Just got done reading through Karzoug's entry in Spires of Xin-Shalast, and WOW! Well done! Greg A. Vaughn has done a wonderful job with the climactic encounter with Karzoug. I can not wait to run this for my PCs.
However, and I'm sure I'm not the only one in this boat, of all the encounters in the AP, I really want to make sure I do this one justice. As this will be my first campaign at anywhere near this level (my only other campaigns have petered out around 5 or so) I am already starting to feel the pressure (even though we have only started Burnt Offerings).
I also want to "personalise" Kazoug a little bit, with options from outside the SRD. So what feats, spells, gear etc would you give to Karzoug? I am already planning on swapping out some of his feats for Persistent spell and Arcane Strike, and some of his spells for those from the Spell Compendium (wraith strike immediately springs to mind). What other changes would people make?
But the one thing I really am trying to work hard on is making the encounter with Karzoug feel like an encounter with a transmuter. I can't tell you how refreshing it was to see a well built high level wizard with solid tactics and a good spell / gear selection. However, I was a little disappointed that his tactics are basically "generic high level wizard" tactics, not "high level transmuter" tactics.
I want my PCs to come away thinking "So THAT'S what a Transmuter looks like up close. That was an awesome fight, and a great climax to the campaign." Instead of as it stands now "So THAT'S what a high level wizard looks like. That was an awesome fight, and a great climax to the entire campaign."
If anyone (especially Greg) has any thoughts on this, I am all ears. I was initially thinking gish (fighter / mage), after all, nothing says transmuter more than "buff and go toe-to-toe in melee." But giving up spellcasting levels for melee capability is not something I can see Karzoug doing.
So I think I am going to go with the Alter Self / Polymorph / Shapechange tactics. Basically, the way he deals with threats is to change shape into something big and scary and rip you limb from limb. This will obviously involve all new tactics, so I really want to hear other DMs suggestions before I go through all that work.
The big downside is that I can't find a decent PrC that rally works for a transmuter without giving up caster levels. The main options are probably a Master Specialist (Complete Mage), transmuter variant (Unearthed Arcana), or the Red Wizard (DMG). But none of them seem to really fit, and I might just end up going with the UA variant transmuter for access to some pretty good spells (I would probably go with blur, improved invis. and Dominate Monster).
So, what are your thoughts for personalising and improving Karzoug. What feats, spells, gear and other options do you think he should have. By combining our thoughts, hopefully we can show the PCs how a transmuter fights, and make sure we do the campaign and Karzoug (and Greg's and all the author's work) justice.
One combo that jumped out at me immediately was Time Stop + Prismatic Sphere + Reverse Gravity. Make 'em fall up through the seven layers of rainbow death as soon as the duration is up.
...then dismiss the spell and have 'em do it again.
Into the zone of a transmute rock to lava. Thanks, Spell Compendium!
If you're into the buff + melee route, Spell Compendium also has the bite of the spells, giving Karzoug the powers of a lycanthrope to mess your PCs up toe-to-toe. Baleful blink is a fun mid-level spell from PHB 2, and Complete Mage has the heart of spells (more good buffs) and smoky confinement, a budget trap the soul, in case your Karzoug is something of a cheapskate.
I don't know how you could do it, but some kind of quickened shapechange spell would be great, have him do some kind of adaptive changing to react to their attacks.
If they Power Attack, the next round he shifts to natural armour; if they use spells, he develops spell resistance and energy resistances; if they try and shoot him, he turns into something tiny and scuttles away to come at them from behind later.
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The shapechange route's a pretty open-to-GM-abuse route for a transmuter... I avoided that route for 2 reasons when fine-tuning Karzoug.
1: Refigureing and calculating his alternate form stat blocks would have been a waste of space.
2: It's no fun to spend the whole campaign foreshadowing Karzoug as a crazy powerful human wizard with cool Wayne artwork from the start, only to have him shapechange and fight as a choker or a fire giant.
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One combo that jumped out at me immediately was Time Stop + Prismatic Sphere + Reverse Gravity. Make 'em fall up through the seven layers of rainbow death as soon as the duration is up.
...then dismiss the spell and have 'em do it again.
Good idea, except the sphere is centered on the caster. Can't use a wall either, because it explicitly states vertical, though you might be able to get away with using the RG, then cast a wall underneath, then drop them.
The shapechange route's a pretty open-to-GM-abuse route for a transmuter... I avoided that route for 2 reasons when fine-tuning Karzoug.
1: Refigureing and calculating his alternate form stat blocks would have been a waste of space.
2: It's no fun to spend the whole campaign foreshadowing Karzoug as a crazy powerful human wizard with cool Wayne artwork from the start, only to have him shapechange and fight as a choker or a fire giant.
Thanks for taking the time to respond James. Both those reasons make perfect sense.
I didn't mean this thread to be an attack on Karzoug's stat block (unlike some of my other threads I must admit if I'm being honest), more a forum for DMs to discuss different ideas, tactics, spells, feats and options so they can customise Karzoug a bit more for their campaigns. In particular, with Paizo being limited to using only the SRD, many other DMs have a lot more material open to them, and bouncing ideas of each other can help us all to get the most out of that material and Karzoug.
Although, being honest, I also am keen to work out what a transmuter looks like in combat. I would like him to look different to other wizards (specialists or generalists). And so I am trying to work out how that works in practice.
Acknowledging the problems with shapechange you mentioned, (I had thought of the first one, the second one had not crossed my mind, and for me it is the bigger drawback to using shapechange), and ruling out a Gish for the loss of caster levels, I think I'll go for a wizard who changes the battlefield (transmute rock to lava etc), and uses spells like Balefull Polymorph and reduce person etc (but obviously higher level equivalents), to cut the party down to size, before wading into melee with a couple of simple buff spells active.
I think the problem is that specialists don't really get any features that make them stand out as specialists, such that one wizard is pretty much the same as another. Would be nice to work out a way to overcome that limitation. Hopefully with the combined efforts of DMs on this board, we can at least give it a shake.
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Acknowledging the problems with shapechange you mentioned, (I had thought of the first one, the second one had not crossed my mind, and for me it is the bigger drawback to using shapechange), and ruling out a Gish for the loss of caster levels, I think I'll go for a wizard who changes the battlefield (transmute rock to lava etc), and uses spells like Balefull Polymorph and reduce person etc (but obviously higher level equivalents), to cut the party down to size, before wading into melee with a couple of simple buff spells active.
The changing the battlefield is a good idea, but does anyone remember whether or not the ground is worked rock? If it is worked, then those types of spells won't work.
Also, with all of the items, enhancements, and whatnot that Karzoug already has, he's actually quite a decent melee type. Plus, he'll be VERY well informed about the PCs, since after the times where he's met them via proxy, he'll have enough intel to Scry on them to figure out their weaknesses and strengths.
One additional option you might ponder is to let Karzoug employ shapechanging and ability boosting magic on other creatures in his lair. Perhaps he keeps a pet worm that he can enlarge and polymorph into a purple worm? And so on.
Much like changing the battlefield, give him an opportunity to change the properties of other items or creatures that may exist on that battlefield...and not just against his enemies, but for his allies, too. Nothing says "uh-oh" quite like a group of PCs thinking they have the drop on a transmuter and then a bunch of powerful allies get created out of buzzing flies, pet snakes, a familiar, etc.
My two-cents,
--Neil
For running a high-level transmuter, highlight the use of Transmutation spells. For example:
Slow and mass reduce person to hinder opponents. Telekinesis to affect objects or opponents (Combat Maneuver or Violent Thrust versions). Disintegrate or flesh to stone against single opponents. Reverse gravity against groups. Polymorph any object is a remarkably versatile spell, allowing Karzoug to change any one thing into something else (even a pebble to a creature or vice versa). Timestop lets Karzoug take extra actions (always important for a BBEG).
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Although, being honest, I also am keen to work out what a transmuter looks like in combat. I would like him to look different to other wizards (specialists or generalists). And so I am trying to work out how that works in practice.
I would think a transmuter's robes would be looser than a 'normal' wizards (so they don't rip when transforming) I could also see them viewing normal spells as below them to prepare, storing these in items of spell storing and giving them more slots to use 'their' spells. Some other characteristics: