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So, in my next campaign my players are going to be playing something rather akin to a normal rpg, what with "Chapters" and different places to choose to travel.
Some context:
"The Lodge"
- The Lodge is a place where multiple upon multiple mercenaries, people with specific talents, ambitions, or just a normal battle lust show up to seek out "Marks". Marks range from taking back a city from bandits, to finding a lost magical item, to killing evil apparitions of in-laws. There's even one specific mission that causes the players to get paratrooped into a neighboring country as part of an on-going war.
"The Marks"
- Every level the players have a choice of 3 missions that they wish to do, but at any given time they can only do 2 per rotation. The ones that they don't do influence the other NPCs, who, unlike you, travel alone. Certain NPCs in the lodge can be convinced, through Diplomacy or Charisma based checks, to go on these missions that you don't want to do. However, having them due that leaves their fates up to a percentage.
- The fighter NPC's can handle goblins just fine, but can't handle subterfuge.
- The arcane NPC's can handle seeking out magic and other things involving wizardy, but are poor when it comes to delving into dungeon depths.
- The skill NPC's can delve into dungeon depths no problem, but have trouble with hordes.
- There are no NPC's in the lodge that happen to be divine that don't do anything more than heal people and merry-make.
- The first 3 missions in the adventure path involve the reclaiming of a fort from goblins, the investigation of a crypt, and dealing with politics between cheliax and a neighboring area.
"The NPC's"
- The first NPC to introduce him is a Katana-wielding fighter named Cid, who, as soon as he meets the PC's, determines which martial member he's going to be tied with. Cid, first and foremost, joined The Lodge in hopes of mastering his swordsmanship with the katana, and has a dark secret in regards to the players. He will be nice to them, up until the plans for introducing the invasion mark are announced, in which case he fears that the PC is going to go and get himself killed. At this point, he'll offer that PC a duel. Should the PC refuse, he announces that he will see him during the invasion.
When this comes to pass, Cid will single out the martial PC to attack during one of the quieter moments, though most likely he will show up the first moment that PC finds himself alone through the glory of "Fate making them run into each other." Cid will not allow the PC to get away, and will actively try to defeat him, complimenting him the entire fight.
Cid will be an equal level of the PC in fighter levels, though he takes a reserved approach into fights if he can, using a mixture of combat expertise and power attack, Improved vital strike, and spring attack, making it a point to waltz around debris from the nearby wreckage to avoid being charged.
Cid will, as a result of his honor, allow the player, and himself, to prepare with whatever potions they deem necessary, though Cid will use none if the player won't; claiming, "Magic is for men of weak arm, but I will not fight you on uneven ground." Should the player try to stall for his allies, Cid will automatically attack after some dialogue about fate and furthering himself and the pc.
"Fate's coy, isn't she? That doesn't matter though. Think about it friend... Whoever leaves this fight alive leaves stronger, yes? All I ask of you is that you bury me with my sword should I lose."
Cid's Katana is a +1 Keen Katana, and his armor is a +2 Armored Coat. He is a Weapon Master Fighter Archetype. His coat is exquisitely crafted like the Katana, but it is magical. His weapon doesn't read as magical in the slightest, but anyone capable of making craft checks that could make such a sword will notice how perfectly crafted it is. It definitely seems masterwork at even a glance, but there's something "more" there.
Cid has a rather long story explaining his sword and it's heritage throughout his family line, but ultimately claims it was wasted on them because they merely looked at it every day. He actually stole it when he left to begin his adventure.
There are, of course, more NPCs, but Cid is the one I'm currently worried about. Against a solo player of equal level, a fighter no less, or a monk, ranger, barbarian, whatever; He is an epic encounter because of the changes to APL. The player is more than welcome to spare him should he win, but I don't want cid to be a pushover during a straight up martial fight. He's not a fan of dirty tricks, and using them against him actually causes him to ditch his combat expertise and make use of his full power attack with furious focus, which as a weapon master, practically guarantees he hits. With a katana and weapon master, without keen a katan has a critical modifier of 18-20, With it, that increases to 16-20, allowing one in 5 of his attacks to land without fail.
Right now he has no magical enhancements. His strength at level 12 is 20, and his dexterity is 18. Not high stats by that point mind you, but Cid has a grand distaste for magic, and compliments on it frequently. He'll admit it has it's uses, but all the same, he avoids it. His Keen Katana is a specially smithed weapon that has no magic cast upon it, and isn't subject to dispel effects, or anything that could possibly sap it of magic. It's just that sharp. (Not Raw, but a flavorful addition)
Cid's ultimate strategy during fights consists of moving about, making use of Improved Vital Strike, Devastating Strike, Spring Attack, Power Attack, Furious Focus, and Combat Expertise all at once. He prefers to move about, unless the martial fighter is a ranger, in which case he will abandon combat expertise to make sure that his AoOs land, rerolling with his reliant strike ability to ensure that it does. He will also use this on crits, should they land.
Fighter Level 12 BAB = +12
Str Mod = +5 (+5 Dam)
Fighter bonuses = +3 (From Weapon Master) (+3 Dam)
Weapon Focus / Weapon Spec = +2 (+ 1 Dam)
+1 from Weapon (+1 Dam)
AB= 23
Power attack = -4 (+8 Dam)
Two Handed Weapon = (+4 Dam)
Combat Expertise = -4
Final to hit and damage = +15/+10/+5 (First attack is +19 because of Furious Focus)
Damage = 1d8+22 with a X2 Crit multiplier
Improved Vital Strike Damage = 3d8+26 (At +19 to hit) (Including Devastating Strike)
His armor class would, including bracers, probably be around 30 or 28 at that point.
Do you guys have any suggestion?
So what is it that you're looking for exactly? From I gathered, you're worried he's too powerful for single combat. If allows a martial PC to be buffed than he should not be too strong. Your point about him dancing around the wreckage would be smart if he was attacking the party. Fighters do their damage standing still in front of his enemies' face. You've made a good build but sometimes you have to tweak and butcher a NPC's stats and feats to fit the party. Remember, they're the heroes and they must always have a chance to win. For the scenario, make him strong but give him a weakness that is within the PC's power to exploit. For example, this guy would fall pretty easily to my current fighter who is built on disarm maneuvers. Save this build as it is pretty good and you clearly have a backstory for this guy and use him a PC for yourself or an NPC in a different campaign.
From a story perspective, why is this character there? Why does he antagonize the party as opposed to anyone else? Some of the most memorable antagonists are remembered because they're foils to the hero. Think like Dante and Vergil (from Devil May Cry), Batman and the Joker, Frodo and Gollum. They're there to show how the hero could be if something were changed. Vergil is Dante if he embraced his demonic heritage instead of his human heritage. The Joker is Batman if he snapped and became as crazy as the people he fights. Gollum is Frodo if he gave into the ring's power. Cid can be used if the PC he antagonizes fits into this mold. Is the Fighter a man with a mysterious past? Is he obsessed with his weapon? Does he hate magic? Is he obsessed with honor? If so then Cid could be a great foil for him, showing how the PC could be if he let any of these things go too far. If he's not going to be a foil; if he's not going to have anything to do with the PC, then why have him duel anyone? The duel is ultimately the culmination of the foil's role in the story. After making the hero question himself and his values, he finally engages his foil and sees if he can overcome his flaws and baggage. If Cid is meant to be more of a foil to the whole party (this is doable; Loki in the Avengers movie is an example), then a duel would be a bit out-of-place. Though I suppose I could see it has having him beat the best fighter of the party in single combat to show off how badass he is and then fight the whole party later. This leads to the whole party realizing how much they need to work together to overcome their foes. (teamwork, friendship, heart of the cards, etc.)
Hopefully, that dark secret isn't that he killed the PC's parents or is related to him. That's just trite. That secret should tie into why he's antagonizing the party though.
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Funny you should mention the disarming thing, actually. He's Human with a Favored class of Fighter, and instead of taking a health point or skill point every level, he took the CMD against Sundering and Disarm for every level. The CMD for it is almost in the 40's now, which is just lovely. He's really specific about keeping the sword in his hand and not having it get damaged.
I'll admit that he's vulnerable to tripping, but his CMD isn't the lowest thing in the world, really. He's very defensive against Disarm and Sunder, but he doesn't have the feats for improved or anything like that.
Primarily he doesn't like making use of his full attack at all, and focuses primarily on inflicting major damage with his vital strike, then moving out of 5 foot step range so as to avoid the enemies full attacks to boot. He's about moving, inflicting a tremendous amount of melee damage, and then moving away. The 4 armor class from mobility makes things even better for him when he decides to move away as well.
He's only 1 particular characters foil, and even then, he's not much of a foil. Particularly, he begins the game at level 7, and continues to aid the players and constantly gives advice for whoever the martial person is, joking about how he'd like to trade blows one day.
Taking the interest that he does, his primary goal is to better his swordplay, and his dark secret is that he's the reason a good number of new members die on their missions; because he kills them during fights, and then claims the reward. A lot of the other NPC's will make mention that they shouldn't go on missions with him because of the rumors about him, but he's far too cheery and happy to give off the aura of a killer. He doesn't dote about when it comes to certain things, but his own personal code is most definitely one of evil.
His code is defined simply as
"You may not kill anyone marginally weaker than you."
"You must announce your intentions and purpose prior to killing."
"You must seek out and nurture potential when you see it."
"You may kill anyone that seeks to stop you from killing your current mark."
So.
"Why is he there." - The lodge is a good location to achieve a living while also constantly testing his blade against others of equal strength.
"Why does he antagonize the party?" - Cid actually enjoys the party's company, but maintains a soft spot in his heart for whoever's the most prominent martial figure. He is encountered on missions that often involve killing lots of enemies as compared to important figures, such as on the first goblin mission where they meet him just outside the borders of the ruined fort.
"How does he interact with the party member in question?" - Cid will constantly use a particular string of feats, but, in the event that the player that he takes an interest in is ranged, he will actually change his Devastating strike feat out for Step up, and claim, upon first using it, that he learned how to do it just to kill the player, and that he thanks him for being strong enough that he had to plan ahead.
"Is the fighter a man with a mysterious past?" - Cid's past consists of joining the lodge after stealing his families prized katana, and then being beaten to a prominent pulp, after which his weapon was stolen by lodge members. He trained with a longsword after that point, and eventually tracked down the thieves on a mission, killed them, and took his weapon back. He was thrilled that something like that forced him to become stronger, and made it a habit ever since to nurture the new blood, and then cut it down whenever he found that person to be almost on equal level with him.
"Does he only fight the player(s) once?" - Cid can actually be fought prior to his fight, as he, along with a few other NPC's, actually join the side that's being invaded. When the PC's arrive to the engine room of the carrier, he will make a bluff check to lie about the fact that he actually did the sabotage. Should the lie be found out, he will defend himself saying that he only wishes to share blades with the martial PC, but claims that if they wish to fight him (A Cr 12 encounter for PC's that will be level 9) then he will not hold back. He then goes on to say that if they waste time that they'll all die in the crash, and that escape is readily available.
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Honorable Cid CR 12
XP 19200
Human (Varisian) Fighter (Weapon Master) 12
N Medium Humanoid (human)
Init +3; Senses Perception +0
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Defense
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AC 23, touch 15, flat-footed 19 (+7 armor, +3 Dex, +1 natural, +1 deflection, +1 dodge)
hp 146 (12d10+48)
Fort +12, Ref +7, Will +4; +3 bonus vs. effects targetting a Katana held by you
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Offense
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Speed 20 ft.
Melee +1 Keen Katana +21/+16/+11 (1d8+14/15-20/x2)
Special Attacks reliable strike: katana (2/day), weapon training +3: katana
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Statistics
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Str 18, Dex 16, Con 18, Int 15, Wis 11, Cha 12
Base Atk +12; CMB +16; CMD 31 (46 vs. Disarm, 46 vs. Sunder)
Feats Combat Expertise +/-4, Devastating Strike, Dodge, Exotic Weapon Proficiency (Katana), Furious Focus, Greater Weapon Specialization (Katana), Improved Vital Strike, Mobility, Power Attack -4/+8, Spring Attack, Step Up, Vital Strike, Weapon Focus (Katana), Weapon Specialization (Katana)
Traits Savannah Child (Knowledge [nature])
Skills Acrobatics +0 (-4 jump), Bluff +13, Climb +16, Escape Artist +0, Fly +0, Knowledge (dungeoneering) +15, Knowledge (nature) +15, Ride +0, Stealth +0, Survival +8, Swim +16
Languages Common, Dwarven, Elven, Varisian
SQ weapon guard +3: katana
Combat Gear Potion of barkskin +2, Potion of cure moderate wounds, Potion of displacement, Potion of mage armor; Other Gear +2 Do-maru, +1 Keen Katana, Amulet of natural armor +1, Belt of mighty constitution +2, Ring of protection +1, Fighter's kit, Hip flask, 20 GP
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Special Abilities
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Combat Expertise +/-4 Bonus to AC in exchange for an equal penalty to attack.
Devastating Strike Deal extra damage when using Vital Strike bonus
Furious Focus If you are wielding a weapon in two hands, ignore the penalty for your first attack of each turn.
Mobility +4 to AC vs. AoO provoked by moving out of or through a threatened area.
Power Attack -4/+8 You can subtract from your attack roll to add to your damage.
Reliable Strike: Katana (2/day) (Ex) Reroll attack roll, critical confirmation, miss chance or damage roll for your chosen weapon
Spring Attack You can move - attack - move when attacking with a melee weapon.
Step Up When a foe makes a 5 ft step away from you, you can move 5 ft to follow them.
Vital Strike Standard action: x2 weapon damage dice.
Weapon Guard +3: Katana (Ex) +3 CMD vs. Disarm and Sunder or other effects targeting your chosen weapon.
Weapon Training +3: Katana (Ex) +3 to hit and damage with your chosen weapon.
Here's his character sheet for you crunchy types. I'm aware that his reflex and will are horrendous.
He's pretty hell-bent on only using the Katana, actually, and prefers to just use it to kill things using readied actions with combat expertise. It's got him this far, and if someone wants to bombard him with ranged bow attacks, the dueling ground has plenty of cover against that.
Plus he's more likely to take an interest in grounded fighters with big weapons, rather than bowmen, but I see your point.
As for being disarmed, I don't think that's an issue given his preposterous CMD against it, and sundering.
He's not a big fan of magical items, actually, and tries to rely on his pure martial prowess as more of a code thing. I'm actually going to remove the belt from him and just raise his con twice, but still.
Did you read the wall of text up top? I mean I know wizards can rock his world, but he's particularly geared against fighting a single other fighter in combat, with maybe 1 person helping them at best.
"Primarily he doesn't like making use of his full attack at all, and focuses primarily on inflicting major damage with his vital strike, then moving out of 5 foot step range so as to avoid the enemies full attacks to boot. He's about moving, inflicting a tremendous amount of melee damage, and then moving away. The 4 armor class from mobility makes things even better for him when he decides to move away as well."
Just remember you can't use vital strike and spring attack at the same time.
"Can Vital Strike be used with Spring Attack? Can Vital Strike be used on a charge?
No. Vital Strike can only be used as part of an attack action, which is a specific kind of standard action. Spring Attack is a special kind of full-round action that includes the ability to make one melee attack, not one attack action. Charging uses similar language and can also not be used in combination with Vital Strike."
You're line about how he has "made it a habit ever since to nurture the new blood, and then cut it down whenever he found that person to be almost on equal level with him." Gives me more of a sense of his narrative purpose. He's a stealth rival who will attack when the fighter least expects it. He could even be a type of Death Seeker. Wants desperately to find someone worthy enough to kill him.
Oh well darn, you're right. Oh well. He can do a mixture of both as they present themselves. Honestly because of that I might just get rid of spring attack and throw on the rest of the step up line so people can't avoid his inevitable full attack of doom.
Do you know if there's a feat that improves the damage an attack does if the weapon was drawn?
I wouldn't be against turning him into a quick-draw swordsman.
Unfortunately I don't think so without changing classes. The Samurai has an archetype that combined with the Ronin order would practice iaijutsu. http://www.d20pfsrd.com/classes/alternate-classes/samurai/archetypes/paizo- --samurai-archetypes/sword-saint
The Magus has one too but that's even further from your concept. http://www.d20pfsrd.com/classes/base-classes/magus/archetypes/paizo---magus -archetypes/kensai
Overall the sword saint is a pretty good duelist and would fit your backstory well enough.
Now that I can do. But like I said, he only does what he needs to to get even with the opponent in question. If the opponent is known for chugging fly potions or dancing around in the air, he'll come equipped, but frankly, if the enemy in question wants to duke it out with absolutely no magical equipment outside of weapons and armor, then he'll be all for it.
It's a potion per potion thing. If the guy won't take off the shoes of flying, he'll drink a potion of flying. If the guy uses a potion of Mage armor, he'll use one. If the enemy uses a potion of bark skin, he'll use a potion of displacement.
The more potions you use, the more potions he'll use.
The character actually wakes up after a bit of wreckage and Cid's sort of standing in the distance waiting on him to wake up. Depending on who gets in with the PC that he's after, they'll be there too. They stand up, cue the monologue, he offers the PC enough health potions to be full health (The crash does a pretty tremendous amount of damage.) and then they'll fight, right after Cid allows the player to heal his friend (if there is one) somewhat.
As for throwing on weird templates, I'm not really a big fan of that. Maybe on creatures, but Cid's just a regular guy that gets his kicks out of looking for someone that can kill him properly.
One bit of disclaimer is that if the player ends up being too easy to beat (Less than 3 successful bits of damage) he will leave the player unconscious, bleeding out, and leave his friend to tend to him while openly voicing his disappointment. If that happens, he comes back later to finish the job at another point. He won't ever duel the player again, but he'll be hyper charged on potions ready to take out the whole party.
What will you do if the player wins but doesn't kill Cid?
Then Cid thanks him for sparing his life and hands off his Katana to the player after apologizing, and sacrificing himself in a future event within same 4 minutes after helping them in a specific encounter.
Sounds good. Hope your campaign turns out well. :)
Wow. I actually really like the concept here, both the character and the campaign. Good luck mate, sounds fun. I might use some of this for a campaign I'm gonna be starting up so thanks goes to you.
Very welcome! There are about 8 other characters that are similar to him, but they have very different stories from him in particular.
Just out of curiosity, is Cid the only NPC you've fleshed out like this?
I've fleshed out about 4 other NPC's completely with this. One in particular, a man I've shamelessly named Gilgamesh, makes it a point to plague the PC's who obtain rather powerful swords. (Anything equal to, or above a +2 modifier) and plays a rather important role when the mission revolving around a particular sword comes into play. He's fleshed out with feats that allow theft of items, and isn't shy about disarming foes and fighting with their own weapons, and he usually picks the most painful damagers to do such a thing.
He's got 3 particular swords, full plate, and a plethora of oddball magical weapons.
The next character is a fighter that's far past his prime, and has taken the respectable bonuses and negatives for middle age as a human. He's nothing special combat wise, but is an unbreakable fighter with some very respectable resistances, and to make things more hard on anyone that plans on controlling him, has almost every feat in regards to Heroic Defiance, Improved Iron will, Greater fortitude, and whatnot.
The fighter in particular is the most experienced member of the mercenaries guild that the players belong to, and offers his information on the others, saying who else has been there for a while, and even makes it a point to make mention of his suspicions of Cid. That aside, his most important moment takes place during the war missions, as he takes to the frontlines and takes a somewhat commander-esque role. He actually confronts the enemies that attack them on one of the great sky ships while he holds out for the players, and can definitely die against the augmented soldiers of the rival forces. (Fighter 6's with the advanced template on top of the Heroic NPC strength stats)
Should the players arrive in time, he'll thank them and the quest will continue as normal, but if he dies, they'll find themselves bombarded on the ground in a future quest by the very same airship that they steal.
A PC beyond that is a complete liar that's only interested in the loot and gold that comes from being a mercenary, and is famous for only taking missions that involve big-spenders and high-reward ones. The players meet him, and he actually knows very well what kind of person Cid is, and has a lot of dirt on the other guild members. He does, however, make it a point to only offer the truth for the right amount of gold. If the players press him without making any good offers, he'll lie to them with his ludicrous bluff score, which only someone who makes it a job to sense motive will catch.
He comes into play in a chain of quests that involve a particular wizard's (Long-dead) areas. A universalist wizard to boot. Starting in the first mission that involves a sewer beneath his manor, the NPC shows up at the entrance, making a claim that the area is chock full of trinkets and magical items, but makes it a point to inform the players that one of them is in a room that he can't scale properly at all. (It's a decanter of endless water at the top of a room that activates upon the first PC's entry.) Needless to say, the NPC says that since he can't reach it, they're more than welcome to give it a shot. The trigger for the trap is an alarm spell, which means no amount of perception is going to notice it, and it slowly fills the room with water.
When the PC's come outside to inevitably look for him, he's already gone. He does this multiple times throughout the following missions that he shows up on, making it a point to be truthful about the next 2 parts, as he's actually injured by the time the players find him. On the fourth one however, the trap is near lethal, and definitely still primed, so instead of lying he just doesn't mention it at all. He takes the time to tell him his life story, making it a point to announce that up till he met them he was a complete liar. It's a long sob story, and, while it's all definitely true, his intentions are still wicked.
The final run of the wizard's manor takes them deeper down into it's catacombs where the wizard practiced his necromancy, and the trap in question releases a maddening amount of necromantic energy with a high will save, doing 30d6 worth of negative energy damage with a rather high will save.
The instant the trap goes off, provided the players are completely wounded from the ordeal, the NPC will attack and make use of his rather high sneak attack damage and human bane daggers, but if not, he simply hides until a moment presents itself later in the same dungeon. The negative damage also forces the players to make Caster level 30 checks or DC 30 heal checks for any positive energy to heal those that took even 1 damage from it for the next week, or until the affliction is removed by remove curse. The curse is placed at Caster level 18th, however, so it's not the easiest thing to do.
Finally, one other fleshed out character is the weakest member of the mercenaries, a fighter with 15 point buy. Mundane doesn't begin to describe him. He's got 14s in all his physical scores and a 12 in intelligence. 10 in everything else. Shield and sword. Neutral good. Power attack, Iron will, Great fortitude. It's like a player wanted to make a fighter who was kind of okay at everything, but excelled nowhere.
The player first comes into note as having failed a mission, way at the start of the campaign. A 4th level fighter, alone, who went to remove goblins from a fort. He fails miserably without killing more than 3, and is imprisoned, much to his dismay, inside the fort in the lower levels where his jailer (A goblin druid 2) spends his time burning the man and healing him back up from within his cage. Needless to say, he's naked, and his armor is in another room; the Bugbear's, where all of the "Worthy foes" that have came to take the fort back are. Armors, that is.
The druid isn't much of a threat, minus a burning hands and an animal companion (A skunk), but the NPC is covered in oil as the druid was just about to finish the job gloriously before the PC's arrive. With goblin bombers throwing alchemist fires and the druid using fire, he could very well find himself burned to a lovely golden dead if the players aren't careful. If the druid finds the chance to immolate both him and a player at the same time, he won't waste the opportunity.
This NPC gets into frequent trouble like this at almost every 2 tiers. First with the goblins, second with bandits, third with stone giants, and finally in a house of lust, where he's been dominated by a Succubus, given her favor, and brimming with daemonic energy. (For that fight he gets half-fiend template, but doesn't gain the benefits of anything outside of the damage reduction or claws.) The fight against him can be daunting, because he goes after whichever PC poses the most threat to the succubus, and he's not easy to grapple. To make matters worse there's a succubus in the room... Defeating the succubus (and her entourage of low-level clerics.) frees him from his domination spell, but not the demonic energy that coarses through his veins.
All the while this NPC manages to gain a semblance of gold, and weapons, but he always has half as much as a PC of his level (Which is respectable for an NPC, actually). The NPC will express interest in the fact that he finally has power, and isn't a bumbling fool anymore. The stats can be removed through remove curse, or anything that can imitate it. Dispel magic doesn't work, however, and the removal has to come through divine casters. If the players remove the enhancement, he will fight them pitifully in tears, claiming that they stole his power after he'd worked so hard and been made such a fool. Knocking him out and not killing him causes him to sulk and disappear, but allowing him to maintain his power causes him to seek out more, and the fool ends up dedicating himself to the very patron that the succubus worshiped, and gaining subsequent levels in Antipaladin.
Both decisions cause him to stay away from the guild, but only one makes him a very powerful foe in a future mission. At that point he's got the full half-fiend template, as well as a personally made template that grants all his stats a +5 (as if they'd all been wished to perfection.) not to mention a Belt of Physical Perfection (+4) making him boast horrendously powerful stats and saves.
As far as changing is concerned, the "Weakest" NPC goes from being a level 4 fighter to a Fighter 10 Antipaladin 5 with triple gold worth.
The game promises to be great, and I'm actually in the middle of writing the entire adventure path out, going so far as to detail the pictures of the NPC's at specific stages and giving small tidbits of lore, as well as every encounter.
Arcturus CR 20
XP 307200
Half-Fiend Advanced Human Antipaladin 5/Fighter 10
CE Medium Outsider ((humanoid), human, native)
Init +11; Senses darkvision 60 ft.; Perception +8
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Defense
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AC 39, touch 17, flat-footed 36 (+8 armor, +7 shield, +2 Dex, +7 natural, +4 deflection, +1 dodge)
hp 279 (15d10+165)
Fort +32, Ref +25, Will +25 (+3 vs. fear)
Defensive Abilities bravery +3; DR 10/bludgeoning or piercing, 10/magic; Immune disease, poison; Resist acid 10, cold 10, electricity 10, fire 10, sonic 5; SR 29
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Offense
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Speed 30 ft., flight (60 feet, good)
Melee +5 Adamantine Longsword +33/+28/+23 (1d8+21/19-20/x2) and
. . Bite (Half-Fiend) +21 (1d6+7/x2) and
. . Claw x2 (Half-Fiend) +21 x2 (1d4+7/x2)
Special Attacks antipaladin channel negative energy 3d6 (5/day) (d, smite good (1/day), smite good (2/day), weapon training abilities (heavy blades +2, natural +1)
Spell-Like Abilities
. . At will—Detect Good (At will)
. . 3/day—Darkness (3/day), Poison (3/day), Unholy Aura (3/day)
. . 1/day—Blasphemy (1/day), Contagion (1/day), Desecrate (1/day), Horrid Wilting (1/day), Unhallow (1/day), Unholy Blight (1/day)
Antipaladin Spells Prepared (CL 2):
1 (3/day) Disguise Self, Litany of Sloth, Litany of Weakness
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Statistics
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Str 35, Dex 32, Con 32, Int 25, Wis 26, Cha 26
Base Atk +15; CMB +25; CMD 44
Feats Cleave, Combat Reflexes (12 AoO/round), Dodge, Great Fortitude, Heroic Will (1/day), Improved Great Fortitude (1/day), Improved Iron Will (1/day), Improved Lightning Reflexes (1/day), Improved Vital Strike, Iron Will, Lightning Reflexes, Power Attack -4/+8, Vital Strike, Weapon Focus (Longsword), Weapon Specialization (Longsword)
Skills Acrobatics +0, Bluff +26, Climb +19, Disguise +26, Escape Artist +0, Fly +4, Intimidate +26, Knowledge (dungeoneering) +25, Knowledge (engineering) +25, Knowledge (religion) +25, Ride +0, Sense Motive +26, Stealth +18, Survival +21, Swim +19
Languages Abyssal, Aklo, Celestial, Common, Elven, Gnome, Infernal, Necril
SQ aura of cowardice, aura of evil, channel negative energy, cruelties (shaken [dc 20]), fiendish boons (weapon [1/day]), reflecting (1/day), touch of corruption (2d6) (10/day), unholy resilience, unrighteous (1/day)
Other Gear Mail of malevolence, +3 Reflecting Tower shield, +5 Adamantine Longsword, Amulet of natural armor +4, Belt of physical perfection +4, Headband of mental prowess (Wis & Cha +4), Ring of protection +4, 540 GP
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Special Abilities
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Antipaladin Channel Negative Energy 3d6 (5/day) (DC 20) (Su) Positive energy heals the living and harms the undead; negative has the reverse effect.
Aura of Cowardice (Su) Enemies within 10 ft. are not Immune to fear and take -4 to saves vs. fear effects.
Aura of Evil (Ex) The antipaladin has an Aura of Evil with power equal to her class level.
Blasphemy (1/day) (Sp) Granted by Half-Fiend heritage.
Kills, paralyzes, weakens, or dazes nonevil subjects.
Bravery +3 (Ex) +3 to Will save vs. Fear
Channel Negative Energy (Su) You can channel negative energy to heal the undead and injure the living.
Cleave If you hit a foe, attack an adjacent target at the same attack bonus but take -2 AC.
Combat Reflexes (12 AoO/round) Can make extra attacks of opportunity/rd, and even when flat-footed.
Contagion (1/day) (Sp) Granted by Half-Fiend heritage.
Infects subject with chosen disease.
Cruelty (Shaken) (5 rds) (DC 20) (Su) When you use your Touch of Corruption ability, you may also make your target shaken for 1r/Antipaladin level
You may only apply a single Cruelty ability to each use of Touch of Corruption, chosen when used.
Damage Reduction (10/bludgeoning or piercing) You have Damage Reduction against all except Bludgeoning or Piercing attacks.
Damage Reduction (10/magic) You have Damage Reduction against all except Magic attacks.
Damage Resistance, Acid (10) You have the specified Damage Resistance against Acid attacks.
Damage Resistance, Cold (10) You have the specified Damage Resistance against Cold attacks.
Damage Resistance, Electricity (10) You have the specified Damage Resistance against Electricity attacks.
Damage Resistance, Fire (10) You have the specified Damage Resistance against Fire attacks.
Damage Resistance, Sonic (5) You have the specified Damage Resistance against Sonic attacks.
Darkness (3/day) (Sp) Granted by Half-Fiend heritage.
20-ft. radius of supernatural shadow.
Darkvision (60 feet) You can see in the dark (black and white vision only).
Desecrate (1/day) (Sp) Granted by Half-Fiend heritage.
Fills area with negative energy, making undead stronger.
Detect Good (At will) (Sp) You can use Detect Good at will (as the spell).
Fiendish Boon (Weapon +1) (5 minutes) (1/day) (Sp) You can enhance your weapon for 1 minute per level one or more times per day.
Flight (60 feet, Good) You can fly!
Heroic Will (1/day) Attempt a new saving throw against a harmful condition requiring a Will save.
Horrid Wilting (1/day) (Sp) Granted by Half-Fiend heritage.
Deals 1d6/level damage within 30 ft.
Immunity to Disease You are immune to diseases.
Immunity to Poison You are immune to poison.
Improved Great Fortitude (1/day) Can re-roll a Fort save, but must take the second result.
Improved Iron Will (1/day) Can re-roll a Will save, but must take the second result.
Improved Lightning Reflexes (1/day) Can re-roll a Ref save, but must take the second result.
Mail of malevolence SR21 vs spells with Good descriptor and heal same amt whenever you channel negative energy.
Poison (3/day) (Sp) Granted by Half-Fiend heritage.
Touch deals 1d10 Con damage, repeats in 1 min.
Power Attack -4/+8 You can subtract from your attack roll to add to your damage.
Reflecting (1/day) Reflect spell back at caster, as spell turning.
Smite Good (1/day) (Su) +8 to hit, +15 to damage, +8 deflection bonus to AC when used.
Smite Good (2/day) (Su) +8 to hit, +5 to damage, +8 deflection bonus to AC when used.
Spell Resistance (29) You have Spell Resistance.
Touch of Corruption (2d6) (10/day) (Su) You can inflict 2d6 damage, 10/day
Unhallow (1/day) (Sp) Granted by Half-Fiend heritage.
Designates location as unholy.
Unholy Aura (3/day) (Sp) Granted by Half-Fiend heritage.
+4 to AC, +4 resistance, and SR 25 against good spells.
Unholy Blight (1/day) (Sp) Granted by Half-Fiend heritage.
Harms and sickens good creatures (1d8 damage/2 levels).
Unholy Resilience (Su) You gain your Charisma Bonus as a bonus to all saving throws.
Unrighteous (1/day) Invoke righteous might for 1 min.
Vital Strike Standard action: x2 weapon damage dice.
Weapon Training (Blades, Heavy) +2 (Ex) +2 Attack, Damage, CMB, CMD with Heavy Blades
Weapon Training (Natural) +1 (Ex) +1 Attack, Damage, CMB, CMD with Natural weapons
Archie has read every book they had that gave stat bonuses. He has the advanced template. Every stat he has has been wished up by 5 points. He is CR 20 and his saves are absolutely preposterous, not to mention the fact that he can re-roll them. He is one of the most evil things I've made that I intend to throw against low-op players.
I believe he's CR 20 if only because wizards are going to come to his fight fully intending to make good on their past history of controlling combat, which just isn't going to happen. His armor class is rather high (6 above the reccomended) and his saves are downright ridiculous because of his mixture of Iron will, Fortitude, and Reflex feats combined as he took 2 from each 3, save for Heroic Will, which he took as well.
He has a plethora of fiendish abilities that he can activate in concert with his other abilities. The reason for his fighter levels is because he frankly began as a fighter, and kept his prowess. If he's left unattended, or the enemies flee, he'll likely become a full Antipaladin and become an unstoppable monster that took channeling abilities along with his complete fiendish effects.
The most dangerous thing for Arcturus is his low health pool in regards to other CR 20's. He has about half of the reccomended hp for a CR 20, but the part where he makes up for this is in regards to good aligned players.
He activates unholy aura, as well as as many smite goods as he can determine. His history with the players allows him to know who is and who isn't a good person, which means he likely won't be wasting any.
Should players engage him in the fight (He is accompanied by 2 level 12 fighters who aren't as fortunate to have their stats ridiculous, but are still powerful in their own right as weapon masters that wield great axes and Improved vital strike) he will make it a point to unholy blight and then Improved Vital strike the first person that dares stay near him for a full round. Characters that have been smited will be full attacked, and likely completely obliterated. This is one evil person that the good just can't handle.
D: the fear is real
