Party of 6 versus Xenesha

[HellFire442]

I am looking for some advice here. I am worried about this fight being a bit anti climatic for my group. There is a huge wall of text below. Thank you for anyone who takes the time to read it all.

The party consists of the following:

A MinMaxed monk who's AC typically reaches 27 to 28 (Mage Armor and he usually uses Ki points to increase AC. He has good saves. First time player so we let him minmax. He is the hardest hitting character in the party (mostly because he receives consistent party buffs)

A Paladin - Warrior of Holy Light archetype. Plays a sword and board tank with good AC and saves. TWF with shield bash so he can put out some damage against an evil target with smite as well.

Rogue/Ranger/Shadow Dancer - Fights with an elven curved blade. Not optimized, but in a 6 person party gets decent opportunity.

Cleric - Again not optimized but getting into a groove as more spells come online. Typically half the reason the Monk does so well.

Admixture Evoker Wizard - Fireballs, Ice Balls, Electicity Balls, Scorching rays. Has a selective metamagic rod right now. He can drop some hurt.

Support focused caster bard. The bard is finding his groove with performing and debuffing enemies with save or sucks. Generally just makes the Monk put out even more damage...

So its all this versus Xenesha. I know that Xenesha is supposed to be silly powerful, but I am worried that my party is going to mincemeat her as they have basically everything else so far. The party just wiped out Justice Ironbriar and his cult. They showed up during the meeting and completely destroyed everything. I used some reworked cultists that I found on here which gave them a mixture of class levels and abilities. Yes 3 fireballs helped, but that fight was very easy.

I am pretty sure that my party is not going to rush straight for Xenesha. They have some other issues in town to deal with..

So here is my plan, please let me know what you think.

1. Xenesha will figure out quickly that Ironbriar and his cult was killed. She has a large network, information like that will not be difficult for her to figure out. Step 2 is figure out who did it. Depending on how my party covers up their attack this will be somewhat difficult... If they cover it up well I give the party three days before Xenesha figures out who did it and where they are staying. The night of day 3 opens the door for party ambush by the Scarecrow and either gangs or faceless stalkers.. or all of the above...

2. Assuming the party acts before Xenesha, I do not see the party having trouble with the scarecrow. The paladin has multiple smites and the adamantine long-sword. Between that and hero points.. the scarecrow dies without killing a PC. I give a 50/50 that the party discovers magic immunity based on knowledge checks (we ask questions and first questions are usually "are its major resistances") If they figure it out.. then the wizard and bard will have full spells for the xenesha fight.

3. Bells and stalkers could be an issue on the stairs. With the party having hero points, they will be alright. Most likely outcome: the bell forces a PC or two to use a hero point. Potential for a fall due to stalkers/PCs collapsing stairs during a stairwell duel could force another.

4. Xenesha. Assuming that the PCs do not devise a plan along the lines of: Invisible flying assault on Xenesha's lair - she should be invisible and prepared with a major image, mirror image, detect magic, and false life all active. She can climb the walls at will. I think her primary strategy will be to climb above the PCs while invisible and strike from above with reach. Spellcasters first trying to kill them before they can cast at all, then anyone who seems able to get to her/ threaten her with ranged attacks, then support characters. She will try and turn major threats to stone and if they are near the edge, go invisible and push them off the side of the tower. (my party does not have reach so this could actually be incredibly powerful. The monk and paladin are ok with their respective shuriken / crossbow but they do not specialize.)

I am considering adding in 2 or 3 more faceless stalkers. 1 will be down with the scarecrow. His job is to either assist the scarecrow with anything that attacks and alert the others with his whistle. If the fight looks grim he is to retreat up the stairs to hold with the 3 faceless stalkers at the bell. The other one or two new faceless stalkers are part of Xenesha's rotating guard on her room. They are only guarding her room if Xenesha knows about the attack on Ironbriar. The are not actually in the room normally, they are tasked with guarding the stairs leading up. Typically they rest just inside the room with a support between them and Xenesha. If she has guests they leave the room. When she has guests they are in a humanoid form. Without guests they take the form of something visually pleasing to Xenesha, typically succubi. If the alarm is raised to the attack then they do enter the room and pose as succubi to augment her major image of a succubus flying around. (assuming the party takes 10 minutes to get up to the lair. If the party fly's up or runs up then the stalker will be stealthed in the pillows trying to transform)

I would expect for a single stalker to die in the first round (a monk full attack kills it. Paladin and rogue usually combine to kill the other) 2 stalkers could take 2 -3 rounds depending on who goes for them. That is 2-3 rounds of damage dealers not focusing on Xenesha. Xenesha's full attack sneak attack/ power attack could 100 - 0 just about anyone in the party.

Surprise round - move into position / single attack on spell caster. First round Xenesha gets a full attack on someone from invisible. First attack is against touch AC at +15 dealing 1d8+20+1d6 /19-20x3 (a crit hits for 3d8+60+1d6 (average 77 dmg) which means a PC of mine must either Hero Point or die/ drop unconscious depending on PC). Second attack is +8 and against flatfooted depending on if they have acted... Final attack is +3 and should miss most PCs unless it crits. Any confirmed critical s kill PCs.

Her second action would be to try to turn any threatening PCs to stone or a second full attack if she feels safe. Detect magic should be telling her who is the most buffed at this point. At this point there are so many variables that it is hard to know where the fight goes. I think I will run some test fights. If she drops someone round 1 the fight could spiral downhill very quickly. AoO for anyone trying to get close to attack her.

TL;DR do you think that I should add in extra, weaker enemies to supplement an already powerful boss against a party of 6 powerful PCs?

[Latrecis]

I think you are on the right track with the faceless stalkers. Of course that's probably because I did the same thing :)

My group is only 4 pc's but they rolled ability scores so they are well above a 15 point buy and they are experienced players so they kick a lot of butt if I don't make some modifications. I rarely add opponents but rather change their tactics - a lot more mobbing, no sit in your room waiting to get killed, etc. In this case, I had the three faceless stalkers move to the roof after setting off the bell trap. I also had them in Skinsaw cultist form - both to enhance the illusion of a summoning in progress and to give them the combat boost for reverting to their natural form. In your case you could add stalkers both in support of the Scarecrow and with Xanesha.

In my run through, a couple actual cultists survived the mayhem at the Sawmill and they fled to Xanesha in desperation. She charmed them and put them to work as support for the golem.

I also thought the AP undersells just how terrifying and powerful Xanesha actually is if that's possible. Her charm and illusion powers get woefully under-used as written. So my version of Xanesha had taken on the role of a disgraced noble woman to the people of Underbridge, a woman who lost her land and wealth from a conspiracy of the Mayor and other corrupt officials (the residents of Underbridge are always willing to believe the worst of the powerful in Magnimar.) With her charm, suggestion, illusion and even healing abilities, she had developed a great number of supporters and loyal followers in the area around the Clock Tower.

When the pc's were finishing with the Scarecrow, they spotted a human woman and what looked like more cultists fleeing the area (illusion.) Chasing after them led into an ambush of local thugs and other criminals, with locals from a nearby tavern joining in (see Magnimar sourcebook and NPC codex for ideas.) Xanesha would have joined in if the group had been vulnerable but they handled the locals quickly and she retreated to her tower. The goal wasn't necessarily to kill the pc's but rather lead them away from her lair. In the end, it didn't work but the group spent some time exploring Underbridge and trying to track down whoever had setup the ambush before going back to the tower to see what they could learn there (they had seen the stairs but not explored.)

[HellFire442]

You may have been where I got some of the inspiration from this idea :) Thanks for the response.

The party corralled all of the cultists. There are two alive, but I don't know what the party plans to do with them yet. We will see next session.

I LOVE the idea about Xenesha helping those of Underbridge to her personal gain. I was already considering her charming several of the gang leaders in Magnimar like she has Ironbriar. I doubt the PCs would find out, but if they start doing some digging in the wrong places they will run into some trouble. They did discover that Ironbriar was under the effects of a compulsion. What they gather from that I do not know.

I definately plan to play up her charm abilities.

If she finds out about the PCs and their plan to attack her (which she will if they wait 3 days or more) I am going to have her start bolstering her defenses around her lair. It should not take long for her to find out they have a wizard. At that point she starts putting up some defenses against scrying and aerial assaults I think. She certainly would have the gold/charm/illusion abilities to encourage some wizardly help.

I like the idea of stalkers as cultists. Alternative plan of stalker posing as her with her posing as a charmed victim is on the table... but I think the Major Image of the ritual with demon summoning sounds too good to pass up.

Random thougth as I write this: Stalkers posing as cultists working on the demon ritual with xenesha posing as a human/about to be sacrifice on a table under the Angel. The party starts fighting the stalkers while the "human sacrifice" makes a bolt for the exit, hiding behind the back row of the party.... where she changes form and attacks.

Now for another question. How would Change Shape work? Would it hide her gear or would all of that be visible? Speficially the snakeskin vest and the medusa mask? The Impaler of Thorns could be theatrically taken from the stalker performing the sacrifice as a chance to see how the party reacts.

[Latrecis]

A couple notes...

For the summoning illusion, I suggest having whatever is being summoned be a specific creature the pc's with knowledge - the planes can recognize. I used a bearded devil.

On the shape change, I'm sure someone out here can give the RAW answer but I assume that gear changes as well. So the vest is part of a dress or a normal looking vest and the mask is a hat or tiara or scarf of some sort. She has her gear but it doesn't work as the original magic items - unless she leaves them as normal but then they appear as they truly are.

[HellFire442]

I looked up change shape rules. it follows the polymorph rules so it would change the physical appears - armor would resize if necessary - but it would not hide the armor. You would need to cast a disguise self spell.

I think that my plan is to have the major image consist of Alu Demons and a succubus. The Alu demons are assisting two real cultists with a ritual that the succubus is leading. A knowledge religion check will reveal that the ritual appears to be a summoning of a powerful demon. (ideally having the party draw the conclusion that the succubus is about to be the least of their concerns and that Xenesha is actually a succubus.)

Xenesha will either hide invisible on the wall near the stair entrance or pretend to be a sacrifice depending on how much research she does and how cocky she feels. It would be extremely cocky to take the spear from a cultist and run past the PCs screaming "help, Help!" Only to transform and attack the rearguard.

[Skeld]

I had a 6-hero party at the time they fought Xanesha. She was invisible off to the side and had the evil-looking illusion up when the heroes reached the roof. She pretty much brutalized my group by killing the Wizard in 1 round and roughing up the others thereafter.

Another thing to keep in mind: you can use her original stats from Pathfinder#2. That version was much more powerful, but also a bit of a TPK machine.

-Skeld

[Bellona]

I'll say! Her AC would be improved by something like +8, and she would have mobility from flight. Plus other goodies.

[HellFire442]

Silence, Flying, Extra AC.... it just sounds wrong. If I am trying to kill the PCs then sure! :)

As is can she cast spells from scrolls without a use magic check? Currently she has an actual spell list consisting of both divine and arcane spells, but only 1 rogue level. How would wands and scrolls work?

Personal I would let her use scrolls and wands without a UMD check, but I want to see what others think.