See this thread for how my PCs will encounter this guy.
I'm thinking a gnome alchemist 7 / demoniac (prestige class from _Lords of Chaos) 2. That makes a 9th level character, which normally would be much too strong for a 4th level party. However, the demoniac class doesn't stack very well with alchemist (even if you allow +1 level of existing class to apply to formulae as well as spells, which I'm inclined to) and also I'm going to give him a crippling addiction that has damaged his stats. He'll still be a pretty good boss.
The Demoniac PrC at second level: BAB +1, +1 to all saves, +1 spellcasting level (I will let this apply to formulae), Damned, Demonic mark, Obedience, Energumen.
-- Demonic mark lets you add the chaotic and evil descriptors to a spell once/day, and also lets you recast the spell. In the case of a formula, I'd say the first effect applies but not the second.
-- Obedience is a disgusting ritual you must do periodically to keep your powers. Probably won't come into play, which is probably good.
-- Energumen grants you a temporary +2 profane bonus to any stat.
Not too hard to apply. This is actually a fairly weak PrC in its first few levels. Which is fine -- it's more for flavor than for crunch.
However, I'm much less certain about how to set up an alchemist -- this will be my first time running this class. The character concept is "evil little bastard who lives in a basement and brews drugs and potions". What spells -- er, formulae -- and discoveries work best here?
Doug M.
Actually it would be a CR 8. Still a very tough challenge for a 4th level party, but that's usually about par for a villain. Also remember to take into account the terrain and circumstance of the encounter.
Thorn body and elemental aura could be a nasty surprise to have in place.
Depends on whether you want a Ranged or Melee combatant. Alchemists can do either, but not both (at least, not really well).
If they come on him unprepared, an Alchemist might go down real quick if he's on his own, Alchemists need several rounds of buffing to get going. If he's got unlimited time to buff he may be well-nigh unstoppable. I'd advise setting it up so he has a few rounds to buff (Shield, Barkskin, Mutagen, maybe more, maybe less) then spends the first round of combat doing so as well (add in Haste).
For both:
Extracts:
1. Cure Light Wounds, Shield, (Basic Defensive stuff)
2. Alchemical Allocation, (Lets him use a Potion without using it up...allows all kinds of wrongness, since he should have Potions of most of his spells) Barkskin, Invisibility, See Invisibility, Delay Poison, (All basic buffs) Undetectable Alignment, (Not for use, but it should be in his book, and maybe even active right now) Spider Climb, Vomit Swarm, (Both thematic, maybe lots of fun)
3. Displacement, Haste, (Both basic buffs) Gaseous Form, (If you want him to have an escape plan)
Melee:
Use Strength Mutagen.
Discoveries: Feral Mutagen (Claw, Claw, Bite), Infuse Mutagen (Mostly for flavor), Sticky Poison (On claws), Combine Extracts (if you let him have it...it requires 8th level Alchemist. I'd allow it, if purchased with his 9th levl Feat. Allows him to have, say Enlarge Person + Shield as one Extract, and save an action)
Extracts:
1. Enlarge Person,
2. Alter Self, Bull's Strength (both to stack onto Strength),
3. Heroism (Again, basic buffing)
Ranged:
Use Dex Mutagen.
Discoveries: Acid Bomb (For the fire-immune), Explosive Bombs (hits the whole party), Precise Bombs (point blank bombing that doesn't hit him!), Fast Bombs (if you let him have it...it requires 8th level Alchemist. I'd allow it, if purchased with his 9th levl Feat. Allows two bombs a round).
Extracts:
1. Expeditious Retreat (if you don't give him Fly)
2. Cat's Grace, Fox's Cunning, Protection From Arrows (Again, all basic buffs)
3. Fly (Flying + Bomb Throwing = Good),
Scipion del Ferro wrote: Actually it would be a CR 8. Still a very tough challenge for a 4th level party, but that's usually about par for a villain. Also remember to take into account the terrain and circumstance of the encounter.
Terrain: Cramped basement room full of lab equipment.
Circumstances: If the PCs show even a tiny bit of sense, I'll allow them to burst in on him unawares -- he doesn't have great Perception, and he's been obsessively working on a new formula for the last day or so.
His initial tactic will be to keep the PCs talking while he drinks buff after buff. So it's important for me to have an idea of what buffs he has, and in what order he'd apply them.
Doug M.
Deadmanwalking wrote:
If they come on him unprepared, an Alchemist might go down real quick if he's on his own, Alchemists need several rounds of buffing to get going. If he's got unlimited time to buff he may be well-nigh unstoppable.
See above: the PCs will probably come upon him unprepared, but he'll try to stall while buffing. I suspect he'll get at least two rounds.
If Haste still granted an extra standard action, he'd probably start with that one (since it would let him drink two on each subsequent round). But it hasn't done that since 3.0. That said, he might start with it anyway, just to be cinematic -- he begins to vibrate visibly, his voice gets squeakier, etc.
Displacement next, definitely -- go 50% miss chance! Then probably Barkskin, if it stacks with the +2 natural armor bonus from his mutagen. I think it doesn't, but the rule isn't perfectly clear to me.
Gaseous form... maybe not that strong, actually. The PC paladin has a magic weapon, and the barbarian in full "Hulk smash" mode does so much damage that DR 10 won't slow him down much. 2d6 greatsword with power attack and rage -> 2d6+12, so 2d6+2 against gaseous form. So, using gaseous form to escape won't work unless he's standing right next to a ventilation pipe or something when he uses it, and even then the PCs will get one round of AoOs.
I love Spider Climb, but probably not much good in a low crowded basement.
Invisibility would be his last one if he really thinks the PCs are about to attack. Alchemical Allocation... that just uses up a round of buffing while leaving more treasure for the PCs! Great money saver for a PC alchemist, but I'd rather have him scarf down as many potions as possible.
I think Thorn Body has to go in there somewhere. d6 + 8 damage every time a PC strikes him, or 2d6 if grappling? Yes.
Tactics: Hmm. Thematically, I like the idea of Thorn Body + Feral Mutagen followed by the gnome leaping into battle, poisoned claws and slavering fangs, like a wolverine on crack. But the problem with melee is, 5 PCs including three fighter types (barb, paladin, and ranger). It would be fun for a round or two but they'd just pile on the damage and bring the poor little guy down.
The problem with ranged weapons is, bombs in a crowded basement full of delicate equipment. But if the PCs have made it past the Grauls they're obviously a major threat, and I think he'll give in to the desire to just /blow stuff up/.
Deadmanwalking wrote:
Use Dex Mutagen.
Discoveries: Acid Bomb (For the fire-immune), Explosive Bombs (hits the whole party), Precise Bombs (point blank bombing that doesn't hit him!), Fast Bombs (if you let him have it...it requires 8th level Alchemist. I'd allow it, if purchased with his 9th levl Feat. Allows two bombs a round).
Fast Bombs + Haste could be pretty devastating. "This functions like a full round attack with a ranged weapon", so with a FRA he could get three bombs off. His bombs will do 4d6+4 damage, plus 8 (save for half) on a splash. Throw in Explosive Bombs and he could whack two or more party members for 50+ points of damage with a single FRA.
(Do I understand right that a direct hit with a bomb means no save? Saves are only for splash damage? Because that's pretty brutal.)
Dex mutagen stacks with his Energumen bonus from the Demoniac class, so that's good.
Doug M.
Douglas Muir 406 wrote: See above: the PCs will probably come upon him unprepared, but he'll try to stall while buffing. I suspect he'll get at least two rounds. Feel free to have him take the first round of combat, too. Maybe even the second if he hasn't taken damage. Or is invisible (see below).
Douglas Muir 406 wrote: If Haste still granted an extra standard action, he'd probably start with that one (since it would let him drink two on each subsequent round). But it hasn't done that since 3.0. That said, he might start with it anyway, just to be cinematic -- he begins to vibrate visibly, his voice gets squeakier, etc. Mechanically, it should go dead last, almost every one of his other boosts is better defensively and lasts longer. He should probably be smart enough to know this.
Douglas Muir 406 wrote: Displacement next, definitely -- go 50% miss chance! Then probably Barkskin, if it stacks with the +2 natural armor bonus from his mutagen. I think it doesn't, but the rule isn't perfectly clear to me. It does stack, it adds to existing NA bonus, but since he's only CL 8, Shield is actually better at this level (+4 vs. +3).
Douglas Muir 406 wrote: Gaseous form... maybe not that strong, actually. The PC paladin has a magic weapon, and the barbarian in full "Hulk smash" mode does so much damage that DR 10 won't slow him down much. 2d6 greatsword with power attack and rage -> 2d6+12, so 2d6+2 against gaseous form. So, using gaseous form to escape won't work unless he's standing right next to a ventilation pipe or something when he uses it, and even then the PCs will get one round of AoOs. Well, like I said it's not for the fight. It's for escaping through a grate, or a window too small for the PCs to get through, like the pipe idea, really. Like I said, it's if you want him to escape.
Douglas Muir 406 wrote: I love Spider Climb, but probably not much good in a low crowded basement. Yeah, the cramped basement makes it definitely not worth it.
Douglas Muir 406 wrote: Invisibility would be his last one if he really thinks the PCs are about to attack. That makes some sense. He could then spend another couple of rounds buffing while the PCs desperately try to find him. That sounds fun, actually.
Douglas Muir 406 wrote: Alchemical Allocation... that just uses up a round of buffing while leaving more treasure for the PCs! Great money saver for a PC alchemist, but I'd rather have him scarf down as many potions as possible. I suppose so, I was more referring to it as an explanation for him having several 3rd level effects on him at once.
Douglas Muir 406 wrote: I think Thorn Body has to go in there somewhere. d6 + 8 damage every time a PC strikes him, or 2d6 if grappling? Yes. Possibly. Certainly an option for the melee guy.
Douglas Muir 406 wrote: Tactics: Hmm. Thematically, I like the idea of Thorn Body + Feral Mutagen followed by the gnome leaping into battle, poisoned claws and slavering fangs, like a wolverine on crack. But the problem with melee is, 5 PCs including three fighter types (barb, paladin, and ranger). It would be fun for a round or two but they'd just pile on the damage and bring the poor little guy down. Ooh, yeah. Several melee characters might be a problem...
Douglas Muir 406 wrote: The problem with ranged weapons is, bombs in a crowded basement full of delicate equipment. But if the PCs have made it past the Grauls they're obviously a major threat, and I think he'll give in to the desire to just /blow stuff up/. On the other hand, several melee characters + enclosed area might not be good for the ranged version either...
What're your PCs total attack bonuses? Are we talking +7s or +14s here?
Douglas Muir 406 wrote: Fast Bombs + Haste could be pretty devastating. "This functions like a full round attack with a ranged weapon", so with a FRA he could get three bombs off. His bombs will do 4d6+4 damage, plus 8 (save for half) on a splash. Throw in Explosive Bombs and he could whack two or more party members for 50+ points of damage with a single FRA. Yep. Explosive bombs are nasty nasty things combined with FRA.
Douglas Muir 406 wrote: (Do I understand right that a direct hit with a bomb means no save? Saves are only for splash damage? Because that's pretty brutal.) Yep. There is an attack roll, of course, but it's a Touch Attack. :)
Douglas Muir 406 wrote: Dex mutagen stacks with his Energumen bonus from the Demoniac class, so that's good. In fairness, so would Strength. But Dex might well be more appropriate.
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Hmm. Okay, advice on order of buffs + contingencies:
1. Displacement
2. Dex Mutagen
3. Shield
4. Haste
5. Barkskin
Contingency: If the PCs look ready to attack, he'll replace any of these with Invisibility, and then try and get to at least #4 on the list before attacking. Barkskin's nice, but he can do without. the others are must-haves.
With a base Dex of 14, and Masterwork Studded Leather, his base AC is 16, which goes up to 20 with Mutagen, 21 with Ergumen, 25 with Shield, 26 with Haste, and 29 if he manages to get to Barkskin (doubtful). Add in the 50% miss chance and your PCs may (or may not) have trouble hitting him. The melee guy would have something like 4 less AC, wearing better armor just FYI.
His full attack would be roughtly +13/+13/+8 with bombs and Haste (5 Dex, 6 BAB, 1 Throw Anything, 1 Haste), not that it matters, and, as you said, would deal 4d6+4 damage assuming Int 18. Extra Bombs might not be a bad Feat, since he's going through 3 a round.
Deadmanwalking wrote:
Mechanically, [Haste] should go dead last, almost every one of his other boosts is better defensively and lasts longer. He should probably be smart enough to know this.
If I were giving him Fast Bombs... but, as noted, that's probably a bit too much.
Deadmanwalking wrote:
Well, like I said it's not for the fight. It's for escaping through a grate, or a window too small for the PCs to get through, like the pipe idea, really. Like I said, it's if you want him to escape.
Yah sure. My point was, by that time the barb and paladin will probably be in melee with him, so they'd get AoOs -- one for him drinking the potion, and then maybe another as he escapes. Between the paladin's magic weapon and the barb's massive damage, even Gaseous Form wouldn't be much protection. But then again, his AC might be so high that it'd be a reasonable risk to take.
(Actually, that raises a question. Drinking something is normally a standard action that provokes an AoO. Is there no way for an alchemist to get around this?)
Deadmanwalking wrote: [Invisibility] He could then spend another couple of rounds buffing while the PCs desperately try to find him. That sounds fun, actually. Yes. Yes, it does.
Thorn body is good whether you're in melee or not, BTW -- because the PCs will always try to melee /you/.
Come to think of it, d6+7 is more damage than either the ranger or the paladin do, on average. "You put eight points of damage on him. Great! But you took ten points while doing it."
Deadmanwalking wrote: What're your PCs total attack bonuses? Are we talking +7s or +14s here? Paladin and ranger are around +8 or +9. Raging barbarian +11 or so. These are noob-ish players, so they haven't really mastered melee combat yet -- they're still figuring out buffs and such.
Deadmanwalking wrote:
Hmm. Okay, advice on order of buffs + contingencies:
1. Displacement
2. Dex Mutagen
3. Shield
4. Haste
5. Barkskin
Dex Mutagen is #2 because it gives a net +4 to AC. But so does Shield, right? And Shield gives immunity to magic missiles as well, and no -2 to Wis.
Would Mage Armor stack? Because if so... Uses up a round, but is a bit better than masterwork studded leather. Oh, and stays on while he's in gaseous form, which armor would not.
Contingency: if about to be attacked, Invisibility, hide, and continue buffing. Agreed. So, what further buffs?
6) Thorn body. (Someone remind me: does the damage from this stack with Fire Shield? It should, right? Fortunately, he doesn't have 4th level extracts yet. But noted for future reference...) ("In Soviet Russia, small creature grapples YOU!")
6) Cat's Grace
7) Protection from Arrows
8) Fox's Cunning
Energumen is a free action, but only lasts for 2 rounds. So he'd use that while trying to escape.
He starts with Dex 14; mutagen makes that 18, Cat's Grace would make it 22. If the PCs are dumb enough to let him drink all his buffs, he could be... let's see now... +4 mage armor, +4 shield, +1 size, +2 natural armor from mutagen, +3 barkskin, +6 Dex... AC 30, with immunity to magic missiles and arrows and a 50% miss chance. Nice. And his FRA will be two Explosive bombs for 4d6+6 each? Woo.
This is almost too tough for a 4th level party. As noted, I'm nerfing him a bit by putting him in a cramped basement where he can't levitate or fly. AC 30 means that even the raging barb only lands an occasional blow, while taking 8d6+12 of damage in an average round (and suffering d6+7 every time he lands a blow).
If I'm feeling particularly bloodthirsty, I might allow him to duck under lab tables for partial concealment or cover.
To be fair, I'm going to give this guy a glass jaw: lowish Wis to begin with, and then -2 Wis and Cha from prolonged exposure to fumes. Throw in the -2 Wis from the mutagen and his Will save is only going to be 0 or +1. And he is still vulnerable to grappling -- his CMD will only be 19 or so (the raging barbarian grabs at +10). d6+7 thorn damage will deter but not stop this. (But if he has enough time, he could apply poison to his thorns...)
Ultimately I think it's going to come down to "how many rounds do the PCs let him stall while gulping down extracts". Correct play is to charge him ASAP!
But if they don't... pretty brutal.
Doug M.
Douglas Muir 406 wrote:
If I were giving him Fast Bombs... but, as noted, that's probably a bit too much.
Heh. Noted, and probably a good call.
Douglas Muir 406 wrote: Yah sure. My point was, by that time the barb and paladin will probably be in melee with him, so they'd get AoOs -- one for him drinking the potion, and then maybe another as he escapes. Between the paladin's magic weapon and the barb's massive damage, even Gaseous Form wouldn't be much protection. But then again, his AC might be so high that it'd be a reasonable risk to take. Sorta what I was thinking, yeah. Especially with the miss chance. If he's at 10-15 HP, what are the actual odds of both attacks hitting and hurting him?
Not that high.
Douglas Muir 406 wrote: (Actually, that raises a question. Drinking something is normally a standard action that provokes an AoO. Is there no way for an alchemist to get around this?) Nope. One of the perils and disadvantages of being an Alchemist. Though a melee Alchemist can grab a level of Barbarian and get around it.
Douglas Muir 406 wrote: Yes. Yes, it does. I'm glad we agree. :)
Douglas Muir 406 wrote: Thorn body is good whether you're in melee or not, BTW -- because the PCs will always try to melee /you/.
Come to think of it, d6+7 is more damage than either the ranger or the paladin do, on average. "You put eight points of damage on him. Great! But you took ten points while doing it."
True, but it wouldn't be as much of a priority. Also, possibly overly mean to the PCs combined with the ridiculous defensive capabilities. Or not, it is low on his priority list after all.
Douglas Muir 406 wrote: Paladin and ranger are around +8 or +9. Raging barbarian +11 or so. These are noob-ish players, so they haven't really mastered melee combat yet -- they're still figuring out buffs and such. Hmmm. In that case, the melee build might be viable. It loses out somewhat, but only somewhat, on AC, and the damage can get nasty.
Douglas Muir 406 wrote: Dex Mutagen is #2 because it gives a net +4 to AC. But so does Shield, right? And Shield gives immunity to magic missiles as well, and no -2 to Wis. True, but there's the chance of being interrupted, and it's also his primary offensive buff.
Douglas Muir 406 wrote: Would Mage Armor stack? Because if so... Uses up a round, but is a bit better than masterwork studded leather. Oh, and stays on while he's in gaseous form, which armor would not. It would, but it's not on the Alchemist Extract List, and thus something he'd have to go out and buy. It's probably more realistic to go with a Mithril Chain Shirt if you want to go all-out on the armor. And it gives the PCs a decent (but not brokenly badass) new toy.
Douglas Muir 406 wrote: Contingency: if about to be attacked, Invisibility, hide, and continue buffing. Agreed. So, what further buffs? Yeah, it's definitely a good tactic.
Douglas Muir 406 wrote: 6) Thorn body. (Someone remind me: does the damage from this stack with Fire Shield? It should, right? Fortunately, he doesn't have 4th level extracts yet. But noted for future reference...) ("In Soviet Russia, small creature grapples YOU!") That's mean. I'm noting it for future reference. :)
Douglas Muir 406 wrote: 6) Cat's Grace Note maximum Dex bonus from armor. This is why I reccomend a Mithril Chain Shirt instead of a regular one, if avoiding Mage Armor.
Douglas Muir 406 wrote: 7) Protection from Arrows
8) Fox's Cunning
Those both sound good, yeah.
Douglas Muir 406 wrote: Energumen is a free action, but only lasts for 2 rounds. So he'd use that while trying to escape. Ooh, I forgot it was so short. With the above setup and a Mithril Chain Shirt it won't add to AC, though it will with Mage Armor. Or if he never gets to Cat's Grace.
Douglas Muir 406 wrote: He starts with Dex 14; mutagen makes that 18, Cat's Grace would make it 22. If the PCs are dumb enough to let him drink all his buffs, he could be... let's see now... +4 mage armor, +4 shield, +1 size, +2 natural armor from mutagen, +3 barkskin, +6 Dex... AC 30, with immunity to magic missiles and arrows and a 50% miss chance. Nice. And his FRA will be two Explosive bombs for 4d6+6 each? Woo. Yep, with enough prep time and spells (this is either basically all his Extracts for the day or several potions), Alchemists are really damn nasty.
Douglas Muir 406 wrote: This is almost too tough for a 4th level party. As noted, I'm nerfing him a bit by putting him in a cramped basement where he can't levitate or fly. AC 30 means that even the raging barb only lands an occasional blow, while taking 8d6+12 of damage in an average round (and suffering d6+7 every time he lands a blow). You might want to consider the melee version after all. With boosting Strength whenever this one boosts Dex and Enlarge Person he still hits a 24 (and you can replace Fox's Cunning with Haste to make that 25), plus the miss chance, and his offense is just nasty. On the other hand, his offense might be too nasty (A base Str of even 12 winds up with 2d6+6 and 1d8+6 each twice every full attack).
Douglas Muir 406 wrote: If I'm feeling particularly bloodthirsty, I might allow him to duck under lab tables for partial concealment or cover. Hahahaha! That's just excessive.
Douglas Muir 406 wrote: To be fair, I'm going to give this guy a glass jaw: lowish Wis to begin with, and then -2 Wis and Cha from prolonged exposure to fumes. Throw in the -2 Wis from the mutagen and his Will save is only going to be 0 or +1. And he is still vulnerable to grappling -- his CMD will only be 19 or so (the raging barbarian grabs at +10). d6+7 thorn damage will deter but not stop this. (But if he has enough time, he could apply poison to his thorns...) Swift Poisoning is 6th level for Alchemists. He doesn't need time.
Douglas Muir 406 wrote: Ultimately I think it's going to come down to "how many rounds do the PCs let him stall while gulping down extracts". Correct play is to charge him ASAP!
But if they don't... pretty brutal.
Doug M.
Yeah...make sure to rather blatantly mention every single time he's drinking stuff so they can't say they weren't warned. If they still let the Alchemist keep drinking? Then they deserve whatever happens.
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Okay, so his priority list is:
1. Displacement
2. Dex Mutagen or Shield
3. The other one
4. Barkskin
5. Thorn Body
6. Protection from Arrows
7. Cat's Grace
8. Fox's Cunning
Contingency: Invisibility.
I'd actually reverse 6 and 7, the extra Dex is almost certainly more useful than DR 10/Magic vs. missile weapons only.
Y'know, he doesn't need any Potions for any of that, in fact, he can have all that prepared as Extracts plus one additional 3rd level (maybe Gaseous Form?), and four additional 1st levels (probably another Shield and three Cure Light Wounds). Damn.
Deadmanwalking, thanks for some great ideas.
I think I'm going to stick with the mad bomber build. If I were being really brutal I'd max out his Int and give him the Pyromaniac trait. But I'm not going to optimize this guy, because that way lies TPK. He'll be tough enough as is.
I *absolutely* plan to mention every time he's drinking something, and note all visible effects as well ("and now his skin is becoming all brown and wrinkly"). And remind the paladin that he detects as really evil -- it's not quite RAW, but I'd say the Demon Mark bumps you up a notch.
My players have a tendency to argue a lot. "Should we attack a guy who's not attacking us, but trying to talk to us instead?" should keep them paralyzed for at least a couple-three rounds.
Okay, build attempt in a moment.
Doug M.
Zum-Patchouli Spufferbug
Male gnome alchemist 7 / Demoniac 2
CE Small humanoid (gnome)
Init +6; Senses low-light vision, Perception +2
DEFENSE
AC 18 (but see below)
hp 68
Fort +8, Ref +8, Will +2, +2 vs illusions, +4 vs poison
OFFENSE
Spd 15 ft. (low Str., encumbered)
Melee alchemical blade +7/+2 (1d4-1 plus alchemical item plus poison, 19-20/x2)
Ranged crossbow +10/+5 (1d6+1 plus poison, 19-20/x2)
Ranged bomb +11 (4d6+3/x2, splash 7)
Ranged splash weapon +11 (per item +5/x2)
Special Attacks bomb, poison, alchemical items, mutagens, extracts
STATISTICS
Str 7, Dex 15, Con 15, Int 17, Wis 11 (9), Cha 12 (10)
Base Atk +6; CMB +3, CMD +15 (but see below)
Feats brew potion, grenadier, point blank shot, improved initiative, master alchemist, throw anything
Extracts (Per Day: 6/5/3)
1st: shield, expeditious retreat, cure light wounds x2, protection from arrows, crafter's fortune
2nd: cat’s grace, fox's cunning, invisibility x2, barkskin
3rd: Displacement, thorn body, gaseous form
Potions: 2x cure moderate wounds, 2 x haste (what else? He'd surely have plenty more...)
Notable skills: Perception +2, Bluff +6, Stealth +10, Craft (Alchemy) +22
Languages common, gnome, sylvan, draconic, abyssal
SQ gnome racial traits, poison resistance +6, demon mark, energumen
Combat Gear +1 alchemy blade, +1 heavy repeating crossbow, masterwork mithril chain shirt, poison, potions
RACIAL/CLASS ABILITIES
Small, Slow Speed, Low-Light Vision, Illusion Resistance, Keen Senses, Master Tinker, Obsessive, Weapon Familiarity
Discoveries: Acid bomb, explosive bomb, extend potion
Spufferbug spends most of his time in the Grauls' basement, whipping up batch after batch of snap. The toxic fumes from his work have caused him to temporarily suffer -2 to Wis and Cha. (This bothers him not at all.)
In combat: Spufferbug avoids melee. He'll seek to stall while drinking the following extracts and potions, in order:
1. Displacement (50% miss chance)
2. Dex Mutagen (50% miss chance, AC is now 20)
3. Shield (50% miss chance, immune to magic missiles, AC is now 24)
4. Barkskin (as above, AC now 27)
5. Thorn Body (as above, d6+7 damage in melee)
6. Protection from Arrows (as above and DR 10/magic vs. arrows)
7. Cat's Grace (AC now 29)
8. Fox's Cunning (as above, and saves vs. splash go to DC 19)
9. Haste (AC now 30, speed now 30')
Spufferbug's stalls include "Please don't attack me! I'm an innocent captive here [drink]"; "Look, I don't want trouble. How about I give you some potions and you go away? Cure moderate wounds, say? I have one right here. [drink]" and "If you don't hurt me, I'll show you where the Snap is [drink] -- that's what you're after, right?" Stalls that are lies can be detected with an opposed Sense Motive / Bluff check (Bluff +6).
If threatened with imminent attack, he will drink his invisibility extract (suffering an AoO if necessary), use Stealth for one round to move to a position of safety, and then continue buffing. When he's done with buffs, he'll apply purple worm poison to his thorns (from Thorn Body) -- Fort DC 24, 1d3 Str (once/round for 6 rounds). Hitting Spufferbug in melee with a non-reach weapon costs 1d6+7 damage to the attacker from his thorns, and the first attacker also must save against the worm poison (Perception DC 15 to notice the poison on the thorns).
If he gets all his buffs on, Spufferbug's AC will be 30 (touch 17, flatfooted 23) and his move will be 30.
Spufferbug attacks with his bombs (touch attack at around +13, depending how far he gets with his buffs) for 4d6+3 damage, or 7 (save DC 17) on a splash. He uses acid bombs to minimize the damage to the lab, but there's still a 20% chance that any given bomb will react with something and start a fire. If allowed to move around, he'll use the terrain of the lab (get a table or furniture between him and attackers, duck under tables for cover).
If reduced to 20 hp or less, Spufferbug will move adjacent to the fireplace vent, drink his potion of gaseous form, and flee. In gaseous form his AC is only 22, but he won't be around for long -- after any initial AoO, only Tiny creatures that can fly will be able to follow him up the chimney.
Doug M.
Looks very good. Several little things, though:
1. His AC should be 17 to start (2 Dex, 1 Size, 4 Armor), but Dex Mutagen will raise it to 21 (+2 from Dex, +2 from NA). This raises all subsequent ACs by 1. Yeah, that maxes him at 31.
2. Protection From Arrows is Level 2. He can skip an Invisibility for it, though.
3. Fox's Cunning will add +2 to his bomb damage (including the splash damage), as well as to the Save DC, and Point Blank Shot will almost certainly add one more to the targeted damage.
4. Various potions he might have: Delay Poison (might save a Pcs life if they can ID it and have been poisoned), Comprehend Languages or Tongues, See Invisibility, Lesser Restoration, Remove Blindness/Deafness, Remove Curse, Remove Disease, Nondetection, Undetectable Alignment, maybe Heroism. Probably several of the spells he's got as Extracts.
Deadmanwalking wrote: Looks very good. Several little things, though:
1. His AC should be 17 to start (2 Dex, 1 Size, 4 Armor), but Dex Mutagen will raise it to 21 (+2 from Dex, +2 from NA). This raises all subsequent ACs by 1. Yeah, that maxes him at 31.
You know, this is getting kind of sick. If he has +1 armor (which would be totally reasonable) or a +1 AC protection item (ditto) he could be AC 32-33. Which is just not appropriate for a party that's APL 4.
Even if we keep it at AC 30, that plus the 50% miss chance means that the PCs will barely be able to touch him. Everyone will need a 20 except the raging barb, who'll need a 17 or so. Realistically, it's going to take 6 or 8 rounds for them whittle him down. By that time he'll have fired off enough bombs -- two per turn on each FRA -- to quite thoroughly kill all of them. We're looking at a TPK, here. True even if the PCs haven't burned up some resources fighting Mammy and the other Grauls -- which, very likely, they will have.
[thinks a bit]
Okay. The reason I made him 7 / 2 is, the Demoniac class requires 7 ranks in various things, so you can't start until 8th level.
But hey -- demons are chaotic and capricious creatures. Let's say they bend the rules a bit and let him in after 6th level. So we strip a level off and make him Alchemist 6 / Demoniac 2 -- 8th level, CR7. What changes?
-- loses 6 hp
-- loses a feat.
-- loses his 3rd level extracts... that's a big deal. Hm.
-- BAB drops to +5; loses his 2nd attack
-- bombs now do 3d6+3, or +4 with Point Blank
-- saves stay the same
I think this is maybe the way to go. His third level equivalents are Haste, Displacement, Thorn Body and Gaseous Form. I think I'll give him Thorn Body and Gaseous Form as standard potions.
He also loses a second level spell. I think I'll keep Protection from Arrows (replacing one Invisibility) and throw out Cat's Grace. Suboptimal from a combat POV, but the reasoning is that he'd rather have that Int boost for craft checks or whatever. As partial compensation, let's go with that +1 mithril armor -- he can still crank his armor class up to 29.
Revised buff list:
1. Dex Mutagen (AC is now 22)
2. Shield (immune to magic missiles, AC is now 26)
4. Barkskin (as above, AC now 29)
5. Thorn Body (as above, d6+7 damage in melee)
6. Protection from Arrows (as above and DR 10/magic vs. arrows)
7. Fox's Cunning (as above, +2 damage on bombs, and saves vs. splash go to DC 19)
If allowed to buff fully, he'll be AC 29 (touch 17) and will throw one acid bomb/turn for a ranged touch attack at +10 or so, hitting for 3d6+6 plus another d6 on the next round. He still gets 9 bombs/day, so he's unlikely to run out.
I think this is still pretty badass. CR 7, a solid boss fight.
Doug M.
I don't necessarily disagree that it's potentially too powerful, but losing a level of Alchemist won't lose him the Extracts, since he'll still get a CL from Demoniac. Also, if he does lose 3rd level stuff, Thorn Body's one of them.
Personally, I'd be inclined to leave him as 9th level, or drop a level of Demoniac instead of Alchemist (actually, that sounds good, Ergumen isn't that good for him anyway), but just decide he doesn't know Displacement or maybe Thorn Body. Or both.
I mean, not every Alchemist knows every Extract. The high AC is alot less awful if high rolls can actually hit him and Thorn Body isn't in play.
That'd leave his list as:
1. Dex Mutagen (AC is now 21)
2. Shield (immune to magic missiles, AC is now 25)
3. Barkskin (as above, AC now 28)
4. Protection from Arrows (as above and DR 10/magic vs. arrows)
5. Cat's Grace (AC now 30)
6. Fox's Cunning (as above, and saves vs. splash go to DC 19)
7. Haste (AC now 31, speed now 30')
And that's with 7 rounds of prep.
Deadmanwalking wrote: I don't necessarily disagree that it's potentially too powerful, but losing a level of Alchemist won't lose him the Extracts, since he'll still get a CL from Demoniac. Ah right right. Forgot that.
Deadmanwalking wrote: Personally, I'd be inclined to leave him as 9th level, or drop a level of Demoniac instead of Alchemist (actually, that sounds good, Ergumen isn't that good for him anyway) Oh, Demoniac is a pretty useless PrC. It really is. You can get some fun from it at higher levels, but it's totally not worth giving up base class levels. This guy really only has it for flavor. In terms of power boost it's... maybe equivalent to an NPC class.
If he sticks it out for 2 more levels, he gets Summon Demon (Summon Monster VI equivalent) once/day -- one succubus or 1d3 babaus. So it's not completely useless. But at 10th level, that's not exactly game-breaking.
If he survives -- and I'm agnostic on this point; I've put a lot of effort into him, but let's see how it plays -- then I think he might start down the "become a demon" route laid out on page 44 of Lords of Chaos. (You don't have to be a demoniac for that, but it probably helps.) The first step would be gaining a demonic implant. So, the next time the PCs encounter him, he'd be 10th level, with a succubus hanging off his elbow, and a long, forked tongue that would give him +8 Perception.
Yeah, he'd be a demonic gnome-pimp.
Deadmanwalking wrote:
And that's with 7 rounds of prep.
The problem I see is, with the Invisibility tactic he'll probably *get* seven rounds of prep. None of the PCs have invisibility purge, glitterdust, Scent, or extraordinarily high Perceptions. I think the ranger is maxed out at +10 or so, but that's still not going to find an invisible creature with a few ranks of Stealth. So barring some unexpected PC tactic, he'll get all his buffs down and then initiate combat out of invisibility.
The main thing losing the level does is cut his bomb damage -- instead of two attacks for 4d6+6, it's now one attack for 3d6+6. The other thing is, it gets rid of Displacement. I could give it back to him now, since he gets 3rd level extracts. But upon consideration, I don't want to -- it's just too damn powerful. (Even worse, it's likely to prove too damn frustrating for the PCs. A fight where you can't touch the other guy is not a fun fight.) As you say, he won't have every single spell.
Doug M.
Okay, going to run this tomorrow.
I think I'm going to throw in potions of Spider Climb and Vomit Swarm as well, almost purely for cinematic reasons.
-- invisible gnome drinks all potions, including these last two
-- climbs up on ceiling where he can still be hit (low ceiling) but can't be flanked
-- drops the invisibility, says something like "oooh, maybe that last potion was a little too... urrgh..." and then vomits out a Spider Swarm onto the ground beneath him. Then grins evilly and says "That's a relief! Better out than in, am I right?" And starts with the bomb throwing / everyone rolls for init.
The PCs have area effect spells, so they should be able to deal with the spider swarm. But if they don't, anyone who stands under the gnome to melee him will suffer its effects (d6 / round + poison).
I would allow a player a CM to knock the gnome off the ceiling -- his CMD is not terribly high. (10 +5 BAB +4 Dex -1 Str -1 Size = 17, I think. Dodge bonuses don't add to CMD? That seems strange.)
I've been practicing a high-pitched evil giggle to myself, the last couple of days. Uh, when I'm walking to work and nobody is around.
Doug M.
Douglas Muir 406 wrote:
I would allow a player a CM to knock the gnome off the ceiling -- his CMD is not terribly high. (10 +5 BAB +4 Dex -1 Str -1 Size = 17, I think. Dodge bonuses don't add to CMD? That seems strange.)
Dodge bonuses do add to CMD actually. It's listed right in the basic CMD description along with circumstance, deflection, insight, luck, morale, and sacred bonuses to AC. And his Dex'll probably be +6, so more like 20 total. Still not too ridiculous.
Sounds like fun! Good luck, and I, at least, would be interested to hear how it goes.
This sounds like a blast. I definitely want to hear how it goes.
Side note:
Cover and Attacks of Opportunity: You can't execute an attack of opportunity against an opponent with cover relative to you.
Concealment: [...] You can't execute an attack of opportunity against an opponent with total concealment, even if you know what square or squares the opponent occupies.
So for one example, a smoke bomb at your feet might provide some buffing breathing room....
For another, in a typical 'crowded lab' map you're probably 5 feet from a little cover at all times. Heck, since he's a gnome, a half-eaten fig practically provides cover. Technically, I believe even the PCs themselves are soft cover. Even without a smokestick or smoke bomb, many maps have more than enough to make it frustratingly hard for the PC's to make him stop hitting the bottle...at least until a clever party member readies an attack to shoot the potions.
The gnome managed to get all his buffs on, becoming very hard to hit. Vomit Swarm stopped the PCs cold -- nobody was willing to step into that.
The PCs responded by... using Summon Monster II to summon a fire elemental, turning it invisible, and setting the lab on fire! (I ruled that the elemental could set things on fire without breaking invisibility.) Invisibility -> 50% miss chance, so the gnome had to waste three bombs killing the elemental, by which time several fires were burning merrily.
The gnome ran to a barrel of water and started getting buckets to dump on the fire; the PCs attacked the barrel, smashing it. By this time bombs had reduced most of the PCs to single digit HPs, and at one point the gnome really should have killed the party's paladin -- he rolled a critical bomb hit, but then rolled a 5 (on 3d6) for damage, allowing the paladin to barely survive. The PCs used Mage Hand and Unseen Servant to spread the fire around, throw flammable objects into it, etc.
I ruled that the fire elemental did 1d6 of fire damage every round it survived, the Unseen Servant 1d3, and the mage hand 1 point. I tracked the damage and rolled percentile dice. If I rolled less than the total damage, this would result in either (roll a d6) [1-2] something flammable catching fire (another 3d6 of fire damage), or [3-4] something toxic (toxic smoke, Fort save) or [5-6] something explosive (another d6 of fire damage and 6d6 of blast damage in a 20' radius, Reflex save). The gnome's efforts were in vain and before long the lab was burning merrily, with explosions. The gnome rushed to collect his drugs and other treasure. The PCs closed the lab door and barred it, then ran. The gnome drank his Gaseous Form and escaped.
Conclusion: clever PC play! they lost all the treasure, but most of it was illegal drugs anyway. The gnome escaped, but there was about an even chance of that regardless. So, not too bad.
Doug M.
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