance, other than the occasional snack to replenish any depleted brain sacks – its sudden rush of insight into the Far Realms at that moment granted the creature its desire, after a fashion…
Sorceror Spells per Day Cleric Spells per Day
Cantrips: 6 Orisons: 6
1st Level: 9 1st Level: 7
2nd Level: 9 2nd Level: 7
3rd Level: 9 3rd Level: 6
4th Level: 8 4th Level: 6
5th Level: 5 5th Level: 4
With both spell lists available & spontaneously cast, the creature can certainly – with a bit of foresight or other information, heavily - prepare itself before engaging in any hostilities with any creature that trespasses its new demesne.
Sample pre-cast Spells Roster:
Extended Mage Armor (lasting 20 hours, grants it a +4 force-effect armor bonus: AC 33 (ff 29) / Incorporeal Touch AC 17 (ff 13), uses 1 level 2 sorceror spell slot.)
Extended False Life (lasting 20 hours, grants it (1d10 +10 temporary hit points – average is 15, bringing its total hp to 390; uses 1 level 3 sorceror spell slot.)
Spell Immunity (selecting Enervation and Ray of Enfeeblement) (lasting 100 minutes & uses a 4th level cleric spell slot – using a 5th level slot would double the duration to 200 minutes)
Freedom of Movement (lasting 100 minutes, 4th level cleric spell slot – same note as above)
5x Protection from Energy (each absorbs 120 points of one of the five energy types; 100 minute duration unless discharged; any mixture of 3rd level spell slots can be used, or 4th level if the 200 minute duration is more desirable for some reason)
These are the simple, long-duration spells quickly discerned from the PHB. Using these would leave plenty of spell slots for offensive purposes as well as numerous additional potential buff / defensive spells. Generally, the creature retains 1 of each spell slot for emergency withdrawal and healing. It is doomed to guard this place – that doom does not entail suicide tactics.
Vanthus' former crewmates ...
Dread Wraiths of Vanthus (6) CR 15 each
Advanced Dread Wraiths: Large Undead (Incorporeal) Space/Reach: 10’/10’
HP: 256 each (32d12 at average of 8 hit points per hit die) (yes, that is 32 HD each)
* +10 temporary hit points each from Ectoplasmic Enhancement (see below)
Speed: fly 60’ (perfect); cannot be heard Lawful Evil
Senses: Lifesense 60’ (living creatures = blindsight plus deathwatch; works even through solid barriers unless those are composed of magical force); darkvision 60’
Touch AC: (10, -1 size, +10 deflection)
STR -- -- Fortitude +22 (base 12, CHA +10)
DEX 30 (+10) Reflex +22 (base 12, DEX +10)
CON -- -- Will +28 (base 18, CHA +10)
INT 18 (+4)
WIS 18 (+4) Languages: Common, Abyssal, Infernal, Aquan
CHA 30 (+10)
Feats (12): Improved Fly Maneuverability, CHA bonus on Fort and Will saves (2), Blind-Fight, Combat Reflexes (11 AoO/round), Dodge, Mobility, Spring Attack, Alertness (rB), Improved Initiative (rB), Improved Natural Attack (incorporeal touch), Hold the Line, Improved Critical (incorporeal touch), Weapon Focus (incorporeal touch)
Skills (8): Hide +40, Intimidate +45, Knowledge (religion) +39, Listen +41, Search +39, Spot +41, Sense Motive +39; 8th skill lost to ‘former life stuff’ not worth detailing here.
Melee incorporeal touch (base 16, -1 size, +1 feat, +10 Dexterity bonus)
Incorporeal touch +26/+32 melee (2d6 plus 1d8 CON drain [Fortitude DC 36 to resist]) * Each successful drain grants dread wraiths 5 temporary hit points.
** Any humanoid slain by a dread wraith becomes a wraith in 1d4 rounds. Note that with the presence of lifestones in the player characters’ bodies, they will be facing wraith versions of themselves should a ‘1’ come up on this spawn timer…
Unnatural Aura: Animals can sense their presence at 30’, natural or wild – they will not willingly approach a wraith, fleeing in panic as long as they are kept within 30’…
Daylight Powerlessness: In natural sunlight (or equivalent from certain high-level spells), dread wraiths are utterly powerless, fleeing from the baleful illumination. Note that they are more than happy to capitalize on the shadow demons’ layering of darkness effects at dinners’ expense…
Ectoplasmic Enhancement (daily from Vanthus, DC 28 to dispel)
+6 enhancement bonus to attack rolls; +7 turn resistance = 39 effective HD; 10 temporary hit points
Taboo Temple Kopru
Initiative Bonus +5
Advanced Half-Fiend Kopru
CR 14
CE Large Outsider (Aquatic, Augmented Monstrous Humanoid, Native)
12d10 HD = 180 hp (120 +60) averaged hp would be 126; reduce CR to 13
Space/Reach 10’/10’
Speed 5’, Swim 40’, Fly 40’ (avg)
SQ: Amphibious, Darkvision 60’, SR 22, DR 10/magic
Immune to poisons; Resistance to acid 10, cold 10, electricity 10, and fire 10
Base Attack Bonus +12 Grapple +34 (12 base, +4 size, +11 Strength, +7 racial)
Melee: Tail slap +22 (1d8+11 & improved grab [Large or smaller] => constrict after establishing a hold in the same round for 4d6+16 [1 ½ tail slap] bludgeoning damage; each successful grapple check it makes afterwards automatically deals tail plus constriction damage, totaling 4d6+1d8+38 bludgeoning damage) and 2 claws +17 (1d6+5) and bite +17 (1d8+5) {AB = base 12, -1 size, +11 Strength)
OR Large masterwork spear (used two-handed) +23/+18/+13 (2d6+16 P, 20/x3) and tail slap +17 and bite +17 Ranged = thrown large spear +23/+18/+13 (2d6+11)
Attack Options:
Smite Good 1x per day = deals 12 extra damage against a good creature.
Magic Strike (natural weapons) & Aligned Strike (natural weapons) (chaotic, evil)
AC: 26 (10, -1 size, +6 natural armor, +5 Dex, +6 armor {+3 large non-humanoid studded leather [0 armor check, 40 lbs, 9,250 gpv but can only be sold for ‘magical salvage’ = 4500 gpv], maximum Dex bonus of +5, no speed reduction]}; Flat-footed AC: 21
Touch AC: 14 (10, -1 size, +5 Dex); Flat-footed Touch AC: 9
Ability Scores
STR 32 (+11)
DEX 20 (+5)
CON 20 (+5)
INT 10 (+0)
WIS 10 (+0)
CHA 18 (+4)
Saving Throw Bonuses
Fortitude +9 (4 base, +5 Constitution)
Reflex +13 (8 base, +5 Dexterity)
Will +12 (8 base, +4 Charisma)
Skills: {8 @ 15 ranks each}
Balance +22, Concentration +20, Escape Artist +20, Hide +16, Listen +15, Move Silently +16 (12r), Spot +15, Swim +23 (4r, +8 racial) and Tumble +20
Feats (5 +2 trained):
Light Armor Prof., Shield Prof. & Simple Weapons Prof.
(1) Force of Personality (Charisma modifier on Will saves instead of Wisdom)
(3) Power Attack
(6) Improved Sunder
(6t) Improved Bull Rush
(9) Quick Draw
(12) Brute Combatant
(12t) Shock Trooper
Brute Combatant combined with Shock Trooper:
Successful bull rush attempt as part of a charge: bull rush Strength check +21 bonus opposed by foe’s Strength check (success = pushes back 5’ & may also push foe one square to the left or right for each square pushed back; +1 square per 5 points difference); if successful, during the next round gains +1 bonus on all attack and damage rolls against that foe for each square the bull rush moved that foe; if a bull rush forces a foe into the same square as another foe, he may make a free trip attempt against both foes at the same time (+15 bonus opposed by Str or Dex check of foes) to which neither foe gets a chance to trip in return if it fails.
Momentum Swing: If charges a foe on a first round, then declares an attack on the second round with a -5 or worse Power Attack, his attacks that hit on the second round gain a damage bonus = 1 ½ x the attack penalty, 3x the penalty if using a two-handed weapon (such as the spears they carry).
Heedless Charge: Charge & makes an attack at the end of the charge at a -5 or worse Power Attack. Doing so permits him to shift any portion of the attack penalty from Power Attack to his AC instead.
Sundering Cleave: After destroying a foe’s weapon or shield with a successful sunder attempt, gains an immediate additional melee attack against that foe at the same attack bonus (and damage) with the same weapon the foe’s weapon or shield was sundered with. Opposed attack roll bonus of +24 with the spear or +23 with the tail slap.
Dominate Person (Su) 1x per day: CL 10th, 180’ range, duration of 8 days, Will DC 20 (10 +6 +4).
Spell-like Abilities (Sp): CL 12th, save DC’s equal 14 + spell level
Darkness 3/day
Desecrate 1/day
Unholy Blight 1/day ([Evil]; 220’; 20’ radius spread; SR? Y; 5d8 plus Will DC 18 to negate sickened for 1d4 rounds & half damage; neutral save for ½ or ¼ damage & are not sickened.)
Poison 3/day (touch; SR? Y; Fortitude DC 20 (10+6+4) negates 1d10 Con/1d10 Con
Contagion 1/day ([Evil]; touch; SR? Y; Fortitude DC 18 negates blinding sickness: 1d4 Strength damage [every 2 strength damage taken requires DC 16 fortitude to resist permanent blindness])
Blasphemy 1/day ([Evil, Sonic] V; nonevil creatures within a 40’ radius spread; SR? Yes; 12 HD are dazed for 1 round; 11 HD are dazed for 1 round & weakened (-2d6 Strength) for 2d4 rounds; 8-10 HD are dazed for 1 round, weakened for 2d4 rounds and paralyzed – thus, helpless – for 1d10 minutes; will only kill nonevil creatures of 1 or 2 HD)
Gear: 4 masterwork large spears
2 potions of fly
Unholy Symbol of Demogorgon: disintegrates after its 3rd use & is considered a profane (Evil) item.
= Heartseeking Amulet: swift (command) (1 per round) three times to make the next melee attack as a melee touch attack instead. If not used before the end of its turn, the effect is wasted.
The promised expansion on the currently small body of work regarding Dardaptoerebus is in the works Gentlecritters. The daily encounter checks with the dreaded Real Life Monster are slowing things down on that front considerably, sad to say.
Once the RLM has been banished back to its cave for a spell, further horrors will be forthcoming.
I am hesitant to post Vanthus' death knight stat block, as it will take some hours to edit into a post-suitable format.
Naturally, with sufficient peer pressure, this reluctance can be shoved aside. ^_^
Great and terrible things were put into motion by the unwitting actions of mortals and immortals alike. Let us recall the most important of these in the tales to come.
Prologue
The inky black waters of the Abyssal layer known as the Shadowsea obscured even the vision of the Prince of the Darkened Depths. He could feel the subsiding churning of the waters ahead of him, inside an inky blot more than 50 yards across beginning to dissipate in the waters between himself and the aquatic access to the aeons-old edifice known as Wat Dagon.
Dagon’s glistening, writhing bulk slowly approached the darkened gloom ahead of him. He could scent Demogorgon’s death in the waters, bits of hair and grue tainted with an inexplicable grey flaky substance dissolving in the waters about him as they floated past him. With the patience of eons he waited for the darkness to dissipate. Perhaps an opportunistic tanar’ri-tainted kraken had come across the corpse of his ‘ally’ and ate its fill.
The inky cloud in the waters, now still, slowly dissolved in the current – suddenly revealing an abomination that even he did not expect to ever see. A putrescent yellow kraken only in name, with far too many eyes and tentacles and unidentifiable anatomical extras floated in the waters ahead of him. A slow cascade of ashen-colored grue from the midst of the main tentacular mass proved that this thing had devoured Demogorgon. The last fading glow of the Crown of the Prince of Demons merged into it as Dagon took in the monstrosity’s form.
“Daring to claim the Crown of the Prince of Demons is bold. Dare you presume to be able to hold it ?” Dagon thought at the putrescent creature in the waters before it.
“The same as I dare claim your crown, Prince of the Darkened Depths!” was the reply, also telepathic.
Out of sixteen enormous tentacles, the first squeezed an artifact, similar to the one Demogorgon had employed moments before against the band of powerful mortals that brought him low. As the object was squeezed an anti-magical field sprung forth, enveloping them both. The other fifteen tentacles lashed out and nearly rendered Dagon into grue in his own right, bringing him writhing to the thing’s curved beak.
As the enormous beak devoured him alive, the last thing Dagon knew was a final thought from the creature.
“Given how easy you are to devour, I doubt much on the Great Wheel or scattered across the many worlds of mortals will fare better.”
Chapter 1: “Sins of a Father”
The endless howling of the winds in the seemingly abandoned tunnel long, long ago ceased to be a factor in the mind of the Guardian of the Seal. The Guardian could no longer remember the precise details of the reason why it was tasked to guard this Seal. Only that the Thing ensconced beyond that sealed portal must not be set loose upon the cosmos.
The tunnel was in an effectively unknown branch of the many such tunnels winding throughout the depths of this part of the cosmos. And the Guardian was bored, horribly, tediously, tremendously bored. It was bored to the point of effectively operating in a status of near-unconsciousness just to make the unending, monotonous passage of time with nothing to do or anything to interact with go faster. Once in a great while some raving lunatics would show up and attempt to “liberate the Master” or some such nonsense. Once in an even greater while something actually interesting would occur.
So, the Guardian near-slumbered, blending into the terrain about the Seal, scarcely aware of the passage of time, the howling of neither the incessant wind nor the occasional bit of airborne detritus that wafted atop the eternal zephyrs.
Slowly filtering into its awareness over what the Guardian presumed to be a comparatively short time frame, it noticed the shrieking took on new undertones. The sounds of gibbering and ranting interwoven with sobbing and histrionics carried upon the wind were not uncommon. The length of such sounds persisting in carrying to its auditory receptors was a truly new phenomenon. It began rousing itself to a more aware status.
The Guardian continued bringing its awareness and operational functions to full readiness as the gibbering, hysterics, ravings and short-lived death screams continually echoed through the tunnel. Checking a chronometric measuring method, the escalation of sapient creature sourced sounds of apparent mental instability had been persisting for nearly 144 continuous measurements of activity-scaled temporal demarcation.
A single flying creature, nominal biological structure indicative of aquatic origins designated ‘Kraken’ in accordance with the Guardian’s database, has been detected at a distance far closer than normal. Proceed to Condition Two.
The Guardian brought its primary defensive and offensive systems online, fairly thrumming with power, its hull emanating into the visual spectrum of light, among others. The creature closed to about 30 meters before hovering in place, oblivious to the force of the buffeting wind. According to the Guardian’s database, the trespassing creature was physically as big as such creatures were theoretically extrapolated to be able to achieve. The Guardian did not care, confident in its systems’ ability to destroy anything.
Standing into combat posture, the Guardian’s systems fully came online, the ground of the tunnel shaking dust into the air as its motive appendages were placed into firing position. “This area is restricted to all entities. Failure to depart will resort in the use of lethal force. You have fifteen seconds to comply.” Capacitors began charging to full power, designed to achieve full charge in twelve seconds once the warning is confirmed as having been issued.
The creature spoke in return. “Fifteen seconds is all that I shall require, Guardian of my Father.”
The Guardian released its internal weapons safety locks. As the last interlock released, system-wide alarms resounded, yellow-green escalating over seconds to yellow, then orange. Its visual receptors recorded that its eternal hull envelope was rapidly evaporating to the roof of the tunnel. The polychromatic meters-thick obduranium armor envelope precipitated at a phenomenal rate, somehow vaporizing into something analogous to volcanic ash. The rate of disintegration appeared to be at a rate in hundreds of millimeters per second.
The Guardian’s countdown, unfortunately, was hardwired in – and proved to be its downfall. As the countdown ticked to nine remaining seconds, its appendages and exterior systems crumpled into itself, cascading from the outermost to its central fuselage as the timer ticked from nine to eight to seven.
“Your services are no longer required.” The Guardian’s chronometer ticked to six seconds’ remaining time before it ceased to function. The ‘brain’ estimated another full second probably passed as its entire fuselage continued compacting correction: imploding into a physical mass about the size of a small cubical container.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The immense automaton was no more, a compacted metallic spheroid about as large across as a homid’s head. Most of its mass was evaporating to the ceiling of the tunnel above, caking the surface in entropic residue. Dardaptoerebus ignored it, brushing aside the spheroid as He took position in front of the Seal. A cascade of entropic residue from that momentary contact with the spheroid was carried off on the winds of Carceri that continued to howl through the tunnel. He even took a moment to bask in the adulations of madness carried on those same winds left in the wake of His passage through the planar layers as He made His way to this particular location.
Soon.
He perused the ancient Seal, an intertwined weaving of runes, sigils, symbols and glyphs that formed an enormous ovoid some fifteen yards across. Silently chuckling to Himself, He caressed the Seal with His dozen tentacles, evaporating it into ashen snow. His protective abjurations withstood the discharges of every energy type known, albeit being disrupted in the process.
He then latched His tentacles onto the surface of the portal beneath the Seal. He tested the surface of the portal, determining how easy it would be to wrench free. Easy enough, with a bit of insight.
In a single focused exertion, He tore the portal asunder in a shower of matter that quickly turned into a cascade of ashen snow carried away on the Carcerian winds. Beyond loomed a darkness that exuded what would normally chill mortal creatures to their marrow.
Ignoring the cold, He ventured forth, seemingly floating in the nether darkness rather than forward as He knew He was. Sooner or later, He would find His Father.
Eventually, He did. In a strange setting combining esoteric stone structures faintly illuminated by an odd mauve light while featuring elements based around the number 333, He floated forth, eventually finding his Father, Tharizdun.
“My Son, You have come to release me!”
“No Father, I have come to violate you.”
What followed after that was not communed to me in service to Dardaptoerebus. All I know is that He was … successful in achieving what He wished in dispatching His Father.
Iai! Iai! Dardaptoerebus!
hi turin. i'm new to the forum and i hope to contribute some little ideas of mine even if i have little time.
you have made an evil and an excellent work for STAP.
In fact i stealed some of your ideas to make my STAP campaign more challenging to my seven PP friends.
thanks!i'm playing tod and for example your "base" olangru became a wizard/thrall of demogorgon with dual action for 2 rounds, hasted, greater heroism'ed and some others buff things.
damaging them for 2d6x8+13x8 (with little power attack bonus) and for 2
rounds.. after the first round pounce..
i killed 2 pcs, before that olangru would died in the fourth round.well, fun and testing fight..
i used also the "creeping" olangru thread to have a predator session
and the fleshraker companion died horribly with abduct ability plus
the little demogorgon combo.
yeah.. they use revivify, revenance, last breath and radiant servant of lathander.said that, could i send my email to you... to receive your stat blocks and craft better my STAP monsters?
sorry for my bad english.
I am humbled to be your FIRST post Dark Roland! Weclome to Paizo's messageboards - hopefully Lilith will be along soon to hand out the traditional cookies!
And you are welcome to e-mail (or post here) regarding STAP creatures. I did post all but Vanthus' final write-up for my campaign (in the postings above). I highly recommend the other Savage Tide campaign journals posted here as well as examining the "Savage Tide" older material section of the general messageboard to further add to and enrich your Savage Tide campaign. :)
Linkages: Savage Tide AP discussions here and other campaign journals here, albiet generally lower in the listing.
You will probably want to identify in the subject line to get past spam filtration though. ^_^
elite for my pcs, right payback for themYeah, They probably have it coming. We certainly did.
Well the slow movement and fly is easy to deal with. He is intelligent isn't he? Just give him some gear.
The easiest way to do it is to dump a bunch of skill points into use magic device. Then you can give him a wand of expeditious retreat (+30 speed) or even better haste (+1 attack, +1 to hit, +1 AC & Ref, +30 speed). Even add in a few wands/staves of other spells. Bull's str, cat's grace and bear's endurance come to mind pretty quickly. If you want to be a real dick a wand of Sadism or Masochism (or both) gets sick.
Also not all of the tentacles need to be using the same weapons. Give several of them swords and the others bows with a high "mighty" rating. That lets him spread his attacks amongst the party so you the avoid the classic "1st round you are hit X times, you are dead. 2nd round you are hit Y times, you are dead. Etc." Focused fire is a good tactic but it can make the game a lot less fun for the people who get focused on. Also havign the bows lets him start nailing the casters who are sticking to the back lines.
For that matter he can get a little bit of an AC boost by dropping 1 tentalce attack in favor of using a shield. Or get really fun and drop 2-3 tentacle attacks so that he is using multiple tower shields at once, make it really complicated for the players to get to him.
One of my rules is that if a creature is intelligent and it has treasure then it will use that treasure. If my reading is correct this thng has a 14 intelligence. It isn't an idiot, remember that it can think, plan, train and use tactics. Gear can get so much fun with something like this.
Also the Quicken Spell-like Ability feat can let him throw around some of his spells and beat on the party at the same time.
If you do give him bows as that final +1 CR give him 2 levels of Order of the Bow Initiate as an unassociated class level. That will let him fire bows while still engaging in melee combat.
One word. Harpoons.
It's an aquatic creature, maybe it wants to return the favor. That or Javlins it can throw as much as it wants until the party closes, then it whips out the melee weapons while the tentacles with the bows continue to rain death at a distance. Also if one tentacle is going to use a wand then several charges of a wand of Dispell Magic could be amazingly effective at the right times.
I don't suppose your players could be convinced to post their final character sheets?
I don't suppose your players could be convinced to post their final character sheets?
A few of them may well still have them. Be forewarned, they are monstrous to behold. :)
I don't suppose your players could be convinced to post their final character sheets?A few of them may well still have them. Be forewarned, they are monstrous to behold. :)
Of course they are. Why else would I want to see them :D
The request was sent out - no idea if any of them are going to post anything.
If nothing else, I may be able to get some sort of summary posted ...
First and foremost, I strongly encourage the GM to take one or two breaks at the major action points - at the conclusion of the assault on Farshore by Vanthus and again just after the group wipes out the Crimson Fleet command at Scuttlecove are ideal points to take a breather from the campaign. Not having done so myself, I can see in hindsight that it would have been of great benefit to have done this.
Could you elaborate a bit on this one? Why is a pause there a good thing?
Could you elaborate a bit on this one? Why is a pause [just after the Crimson Fleet attack led by Vanthus on Farshore and again after Scuttlecove] a good thing?
Those are the two big "pause" points built into the campaign. They are prime opportunities to permit item crafting, sandbox-type play at Farshore and around the Isle of Dread, setting up side quests to help out any characters that are behind level and the like.
From the GM perspective, these are also good points to take stock of your demon-killing monstrosity player characters. Additionally, it helps to recharge your 'batteries' before going on to the next leg of the campaign, as the 2nd leg (after Farshore) takes on a different tone than the events leading up to the assault. This is even more important for the third leg of the campaign after Scuttlecove, where the campaign again takes on a different tone than before.
In my particular case, there was a fair amount of player-drama at the table that taking those (short) breaks would have permitted me to deal with before starting the second and third legs of the campaign. Combined with an unhealthy does of GM burnout from running 2 groups for most of the STAP meant that the one group that made it to the third leg of the campaign got a bit less than my full attention. Both groups were large - at one point I think I had 14 or more players ...
Not having built in a week or two between each leg to scrutinize what my player characters were really capable of really did not help any. It got bad enough near the end that I very nearly gave up on the campaign due to the sheer volume of "splat book cheese" available to the PCs. A week between sessions at the higher end of play at that time was really not enough to fine tune the baddies sufficiently to truly pose a decent challenge to them. The PCs cake-walked through the last 3 or 4 chapters, hitting a few snags with 2 or 3 out of 15+ "major" encounters.
The only major antagonist they were smart enough not to start a fight with was Iggwilv. Part of that was simply my telling them "Epic Archmage - whomever starts the fight won't be around when she finishes it". One of the hardest things to get across at the highest levels of play is that there are still certain creatures and NPCs one simply should NOT fight. Probably due to the fact that at that level, with a party of 6+ at your back, you have a good chance of actually wiping out critters in the low-to-mid 20 CR range. As in, the group I was GM'ing at the end could reasonably expect to handle a 'normal' CR critter rated up to about a CR 25 (without certain Epic feats that is) with no or very few casualties.
One of the reasons I've come to look forward to PRPG - - is that the game is "resetting" back to the Core Rules, after a fashion. The Adventure Paths published in Dungeon do not make overwhelming use of the various splat books for almost all of the enemies. Even Savage Tide only touched on a few of them near the end - and what they touched on really do not amount to a whole lot, making revamping the stat blocks for PRPG pretty easy.
Not having built in a week or two between each leg to scrutinize what my player characters were really capable of really did not help any. It got bad enough near the end that I very nearly gave up on the campaign due to the sheer volume of "splat book cheese" available to the PCs.
This doesn't pose a problem for me. I'm better at optimizing than any of them, and I'm usually pulling punches when they face my modified NPCs while they're still complaining the campaign is too difficult. :D And I'm not allowing the uber cheesy stuff (Persist + DMM, some spells, feats, items etc), so I keep them in control.
We just finished the attack on Scuttlecove after which they almost immediately went to Abyss, so I'll guess we'll have to retroactively do a bit of what you suggested.
Any other suggestions for running chapters 9-12?
Not having built in a week or two between each leg to scrutinize what my player characters were really capable of really did not help any. It got bad enough near the end that I very nearly gave up on the campaign due to the sheer volume of "splat book cheese" available to the PCs.This doesn't pose a problem for me. I'm better at optimizing than any of them, and I'm usually pulling punches when they face my modified NPCs while they're still complaining the campaign is too difficult. :D And I'm not allowing the uber cheesy stuff (Persist + DMM, some spells, feats, items etc), so I keep them in control.
We just finished the attack on Scuttlecove after which they almost immediately went to Abyss, so I'll guess we'll have to retroactively do a bit of what you suggested.
Any other suggestions for running chapters 9-12?
Glad to see you were sharp enough to cut out the real game-breakers. Had I done that, the campaign would have been a lot more fun and, bluntly, more challenging to the players as a whole. I don't mind the players carving themselves up some bad guys - I mind when a "top shelf" bad guy cannot reasonably expect to do something without my rolling stupidly high d20 rolls.
I recommend that they have the time off before sailing into the Abyss now that they have the goodies from Scuttlecove. I know my players wanted to spend time "cleaning up" back home, but I was at the time very strongly disinclined to ad-lib anything, eager to wrap up the AP and make the hurting stop.
I found the "summonable ship o' magic items" is kinda "meh". Have them barter for items with Iggwilv, the CG "Seelie Court" or whomever else you have in mind for them to interact with for items if you are of the "sell loot to get more stuff" persuasion.
On the other hand, as far as loot, I *highly* recommend you have items and inherent books pre-planned for them throughout the last 3 chapters. (The occassional 'boon' for your VoP character, as you determine necessary.) I always liked the concept behind the "items that get better as you gain levels" approach, but only once in 3e has a mechanical execution of the idea done in a fashion that did not involve hosing the character.
On the OTHER hand, perhaps you could go along these lines:
- The 'dilithium crystals' in the ship-plane-shift-thingie burn out not long after the characters transitioned over, plopping them back on the Material Plane. They sail home the hard way, get poo'd on by a passing flight of pseudonatural paragon rocs or whatever.
- Wierdly, Lavinia seems to have escaped Vanthus' malevolent clutches - or perhaps you choose to just rewind the clock, or she's really dead, or has a slaad egg in her braincase, or... NOTE: This is irrelevant if they are largely on their own at this point and not chasing Lavinia into the Abyss.
- The characters spend time doing "stuff" back home.
- Perhaps they rake in the cash from the "Farshore/Isle of Dread Trading Company", pimp out griffons for combat pets/cuddle bears for titans and/or deal in mind cheese/kopru toe fungus/phanaton brains.
- Whatever your group has expressed an interest in doing, let them do it, within your ability to deal with.
- Once it starts looking to get boring, an older, nastier plane-hopping cousin of Olangru pops into Farshore in the dead of night, drops off a primed Shadow Pearl and tac nukes the place. Seems Olangru's best bud/demon lord servitor to the Big D has finally caught wind of who it was that fragged his frat brother/drinking buddy/"special" buddy and payback is due.
- A ship crewed by Denizens of Leng sail into Farshore in the dead of night/at a convenient time/the next full moon and deliver a 'message' from [insert escaped nemesis here]. Seems that the Big D is getting real close to the whole funky pearl scheme, and there is now a rough estimate - say, 90 days - before five dozen or more of the nasty things go off and turn the campaign world into a post-apocalypse setting. Oh, what, you already got blasted in the chops? Well, time to get some payback on the big ape! Aaaand that whole save the world thing as an added bonus.
- Or perhaps the Cult of the Hopping Prophet finds Farshore, infests masses of commoners with slaad eggs and generally wrecks both the colony and a great many lives. Drama, tragedy and blood-splattered revenge to ensue! Have a savage-zombie chow down on their favorite pet ferrets, describe the horror of their squeezes narfing the faces off of guinea pigs or worse.
- Suddenly they HAVE to track down 'dilithium crystals', re-tune the dooflichie and then bop back to the Abyss.
- At this point, keep the rest of the campaign at a relatively break-neck pace. Ideally, your characters arrive at the end to lay the smack down on the Big D on the day before or on the last day of the Ritual that fubars everything should they fail.
Best I can think of at the moment. :)
Glad to see you were sharp enough to cut out the real game-breakers.
A few years at the Giant in the Playground forums does that to you. :D
Had I done that, the campaign would have been a lot more fun and, bluntly, more challenging to the players as a whole. I don't mind the players carving themselves up some bad guys - I mind when a "top shelf" bad guy cannot reasonably expect to do something without my rolling stupidly high d20 rolls.
Yeah, I get that. The only problem I have is this Paladin/Fighter/Champion of Corellon Larethian, who, aside from doing crazy damage dual wielding a Holy Avenger and a Sunblade, has a stupidly high AC of around 40 (full plate, dex, deflection, barkskin, expertise, haste etc). Practically, nigh untouchable by anything less than a boss. Fortunately, Cleric and Wizard aren't terribly bright in their choice of spells (Wizard's a blaster (hello Mass Energy Resistance)) and Cleric just heals. Suboptimal choices for both of them.
Only problem I have is making them *think*. Their standard strategy is run in with guns blazing. Which usually works since they work well together, but they'll start dropping like flies in Divided's Ire. And I want to avoid TPKs, since they wouldn't be attached to new characters the way they are to these, whom they've been playing for year and a half now, and the campaign would lose its favor.
On the other hand, as far as loot, I *highly* recommend you have items and inherent books pre-planned for them throughout the last 3 chapters. (The occassional 'boon' for your VoP character, as you determine necessary.) I always liked the concept behind the "items that get better as you gain levels" approach, but only once in 3e has a mechanical execution of the idea done in a fashion that did not involve hosing the character.
Well, at the moment they're around 300 000 gold limit, which made them eglible for +5 Tomes, so since Iron Chest of Ha...whatever said that it's probably the largest hoard they'll find, so I tossed in a few of those as well (+5 Int for Wizard, +5 Con for Druid, +5 Cha for Bard and +2 for Dervish), so I think they're pretty well covered until the end. Aside from more tomes. :D
NOTE: This is irrelevant if they are largely on their own at this point and not chasing Lavinia into the Abyss.
Yup, they're not too attached to any NPC. Partially through fault of my own, because this is the first campaign I've ever DMed, but their hatred for Vanthus is real and they of course want to save the world so off they go to Abyss!
The characters spend time doing "stuff" back home.
They're fond of Farshore and they've made quite a settlement of it, since VoP Cleric donated everything he had to build a Church of Pelor, hospital, school, shipyard, so it's a nice little town now. I guess they'll keep working on it.
Anything else I should keep my eye on in chapters 9,10,11 and 12?
Also, an unrelated question - have you DMed/played Shackled City and Age of Worms?
Also, an unrelated question - have you DMed/played Shackled City and Age of Worms?
I neither ran nor played in Shackled City, and was a mostly-regular player in Allen Stewart's Age of Worms campaign.
Had I done that, the campaign would have been a lot more fun and, bluntly, more challenging to the players as a whole. I don't mind the players carving themselves up some bad guys - I mind when a "top shelf" bad guy cannot reasonably expect to do something without my rolling stupidly high d20 rolls.
Yeah, I get that. The only problem I have is this Paladin/Fighter/Champion of Corellon Larethian, who, aside from doing crazy damage dual wielding a Holy Avenger and a Sunblade, has a stupidly high AC of around 40 (full plate, dex, deflection, barkskin, expertise, haste etc). Practically, nigh untouchable by anything less than a boss. Fortunately, Cleric and Wizard aren't terribly bright in their choice of spells (Wizard's a blaster (hello Mass Energy Resistance)) and Cleric just heals. Suboptimal choices for both of them.
Only problem I have is making them *think*. Their standard strategy is run in with guns blazing. Which usually works since they work well together, but they'll start dropping like flies in Divided's Ire. And I want to avoid TPKs, since they wouldn't be attached to new characters the way they are to these, whom they've been playing for year and a half now, and the campaign would lose its favor.
Hrm ... one way to avoid a TPK without necessarily pulling too many punches in Divided's Ire is to pay very close attention to the "teleportation block" element of the prison as well as playing up the CE nature of the demons infesting the place. Fortunately, most of the baddies are book mooks, so they will resort to special abilities.
If you've not come across it, telekinesis is a frighteningly common spell-like ability many demons have access to, at will. At a caster level of 10 - and especially at 15 - you can deal some serious damage. Top that off with a few greater dispel magics, the vrocks' dance of death and spores, the nabassu's energy drains and stealth abilities - the biggest advantage demons have is removed from most of the prison complex - the ability to teleport at will. Granted, this applies to all but a few creatures within the prison as well as the characters, but I feel the removal of this ability without reducing the CR (and corresponding XP award) of any of the baddies within the prison does not equate to denying the characters their spell-based (and/or gear-based) [teleportations].
I recommend playing up the foul natures of many of the inhabitants as well. The "poo demons" were a delightfully smashing success (combined with the poo trap), and that pillar trap was just too awesome for words. I recommend distributing the face-removing pillar trap around!
The prison island as a whole, complete with the third and final show down with Vanthus, is excellent. I *highly* recommend retooling Vanthus completely, since 'as written' he is one or two decent Will saves away from being 'owned' by a party of that level of power. Undead traits do not do a bloody thing about certain Will-based effects ... such as saves against mass heal.
Vanthus badly needs all of his mini-onions available for the last fight against a really solid party. (As you may have read, I had the incorporeals hiding in the bridge.) Since my group elected to get a 'custom' frickin' Titan on call (via gate on a scroll), I had the magma drake critter - tweaked mind - available as well, and it was a good thing I did. That fight reasonably challenged an 8-player group tweaked to the max, against a highly customized Vanthus, magma drake, dread wraiths and shadow demons. It was also the last encounter I spent significant effort in customizing. I don't recall scoring any character deaths after this point until the very end of the Chapter 12 - or even if Vanthus fragged any one at all. Five clerics ... *muttergrumble*
For the most part, Chapters 10 and 11 revolve around securing aid to distract the Big D while the "elite strike team" (your PCs) can sneak in and whup some tucas. How much of this you elect to play up is up to you. I can readily see any number of alternatives plugged into place of these two chapters. As written they're pretty kewl, especially dealing with the Things in the Pits, negotiating with Iggwilv and remaining polite to Charon himself.
I suggest taking care to closely examine Chapters 10 and 11, pick out the parts of it you like and replacing the parts you don't with home-brew material that fills the end result of the encounter(s) you toss. If you're overall satisfied with them as written, then tweak as necessary for your group. (This is pretty much the same line of advice I recall from the authors of the various chapters as well.)
Hrm ... one way to avoid a TPK without necessarily pulling too many punches in Divided's Ire is to pay very close attention to the "teleportation block" element of the prison as well as playing up the CE nature of the demons infesting the place. Fortunately, most of the baddies are book mooks, so they will resort to special abilities.
We just finished the session with them entering the prison and fighting Lemorian Golem and 8 Vrocks and it was... boring. I guess they've fought Vrocks too many times during the course of this AP and in Shackled City also (which we're playing alongside ST) and a large number of lower lvl creatures just can't challenge a high lvl party. So 8 Vrocks were just annoying.
Other than that, the encounter with Blood Fiend of Orcus was a ton of fun (for me). Since there're 6 players + Animal Companion, I added another Blood Fiend. On round 2, one of them Dominated the party's rogue/dervish who does tons of dmg who proceeded to kill the Druid and his Companion. In the end, they had to kill him (and revivify him promptly) in order to save themselves. While the rest of the fiends kept pestering them. Tons of fun. :D
and that pillar trap was just too awesome for words.
I know! Can't wait till they get there! :D
The prison island as a whole, complete with the third and final show down with Vanthus, is excellent. I *highly* recommend retooling Vanthus completely, since 'as written' he is one or two decent Will saves away from being 'owned' by a party of that level of power.
Of course. Chapter boss with a lvl in NPC class? Not in my book. I'll revamp him to be a Dervish perhaps, since he has strong will save. With some Wis boosters and Superior Resistance, it should come out decent.
Since my group elected to get a 'custom' frickin' Titan on call (via gate on a scroll)
How? They're in Forbbidance zone. No summons!
I suggest taking care to closely examine Chapters 10 and 11, pick out the parts of it you like and replacing the parts you don't with home-brew material that fills the end result of the encounter(s) you toss. If you're overall satisfied with them as written, then tweak as necessary for your group. (This is pretty much the same line of advice I recall from the authors of the various chapters as well.)
I'll see what I can do, when we get to that point. I may change encounter with Red Shroud a bit, I don't like it as written.
Since my group elected to get a 'custom' frickin' Titan on call (via gate on a scroll)How? They're in Forbbidance zone. No summons!
Ah, but on the bridge to where Vanthus' final lair is, the zone does not apply.
Ahh, I'll be sure to forget that once they get there. :D
Ahh, I'll be sure to forget that once they get there. :D
But ... but ... the baddies need [teleport] love too!
Well, Vanthus at least needs little booties with tiny magical wings on them then. It'd be shame to see him plummet to a burning death in the magma 'cause he hit half hp...
And at long last, roughly 13 months after the conclusion of the Savage Tide Adventure Path, I humbly present...
* For awarding XP, award two CR 20 experience rewards.
Vanthus Vanderboren as a CE Medium Death Knight
Initiative +16
Senses: Darkvision 60 ft. see in darkness, see invisibility, Spot +31, Listen +31
Defenses: DR 10/cold iron and magic or good and magic; Resist Fire 10; Immune to acid, cold, electricity, mind-affecting effects & spells, polymorph, poisons, exhaustion & fatigue, ability score damage & drain and the debilitating effects of pain; undead traits; turn immunity
AC: 64 + Dodge (10 +16 natural armor +4 armor +12 Dex +1 haste +3 +8 deflection +10 defending)
Flat-footed AC = 51 with defending, 38 otherwise
Touch AC: 44 + Dodge
Flat-footed Touch AC = 31 with defending, 18 otherwise
Hit Points: 204 +85 temporary hp (1/2 hour remaining duration on the temporary hp); Fast Healing 5; 17 total HD (1 Aristocrat NPC level, Fighter 5, Tempest 5, 6 succubus racial HD)
SR 30; Fort +16, Reflex +23, Will +30
Speed 30 ft., fly 50 ft. (perfect) improves to 60 ft., fly 80 ft. (perfect)
Base Attack: 16/11/6/1 = Grapple +29
Attacks: +5 defending unholy glass-adamantine Large scimitar +52/+47/+42/+37/+52 melee (1d8+20 Slashing [15-20, auto-confirmed critical] plus 2d6 profane plus 2d6 foebane) and +5 defending unholy glass-adamantine Large kukri +52/+47 melee (1d6+14 Slashing [15-20, auto-confirmed critical] plus 2d6 profane plus 2d6 foebane) and poison sting +52 melee (1d6+12 Piercing plus 2d6 foebane AND poison [DC 22 Fortitude vs. 1d6 Wis/1d6 Wis])
or
3 claws +52 melee – haste adds a 3rd claw attack – (1d4+18 slashing/piercing plus 2d6 foebane) and poison sting +52 melee (1d6+12 Piercing plus 2d6 foebane AND poison [DC 22 Fort vs. 1d6 Wis/1d6 Wis])
or
Hasted melee negative energy touch +45/+40/+35/+30/+45 (1d8+18 plus 1 CON; DC 40 Fortitude negates the point of CON damage and halves the negative energy damage)
ranged touch attack bonus +46
Special Attacks: Smite Good 1x/day (+20 melee damage bonus with 1 declared attack); Abyssal Blast (Su) 1x/day (range of 1,000 ft.; 20 ft. radius spread; 17d6 damage [half fire, half profane], Reflex DC 40 half)
Special Ability: Summon Mount (this version of Vanthus is not exactly concerned about flapping about on a puny nightmare…)
Ability Scores: 36 STR (+13), 34 DEX (+12), -- CON, 26 INT (+8), 28 WIS (+9), 46 CHA (+18)
Languages: Abyssal, Celestial, Common, Draconic (automatic); Aboleth, Aquan, Elven, Infernal, Olman, Sylvan, Undercommon and Yuan-Ti
Feats (including bonus and trained feats): Proficiency with all simple and martial weapons, Improved Initiative, Multiattack/Improved Multiattack, Power Attack, Improved Sunder, Improved Flight x2; Dodge, Mobility, Two-Weapon Fighting, Improved Two-Weapon Fighting, Spring Attack, Force of Personality, Quick Draw, Weapon Focus (scimitar), Weapon Finesse, Weapon Specialization (scimitar) and Improved Critical (scimitar); Endurance, Die Hard
Skills: Balance +33, Bluff +27, Climb +25, Concentration +28, Craft (alchemy and poisonmaking) +17, Craft (weaponsmithing) +16, Disguise +26, Escape Artist +31, Hide +21, Intimidate +31, Jump +27, Knowledge (the planes) +19, Listen +31, Move Silently +21, Profession (sailor and siege engineer) +17, Ride +21, Search +17, Spot +31, Tumble +33 and Use Magic Device +31
Special Qualities:
- +17 insight attack bonus
- Use Oversized Weapon (ex)
- Telepathy 100 ft. (Su)
- Tongues (Su) [CL 17 equivalent, otherwise identical to that of a succubus]
- Alternate Form (Su) [at will; any Small or Medium humanoid form]
- Energy Drain (Su) [DC 30; 1 negative level bestowed; at will (attack)]
- Unholy Grace (Su) [receives half of his Charisma bonus as a deflection bonus to AC]
- 6 succubus racial HD
- Lemorian half-fiend template
- Monster of Legend template
- Augmented Antagonist template
- +5 inherent bonus to all ability scores
- +5 enhancement bonus to both claws and his poison sting
- Major Titan bloodline
- Ambidexterity (no attack penalties for wielding a scimitar and a kukri)
- Tempest Defense (+3 bonus to AC when wielding two weapons)
- Two-Weapon Versatility (applies weapon focus, weapon specialization and improved critical to both the scimitar and the kukri)
- Two-Weapon Spring Attack (he can attack once each with both weapons during a Spring Attack)
- Superior Foebane – applying to natural and wielded weapons – (against non-demons, his natural and wielded weapons act as +5 weapons and deal an extra 2d6 damage per hit. Note that this bonus permits him to use “full defending” without loss of this ability’s enhancement bonus to attack and damage with his defending weapons)
- Stalwart Pact (once reduced to half or fewer of his maximum hit points, he gains 35 temporary hit points and a +2 luck bonus on all saving throws for 20 rounds)
- Death Pact (once destroyed as a death knight, he immediately benefits from a true resurrection).
- Renewal Pact (once the death pact has been triggered = 1 round after he is affected by a triggering condition [Spell Compendium page 173], he receives a Panacea, curing 28 hit points in the process.)
Spell-like Abilities: (Caster Level 17th; Save DC 31 + equivalent spell level)
At Will: charm monster (DC 35), clairaudience/clairvoyance, darkness, desecrate, detect good, detect thoughts, doom (DC 32), ethereal jaunt (self +50 lbs’), suggestion (DC 34) and teleport – greater (self +50 lbs’)
1x/day each: blasphemy, contagion (DC 35; blinding sickness is generally preferred), deeper darkness, destruction (DC 38), horrid wilting (DC 39), levitate, summon monster IX (fiendish CE creatures only), unhallow and unholy blight (DC 35)
3x/day each: poison (DC 39 vs. 1d10 Con/1d10 Con), unholy aura (DC 39 – this ability is generally pre-cast when possible – the benefits of this ability are not factored into his stat block above)
Gear
- adaptation-sustenance freedom of movement bracers of armor +4 of moderate fortification, made of glass-adamantine
- flesh ring of scorn (non-slotted item secured to his chest via flesh piercing) (against non-outsiders he automatically confirms all threatened critical hits) <strong, evil>
- rhapsody of pain (minor evil artifact, non-slotted item = pair of earrings) (Vanthus continually benefits from both the Masochism and Sadism spells, gaining a +1 bonus to attacks, saving throws and skill checks for every 10 points of damage he is both dealt and deals out during a round on his following turn; he is also immune to the debilitating effects of pain)
- flesh ring of denial (strong evil non-slotted item worn pierced through the flesh of his chest) (Vanthus continually benefits from sheltered vitality, gaining immunity to ability damage and drain – regardless of source – as well as both exhaustion and fatigue; the item also grants him the continual benefits of both the Endurance and Die Hard feats.)
- boots of speed (enhanced versions granting the wearer 20 rounds of personal haste per day)
- 2 rings of greater counterspelling – each “loaded” with greater dispelling – this ring is detailed in the Magic Item Compendium
- lenses of socothbenoth (He can see in darkness and sees invisibility while these lenses are worn)
- Deathstone (major evil artifact – he “wears” the deathstone secured via flesh piercing in his chest) (Vanthus has access to Necromancy Sorcerer/Wizard spells as a Sorcerer of his total HD without requirement of non-costly material components nor any Somatic components to cast any spells; the bearer is immune to any of his own spells’ effects – whether intentional, circumstantial or otherwise; thrice per day the stone can quicken any 3 spells that its bearer is capable of casting from the foul knowledge imparted by the stone.)
Contingent Spells: (CL 20th = dispel DC 35 as a magic item per each such contingent spell)
Alter Fortune x4 (immediate action re-rolls)
The following are dormant until triggered by his death pact (above)
- heal x4 (triggered at each successive instance at which an attack reduces him to 0 or fewer hp – each cures 162 hit points when so triggered)
- energy immunity x3 (to cold, fire and sonic energies for 24 hours from when the pact is triggered)
- persistent zeal (He can move through enemies as if they were allies as long as he finishes his movement closer to his chosen foe than when he began his movement.)
- extended ironguard (this is the reason why is ‘metal’ gear is a “glass” version of adamantine) (lasts 4 minutes – note that this benefits both his natural weapons as well as his glass-adamantine weapons)
- extended delay death (4 minute duration)
- ray deflection (lasts 20 minutes)
- extended greater spell immunity (for 400 minutes he is warded against holy aura, holy word, horrid wilting, destruction and rain of embers)
Necromantic Sorcerer Spellcasting saving throw DC 31 + spell level, set off his living CHA
Cantrips (6 per day) disrupt undead, touch of fatigue and preserve organ
1st Level Spells (DC 32) (11 per day) cause fear, chill touch, ray of enfeeblement, death grimace, backbiter, spirit worm
2nd Level Spells (DC 33) (10 per day) blindness/deafness, command undead, false life, ghoul touch, scare, spectral hand, dance of ruin, shriveling, slow consumption, wither limb, bonefiddle (F), curse of impending blades, death armor (F), dessicating bubble, ghoul glyph, ray of sickness, ray of weakness, shroud of undeath, stolen breath, wracking touch
3rd Level Spells (DC 34) (10 per day) gentle repose, halt undead, ray of exhaustion, vampiric touch, corrupt – red fester, curse of impending blades – mass, disrupt undead – greater, incorporeal enhancement, junglerazer, mind poison, skull watch, spider poison, undead lieutenant, undead torch
4th Level Spells (DC 35) (10 per day) animate dead (M), bestow curse, contagion, enervation, fear, corrupt – absorb strength, grim revenge, liquid pain, burning blood
5th Level Spells (DC 36) (10 per day) blight, magic jar (F), symbol of pain (M), waves of fatigue, corrupt – power leech, soul shackles, stop heart, death throes, greymantle, miasma of entropy, night’s caress, spiritwall, wrack
6th Level Spells (DC 37) (9 per day, 7 remaining) circle of death (M), create undead (M), eyebite, symbol of fear (M), undeath to death (M), ectoplasmic enhancement, aura of terror, contagion – mass, fleshshiver, ghoul gauntlet, imperious glare, incorporeal nova, ray of entropy, revive undead (M), spectral touch
7th Level Spells (DC 38) (8 per day) control undead, finger of death, symbol of weakness (M), waves of exhaustion, arrow of bone (M), avasculate, awaken undead (xp), barghest’s feast (xp), energy ebb, evil glare, kiss of the vampire (M), sword of darkness
8th Level Spells (DC 39) (8 per day) clone (M, F), create greater undead (M), horrid wilting, symbol of death (M), gutwrench, steal life, avascular mass, bestow curse – greater, blackfire, heart of stone (F, xp), skeletal guard (M), veil of undeath
Vanthus Vanderboren, as returned once more to the living due to his death pact!
CE Medium Outsider (Augmented Humanoid (Human), Chaotic, Evil, Native)
Hit Points: 363
Ability Scores: 32 STR (+11), CON 32 (+11), 26 WIS (+8), 44 CHA (+17)
Fortitude +27, Will +29
Grapple +27
Bluff +26, Climb +23, Concentration +22, Disguise +25, Intimidate +30, Jump +15, Listen +30, Spot +30, Use Magic Device +30
(Loses the negative energy melee touch attacks as well as access to the Abyssal Blast special attack, undead traits, turn immunity and the ability to summon mount; loses immunity to cold and polymorph, gains resist cold 10 [but see the contingent spells listed under his gear, above])
Attacks:
- Natural Weapons = 3 claw attacks +50 (1d4+16 plus 2d6 foebane) and poison sting +50 (1d6+10 plus 2d6 foebane & DC 33 Fortitude vs. poison [1d6 Wis/1d6 Wis])
- scimitar +51/+46/+41/+36/+51 (1d8+18 [15-20, auto confirm] plus 2d6 profane plus 2d6 foebane) and kukri +51/+46 (1d6+12 [15-20, auto confirm] plus 2d6 profane plus 2d6 foebane) and poison sting +51 (1d6+10 plus 2d6 foebane & DC 33 poison [1d6 Wis/1d6 Wis])
Just because it came up, I've statted up an "alternative" mount for ol' Vanthi to use in place of the one-shot-wonder Nightmare mount. Behold:
CE Huge Construct (extraplanar), CR 16 (76,800 xp)
Init +10
Senses darkvision 60', low-light vision; Perception +19
AC 38; flat-footed 34 (+24 natural [14+2+8])
Touch AC 14; flat-footed touch 8 (10 -2 size +6 Dex)
hp 137; fast healing 5; DR 3/-- & DR 17/adamantine and magic; (15d10 [82] +40 size +15 toughness)
Fort +7 (base 5 +2 Great Fortitude), Ref +13 (base 5 +6 Dex +2 Lightning Reflexes), Will +9 (base 5 +4 Wis)
Defensive Abilities construct traits; Immune to acid, cold, electricity, fire and sonic energy types; and all magic that allows SR; Feint DC 29
Speed 50', fly 50' (perfect) +25
Melee bite +22 (1d8+9 plus grab), 4 claws +22 (2d6+9 / 19-20)
Melee Power Attack bite +18 (1d8+17 plus grab), 4 claws +18 (2d6+17 / 19-20)
Space 15'; Reach 15'
Special Attacks eye rays (+19 ranged touch) [15-2+6]
Spell-like Abilities (CL 20th) At Will - discern location
Str 29, Dex 22, Con --, Int 11, Wis 19, Cha 1
Base Attack +15; CMB +26 (+28 bull rush, +30 grapple) Power Attack CMB +22 (+24 bull rush, +26 grapple) [bab 15 +2 size +9 Str]; CMD 42 (46 vs. overrun and trip) [10 +15 bab +2 size +9 Str +6 Dex]
Feats Cleave, Improved Bull Rush, Great Fortitude, Improved Critical (claw), Improved Initiative, Lightning Reflexes, Power Attack, Toughness
Skills Fly +25 [15 ranks +8 +6 Dex -4 size], Perception +19 [15 ranks +4 Wis]
Languages Abyssal (cannot speak)
SQ relentless, magic-immune, flight
Eye Rays (Su) A Lemorian retriever's eye rays can produce four different rays, each with a range of 100'. Each round, it can fire one ray as a free action. A particular ray is usable only once every 4 rounds. A Lemorian retriever can fire an eye ray in the same round it makes physical attacks - doing so does not provoke attacks of opportunity. The save DC for eye rays is 19, including a +2 racial bonus (17+2). The eye ray effects are the following:
- Cold: deals 12d6 cold damage, Reflex half
- Electricity: deals 12d6 electricity damage, Reflex half
- Fire: deals 12d6 fire damage, Reflex half
- Petrification: Fortitude negates
Relentless (Su) A Lemorian retriever is constantly under the effects of spider climb and water walk; these abilities cannot be dispelled.
Magic-Immune(ex) A Lemorian retriever is immune to any magical and supernatural effects that allow spell resistance.
Flight (Su) A Lemorian retriever flies by supernatural means that cannot be dispelled.