I'm after an idea here...
My group didn't deal with Xanesha during Skinsaw. She followed them to Fort Rannick and gave them more problems there with hit and run tactics, killing the rogue at one point. That worked quite well, as they pounded Lucretia into the ground quite easily.
In any case, the last time they fought her, she was blinded by the sorcerer and forced to retreat. She went into hiding, as I judged that she would struggle to find someone to cure her blindness, at least in the short term
Anyway, move on eight or nine months in game time and the party are currently dealing with the outer defenses at Jorgenfist (Night Wyverns, Longtooth, Cinderma) and its probably about time I could introduce Xanesha, as she makes an ideal reoccurring villain. I can have her blindness cured by the Lamia Clerics under Jorgenfist no problem, but I want to add something to her to bolster her up a little, as she's likely to go down quite easily against my party.
I was first thinking that Mokmorian would be upset about her defeat at Fort Rannick and punish her by putting her in the Runeslave Cauldron (even though it doesn't normally effect non-giants, maybe it will have another effect on her) but as written, I would have thought that doing so would anger Karzoug (as the AP mentions that the Lamia Matriarchs are favoured to him).
So, any ideas on a good template to add to Xanesha and reason why she'd have that template?
Oh, and she's going to be fuelled by revenge, as the group killed her sister.
Actually, once cured, she 'could' go get a scroll of raise dead, and get the clerics to raise Lucretia. Still, would there be an appropriate template to add to either Matriarch, or both?
Oh, and she's going to be fuelled by revenge, as the group killed her sister.
Actually, once cured, she 'could' go get a scroll of raise dead, and get the clerics to raise Lucretia. Still, would there be an appropriate template to add to either Matriarch, or both?
Perhaps Xanesha leveled up in Sorcerer and has a few new tricks up her sleeve?
Or maybe Karzoug cooked up a special role for her--having her inscribed with a very special Sihedron Rune that grants her all the powers of the Advanced Template, but if she fails against the PCs, it is primed to harvest her dark soul as the final sacrifice to free the dormant Runelord.
For my own purposes, I'm adding X and L to the lamia fight in Jorgenfist, with no advancement. Xanesha has added onto every major boss fight so far and made them near-TPKs, so they will be glad to have their revenge.
|
For my own purposes, I'm adding X and L to the lamia fight in Jorgenfist, with no advancement. Xanesha has added onto every major boss fight so far and made them near-TPKs, so they will be glad to have their revenge.
I will be doing the same, for many of the same reasons. Xanesha TPKed the party in Skinsaw. So I used her at Rannick, where Lucrecia convinced the party that she was an ambassador being held prisoner after the Ogres took the fort; then, the invisible, Xanesha struck, crippling the Paladin in the surprise round, killing the Fighter at the beginning of the first round while the Wizard covered Lucrecia's "escape", Xanesha finished the Pally at the beginning of the second round, and brought the Wizard to 0hp as he fled the fort. I decided not to have her follow the Wizard and Barbarian out of the fort because I didn't want another TPK. The goals that I had in mind were to give the players revenge on Xanesha, and throw them a curve ball later when they find out who/what Lucrecia is.
Best laid plans... :)
Well, Mokmurian DOES have powerful Necromancer spells at his disposal...
He could be so infuriated in her continued failure that he slays her outright, then raises her as a minion under his direct control. (If you want anything done around here, you gotta do it yourself...)
Then you can slap any sort of undead template on that you see fit, from a Bloody Skeleton on up to Ghoul/Ghast, Mummy, Vampire...
|
To feed off on Ravenot's undead template idea...
Perhaps if the "Scarecrow" doesnt die and Xanesha does, he could find her body and inter her and she could rise as with the mummified template or some similar template. The reason I suggest the "scarecrow" is that maybe he could have a romantic interest in her, after all he is more intelligent than others of his kind... It could work with others in her employ but there is just something odd about a flesh golem falling in love with her.
Others could do the same thing, but i like the flesh golem idea the best. :)
These are some good ideas. I like the undead template one, I may have a look at putting that on Lucretia instead (and not bothering to raise her). Encountering them with the Lamia Clerics makes sense.
They never killed the Scarecrow either (they hit the Shadow Clock at level 5 and he was whooping them so they ran away) so I like the idea of bringing him back...