Here is my version of Vanthus Vanderboren for the end of Tides of Dread for your perusal.
Name: Vanthus Vanderboren (raging, hasted, unholy aura)
Build: Unique Augmented Male Lemorian Human Spirit Lion Totem Barbarian II/Swashbuckler I/Ranger VI/Fighter II/Tempest IV/
Size & Type: Medium outsider (chaotic, evil, augmented humanoid)
Hit Dice: 2d12+1d10+6d8+2d10+4d10+78
Initiative: +12
Speed: 50’ walk or fly
AC: 33 (8 dex, 1 dodge 1 natural, 2 armour, 2 shield, 3 deflection, 1 monk, 2 tempest, 4 unholy aura, 1 haste, -2 raging)
Touch: 27
Flat-footed: 33
BAB/Grapple: +15/+20
Attack: Fang of the abyss +24/+19 melee (18-20 x2)
Sickle +24/+19 melee (x2)
Tail +15 melee (19-20 x2)
2 Wings +23/+23 melee (19-20 x2)
Damage: Fang of the abyss 5d6+8
Sickle 1d6+8
Tail 1d6+3 (poison)
Wings 1d4+7
Space/Reach: 5*5/5
Special Attacks: Smite good +15, poison (DC 21, 1d6/1d6 wis), pounce, rage 1/day, favoured enemy (gnome +4, elf +2)
Special Qualities: Uncanny dodge; darkvision 60’; immunity to poison; resistance to acid, cold, electricity and fire 10; DR 10/magic, SR 25, wild empathy, animal companion, fast movement, mettle
Saves: Fort: +24, Ref: +22, Will: +7
Abilities: Str: 20, Dex: 26, Con: 22, Int: 14, Wis: 8, Cha: 22
Skills:
Feats: Dodge, mobility, spring attack, multiattack, shock trooper, leap attack, power attack
Bonus Feats: Weapon finesse, two-weapon fighting, improved two-weapon fighting, track, endurance, martial weapon proficiency, armour proficiency (all), shield proficiency, tower shield proficiency
Environment: Lemoriax, the Abyss, the Ocean, Scuttlecove
Affiliation: Crimson Fleet
Challenge Rating: 18
Treasure: Monk’s belt, +1 acid, frost, flaming, shocking rapier (fang of the abyss), +1 spellstoring (haste) light sickle, shadow pearl, boots of speed, capsule retainer of a potion of cure critical wounds (4d8+20), Bracers of moderately fortified armour +2, shield ring, ring of protection +3, hand of glory, ring of mettle
Alignment: CE
Spell-like abilities: CL 16th
Command 3/day DC 17
Suggestion DC 18
Fear DC 17
Charm Monster DC 20
Dominate Person DC 21
Mass Suggestion DC 22
Unhallow
Unholy aura 3/day
Mass Charm Monster DC 24
Suddenly, in the midst of combat, a dark shape comes soaring down through the air. It rapidly approaches and lands atop a nearby pillar. With spined wings, a barbed tail, scaly patches and a pair of evil looking blades in his hands, a demented smile plays across the twisted countenance of the fiend. The past year hasn't been kind to Vanthus Vanderboren.
Nice even if I not yet DM for savage tide.
One point: with a BAB of +15 he should have 3 attacks no?
Nice even if I not yet DM for savage tide.
One point: with a BAB of +15 he should have 3 attacks no?
I don't think so.
+15/+10/+5 IIRC
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Wow - CR18 versus 10th level characters after 4 or 5 CR 10-14 encounters :-)
You playing Gestalt, Larellian? I know my players have badass characters full of splatbookery, but they may very well lynch me if I hit them with this bad boy.
From a purely aesthetic point of view he's pretty nifty though - the Hand of Glory is a nice touch.
I'm sure Turin will be along presently with his own lethal and hideous blend of viciousness.
Wow - CR18 versus 10th level characters after 4 or 5 CR 10-14 encounters :-)
You playing Gestalt, Larellian? I know my players have badass characters full of splatbookery, but they may very well lynch me if I hit them with this bad boy.
From a purely aesthetic point of view he's pretty nifty though - the Hand of Glory is a nice touch.
I'm sure Turin will be along presently with his own lethal and hideous blend of viciousness.
If needs be, the 6 characters and a cohort can be reinvigorated by Zotzilaha before Vanthus or the Vrocks. (He has promised them a favour of some sort at some point)
Additionally, I'm running Porphyry House Horror and The Lost Temple of Demogorgon as part of the Tides of Dread, so they should be level 11-13 before they face big V.
Nice even if I not yet DM for savage tide.
One point: with a BAB of +15 he should have 3 attacks no?I don't think so.
+15/+10/+5 IIRC
*Facepalm*
Okay, he should, in that case add an additional attack at +5 less than the worst on the fang of the abyss.
Additionally, swap leap attack for greater two weapon fighting for a sickle attack at +5 less than the worst.
I made Vanthus a gestalt, due to the connection to Demogorgon. Seemed fitting. He put up a pretty good fight against six players and two NPCs (Lavinia and an NPC cleric), but eventually he fell, ending his grim tale of woe once and for all.
Vanthus
XP 38,400
Male Lemorian fighter 12 // aristocrat 1/rogue 7/tempest 4
CE Outsider (native)
Init +6; Senses Darkvision, Perception +14
Languages Common
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AC 36, touch 25, flat-footed 33 (+7 armor, +2 defense, +3 deflection, +6 (+8) Dex, +2 dodge, +3 natural, +1 shield), combat 39
hp 186 (12d10 + 60); DR 10/good
Immune poison
Resist acid 10, cold 10, electricity 10, fire 10; SR 22
Fort +15, Ref +15, Will +7 (+10 vs fear); evasion (+2, +4 ref)
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Speed 30 ft., fly 30 ft. (average) +21
Melee Longsword +24/+19/+14 (1d8 + 14 /17-20) and (+5 attk, +2 damage)
Sickle +21/+16/+11 (1d6 + 11 /18-20) and
tail +17 (1d6 + 5 and poison)
Space 5 ft.; Reach 5 ft.
Base Atk +12; Combat +17
Atk Options smite good (+12 damage), sneak attack +4d6 (slow reactions, bleed 4)
Combat Gear Red rum (x4), boots of speed
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Spell-like Abilities (Caster level 12th)
3/day – charm monster (DC 21) command (DC 18)
1/day – dominate person (DC 22), fear (DC 21), mass suggestion (DC 23), suggestion (DC 20)
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Abilities Str 20, Dex 22, Con 19, Int 15, Wis 8, Cha 24
SQ Ambidexterity, armor training 3, resiliency, tempest defense +2, trapfinding, trap sense +2, weapon training 2, weapon versatility
Feats Dodge, Double Slice, Greater Two Weapon Fighting, Greater Weapon Focus (heavy blades), Greater Weapon Specialization (heavy blades), Improved Critical (heavy blades), Improved Two Weapon Fighting, Mobility, Skill Focus (Bluff), Spring Attack, Two Weapon Defense, Two Weapon Fighting, Weapon Focus (heavy blades), Weapon Specialization (heavy blades)
Skills Acrobatics +21, Bluff +25, Diplomacy +22, Fly +21, Intimidate +22, Knowledge (arcana) +5, Knowledge (local) +17, Knowledge (the planes) +5, Perception +14, Profession (sailor) +14, Sense Motive +11, Stealth +21, Swim +17
Possessions +3 mithril shirt, +3 longsword, +1 keen sickle, masterwork dagger, ring of protection +3, amulet of natural armor +2, sash of resistance +3, boots of speed, shadow pearl, 4 gold earrings (300 gp ea.)
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Poison (Ex) Injury; Fortitude DC 20, 2 Wis (4)
Wow - CR18 versus 10th level characters after 4 or 5 CR 10-14 encounters :-)
You playing Gestalt, Larellian? I know my players have badass characters full of splatbookery, but they may very well lynch me if I hit them with this bad boy.
From a purely aesthetic point of view he's pretty nifty though - the Hand of Glory is a nice touch.
I'm sure Turin will be along presently with his own lethal and hideous blend of viciousness.
The "first" run-in with Vanthus I ran out of the magazine, although in PRPG terms I would have tacked on Advanced Simple and maximized his hit points, maybe added his highest mental ability modifier to attack rolls so that he could actually *gasp* HIT some of the player characters. At the earlier-to-midway point of the campaign the as written baddies were able to hold their own for a little while. It's the Abyssal leg of the campaign that got completely, utterly nuts ... but I digress.
The lethal and hideous blend of viciousness mentioned is at the very end of the campaign journal - I posted the "final Vanthus" stat block here about 13 months or so after the end of the campaign. There's even a "Lemorian Retriever" you can use instead of the wuss nightmare for his ride if you like.
I made Vanthus a gestalt, due to the connection to Demogorgon. Seemed fitting. He put up a pretty good fight against six players and two NPCs (Lavinia and an NPC cleric), but eventually he fell, ending his grim tale of woe once and for all.
Vanthus
** spoiler omitted **...
That is a very fitting use of gestalt Sir Darkwind. I wish that more of the 'mook' baddies had done so. Kudos!
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Wow - and I thought mine was pretty tough :-)
Male large Lemorian Fighter 5 Vengeance Knight variant 7
CE Outsider (native)
Init +5 (+7 vs party); Senses Darkvision 60ft, Blindsight 30ft, Spot +10 (+12 vs party),
Languages: Common, Abyssal, Yuan-ti, Draconic
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AC 31, touch 18, flat-footed 24 (+10 armor, +2 shield, +2 deflection, +7 Dex, +1 natural, -1 size),
hp 153 (12d10 + 72); DR 10/magic and good
Immune poison
Resist acid 10, cold 10, electricity 10, fire 10; SR 22
Fort +17, Ref +12, Will +10
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Speed 35 ft., fly 35 ft. (good)
Melee +3 large greatsword of spell-storing +21/+16 (3d6 + 11 /17-20) * and
tail +11 (1d6 + 4 and poison) *
Space 10 ft.; Reach 10 ft.
Base Atk +12; Grapple +21*
Atk Options smite good (+12 damage), power attack, counterstrike, spell-like abilities
Action points: 5
Combat Gear +3 large greatsword of spell-storing (dispel magic), +2 mithral full plate, +1 buckler of moderate fortification, cloak of resistance +2, ring of protection +2, amulet of health +2, girdle of giant strength +4
* does not include +2/+2 Bringer of Vengeance
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Spell-like Abilities (Caster level 12th)
3/day – charm monster (DC 18) command (DC 15)
1/day – dominate person (DC 19), fear (DC 18), mass suggestion (DC 20), suggestion (DC 17), greater teleport caster level 14
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Abilities (buffed) Str 24, Dex 24, Con 22, Int 18, Wis 16, Cha 22
SQ Armor training, improved armor training, bringer of vengeance, arcane backlash
Feats Improved Flight, Iron Will, Power Attack, Large And In Charge, Weapon Focus Greatsworrd, Weapon Specialization Greatsword, Greater Weapon Focus Greatsword, Greater Weapon Specialization Greatsword, Improved Critical Greatsword, Step Up, Combat Reflexes
Skills Intimidate +18*, Jump +15, Sense Motive +14*, Spot +10*, Tumble +19
* does not include +2/+2 Bringer of Vengeance
Skill Trick No way around: Tumble DC to avoid AoO from Vanthus =20, move thru his space = DC35
Possessions Boots of speed, Brooch of Shielding (slotless) with 72 pts left, shadow pearl, circlet of entropy (gold headband 3x daily 10’ radius 3d6 negative energy damage no save. Swift action. SR Yes.)
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Poison (Ex) Injury; Fortitude DC 22, 1d6 Wis, 1d6 Wis
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Abilities
Bringer of Vengeance: So bitterly opposed to the party thwarting him yet again that he gets a +2 to hit and damage, and to Intimidate, Search, Sense Motive and Spot rolls vs the party.
(Improved) Armor Training: Check penalty -3, Max Dex +2
Counterstrike: +1 damage to any who damaged him in the previous round
Arcane Backlash: If Vanthus saves vs a targeted spell, the caster takes 2d6 non-lethal damage
Active spells (Potions from allies or cast by V'Sesslin from scrolls): Protection from Good, Protection from Arrows, Protection from Electricity (108 pts), Protection from Fire (108 pts), Eagle's Splendor, Bears Endurance, Bull's Strength, Fox's Cunning, Owl's Wisdom, Cat's Grace
Notes Uses Gtr. Teleport to get close to Lavinia quickly, teleporting to her house from the ship. Party will think he can do it more often muhahaha! Buffs double up on some items, but hopefully help negate effects of Dispel Magics
Thanks, Turin! I thought it was, myself. I've been pretty merciless with my players so far, although they've been pretty good about surviving. They actually think I'm looking out for them. I've almost never lowered the challenge of any of the adventures they were underleveled for, and in fact, increased the challenge of a few, whether they were underleveled or even. :-) Their survival is testament to the fact that I've not made a mistake on that front yet.
Carborundum, where is the Vengeance Knight from? Your version looks pretty hardcore.
Vanthus also had theme music for the finale.
His Main Theme
His Battle Theme (No brilliant energy double sword though)
The Vengeance Knight is a prestige class from Champions of Ruin (a 3.5 FR supplement by WotC). Basically, they are a group of enforcers for an evil organization of corrupt politicians and merchants.
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Yeah - I just liked their Vengeance ability and decided it would work for V. He's not an actual Vengeance Knight as in a member of the group. He just uses their powers in his own, Vanthy way.
He's majorly unhappy with the PCs spoiling all his plans, so having some plusss against them just for hating their guts is sweet :-) And the non-lethal arcane backlash makes him extra evil-seeming!
So I'm getting into Tides of Dread myself and trying to think of how to put him together. I'm running Gestalt and he's up against this party:
A'Reth: Damage-eating Chargemonger - Warforged Crusader 7|Cavalier 7
Lazarus: Master Buffer/Breaker - Tiefling Witch 7|Bard 7
Yasumoto: The Dread Pirate Ninja - Human Scout 7|Swordsage 7
Gene: Nuke Mc Explody - Human Sorcerer 7|Warmage 7
Shariss: Weedwhacker Critmonger - Skarn Barbarian 6/Warblade 1|Incarnate 5/Sanctified One 2
** The party is liable to gain between 2 and 3 levels over the course of ToD. All will be continuing their current classes except for Shariss, who after the events of Here There Be Monsters plans to multiclass into Hellreaver (FC2) on her Barbarian side.**
Lavinia herself: Human Swordsage 7|Rogue 7 (NPC class levels make Gestalt wonky, so I simply removed/overrode them. Unlike the party, this is the highest level she'll be by this encounter.)
Nurn (CE Death Slaad Rogue 5/Lord of Silence 5|Psion 10, for now) will be showing up but will teleport out of the fight shortly before Vanthus arrives. He'll mostly be there to taunt and watch the chaos, and bring the vrocks in.
At the moment, I'm considering Crusader as one of his classes - especially if he's built as a flight-based charger, he can put out a LOT of hurt on the party, and it'll give him some stability against the 70+ damage hits A'Reth can crank out if HE gets to charge. I'm liking the Vengeance Knight, and might tack it on as well. The question is what to toss on the other side... I'm seriously considering a caster class, to give him some non-physical and ranged ability, and to shore up his Will saves. Wilder might fit - Vanthus is notoriously emotion-driven, and as a Crusader he'll already need high Charisma, so the classes mesh well. Favored Soul or Oracle might also do, though Vanthus doesn't strike me as particularly devout.
Thoughts?
So I'm getting into Tides of Dread myself and trying to think of how to put him together. I'm running Gestalt and he's up against this party:
A'Reth: Damage-eating Chargemonger - Warforged Crusader 7|Cavalier 7
Lazarus: Master Buffer/Breaker - Tiefling Witch 7|Bard 7
Yasumoto: The Dread Pirate Ninja - Human Scout 7|Swordsage 7
Gene: Nuke Mc Explody - Human Sorcerer 7|Warmage 7
Shariss: Weedwhacker Critmonger - Skarn Barbarian 6/Warblade 1|Incarnate 5/Sanctified One 2
** The party is liable to gain between 2 and 3 levels over the course of ToD. All will be continuing their current classes except for Shariss, who after the events of Here There Be Monsters plans to multiclass into Hellreaver (FC2) on her Barbarian side.**
Lavinia herself: Human Swordsage 7|Rogue 7 (NPC class levels make Gestalt wonky, so I simply removed/overrode them. Unlike the party, this is the highest level she'll be by this encounter.)Nurn (CE Death Slaad Rogue 5/Lord of Silence 5|Psion 10, for now) will be showing up but will teleport out of the fight shortly before Vanthus arrives. He'll mostly be there to taunt and watch the chaos, and bring the vrocks in.
At the moment, I'm considering Crusader as one of his classes - especially if he's built as a flight-based charger, he can put out a LOT of hurt on the party, and it'll give him some stability against the 70+ damage hits A'Reth can crank out if HE gets to charge. I'm liking the Vengeance Knight, and might tack it on as well. The question is what to toss on the other side... I'm seriously considering a caster class, to give him some non-physical and ranged ability, and to shore up his Will saves. Wilder might fit - Vanthus is notoriously emotion-driven, and as a Crusader he'll already need high Charisma, so the classes mesh well. Favored Soul or Oracle might also do, though Vanthus doesn't strike me as particularly devout.
Thoughts?
As with a paladin, some times one is simply ... called. Or called out to, either of which works with Favored Soul, Oracle, Wilder or anything similar.
The Vengeance Knight I shall have to follow up on next week when I'm home...
Someone's certainly been doing some calling out... mostly through Nurn whispering in his ear at convenient moments. Psionics is convenient that way.
I can't find the rules on it anywhere in the core rulebook, so I think it's safe to assume the rules on flight and carrying capacity are the same as they were in 3.5. Which means Vanthus will need to be lightly armored if he wants to take advantage of his aerial superior maneuverability... which he most certainly will.
I've decided on Oracle for his other class, with Bone mystery and Haunted curse. Lemorian Vanthus is freaky enough, add a demon's rib cage worn as armor for extra effect, and helps cover that nasty problem with needing to wear low-weight armor. (I'm also assuming Armor of Bones won't stack with any equipment he wears... if I'm wrong there he can probably stand to toss on a chain shirt as well, heheh.) The mental image here is far, far too good to pass up.