Building some fiendish centaurs

[Douglas Muir 406]

Running my PCs through the Test of the Smoking Eye. They'll be attacked by the fiendish centaurs at least once, and I want to keep them as a lurking menace.

A basic centaur is CR 3. Since these guys are running wild across the plains of the Abyss, they probably won't have access to metal armor. So they'll just have leather armor and shields -- AC 16. I'll swap out their spears for composite longbows, which attack at +6. To compensate for their low armor I'll bend the rules a little and give large-sized arrows, so d10+2 damage.

Adding the fiendish template gives them cold and fire resistance 5, SR 8, darkvision and a smite attack for +1 attack/+4 damage.

Since there are six PCs and APL is 9, these guys will not be a serious threat. AC 16 and 30 hp each? The Zen Archer monk will drop one or two of them every round. If they're dumb enough to melee, the barbarian and the magus will have a very good time indeed. They attack in melee at +5 for d8+2 damage -- just not meaningful against PCs who regularly buff their ACs up to 25+, and whose cleric can burst-heal ("17 points to everyone!") several times per day. In theory, 8 of them would be CR 9 and 16 would be CR 11, but that seems a bit off -- my party would laugh at 8 and would have little difficulty with 16.

Giving them all a level of fighter or barbarian would help some. But maybe it's simpler to keep them mooks and give them a boss.

So let's give them a warchief who is a Ftr 2/Bard 2. He gets three more feats. (Archery feats? Seems the way to go here. Maybe PBS, Rapid Shot, and Manyshot.) He's CR 6, so he gets SR 11 and DR 5/good from the fiendish template. As a creature with PC classes, he gets +4, +4, +2, +2, 0 and -2 to his stats. Dump Int, buff Dex/Con/Str/Cha in that order. He now melees at +9/+4 for d8+3 -- still pretty bad -- but he shoots at +11/+6 for d10+3, and that's before feats, Inspire Courage, and buffs.

Of course, the PCs will quickly figure out that the centaur with the fancy headdress doing all the yelling is the boss; they'll concentrate their fire on him. AC below 20 and ~60 hp? They'll take him out in one round. Hm.

-- I don't plan to make these guys a serious threat. But I want them to be a recurring presence, and one that will discourage the PCs from wandering off alone.

Thoughts?

Doug M.

[Steelfiredragon]

nt a bad plan.

but

you could add this as well

http://www.d20pfsrd.com/bestiary/monster-listings/templates/simple-template -entropic-cr-0-or-1-1 on your head centaur too...

[Weables]

thoughts? well, multiple low low CRs are never gonna be a challenge. the easiest way is honestly class levels. Throw Ranger2/Barbarian 1 Fiendish Centaurs at them, which is a CR6. 4 of them is a CR10, which is a reasonable fight at APL9. Give em Favoured Enemy human, or whatever the dominant party race is, free ranger archery bonus feat, and let them rage with mighty comp longbows.

That's an actual threat. :)

Gives them rapidshot 1d8+5 arrows (raging comp longbow) with a +10 to hit, assuming magic weapons. Remeber you dont need to give them point blank or precise shot, as ranger style feats ignore prereqs, so you can just take rapid shot.

between 4 of them, you have 12 arrows flying a round, which if you're smiting is 9x12 or 108 damage in damage bonuses alone, before you roll dice.

That sounds about right

[doctor_wu]

Give one of them bard levels? +1 hit and damage to all of them will help in addition to a boss. Or you could use a decoy.

[Tom S 820]

CR 6 should do 25 average damage if all attack hit on high side and 18 on the low side.
You should get 4 feats (2 fighter and 2 form hit dice 5 and 7)
Point Blank, Rapid Shot, Many Shot, Weapon Focus
BaB +4 Race Hit dice +3 class hit dice +4 dex – 1 size base +10/+5
You should be 3 shot with 2 arrows on the first shot so if all hit 8d6+12 by
-2 on all shots one extra attack at highest BaB (rapid shot)
If the smite work for you then +2 hit and +7 damage per shot.
If in point blank +1 to hit and +1 damage
Weapon Focus + 1 to hit
Bard song +1 and +1 to damage
3,450 gp wealth total should pay master work and might 3 so that +1 hit and +3 damage
So best times it +13 /+13/+8 for 1d86+14 4 times which it 4.5+14 =18.5 times 4
= 74 damage way to high for CR 6
Your to hit is little high at +13 not +2

I say take out many shot and add deadly aim this lower the to hit by- 2 + 2damage and is one less arrow so the damage back lower +11 +11+8 1d8+16
+1 magic armor, ring or amulet
try some thing like this

Centaur Fighter 2 Bard 2 Fiendish CR 6 XP 2400
NE Large monstrous humanoid
Init +8; Senses darkvision 60 ft.; Perception +10
Defense
AC 22, touch 13, flat-footed 18 (+6 armor, +4 Dex, +1 natural,+2 shield, –1 size)
HP 63 (6d10+2d8+32)
Fort +8, Ref +11, Will +9
SR 11 DR good /5 Resist Fire 10 Cold 10
Offense
Speed 50 ft.* I think this should be 40ft
Melee longsword MW+ 10/+5(1d8+3/19–20x2), 2 hooves +4 (1d6+1x2)
Ranged Long Bow MW Might (3) +11/+6 (1d8+3x3)
Rapid Shot with in 30ft Deadly Aim +8 /+8/ +3 (1d8+6x3)
Space 10 ft., Reach 5 ft.
Statistics
Str 17, Dex 18, Con 19, Int 9, Wis 14, Cha 14
Base Atk +7; CMB +11; CMD 25 (29 vs. trip)
Feats Improved Initiative, Run, Weapon Focus Long Bow, Point Blank Shot, Rapid Shot Deadly Aim -2+2
Skills Intimidate +7, Knowledge (nature) +6, Perception +10, Survival +10, Perform(Oratory)+9
Languages Common, Abyssal, Aklo
Bard spells level 1 3 per day
Known Expeditious Retreat , Dead eye lore, Abundant Ammunition
Level 0 Dancing Lights, Detect Magic, Light, Know Direction, Ghost Sound
Ecology
Environment temperate forests and plains
Treasure standard (breastplate, Buckler +1 Magic, longsword MW, long bow might MW might (+3), 650 in gear and other limited use items)

Special Abilities

Undersized Weapons (Ex) Although a centaur is Large, its upper torso is the same size as that of a Medium humanoid. As a result, they wield weapons as if they were one size category smaller than their actual size (Medium for most centaurs).

Well-Versed (Ex): At 2nd level, the bard becomes resistant to the bardic performance of others, and to sonic effects in general. The bard gains a +4 bonus on saving throws made against bardic performance, sonic, and language-dependent effects

Bardic Knowledge (Ex): A bard adds half his class level (minimum 1) to all Knowledge skill checks and may make all Knowledge skill checks untrained.

Bravery (Ex): Starting at 2nd level, a fighter gains a +1 bonus on Will saves against fear. This bonus increases by +1 for every four levels beyond 2nd.

Smite Good(Su) 1/day as a swift action (adds Cha bonus to attack rolls and damage bonus equal to HD against good foes; smite persists until target is dead or the fiendish+2to hit/+7 to damage
creature rests).