Looking for good monsters to use against a high level (17-18) adventuring party.

[Joanna Swiftblade]

The end of my half homebrew / half module is coming to a close and I am in need of some suggestions for tough enemies to form the bulk of an army that the PC's will be helping to fight against. I'm looking for a mix of high CR Aberrations and evil (or at least neutral) Fey. Anywhere from CR 14 (minions) to CR 22(only need 1 or 2) will do nicely.

Full party composition looks like this, though all are not always present:

Psionic Warrior 18: uses natural weapons for massive dice damage
Blade Bound Str Magus 17: Very Spell/Buff reliant, lots of burst damage
Mystic Theurge Soracle 18: Lots of spells per day, highest level is 7, buff/damage/heal with a splash of control
Str Monster Plant Oracle 17: Hits things with a club, lots of heal spells, likes Huge size and Vital Strike
2h Inquisitor 17: Antimage, decent all around
Bow Ninja 17: Doesn't do much, sneak attacks anything without invisibility
Bow Fighter 17: 1d8+24 damage a shot, up to 7 arrows a round. Full round actions result in very much pain for anyone on the receiving end.

[Undone]

Joanna Swiftblade wrote:

The end of my half homebrew / half module is coming to a close and I am in need of some suggestions for tough enemies to form the bulk of an army that the PC's will be helping to fight against. I'm looking for a mix of high CR Aberrations and evil (or at least neutral) Fey. Anywhere from CR 14 (minions) to CR 22(only need 1 or 2) will do nicely.

Full party composition looks like this, though all are not always present:

Psionic Warrior 18: uses natural weapons for massive dice damage
Blade Bound Str Magus 17: Very Spell/Buff reliant, lots of burst damage
Mystic Theurge Soracle 18: Lots of spells per day, highest level is 7, buff/damage/heal with a splash of control
Str Monster Plant Oracle 17: Hits things with a club, lots of heal spells, likes Huge size and Vital Strike
2h Inquisitor 17: Antimage, decent all around
Bow Ninja 17: Doesn't do much, sneak attacks anything without invisibility
Bow Fighter 17: 1d8+24 damage a shot, up to 7 arrows a round. Full round actions result in very much pain for anyone on the receiving end.

I like evil outsiders at high levels. Great resistances and high defenses vs everything prevent auto wins most of the time.

You're mission should you chose to accept it is to retrieve MAGUFFIUM 2000 from the infinite hells. The tower fortress you're venturing into is a devil's stronghold under siege by demons.

Encounter 1 The Infernal War: When approaching the tower two mariliths greater teleport 10 feet above the party with fly cast.

Encounter 2 The Gate of Ozagel: 4 Barbed devils, 4 Erinyes, 1 Ice devil. These are the gate guards. Round 1 involves the 4 Erinyes attacking the players after round 1 the lazy Barbed devils come out to join the party. Once a single barbed devil is slain the ice devil in charge of the gate jumps down and tries to slow the fighter. If an erinyes is left she flies away and alerts the tower

Encounter 3 The Fires of Infinity: The players reach a room with with three wall of fire permanancied around each door and in the center of the room. In the center an Immolation devil. If alerted a trap is set above the first door to drop a 15d6 spike trap on the first PC to enter the room.

Encounter 4 The General of a Trillion Devils: After making their way through some traps (Which don't work of the entire party flies) the party enters a room where a slightly modified horned devil stands. Add vicious and speed to his spiked chain and give him max hit points per hit dice (285). Already cast Magic circle against good and dispel good. If alerted also has two ice devils in the room.

Encounter 5 The Duke of Ozagel: The pit fiend stationed here has master of hell magic in addition to being a pit fiend. If alerted he has every single buff in his arsenal already cast and has wished for greater power increasing his size category to huge. If unalerted he instead has two ice devils (Which would appear in encounter 4) and another horned devil (No modifications) which was consulting with him earlier.

Notes: The entire tower is warded to prevent teleportation into it but not while inside it. Sentry traps cast greater dispel magic (CL 20) at any target more than 20 feet off the ground outside of the tower. Summoned monsters also bring along an equivalent CR devil when summoned into this area, this devil is hostile. GL, HF, and enjoy the blood bath.

[Joanna Swiftblade]

Thanks for the advice. I'll use it if I ever plan on sending my party to hell.

Spoiler:

I do.

You should probably have read the post though, because I was asking for Fey and Aberrations.

[Joex The Pale]

Joanna Swiftblade wrote:

The end of my half homebrew / half module is coming to a close and I am in need of some suggestions for tough enemies to form the bulk of an army that the PC's will be helping to fight against. I'm looking for a mix of high CR Aberrations and evil (or at least neutral) Fey. Anywhere from CR 14 (minions) to CR 22(only need 1 or 2) will do nicely.

Full party composition looks like this, though all are not always present:

Psionic Warrior 18: uses natural weapons for massive dice damage
Blade Bound Str Magus 17: Very Spell/Buff reliant, lots of burst damage
Mystic Theurge Soracle 18: Lots of spells per day, highest level is 7, buff/damage/heal with a splash of control
Str Monster Plant Oracle 17: Hits things with a club, lots of heal spells, likes Huge size and Vital Strike
2h Inquisitor 17: Antimage, decent all around
Bow Ninja 17: Doesn't do much, sneak attacks anything without invisibility
Bow Fighter 17: 1d8+24 damage a shot, up to 7 arrows a round. Full round actions result in very much pain for anyone on the receiving end.

The party composition is very helpful, but what about encounter details? Terrain, army goals, leaders? Also, what books do you use? Can we suggest anything off the site? I found a few good aberration/evil fey mixes already...

[Sir Thugsalot]

Joanna Swiftblade wrote:

I'm looking for a mix of high CR Aberrations and evil (or at least neutral) Fey.

<Belushi> "Tsathogga! Tsathogga! Tsathogga! </Belushi>

Oh wait, he's CR30....

[Joex The Pale]

Sir Thugsalot wrote:

Joanna Swiftblade wrote:

I'm looking for a mix of high CR Aberrations and evil (or at least neutral) Fey.

<Belushi> "Tsathogga! Tsathogga! Tsathogga! </Belushi>

Oh wait, he's CR30....

Yeah, I was looking at all the nice Chthulu-esque critters on the site, just not sure which, if any, would fit his theme(if he even has one). Details are so nice...

[Turin the Mad]

Approximate attack bonuses when buffed and AC/Touch AC/CMD would be really helpful.

What is a CR 17-22 for one group is not necessarily a CR 17-22 for another group. Point buy, race and any templates they've acquired are all big factors.

As an example, this group is about an effective APL of 20, so big bosses could range as high as a CR 23-24...

For example, mooks for your group would be wendingo.

There are the toughest two monsters I quickly found:

Norn, CR 18 and Star Spawn of Cthulhu, CR 20.

Dropping down to CR 14 gives you some more options:

Flying Polyps, CR 14, yes as MINIONS ...
Vermerak, CR 14

Needless to say, there are probably a few others, but you'll have to dig for those. Probably "unique" ones.

There are other critters floating around the boards that have been posted for high CR nastiness. A few may float your boat.

[Globetrotter]

What about tha Tane, like the jabberwoky or the bandersnatch?

[Journ-O-LST-3]

Sir Thugsalot wrote:

Joanna Swiftblade wrote:

I'm looking for a mix of high CR Aberrations and evil (or at least neutral) Fey.

<Belushi> "Tsathogga! Tsathogga! Tsathogga! </Belushi>

Oh wait, he's CR30....

Only if he's awake, he may also just pretend to sleep so the PCs go bother something else.

For a much more reasonable CR: Shoggoths. They are brutal monsters, spraying out of porous rocks to surprise parties, sloshing along merrily driving everything mad, making wizards shudder when they realize someone had to build the thing (the fools).

I think I added it, though I argue it's totally in line with what they are, but I gave them a growing save vs any control type spell as they adapted to them and overthrew commands.

[Joex The Pale]

I think he's best to take a mid-level humanoid like fey and give it some PC levels.

[RJGrady]

I'm kind of tickled by the idea of an aboleth sorcerer with the Fey bloodline. Compulsion school is nice.

Charybdis is CR 13. Slap the Advanced template on it and you could use a pair of them as helpers in an aquatic environment.

Nucklavee antipaladin?

[Makarion]

Big question, first of all:

Do your players use Divinations to scout ahead in space as well as time? In other words, do they have the means to know what they are going to run into? [Hint: if they don't, you have been softballing them since they are still alive at level 17.]

In general, I would personally probably use a full caster (preferably with Timestop) plus a bodyguard of monsters. Fey make perfectly viable casters.

A lot depends on your cosmology, though - are your fey incomprehensible First World types, or more whimsical flapabouts? I realize you said NE Fey, but that still covers a lot of ground in style, and their choice of allies will depend on their outlook. Having said that, I do like the idea of the Nucklavee antipaladin. Very evil faerie (even if Pathfinder's Nucklavee isn't particularly close to the Irish legend, it's still neat).

[Joex The Pale]

Just curious if any of these suggestions sparked something with the OP...

[Rerednaw]

Makarion wrote:

Big question, first of all:

Do your players use Divinations to scout ahead in space as well as time? In other words, do they have the means to know what they are going to run into? [Hint: if they don't, you have been softballing them since they are still alive at level 17.]

In general, I would personally probably use a full caster (preferably with Timestop) plus a bodyguard of monsters. Fey make perfectly viable casters.

A lot depends on your cosmology, though - are your fey incomprehensible First World types, or more whimsical flapabouts? I realize you said NE Fey, but that still covers a lot of ground in style, and their choice of allies will depend on their outlook. Having said that, I do like the idea of the Nucklavee antipaladin. Very evil faerie (even if Pathfinder's Nucklavee isn't particularly close to the Irish legend, it's still neat).

This^

Evil Wizard as BBEG approach valid since 1st edition. Or I suppose:

Aboleths (advanced of course) make great lieutenants or masterminds as they just mind control everything. Have the PCs attack each other as they are puppets in some eldritch testing ground/lab/arena. OR if they have any kind of morals, have the Aboleths are rulers of a massive city and have them throw enslaved innocents as conscripts for the PCs to deal with...outright damage/slaying of innocents may pose a problem...unless of course the PCs answer is to slay everything.

A Protean Keketar is very close to an Aberration, worth reskinning. Ditto for Qlippoth (Iathavos)

+1 on the Shoggoths. Shoggoths fit in every campaign...or is my Lovecraft bias sneaking in...and on that note:

Star-Spawn of Cthulhu. Classic.

[Weslocke]

Trained Advanced Huge Winged Owlbears bearing Advanced NE Hag Witches (Of 17th level) escorted by more Advanced Huge Winged Owlbears wearing shining Mithral Breastplates that function as Mirrors of Opposition and being ridden by GraveKnight Cavaliers of around 17th level sounds like the start of a good time to me.

Just a thought. Carry on.

[Rerednaw]

My choice for a fey minion would be Ankou. Nice bleed effect, and the ability to duplicate themselves makes for interesting tactical play.

Another one (have to advance them) would be Rusalka. Their controller like abilities (partner them with heavy hitters) mesh well in groups.