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As a DM, I have a tendency to modify APs...A LOT. Savage Tide is no different.
My campaign takes place in Golarion in the Arcadian Sea region. The pirates of the Shackles hold sway there and I decided to make the Crimson Fleet the up and coming rivals of the established Shackles pirates.
The Crimson Fleet is a little different in my campaign. While the Cold Captain rules the fleet by virtue of his great power, there is a faction calling themselves the Protectorate within the fleet that disagree with the Cold Captain's cruel methods. They consist of a handful of Crimson Fleet captains and their crew, whereupon Harliss Javell and Kigante (the pirate captain that dies in Kraken's Cove) are members. Prior to the tragedy in Kraken's Cove (Bullywug Gambit), Kigante was the leader of the Protectorate and a well-respected member of the Crimson Fleet. For many, he was the likely successor to the Cold Captain. However, while trying to broker a peace with the Shackles Pirates via Vanthus, things go horribly wrong and a Savage Tide breaks lose. In the ensuing pandemonium, Red Mantis Assassins hired by the Cold Captain murder Kigante (the Crimson Fleet and the Red Mantis share Illazmagorti and have a good working relationship; the Red Mantis will replace the Yuan-ti in my campaign). As an important side note, one of the PCs is the only daughter of Captain Kigante -- she has a burning desire to overthrow the Cold Captain whom she blames for the death of her father and the destruction of her home.
Now, you may be wondering about how Vanthus became an emissary for the Shackles pirates. The Campaign Setting mentions that the Shackles pirates basically own Eleder (the Sasserine substitute). I decided that Shackles captains nearing retirement basically assume mantles of nobility in Eleder. This is the case with Haedrath Kellani, Rowyn's mom. Vanthus, through Rowyn, gains influence with the Shackles pirates and becomes their emissary. Once he reports to the Hurricane King about the effects of the pearl, the Shackles pirates devote all their energies to acquiring them.
I tweaked the shadow pearls a bit in my campaign. My gaming group is a big fan of One Piece manga and I decided that brave or foolish individuals could consume the pearls and gain their powers. There is a fifty percent chance that you become a souped up savage abomination and a fifty percent chance to gain special powers (like the Devil Fruit in One Piece). The only caveat is that you have to sacrifice something in order to activate the powers (I really had a field day with templates from Advanced Bestiary because of this). Many of the most powerful members of the Crimson Fleet have consumed the pearl and gained powers that allowed them to become a match for the Shackles pirates. (Their special templates replace the lemorian templates in the original AP; thus, the Cold Captain gets the icy template with a crap ton of spell like abilities that deal with cold or ice, etc.)
So my rambling now winds its way back to the players. On their journey to the Isle of Dread, they were attacked by three Shackles caravels. They were overpowered, but rescued at the last minute by the Protectorate. As payment for saving their lives, the PCs agreed to join the Protectorate and by extension, the Crimson Fleet.
That brings us back to Farshore. They receive intel that the Shackles pirates are descending upon the colony and the Crimson Fleet has refused to give them assistance: "It's a test to see if you are worthy to be a part of our fleet." (Cold Captain's orders). They know that Vanthus and Rowyn (who escaped the first time around) are coming for them.
Now, that's where the collective brain power of the Savage Tide boards come into play.
I've decided to replace the yuan ti sorcerer with an 11th level druid (The campaign setting mentions a druid pirate captain called the Master of Gales with a giant squid animal companion). The druid captain was instrumental in helping the fleet navigate through the myriad of storms that surround the Isle of Dread.
However, I have some questions:
-Vanthus is still "normal" (no fiendish template), but has a shadow pearl. Would he arrogantly consume the pearl or shatter it in the end (canon)? If he does consume the pearl, what should his special power be? I've already decided that he has unknowingly garnered the favor of Demogorgon who will raise him as a death knight upon his death.
-What should I replace the flesh golem strike team with? Or should I keep them and have on of the pirate captains of the other ship be a wizard or sorcerer?
-Should I keep the vrocks or should I replace them with something else?
-How will the invasion fleet's tactics change given the changes above?
Thanks for bearing with my fevered ramblings and ideas. I look forward to hearing from everyone!
-Vanthus is still "normal" (no fiendish template), but has a shadow pearl. Would he arrogantly consume the pearl or shatter it in the end (canon)? If he does consume the pearl, what should his special power be? I've already decided that he has unknowingly garnered the favor of Demogorgon who will raise him as a death knight upon his death.
This one is likely the toughest. I would go with the "shatter" option, as it gives the players a chance to stop him (snag the pearl, catch it as it falls, something) and be heroic, and also gives them a chance to study one up-close and personal should they get their hands on it.
That said, I would recommend either he already devoured a pearl and thus has some special abilities, or that he's sufficiently amped up with spells/levels/special abilities or given some extra minions so the battle with him isn't a total cakewalk.
As for the obvious "but then he would have two pearls, one in his pack and one he already ate!" just remember he desperately wants Lavinia at his side - it would be very, very in character for him to not only have devoured a pearl himself but stolen a second with full intent to force it down Lavinia's throat.
-What should I replace the flesh golem strike team with? Or should I keep them and have on of the pirate captains of the other ship be a wizard or sorcerer?
If you're changing V'sesslin to a druid, I would replace the flesh golems with animals or plants (aquatic shamblers maybe?) of appropriate challenge and similar capabilities.
-Should I keep the vrocks or should I replace them with something else?
The vrocks are hard to replace as the challenge with them is not anything about their own individual combat capabilities but rather the potential devastation caused by the three-vrock Dance of Ruin (15d6 lightning damage, reflex half is not to be sneezed at, especially at that level!) I honestly can't really think of anything else that appropriately replicates that challenge, and thus would recommend keeping them. Watching the players scramble - sometimes from all the way across the map! - to reach the vrocks and dislodge, disable, or kill at least one of them (as the Dance must restart if any of the participants is prevented from dancing, not just if all are stopped) is quite worth it IMO as a fellow DM.
-How will the invasion fleet's tactics change given the changes above?
The initial pirate charge and first wave will likely be little different.
Instead of V'sesslin fireballing the coast, the druid could either be dropping Call Lightning onto buildings or sending his squid to raze the area, Godzilla style. The golem replacements should likely be about the same, unless you pick a replacement with a really cool/powerful/unusual ability in which case they should probably focus on using that sort of thing first.
Is Rowyn still alive? Having her alongside Vanthus would help shore up the difficulty of that battle, especially if she has some special abilities from a pearl of her own - in her case I think something that affected her bardic abilities would be suitable. (Turn her into part Siren maybe? A mind-clouding song, some aquatic traits like gills, scales on her arms/shoulders/legs that reflect dazzling light [color spray as a burst maybe] as she dances, webbed fingers? Etc. etc. etc.)
As for Vanthus himself... Perhaps something Shadow based? Start with the Dark template if you have the 3.5 Tome of Magic (Shadowcaster Monsters section) and spread from there for inspiration, perhaps? Otherwise I'm drawing a blank and will probably need to get back to you tomorrow.
Hope that's a start, at least :D
This one is likely the toughest. I would go with the "shatter" option, as it gives the players a chance to stop him (snag the pearl, catch it as it falls, something) and be heroic, and also gives them a chance to study one up-close and personal should they get their hands on it.
That said, I would recommend either he already devoured a pearl and thus has some special abilities, or that he's sufficiently amped up with spells/levels/special abilities or given some extra minions so the battle with him isn't a total cakewalk.As for the obvious "but then he would have two pearls, one in his pack and one he already ate!" just remember he desperately wants Lavinia at his side - it would be very, very in character for him to not only have devoured a pearl himself but stolen a second with full intent to force it down Lavinia's throat.
This is brilliant Orthos! Thank you.
If you're changing V'sesslin to a druid, I would replace the flesh golems with animals or plants (aquatic shamblers maybe?) of appropriate challenge and similar capabilities
Seaweed shamblers...I love it! They could wash up onto the shore after a strategically placed control water floods the docks.
Is Rowyn still alive? Having her alongside Vanthus would help shore up the difficulty of that battle, especially if she has some special abilities from a pearl of her own - in her case I think something that affected her bardic abilities would be suitable. (Turn her into part Siren maybe? A mind-clouding song, some aquatic traits like gills, scales on her arms/shoulders/legs that reflect dazzling light [color spray as a burst maybe] as she dances, webbed fingers? Etc. etc. etc.)
Rowyn is indeed alive and placed in charge of her own ship. This is a GREAT idea. I didn't even consider her a beneficiary of the shadow pearl.
As for Vanthus himself... Perhaps something Shadow based? Start with the Dark template if you have the 3.5 Tome of Magic (Shadowcaster Monsters section) and spread from there for inspiration, perhaps? Otherwise I'm drawing a blank and will probably need to get back to you tomorrow.
I was thinking along the lines of Vanthus transforming into some sort of male marilith, but I like the idea of linking him to shadow better. (It foreshadows "Into the Maw" well methinks) Unfortunately, I don't have access to the book :(
Thanks a lot for the ideas!
This is brilliant Orthos! Thank you.This one is likely the toughest. I would go with the "shatter" option, as it gives the players a chance to stop him (snag the pearl, catch it as it falls, something) and be heroic, and also gives them a chance to study one up-close and personal should they get their hands on it.
That said, I would recommend either he already devoured a pearl and thus has some special abilities, or that he's sufficiently amped up with spells/levels/special abilities or given some extra minions so the battle with him isn't a total cakewalk.As for the obvious "but then he would have two pearls, one in his pack and one he already ate!" just remember he desperately wants Lavinia at his side - it would be very, very in character for him to not only have devoured a pearl himself but stolen a second with full intent to force it down Lavinia's throat.
If they successfully snag the pearl from Vanthus, unless the player party keeps it with them at all times make a point of him stealing it back at the beginning of "Serpents of Scuttlecove" when he comes back for Lavinia! Remember that the whole point of him hauling her to the Abyss is to try to convince Ghorvash/Demogorgon to turn her into a Lemorian too so he can keep her :)
If they keep it with the party (a dangerous gamble - it might get accidentally shattered, or stolen by the kopru/aboleth/skinwalkers!), you may need to come up with a way to get it back, or have him steal a third one from Wyther (in which case there should be MUCH griping from the Cold Captain ;D ).
When or if the PCs survive to Serpents of Scuttlecove, Vanthus has wrested the last remaining shadow pearls from the Cold Captain's fingers.
That brings us back to one of my sticking points. Vanthus needs to be badass enough to walk through the Crimson Fleet HQ and then beat the crap out of the Cold Captain in his own turf.
I like the idea of him being shadow-themed, but I also want him to foreshadow Demogorgon. My players have never played Greyhawk nor have they had much exposure to Demogorgon. As such, references to Lemoria vis a vis the Lemorian template would be lost on them. I'll need to be pretty blatant about showing them that he has the favor of Demogorgon when they face him during the invasion. (This can be viewed as his first "power up")
Logically, his transformation into a death knight is his second "power up." However, how can I explain that he suddenly doubled in power because he died? (I want to introduce a brief cutscene where Vanthus dukes it out with the Cold Captain prior to the start of Serpents to foreshadow both villains' special abilities and badassness)
Mechanically, I'm at a loss of how to stat him. He probably learned swordsmanship growing up, but he was also a member of a thieve's guild. Afterwards, he hung out a lot with pirates before confronting the PCs. As I'm using Pathfinder rules (and am very strict with the splatbooks; I may make an exception here), I have him pegged down as a fighter/rogue.
On another note, your mention of making Rowyn become a part siren had me intrigued. In addition to conferring special powers, I'm tempted to keep all the pearl transformations aquatic themed. What do you think?
I like the idea of him being shadow-themed, but I also want him to foreshadow Demogorgon. My players have never played Greyhawk nor have they had much exposure to Demogorgon. As such, references to Lemoria vis a vis the Lemorian template would be lost on them. I'll need to be pretty blatant about showing them that he has the favor of Demogorgon when they face him during the invasion. (This can be viewed as his first "power up")
Demogorgon's big things, appearance wise, are his tentacle attacks and his two heads. In the initial attack, I would just stick to the tentacles. Maybe he has two shadowy tendrils that grow up out of his shoulders, or perhaps attack from within his own shadow - the sun/flames at his bag cast his shadow beneath his foe, and after he attacks with his own weapons suddenly his shadow attacks from below!
A good secondary ability would be the ability to have his shadow turn into A Shadow (a buffed up one - at the party's level a standard Bestiary/Monster Manual Shadow is a cakewalk) and hop around, attacking with tentacle touch attacks and providing flanking for Vanthus after Rowyn goes down/if Rowyn can't get into position.
Logically, his transformation into a death knight is his second "power up." However, how can I explain that he suddenly doubled in power because he died? (I want to introduce a brief cutscene where Vanthus dukes it out with the Cold Captain prior to the start of Serpents to foreshadow both villains' special abilities and badassness)
This is where the other half of Demogorgon's iconic appearance should make its show. On top of being a Death Knight and still having the phenomenal cosmic powers from the pearl he ate - tentacle attacks, shadow partner, ability to do a Dimension Door-type shadow-jump, etc. etc. etc. - he should get something that mimics Big D's other iconic appearance quirk, his second head. Perhaps Vanthus can create a second shadowy head that uses gaze attacks then fades into nothingness until called forth again. After all, his soul just passed through Demogorgon's possession before being returned to its body - there should be some lingering influence/reaction.
By the time of "Into the Maw", if you're wanting, the influence of Demogorgon (by simply time passed, existence as a death knight, proximity to Abysm, etc.) has become great enough that the second head becomes permanent.
On another note, your mention of making Rowyn become a part siren had me intrigued. In addition to conferring special powers, I'm tempted to keep all the pearl transformations aquatic themed. What do you think?
Demogorgon does have a bit of an amphibious theme to him. The main trick of this is that it limits you - for example, if you want to have a guy with Fire powers (such as one of the various Lemorian captains the party fights in Scuttlecove) you're kind of shot in the foot there.
When or if the PCs survive to Serpents of Scuttlecove, Vanthus has wrested the last remaining shadow pearls from the Cold Captain's fingers.
In the primary canon, Vanthus got his pearl from the Lords of Dread. Since you are making significant changes, if you need more pearls, say that there was more than one with the LoD, and have VV consume/distribute those as you like. This way you can provide any power-ups you like for VV prior to Scuttlecove. Have him consume enough pearls to make him a match for Wyther and take more pearls then as well.
When or if the PCs survive to Serpents of Scuttlecove, Vanthus has wrested the last remaining shadow pearls from the Cold Captain's fingers.In the primary canon, Vanthus got his pearl from the Lords of Dread.
Doh! I forgot about this, good catch!
Wow! Awesome ideas Orthos.
I'll probably make Vanthus a full two weapon rogue. With his own shadow acting as a flanking partner, he'll be nasty! Maybe he'll have the ability to animate the PCs' shadows as well. *evil grin*
In this case, his own shadow would be a greater shadow and the PCs' shadows will be the run of the mill shadows from the Bestiary.
Should the shadow tentacles do strength damage, cold damage, or both? Maybe I can give VV's tentacles improved grab and constrict as well?
I like your ideas about Vanthus' endgame. He will definitely have a permanent second head when the PCs encounter him again.
Should the shadow tentacles do strength damage, cold damage, or both? Maybe I can give VV's tentacles improved grab and constrict as well?
I would avoid cold, as the way you've set this up makes cold Wyther's schtick. Maybe just raw negative energy - so if the players gang up on the Shadow, Vanthus can just wallop it with his tentacles and heal it.
Heck, I'd give Vanthus the Tomb-Tainted Soul feat so that negative energy heals him too! Then if the players ignore the Shadow and focus on Vanthus, it can return the favor >:D
I would definitely give the tentacles ImpGrap/Constrict, and be sure to specify that the tentacles do the grappling, leaving Vanthus free to attack with his hands - and therefore not be the poor helpless flat-footed Rogue!
Should the shadow tentacles do strength damage, cold damage, or both? Maybe I can give VV's tentacles improved grab and constrict as well?I would avoid cold, as the way you've set this up makes cold Wyther's schtick. Maybe just raw negative energy - so if the players gang up on the Shadow, Vanthus can just wallop it with his tentacles and heal it.
Heck, I'd give Vanthus the Tomb-Tainted Soul feat so that negative energy heals him too! Then if the players ignore the Shadow and focus on Vanthus, it can return the favor >:D
I would definitely give the tentacles ImpGrap/Constrict, and be sure to specify that the tentacles do the grappling, leaving Vanthus free to attack with his hands - and therefore not be the poor helpless flat-footed Rogue!
You're right -- cold belongs to Captain Wythers.
As VV's tentacles are made of shadowstuff, they would probably be melee touch attacks that do raw negative energy damage + strength drain. Add improved grab and constrict to the mix = nasty! (This is in addition to his hands which can conduct a symphony of carnage vis a vis sneak attacks)
Tomb-tainted soul is a good idea :)
Now that we've covered VV a good deal, I would like to shift the discourse to the pirates' tactics. Given that they have a high level druid on their side, I'm sure they will make use of control water and control winds.
I've decided that when they confront the druid, he will be wildshaped into the form of a seagull sitting on the mast of his ship. (They won't know where the lightning, weather, fire, etc. effects are coming from!) Furthermore, the druid has dominated a giant squid which is augmented with an animal growth spell. It will probably go godzilla on the defenders like you mentioned.
Thanks for the ideas so far though :)
Summoned Trexes and elasmosauri popping out of nowhere with call lightning zaps will be nice.
Make elaborate use of the druid's ability to spont-cast Summons. Have him prepare several useful spells, then burn them up as the situation deems him not needing them with summoning. If he needs a more useful/different spell, it's still there; but if he doesn't, another animal :)
Have him use Wild Empathy en route to Farshore to surround himself with more seagulls. If the players see a bunch of summoned animals, attacking plants, and lightning they may eventually think "Hmm, wildshaped Druid somewhere" and attack any animals in the area. A flock of seagulls around him reduces the chance he's noticed and targeted immediately.
A flock of seagulls around him reduces the chance he's noticed and targeted immediately.
Wouldnt the appearance of an 80's new wave band tip off the pcs that something is amiss?
Pirates: "And I ran, I ran so far away...."
Players: "Fireball"
Sorry, I got the image in my head when I read that, and couldnt resist.
Just out of curiosity, do you have some contingency for players consuming Shadow Pearls? After all, if the 50% fails, they can always roll new characters. Do you see them taking this step, or not?
Just out of curiosity, do you have some contingency for players consuming Shadow Pearls? After all, if the 50% fails, they can always roll new characters. Do you see them taking this step, or not?
As a matter of fact, one of them has. The group was battling the outcast kopru and were heading towards a TPK. When the monk consumed the pearl, he gained the werebear template and kicked ass...but at a price.
I ruled that every time he transforms, the pearl's magic makes him more bestial, draining 2 intelligence per transformation. His transformation only lasts as long as a barbarian's rage of his level and leaves him exhausted afterwards.
As a monk, he only had 8 intelligence. He's currently wearing a headband of intelligence +2 to mitigate the effects, but essentially he only has 2-3 uses throughout the entire campaign.
I am going to ramp up the difficulty of the invasion if the monk player might feel justified in transforming (just in case)
On another note, the manifests of each ship consists of a crew that looks like this (faction guide + GMG)
Captain (unique NPC)
First Mate (expert 4/fighter 5)
8 Crew (lvl 3 rogues)
20 Swabbies (expert 1/warrior 1)
The five captains are:
Vanthus Vanderboren
Rowyn Kellani
Master of Gales (druid 11)
Jeran the Jinx (from the NPC guide; treat as having an unluck aura like the pugwampis)
Dimata Sirathini (from the NPC guide; she coats her arrows in Sargavan goop, marking powerful enemies for the druid's dominated giant squid)
I ruled that every time he transforms, the pearl's magic makes him more bestial, draining 2 intelligence per transformation. His transformation only lasts as long as a barbarian's rage of his level and leaves him exhausted afterwards.
As a monk, he only had 8 intelligence. He's currently wearing a headband of intelligence +2 to mitigate the effects, but essentially he only has 2-3 uses throughout the entire campaign.
I take it either the party doesn't have a Cleric, or he can't undo the drain once he can cast Restoration for some reason?
I take it either the party doesn't have a Cleric, or he can't undo the drain once he can cast Restoration for some reason?I ruled that every time he transforms, the pearl's magic makes him more bestial, draining 2 intelligence per transformation. His transformation only lasts as long as a barbarian's rage of his level and leaves him exhausted afterwards.
As a monk, he only had 8 intelligence. He's currently wearing a headband of intelligence +2 to mitigate the effects, but essentially he only has 2-3 uses throughout the entire campaign.
Yes, I used my DM fiat to rule that drain incurred from using the ability is irrevocable (though my PCs haven't asked me that yet).
The rationale could be: the powers of the pearl are infused with the primordial essences of the Old Ones and have a demon prince's direct blessings -- you are unable to harness your goddess' blessings to reverse the 'price of the pearl'
Or...
It could be something regarding cosmic laws are somesuch.
The rationale could be: the powers of the pearl are infused with the primordial essences of the Old Ones and have a demon prince's direct blessings -- you are unable to harness your goddess' blessings to reverse the 'price of the pearl'
Or...
It could be something regarding cosmic laws are somesuch.
Seems logical. *nodnod*
I ruled that every time he transforms, the pearl's magic makes him more bestial, draining 2 intelligence per transformation. His transformation only lasts as long as a barbarian's rage of his level and leaves him exhausted afterwards.
[...]
Yes, I used my DM fiat to rule that drain incurred from using the ability is irrevocable (though my PCs haven't asked me that yet).
This sounds awesome. :)
One suggestion; make it an inherent penalty (similar to the attribute effects of a wish). Once the players get access to multiple wishes (if they ever go that route), let the player bye it off, effectively starting with a negative inherent bonus and being able to bye it off with wishes, for the normal final inherent bonus of +5. That way, it is not QUITE permanent.
Or, to make it simpler, just say Wish/Miracle can negate the penalty.
By the time you can afford multiple wishes, that transformation is a pretty minor effect anyway.
I like the idea of him being shadow-themed, but I also want him to foreshadow Demogorgon. My players have never played Greyhawk nor have they had much exposure to Demogorgon. As such, references to Lemoria vis a vis the Lemorian template would be lost on them. I'll need to be pretty blatant about showing them that he has the favor of Demogorgon when they face him during the invasion. (This can be viewed as his first "power up")Demogorgon's big things, appearance wise, are his tentacle attacks and his two heads. In the initial attack, I would just stick to the tentacles. Maybe he has two shadowy tendrils that grow up out of his shoulders, or perhaps attack from within his own shadow - the sun/flames at his bag cast his shadow beneath his foe, and after he attacks with his own weapons suddenly his shadow attacks from below!
A good secondary ability would be the ability to have his shadow turn into A Shadow (a buffed up one - at the party's level a standard Bestiary/Monster Manual Shadow is a cakewalk) and hop around, attacking with tentacle touch attacks and providing flanking for Vanthus after Rowyn goes down/if Rowyn can't get into position.
Logically, his transformation into a death knight is his second "power up." However, how can I explain that he suddenly doubled in power because he died? (I want to introduce a brief cutscene where Vanthus dukes it out with the Cold Captain prior to the start of Serpents to foreshadow both villains' special abilities and badassness)This is where the other half of Demogorgon's iconic appearance should make its show. On top of being a Death Knight and still having the phenomenal cosmic powers from the pearl he ate - tentacle attacks, shadow partner, ability to do a Dimension Door-type shadow-jump, etc. etc. etc. - he should get something that mimics Big D's other iconic appearance quirk, his second head. Perhaps Vanthus can create a second shadowy head that uses gaze attacks then fades into nothingness until...
In the case of Vanthus, once he becomes a Death Knight he could have a second face, reflecting Vanthus' own nature.
Second face...
Could you elaborate? I am intrigued!
Also, I really like the "buy off" idea. When they are powerful enough to cast multiple wishes, I'll certainly let them find out about it somehow.
Second face...Could you elaborate? I am intrigued!
This second face could act much like the second head does for so many other critters that Your Heroes will come across later on. Immunity or massive resistance to mind-affecting stuff, cannot be flanked unless by something he cannot perceive, +8 racial bonus to Perception ... and able to take a "mental full-round action" every round in addition to his normal physical actions.
Especially in a game like Orthos', the gestalt would work VERY well with your favorite brand of psion. One that can engage in physical combat alongside psionic.
If you do not use psionics, the second face grants him gestalt sorcerer with no requirement for components save Verbal. Perhaps Bard instead of sorcerer - he can literally buff himself. (Foci and costly components would have to be attached to his bracers or in miniature pouches along his arms, let's say.)
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Second face...Could you elaborate? I am intrigued!
Also, I really like the "buy off" idea. When they are powerful enough to cast multiple wishes, I'll certainly let them find out about it somehow.
probably something on the line of "he's a backstabbing, two-faced, no-good, lying, cheating son of a gun..." as Harliss Javell was found of stating (yelling) in my game.
in other words, his physical form will accurately reflect his two-timing nature.
Will the second face be on the same head? I am having trouble visualizing this in my mind. Still, I really like the idea of turning him gestalt upon his transformation into a death knight.
Will the second face be on the same head? I am having trouble visualizing this in my mind. Still, I really like the idea of turning him gestalt upon his transformation into a death knight.
Yep - on the back side, or bifurcating his face into two distinct faces, depending on how you want to spin it.
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Has the aforementioned battle over the Kong-Bait village taken place?
I wish to hear a final report, post haste.
VV + Dual Actions + Gestalt = Whee! Chop, Chop, Chop, Chop, Quickened SLA, Move, SLA, Quickened SLA. Heck, give him Sorcerer/Wizard levels and actual Quicken Spell spells.
If you'd post the Cold Captain after his demise, that'd rock!
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I like the idea of him being shadow-themed, but I also want him to foreshadow Demogorgon. My players have never played Greyhawk nor have they had much exposure to Demogorgon. As such, references to Lemoria vis a vis the Lemorian template would be lost on them. I'll need to be pretty blatant about showing them that he has the favor of Demogorgon when they face him during the invasion. (This can be viewed as his first "power up")Demogorgon's big things, appearance wise, are his tentacle attacks and his two heads. In the initial attack, I would just stick to the tentacles. Maybe he has two shadowy tendrils that grow up out of his shoulders, or perhaps attack from within his own shadow - the sun/flames at his bag cast his shadow beneath his foe, and after he attacks with his own weapons suddenly his shadow attacks from below!
A good secondary ability would be the ability to have his shadow turn into A Shadow (a buffed up one - at the party's level a standard Bestiary/Monster Manual Shadow is a cakewalk) and hop around, attacking with tentacle touch attacks and providing flanking for Vanthus after Rowyn goes down/if Rowyn can't get into position.
I'd go the other way here and give Vanthus two heads rather than the shadow tentacles. As Turin suggests, the initial stage would be an extra face; when the PCs encounter him, Vanthus has an odd growth on the side of his neck, and the face can cast some spells (bard or cleric) while the 'rest' of Vanthus fights. Then, the next time they meet, Vanthus has a fully grown extra head and can act twice every round. This lets Vanthus evolve into the role of a champion of Demogorgon and builds some nice continuity.
I like the animate shadow, though. For some blatant foreshadowing, let the shadow have two heads and tentacles...
Has the aforementioned battle over the Kong-Bait village taken place?
I wish to hear a final report, post haste.
VV + Dual Actions + Gestalt = Whee! Chop, Chop, Chop, Chop, Quickened SLA, Move, SLA, Quickened SLA. Heck, give him Sorcerer/Wizard levels and actual Quicken Spell spells.
If you'd post the Cold Captain after his demise, that'd rock!
Alas, not yet. I have been on vacation with the family, plotting ruinous schemes against my players. I'll try to put up stat blocks sometime in the coming weeks.
Sorry for the wait. Here is Vanthus in all of his shadowy glory. (Note, this version of Vanthus is very lethal -- use at your own risk. My five players will be level 11 when they face him)
Oh, and given his overall level of nastiness, I am having the players fight him alone (well, not counting his animated shadows and his shadow twin). No Rowyn to back him up and no vrocks to soften them up :)
A tall, lithe man slowly rises up from the shadow cast by Lavinia behind her. Merely inches away from your patron, he slowly breathes in the faint perfume in her hair and lets out a contented sigh. Lavinia's eyes widen as she turns around to see her hated and estranged brother.
His long hair and goatee is pitch black, his hair tips drifting off into shadowy nothingness. His skin is a chalky white, while two malevolent crimson orbs constitute his eyes. Tentacles made of pure shadow sprout from his shoulder blades and writhe around hypnotically. Shadows seem drawn to him like a magnet, distorting and concealing his form. After taking your measure, he soundlessly draws the serrated, oddly curved obsidian daggers at his hip and breaks out into a demented grin. You notice that his two blades are dripping with liquid shadow, which leaves black, translucent splotches on the ground.
In a voice reminiscent of a cold wind rustling through dried leaves, he exclaims, "Let us dance!"
VANTHUS VANDERBOREN CR 15
Male Shadow Lord Human Aristocrat 1 Rogue 12
NE Medium Humanoid (Extraplanar, Human)
Init +14; Senses Darkvision (60 feet), See in Darkness; Perception +17
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DEFENSE
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AC 33, touch 23, flat-footed 22 (+4 armor, +2 shield, +10 Dex, +4 natural, +2 deflection, +1 dodge)
hp 206 (13d8+90); Fast Healing 2
Fort +14, Ref +24, Will +12
Defensive Abilities Evasion, Improved Uncanny Dodge (Lv >=16), Shadow Shift (DC 21), Trap Sense +4; DR 10/; Immune ability damage, ability drain, energy drain, fear, cold, paralysis, phantasms
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OFFENSE
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Spd 30 ft.
Melee +1 Keen, Unholy Kukri +19/+14 (1d4+1 plus poison and 2d6 unholy) and +1 Keen, Unholy Kukri +19/+14 (1d4+1 plus poison 2d6 unholy) and
2 Shadow Tentacles (Shadow Lord Template) +14 (1d6 plus 1d6 strength damage)
Special Attacks Crippling Strike, Opportunist, Sneak Attack +6d6, Constrict, Shadow Poison
Spell-Like Abilities Deeper Darkness (At will), Fear (At will; DC 19), Mirror Image (1/day), Plane Shift (1/day), Shadow Conjuration (3/day DC 19), Shadow Evocation (3/day DC 20)
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STATISTICS
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Str 10, Dex 30, Con 22, Int 14, Wis 14, Cha 20
Base Atk +9/+4; CMB +19; CMD 32
Feats Agile Maneuvers, Blind-Fight, Combat Reflexes (11 AoO/round), Combat Reflexes (11 AoO/round), Dodge, Improved Critical: Kukri, Improved Initiative, Improved Initiative, Improved Two-weapon Fighting, Lightning Reflexes, Mobility, Rogue Weapon Proficiencies, Spring Attack, Two-weapon Fighting, Weapon Finesse, Weapon Focus: Kukri
Skills Acrobatics +25, Appraise +6, Bluff +20, Climb +9, Escape Artist +25, Intimidate +20, Knowledge: Local +11, Knowledge: Nobility +11, Perception +17, Profession: Sailor +11, Ride +19, Sense Motive +17, Sleight of Hand +19, Stealth +25, Swim +9, Use Magic Device +20
Languages Abyssal, Common, Dark Folk
SQ Evasion (Ex), Resiliency (1/day) (Ex), Ring of Force Shield, Shadow Blend (Su), Strength Damage (Su), Trapfinding +6
Combat Gear +1 Keen, Unholy Kukri, +1 Keen, Unholy Kukri; Other Gear 4 gold earrings, Boots of Speed, Bracers of Armor, +4, Cloak of Resistance, +2, Noble's outfit, Ring of Force Shield, Ring of Protection, +2
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SPECIAL ABILITIES
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Animate Shadows (Su) Vanthus can animate 1d4 shadows into common shadows as a standard action. He can use this ability 1/day
Shadow Poison (Ex) Vanthus applies his own saliva to his blades, coating them with liquid shadow.
Black Smear—injury; save Fort DC 22; frequency 1/round for 6 rounds; effect 1d2 Str; cure 1 save. The poison DC is Constitution-based.
Shadow Twin (Su) Vanthus can animate his own shadow which appears as a two headed, tentacled shadow of himself. The twin has the stats of a greater shadow, but possesses half of Vanthus’ total hit points and uses his BAB and save bonuses. Because of its second head, the twin attacks twice with no penalty.
Shadow Blend (Su) In any condition of illumination other than full daylight, Vanthus disappears into the shadows, giving him total concealment.
Shadow Master(Su) Whenever Vanthus is in an area of dim light, he gains DR 10/-- and a +2 luck bonus on all saving throws. In addition, whenever he successfully scores a critical hit against a foe who is in an area of dim light, that foe is blinded for 1d6 rounds.
Strength Damage (Su) Vanthus' shadow tentacles deal 1d6 points of Strength damage to a living creature. This is a negative energy effect. A creature dies if this Strength damage equals or exceeds its actual Strength score.
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***His death knight form will be extremely lethal. In addition to allowing him the ability to act twice in one round, the second head makes him gestalt. The Shadow King template will have all manner of quickened spell-like abilities.
Oh that is all kinds of disgusting. My Vanthus was a combination of spellcasting and maneuvers with Crusader|Oracle, which is a pretty nasty combination especially given chance to buff up, but this guy is a viciousness all his own. The STR damage attacks with no save are going to kill people dead I bet. Does his Shadow get sneak attacks? Don't want to dig out the Monster Manual/Bestiary at the moment. :P
Though your group is level 11... mine was barely 9, and Vanthus was level 15 on top of his template, and they still would have piledrove him in two rounds if it weren't for Delay Death. Let us know how the showdown goes; I am interested to hear how this nasty fellow fares.
Oh that is all kinds of disgusting. My Vanthus was a combination of spellcasting and maneuvers with Crusader|Oracle, which is a pretty nasty combination especially given chance to buff up, but this guy is a viciousness all his own. The STR damage attacks with no save are going to kill people dead I bet. Does his Shadow get sneak attacks? Don't want to dig out the Monster Manual/Bestiary at the moment. :P
Though your group is level 11... mine was barely 9, and Vanthus was level 15 on top of his template, and they still would have piledrove him in two rounds if it weren't for Delay Death. Let us know how the showdown goes; I am interested to hear how this nasty fellow fares.
I don't believe his shadow gets sneak attacks. Even so, given a full round action, this guy can lay low any of the PCs with a full round attack. If the str damage doesn't kill ya, his six sneak attacks will (6d6*2+8d6*4 plus poison; assuming all of his attacks hit). I don't know if you caught it, but I houseruled that keen and improved crit stack. On a roll of 12 or above, Vanthus gets a critical hit. In addition to drawing from the critical hit deck, he'll be able to blind them as well.
For added survivability, I gave him max HP and the PCs will still be recovering from past skirmishes. Oh, and unlike your PCs, mine are not gestalted :D.
Still, I'll use the battles before hand to see how they are faring and adjust the encounter accordingly. For instance, I'll have them face Rowyn as a separate encounter on board her ship. They will have to contend with her and her first mate. I'll put up her stats soon.