|
Ok, so I've got this....problem? Issue at the least.
Setting up an Elder Evil kinda Godpocalypse event (the Elder Evil based off of MLP:FiM's Nightmare Moon) for the tail half of this campaign I'm running. With some help, I've come to the conclusion to bombard the planet with meteor storms containing "Star Beasts". Thing is, I've no real idea on which route to go for them.
Basic rundown of the event, reposted from Giants in the Playground
Least: The stars begin to shine during the day time. Creatures with sunlight penalties are no longer affected by them.
Lesser: The Sun becomes dimmer, and meteor showers begin falling at random. There is a 1% chance per day increasing to 100% over 100 days that you will be caught in a meteor shows, which does 1d4 damage a turn for 10 turns (at the 100 day mark it becomes continuous over the entire planet.)
Moderate: The sun is almost gone, and all light spells across the world snuff out and cease to work (including daylight etc.) Falling meteors coagulate into lesser star beasts (CR 1 but there are now billions of them.)
Greater: The sun is gone completely, and the damage from the meteors increases to 2d6 a round. The lesser star beasts congregate into Star Beasts at a slow but steady rate. Sleeping is now becoming difficult due to the constant interruptions by hailing star dust and endless hordes of monsters.
Final: Massive meteors crash occasionally onto the planet, doing 60d6 at the impact point and lessening at increments of 100 ft. by 10d6 (last 10d6 over 10 miles.) The meteor centers are massive Greater Star Beasts, which should be at least 2 levels over CR appropriate. These impacts are also visible on the moon, turning the surface into a molten hellscape. Finally the moon cracks, revealing a black inky membrane from which the goddess escapes to the planet.
Anyway, I can see at least three ways to build these, and would like some advice on which would be the most effective route and the least bash-out-my-brains frustrating:
1) Take the Amalgam template from the Green Ronin's Advanced Bestiary (Which I understand Paizo used several times for their Adventure Paths and such) and combine the oozes and Earth Elementals, then switch the type to Outsider and give it Immunity to Cold and super Darkvision.
2) Take either the Elemental Infused Creature or Ooze Creature template and apply it to either oozes or elementals.
3) Fabricate the creatures on my own and hope the creatures fit into the CR categories.
I kinda like #2 the elemental infused ooze. I take it they are not intelligent.
Some things about your event though...
Getting struck by a meteor will never do only 1d4 damage. These are rocks travelling tens of thousands of miles per hour. Even a small one the size of a bullet will do a lot more damage than the same bullet fired from a gun.
Rather than a 1d4 area effect, rather have a 1 in 20 chance per round that a character (or a given square) is struck by a meteorite that does something like 5d6 to 10d6 piercing damage. Hiding in stone structures or otherwise getting cover will grant DR but will not completely protect you; the meteors are travelling fast enough to pass through a typical wall of stone. Meteorites are travelling way too fast for reflex saves. But the party may be able to find or create cover once the shower starts. That's for tiny meteorites. Even these meteors would have been fairly big before they entered the atmosphere.
Obviously bigger ones will do a lot more damage and will create an explosion of debris that will do bludgeoning damage. The debris should have a reflex save. However, remember that since the meteors are untargeted it will be rare that one will hit close to the party. Often the party would just see a flash of light strike in those hills over there, and would come by to investigate... oh no, a star beast!