| NPC Dave |
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As I did with the four prior adventures, I will be adding some corrections and possibly a trap or two to Wells of Darkness.
First up is the guecubu Sidith-Yeus. The sleep touch supernatural ability was accidentally left out. So here is the missing text.
Sleep Touch (Su): A creature touched by a guecubu in its natural form must make a successful DC 25 Will save or immediately fall into a deep sleep for 1 hour. A sleeping creature is helpless. Slapping or wounding the sleeping creature awakens it, but normal noise does not. Waking a creature is a standard action. This is a mind-affecting sleep effect. The save DC is Charisma-based and includes the +2 bonus granted by the guecubu's Ability Focus feat.
I made the Will Save DC 25 instead of DC 27 like the other abilities, because the guecubu baseline before any ability focus feats is Haunting DC 15, Possession DC 17 and Sleep Touch DC 13. If we assume this baseline, then accounting for his eight point increase in Charisma and the addition of Ability Focus(possession), the Will Saves for him would be Haunting DC 19, Possession DC 23, and Sleep Touch 19.
However, Haunting is listed as a DC 27 Will save, and Possession is listed as a DC 27 Will save. I assume that the Haunting listing is incorrect and that the extra +4 increase to Possession is the correct extra bonus to make the guecubu competitive against 18th level characters. That would make Haunting and Sleep Touch a DC 23 Will save and Possession remains a DC 27 Will save. If that isn't high enough you can leave Haunting and Possession as listed and the Sleep touch is a DC 25 Will save.
As far as tactics, if Sidith-yeus only waits five minutes to attack, I don't see him successfully possessing anyone because he has to put a PC to sleep before he can hope to possess, and the rest of the party will likely have someone seeing invisibility. You could either wait for him to attack when the PCs are camping and resting, or have a second guecubu distract the party with telekinesis attacks while Sidith-yeus tries to ambush a PC.
Lastly, while the DC Will save for telekinesis is not listed, it should be:
10 (baseline) + 5 (spell level) + 7 (Charisma bonus) + 2 (Ability focus feat) = DC 24 Will save.
| NPC Dave |
The Abyssal Ant Swarm looks correct although neither this 3.5 entry nor the original Fiend Folio entry ever gave it a range increment for the acid spit attack.
Taking into account it has the Point Blank Shot feat and it is CR 16 it should seem that the range increment needs to be at least thirty feet. That is consistent with the range for the ankheg.
As a counterpoint, 2E gave an individual abyssal ant 10 foot range for acid spit attacks.
CD 16 is still pretty high for this swarm, you might consider allowing it to spit acid in two different directions each round if it is not engaged with any melee target, and let it spit acid at one target while engaged in melee.
I also notice that the swarm is listed as medium sized in the Fiend Folio, but no size is listed in Dungeon Magazine, and its space is listed as 10 feet. If it is a large swarm, that will impact its range touch attack by -1.
| NPC Dave |
Next are the custodians, the advanced elite bodaks.
The stat block dropped the damage for their slam. Since they are advanced to large size, and they have Improved Natural Attack (slam), the damage dice are advanced from 1d8 to 3d6. So taking into account the Str bonus the entry should be slam +20 (3d6+7).
The saves are each 1 point too low, a 27 HD undead should have baseline saves of Fort +9, Ref +9, Will +15. With the ability modifiers, the custodian saves are Fort +9, Ref +13, Will +17.
Lastly, the death gaze is listed as DC 29. The baseline bodak has that as DC 15. The Ability Focus(death gaze) and Irresistible Gaze feats boost it by +4. The Charisma increase accounts for another +3 bonus. That leaves another +7 bonus unaccounted for, which we can only chalk up to making its death gaze more of a threat of high level PCs along with the 18 additional HD.
| NPC Dave |
The ancient abyssal ghouls need two of their saves fixed which are a bit too low. The baseline saves for a 24 HD undead are Fort +8, Ref +8, Will +14. With the ghoul's ability scores and Lightning Reflexes feat that means the real numbers should be Fort +8, Ref +13, Will +16. That would be before any of the chasmes cast unholy aura, which the ghouls would presumably benefit from.
| NPC Dave |
In the previous adventure Into the Maw, the PCs may find in location 20 Chamber of Delights (p71) Shami-Amourae's ring, which is worth 10,000 gp and has her name inscribed in the inside band. It states that access to this ring can make contacting her in Wells of Darkness somewhat easier.
But no follow up to this tidbit appears in Wells of Darkness, most likely no one informed author Schwalb about the ring.
Contacting Shami-Amourae isn't an issue in the adventure provided you can reach her well, and there is no DC to free her, you just cast the spell. Somewhere in the forums here it was suggested a spellcaster casting their own freedom spell might be able to free her if they make an extremely high DC check, so if you allow this the ring might give a small circumstance bonus to that check.
But an alternative is that the PCs can offer the ring to Red Shroud as part of their payment to her. Should they do so, I would suggest they get an additional +10 Circumstance bonus to their Diplomacy check with Red Shroud if they offer the ring to her as part of their payment, which still applies even if they get hit with the -20 penalty to their Diplomacy check that is mentioned on page 61.
| NPC Dave |
The saves for the advanced chasmes have added in the unholy aura +4 resistance, which again would also benefit the abyssal ghouls, but even taking that into account, the saves are all one too high. The baseline saves for a 13HD outsider are all +8, so taking into account the ability scores these demons have Fort +12, Ref +11, and Will +10 before unholy aura is cast.
The Melee entry is also incorrect, failing to take into account the Improved Natural Attack(claws) feat and the bite and gore attacks were dropped off for some reason. So the entry should read as follows:
2 claws +17 (1d8+5 plus wounding) bite +15 (1d8+2 plus wounding) and gore +15 (1d8+2 plus wounding)
| NPC Dave |
Next is the gorallons. Reconstructing the stat block, the gorallon should have a Dexterity of 13, not 17. -2 Dex for increasing in size from Large to Huge, and -2 Dex for the corrupted creature template. However, Dex 17 isn't game-breaking. You could also ignore the -2 Wis that the corrupted creature template applies and get the gorallon back up to Wisdom 12 if you want to help its Will save.
Speaking of the Will save, the listed Will save is 1 too low even with the Wisdom dropping to 10. The baseline saves for a 21 HD magical beast are Fort +12, Ref +12, Will +7. So add in the bonus from the feat Iron Will and the gorallons should have a Will save of +9.
Lastly the gorallon initiative check doesn't take into account its Improved Initative feat, so Initiative should be +7.
| NPC Dave |
For the variant retriever known as the Warden of the Well, the saves and Base Attack Bonus are all one point too low. A 30HD construct has all baseline saves at +10, and a BAB of +23. So the Warden should have the following numbers:
Fort +10, Ref +15, Will +11
Base Atk +23, Grp +54
The bite attack is missing and since we adjusted the BAB the Melee entry is as follows for the 10 point Power Attack in the original entry:
Melee: 4 claws +28 (4d6+29/19-20) and bite +23 (2d6+19)
and for ranged (as with other retrievers, it can fire one eye ray even when in melee)
Ranged eye ray +24 touch (when not using Power Attack)
Speaking of the eye rays, the standard retriever has a DC 18 save for its eye rays and this is Dexterity based. The Warden has +4 Dex so it will be a DC 20 save for its eye rays.
Since a Gargantuan construct gets an extra 20hp bonus compared to a Huge Construct, and since the standard retriever has 10d10+80 hit points, I believe the Warden would get (counting the 30hp boost from Improved Toughness feat): 30d10+130 hp
Lastly, a bunch of the feats for the Warden are just terrible. Great Cleave and Whirlwind Attack are useless, and it doesn't have the room needed to make Spring Attack effective inside the well and the foilage of the trees, even if we assume the bottom 15 feet of the well is relatively clear of branches. Here is a suggested new list of feats:
Ability Focus(eye rays), Combat Expertise, Combat Reflexes, Great Fortitude, Improved Critical(claw), Improved Natural Attack(claw), Improved Toughness, Large and in Charge, Mage Slayer, Power Attack, Riposte
Large and in Charge is found in Dracomicon, Mage Slayer is found in Complete Arcane and Riposte is found in the Dragon Compendium. Improved Initiative is another good possibility.
| NPC Dave |
If you do give the Warden of the Well much more effective feats, you should give it +1 CR so it is a CR 18 creature.
Now for the first trap at the Well of Debased Eros. This trap is based on the Wormcall Trap on page 76 of Dungeon Magazine #134. The CR of the trap is the CR of the creature that is summoned if the trap is sprung.
This trap is only activated and set if the Warden of the Well is destroyed or is somehow removed from the bottom of the well. Demogorgon made the well itself a magic device trap, but dormant. One it is set, it is triggered should anyone start any spell or conversation with Shami-Amourae, including casting the freedom spell, unless the trap is deactivated first. The trap summons a Greater Lemorian Golem as described in Dungeon Magazine #147 (and also see my notes for Dungeon #147 here in this forum).
Greater Lemorian Golem Trap: CR 17; magic device; special trigger; no reset; summons one greater lemorian golem to any point at the bottom of the Well of Debased Eros; Search DC 38; Disable Device DC 42.
As soon as the golem appears it and the PCs roll initiative normally. Like the Warden of the Well, this golem has the Air Walk supernatural ability.
Feel free to substitute any other appropriate CR 17 creature. My PCs avoided the golem in Divided Ire by never exploring the prison section where it roamed. This gives me another chance for them to encounter it.
| NPC Dave |
The second trap is technically not on the well, it is on Shami-Amourae herself. The Stygian Deluge is called a trap but because it is treated as a required encounter it isn't treated mechanically like a trap in the rules.
So if you prefer that it be treated as a trap, then here it is as a CR 20 trap, which an 18th level rogue with Skill Focus, a high Dex and maxed out skill ranks could theoretically find and disable on a couple of very lucky rolls... although it is then up to the DM how Charon gets involved. Since it doesn't match any spell, it will be a magic device on Shami-Amourae herself, some piece of small jewelry. The device is triggered when the chokesnake is slain.
Stygian Deluge: CR 20; magic device; special trigger; no reset; see module text for effects; onset delay (3 rounds); Search DC 50; Disable Device DC 50.
| NPC Dave |
Shadowfire the Wispling has a Base Attack Bonus and Saves that are all one point too high if you work through the math of his class levels. They should be (including his stat bonuses):
Fort +4, Ref +17, Will +6
Base Atk +8, Grp +4
And his second level of shadowdancer doesn't get him anything useful, he already has the class abilities for the second level of shadowdancer, and he is better off getting another level of rogue for another d6 of sneak attack damage or a level of fighter to pick up a bonus feat. A suitable feat for him would be the Craven feat from Champions of Ruin which would grant a bonus to his sneak attack damage equal to his character level.
| NPC Dave |
The varrangoin berserker stat block is mostly correct, the only error I see is the rend damage. The Fiend Folio grants the rager varrangoin rend damage of 2d4 + 1.5 x Strength bonus = 2d4+6 damage as the fiend folio version has 18 Strength.
So the listed rend damage of 2d4+7 for the varrangoin berserker is incorrect. With a Strength of 24, the rend damage will be 2d4+10 damage, and when they rage with a Strength of 30 the rend damage will be 2d4+15 hp of damage.
| NPC Dave |
This is the last trap I will be adding to the adventure, and it will be on the circular mosaic within the Great Tower of Overlook Fortress. The trap is set and will be triggered if any incorrect tile is depressed. If the PC with the tooth of Ahazu fills out the tiles to be pressed the trap will be avoided, but any PC using magic or Open Locks to open the door will trigger the trap if it is not disabled first.
Mosaic Tile Cone of Cold->Delayed Blast Fireball->Multiple Power Word Kill Trap: CR 18; magic device; special trigger; automatic reset; spell effects (first in sequence Cone of Cold, 15d6 cold, reflex DC 20 for 1/2, 15th level wizard), (second in sequence Delayed Blast Fireball 15d6 fire, reflex DC 20 for 1/2, 15th level wizard), (third in sequence Power Word Kill, 17th-level wizard); multiple targets (up to 4 creatures in the tower); Search DC 36; Disable Device DC 36.
My thanks to the EN World contributors who gave me the idea for this trap and the approximate CR as well.
https://www.enworld.org/threads/high-cr-traps.80680/
| NPC Dave |
The Keepers of Ahazu are mostly correct, the only thing I see wrong is that the Fort and Will saves are each one point too high. An arcanist varrangoin has the baseline saves of a magical beast which at 8HD is Fort +6, Ref +6, Will +2. Add in the three levels of binder which is Fort +3, Ref +1, and Will +3. Then two levels of anima mage which is Will +3.
So before ability score modifiers we have Fort +9, Ref +7, and Will +8. Now add in the +6 Dex modifier for Ref saves and the +3 Wis modifier for Will saves and we see these liches should have:
Fort +9, Ref +13, Will +11
These keepers have higher ability scores than a standard arcanist varrangoin out of the Fiend Folio would have upon becoming a lich, but that can be chalked up to this being a very high level adventure.
| NPC Dave |
One more thing to add to the Keepers of Ahazu. Their unholy blight touch, which is a supernatural ability from Ahazu like the Ahazu's Abduction is, has a DC save of 10 + 1/2 effective binder level + Cha modifier.
So the unholy blight touch and the Ahazu's Abduction ability both have a DC of 10 + 2 + 3 = 15. Hmmm, might not be a bad idea for them to memorize eagle's splendor or one of them memorize mass eagle's splendor.
| NPC Dave |
The Lemorian Bloodscouts stat block is mostly correct, change all crimson recruiter references to lemorian bloodscout, those references weren't updated when the stat block was copied over from the crimson recruiter entry in Serpents of Scuttlecove.
But the Fort and Ref saves are each one point too low. A 12HD bar-lgura has +8 to all saves as a baseline before ability score modifiers. Three levels of bloodhound give +3 Fort and +3 Ref, while four levels of fighter give +4 Fort and +1 Ref.
So Fort save should be (+8 +3 +4) + 5 (Con modifier) = +20.
And Ref save should be (+8 +3 +1) + 7 (Dex modifier) = +19.
As a recommendation, I would ditch their Stealthy feat which is useless and instead give them Ranged Weapon Mastery(piercing) so they can get an additional +2 to attack and damage rolls with their longbows.
Reconfiguring skill points to boost their skill ranks in Ride can also help keep their retreivers alive using their Mounted Combat feat.
| NPC Dave |
The chokesnake entry has one small mistakes in its AC entry. The regular AC and the flat-footed AC is correct, according to the chokesnake monster entry, it benefits from its host higher Dexterity and any deflection bonus the host has. For flat-footed AC, just the deflection bonus.
So that is an extra +1 AC Dex bonus for the chokesnake since Shami-Amourae has a slightly higher Dex, and a +14 AC deflection bonus from Shami-Amourae. The chokesnake's regular AC is 24 so +15 = AC 39.
The baseline touch AC for the chokesnake is 18, which is correct, but both the Dex AC boost and the deflection bonus are added as well, so the chokesnake attached to Shami-Amourae has a touch AC of 33, not the 31 listed.
| NPC Dave |
This is the last trap I will be adding to the adventure, and it will be on the circular mosaic within the Great Tower of Overlook Fortress. The trap is set and will be triggered if any incorrect tile is depressed. If the PC with the tooth of Ahazu fills out the tiles to be pressed the trap will be avoided, but any PC using magic or Open Locks to open the door will trigger the trap if it is not disabled first.
It is possible to come up in the adventure that someone will cast disjunction into the tower to knock out the forbiddance effect. Rather than make the circular mosaic an artifact, I would suggest making it a magic item at CL 30... thereby giving it a baseline saving throw of 2 + (one half the Caster Level ) = a +17 Will save.
| NPC Dave |
Greater Lemorian Golem Trap: CR 17; magic device; special trigger; no reset; summons one greater lemorian golem to any point at the bottom of the Well of Debased Eros; Search DC 38; Disable Device DC 42.
As soon as the golem appears it and the PCs roll initiative normally. Like the Warden of the Well, this golem has the Air Walk supernatural ability.
One addition to this trap... the summoning spell is cast with the Rapid Spell feat, allowing the spell to be cast in a standard action... which will happen in the surprise round thereby preventing anyone from stopping the summon with dispel magic, unless the trap is detected and disabled in advance of course. The spell foresight does not provide advance warning either because the summon spell does not endanger anyone directly, only the monster summoned does that once it appears.
| Orthos |
Shadowfire the Wispling has a Base Attack Bonus and Saves that are all one point too high if you work through the math of his class levels. They should be (including his stat bonuses):
Fort +4, Ref +17, Will +6
Base Atk +8, Grp +4
Did you forget the Halfling bonus to all saves? Wisplings retain that even if they lose some of the other halfling traits.
| NPC Dave |
NPC Dave wrote:Did you forget the Halfling bonus to all saves? Wisplings retain that even if they lose some of the other halfling traits.Shadowfire the Wispling has a Base Attack Bonus and Saves that are all one point too high if you work through the math of his class levels. They should be (including his stat bonuses):
Fort +4, Ref +17, Will +6
Base Atk +8, Grp +4
I did! Thank you for pointing that out. And you did it just in time, later this week I expect Shadowfire to betray the PCs when they are attacked in Overlook by an NPC party Demogorgon has recruited to ambush them.
So Shadowfire's saves are correct and only his Base Attack Bonus and Grapple score are one too high.
| NPC Dave |
The chokesnake entry
I am getting ready to run this encounter and one thing that seems to be missing is whether the chokesnake benefits from the host's Spell Resistance. I am going to say yes, since spells can target the chokesnake and not its host. The chokesnake already benefits from saves and AC of the host.
Otherwise Molypente won't survive one round against my PCs.
| NPC Dave |
Shami-Amourae has 22HD which means she should have eight feats, not seven. As long as we are looking at feats for her, Combat Expertise is useless when relying on spell-like abilities, and against 18th level PCs Flyby Attack is no better. Combat Reflexes is also pretty questionable, although at least she can try and use it as PCs attack the chokesnake.
So some decent additions/substitutions to her feat list:
Quicken Spell-Like Ability(greater dispel magic)
Quicken Spell-Like Ability(unholy blight)
Maximize Spell-Like Ability(unholy blight)
Empower Spell-Like Ability(unholy blight)
Spell Penetration
Best tactic is too start off with blasphemy and just keep casting it while hitting the PCs each round with a Quicken SLA until she runs out of Quickens, and then try to use plane shift or energy drain.