|
6 people marked this as a favorite.
|
I switched my campaign over to 5E at the start of chapter 5. Conversion hasn't been too tough, though the party now has enough Sihedron Medallions and Rings to make the ascent to the Pinnacle of Avarice, so they'll be facing off against big-K very soon and here is where I'm running into issues.
Because spellcasters in 5E have way fewer spells per day (particularly high-level ones) and they way the Concentration mechanics work, I have to throw out his tactics as-written in the AP.
I have made a houserule that allows Thassilonian specialists to prepare and cast 1 additional spell of each level per day at the expense of their two oppositional schools (since specialists are the default in 5E and don't gain additional spells or have oppositional schools.) So I'm looking at giving him Meteor Swarm and Shapechange as his 9th level spells. (Time Stop really isn't that useful anymore, since Concentration prevents the layering of buffs and the various Wall spells require concentration as well.)
Since he'll have Shapechange, I'm wondering what would be an appropriate transformation for him. (I know giants would be out, since they're slaves from his perspective.) I was thinking either Adult Gold Dragon (since how often do the PCs get the opportunity to fight a metallic dragon, most of the time?) or a Pit Fiend. Both, again, are questionable, since the Runelords saw dragons and fiends alike as servants to bend to their will. Is there something obvious I'm missing? As a 20th level caster he can become anything CR 20 or lower.
I figure he'll probably Shapechange once the PCs close to melee, since it will give him an HP boost, plus, as a dragon or fiend, he'd still have the ability to cast spells if necessary.
I'm definitely going to consider Karzoug a Legendary creature, so he'd get Legendary Resistance and Actions. So far I've got:
Cast a Cantrip (as per lich)
Melee Attack
?
I'll also give him Lair actions within the Eye of Avarice. I decided on the following:
Runewell Surge: The Runewell bathes Karzoug in light. Roll a 1d8. He regains a spell slot of that level.
Leng Bubble: A 10' diameter weakening of the planar border appears within the Eye of Avarice in a location of Karzoug's choice. All creatures within the bubble must make a DC 15 Wisdom save or take 5d6 points of Psychic Damage and behave as if under the effects of a Confusion spell until the end of their next turn.
Cast a spell. Karzoug casts a spell of 3rd level or lower without expending a spell slot or components. The Eye of Avarice can use its action each round to maintain concentration on this spell. (The bosses in Princes of the Apocalypse have this a lair action, and it feels appropriate.)
For those familiar with 5E, does this seem like it should work well? Any suggestions on tactics for him? He'll still have his blue dragon, glaive, rune giant and wardens of thunder.
The party will likely be 16th level when they face him, consisting of a half-orc Battlemaster Fighter, half-orc alchemist, half-elf rogue, human barbarian (wolf)8/druid(moon)4/ranger(hunter)4, human light cleric, and halfling warlock(GOO)2/bard(lore)14.
I'm not very familiar with 5th, so I don't have much to offer mechanically....but conceptually, what about a Legendary Action that can turn someone into gold? Probably something that would take multiple turns to complete...first turn suffer penalties to move and attack...second turn more severe penalties...third turn no movement and only mental/verbal actions...fourth turn you're a super valuable paper weight.
SnowmanInHell wrote: I'm not very familiar with 5th, so I don't have much to offer mechanically....but conceptually, what about a Legendary Action that can turn someone into gold? Probably something that would take multiple turns to complete...first turn suffer penalties to move and attack...second turn more severe penalties...third turn no movement and only mental/verbal actions...fourth turn you're a super valuable paper weight. That would be interesting.
The way Legendary actions work in 5E is a creature with the "Legendary Template" for lack of a better term, gets to choose from a list of 2-3 things that they can do immediately after another creature's turn. The basic idea is to swing the action economy back towards a "boss" character.
The slowly turning them into gold idea is a good one, though. I already did that with Mokmurian back at the end of chapter 4 when Karzoug kills him off after using him as a sock puppet. So the PCs already know it's something Karzoug is capable of.
I may have to "cheat" a bit with Karzoug and say either one of his items or simply being a Runelord allows him to Concentrate on two spells at once. (The turning someone into gold thing would definitely require Concentration under the 5E rules, but I wouldn't want his spellcasting limited over using it.)
Pathfinder Starfinder Roleplaying Game Subscriber
Just to check, I don't know how lair actions work, but wouldn't it just be transmuting new blue dragon from runewell? Just getting one spellslot back doesn't sound that good plus he is still a wizard so he would need to take 8 hours preparing that spell on slot. And I guess Leng Bubble is fine, but not sure how much 3rd level spells matter at that high levels anymore. IIRC, I heard that Prince of Apocalypse doesn't go to as high levels?
Also, how about instead of shapechanging into stronger creature he changes into something similar to Mithral mage from Runeforge? You know, turn his skin into adamantinum or something.
|
1 person marked this as a favorite.
|
In 5E, Legendary creatures get up to 3 benefits: Legendary Resistance, Legendary Actions and Lair Actions (when in their lair.)
Legendary Resistance: The creature can choose to succeed on a failed saving throw, up to 3 times per day.
Legendary Actions: The creature gets a list of 2-3 actions that they can perform one of at the end of another creature's turn. They can perform up to 3 legendary actions in a round.
Lair Actions: The lair is added to the initiative chart at 20, losing all ties. When the lair's turn comes up, the creature can perform one action from the lair action list. Sometimes these are actions the creature specifically makes, other times they are environmental effects within the lair itself. (Chunks of ice fall from the ceiling of white dragon's lair, for example.)
The way wizards (and other prepared casters) work in 5E is they can prepare a number of spells equal to their level plus their spellcasting modifier and then use their spell slots to cast any spell preprared (provided they have a high enough level slot left.) So regaining spell slots actually is useful.
3rd level spells are still useful at high levels in 5E because of bounded accuracy. Also, casters don't get much in the way of high level slots. A 20th level wizard only has 4/3/3/3/3/2/2/1/1 for slots (and there's no bonus slots for high Intelligence or school specialization.)
Turning into a huge adamantine statue creature could be cool. I'll give it some thought. I was leaning towards an actual creature because of the way the Shapechange spell works and because I want it to feel like "This is a Master Transmuter doing his thing" and less like "We have to defeat the boss multiple times to get to his final form!"
Pathfinder Starfinder Roleplaying Game Subscriber
Ah, I see ._.;
Hmm, well, golems ARE creatures and fitting for Master Transmuter/Karzoug.
Kalshane wrote: I'm definitely going to consider Karzoug a Legendary creature, so he'd get Legendary Resistance and Actions. So far I've got:
Cast a Cantrip (as per lich)
Melee Attack
?
I don't have much to add, as my group is just finishing Book 3, but I also switched from Pathfinder to 5e for Runelords. Going through the conversions myself, I'm a big proponent of making almost every named enemy a Legendary creature. One of my big problems with Runelords is the tendency of "bosses" to go down in less than 3 rounds due to the action-economy disparity. Legendary and Lair actions go a long way to ensuring the badguys get their licks in.
As for Legendary actions, three suggestions;
- If you give him free Cantrips, you need to take a hard look at his choice of Cantrips. Simple damage-dealers like Ray of Frost, Chill Touch, and Acid Splash are fine, but self-buffs like Blade Ward and True Strike can really shift the balance toward the monster.
- A bonus melee attack is good, but I'd add a status effect just to mix it up. For example, I gave Barl Breakbones a Legendary attack that adds a save-or-be-knocked-Prone effect.
- Look at Karzoug's magic items, maybe give him a Legendary Action to use them. For Barl Breakbones, I let him use his Wand of Enervation as a 3-Legendary action.
I think Karzoug's in the best shape out of the various bosses, since he's got the dragon, the giants and his sentient glaive helping him out, but I agree with the idea of treating all the bosses as Legendary creatures. I've done up The Scribbler and High Lady Athroxis as Legendary already (and gave Athroxis two Erinyes minions instead of the single Glabrezu from the AP since it seemed a better fit, took advantage of the high ceiling in her chamber and they'd already faced a boss with Glabrezu support in the Scribbler.)
I'm thinking of instead of having Karzoug shapechange himself into another creature, I'm going to do a variation on CorvusMask's advice and give him a "Diamond Form" spell that halves all damage except Psychic (as per a Bear Totem Barbarian) with an added Thunder vulnerabilty (since Thunder damage typically is the go-to against crystalline foes.) However, he'll have his Transmuter's Stone set to grant him resistance to Thunder damage to counteract the vulnerability. That (and the ability to crush his Transmuter's Stone to restore him to full health) should give him some much-needed durability.
I'll definitely look over his magic items, though, and see if any lend themselves to being a nice Legendary Action.
My only other concern is the Lore Bard being able to use Counterspell to shut down a lot of Karzoug's tactics (which has been a pain with other caster foes.) I'm probably going to have him gun for her first since he's seen her shutdown numerous spellcasters before via his scrying.
Incidentally, we almost had a TPK last session. The party used Wind Walk to approach the Pinnacle of Avarice (so no creepy conversation with the Leng Spiders :( ) and spotted Mokmurian's "Door". Flying up to it, they saw Ayurzi inside and recognizing her as an angel, kept their distance while trying to communicate with her. When that failed, the alchemist sent Pepe his Homonculus in to see what would happen. Alas, poor Pepe.
Realizing that fighting the planetar would be a really bad idea (and Wind Walk requiring them to get chopped up by an enourmous holy sword for a full minute while trying to revert back to solid form) the went down to the base of the tower, waited while the Lore Bard shifted to solid form and then used her Wings of Flying to go back up and tag Ayurzi with a Dispel Magic to attempt to remove the Binding that they (rightly) assumed was controlling her. One high roll later, she was thanking them for freeing her and explaining that a wizard named Khalib had bound her and ordered her to guard this entrance and that she would gladly assist them for a chance to get her revenge against him. (The half-orc fighter, of all people, managed to hit a 25 on his History check and recall Khalib as being the name of one of Karzoug's apprentices.)
Moving forward into the Pinnacle, they investigate the Lamia quarters first, kicking in the door of the priestess' quarters. One of them immediately uses Sending to alert Ceoptra, while another hits the PCs with Shatter, both doing damage and alerting everyone in earshot that the Pinnacle is under attack. The party's back lines are suddenly assaulted by the Hungerers bursting out of their chamber, grievously wounding both the Lore Bard and the Light Cleric. The party crowds into the lamia priestess' chamber and attempts to hold the door shut while they mop up the remaining lamias. The hungerers eventually force their way in, and even with Ayurzi's help, it's a tough fight.
Just as the last hungerer drops, the patrol of the Rune Giant and his Wardens of Wind arrive with Khalib in tow. After some back and forth, they take down the rune giant and one of the Wardens of Wind, but most of the party and Ayzuri are down to 20hps or less. Once again they fall back and try to bar the doors, but the cloud giants prove too strong (of course, had they failed, Khalib simply would have hit the doors with Disintegrate) but the cleric manages to cast Beacon of Hope and the lore bard follows up with Mass Cure Wounds to get the party away from death's door right before Khalib hits them with a Delayed Blast Fireball. Going back on the offensive, they drop both remaining giants and force Khalib low enough that he Dimension Doors away (after getting out of sight of the Lore Bard who had Counterspelled him previously in the fight) to regroup and find some more allies before taking on the party again. The party, meanwhile, is wounded and very nearly spent and is discussing using Mordenkeinan's Magnificent Mansion to rest up, though they hadn't decided where they were going to cast it when we ended the session. (If they foolishly decide to do it within the Pinnacle, I'm going to have Khalib hit the mansion with a Dispel once he's finished a short rest to regain HPs and some of his spell slots as well as recruited some more allies from within the Pinnacle.)
The cleric actually took damage between his casting of Beacon of Hope and the Bard getting her Mass Cure off (I think he took a rock to the face) and just made his Concentration check to maintain the spell. If he hadn't allowed the Bard to maximize her healing spell, the DBF probably would have dropped several party members.
I was also playing Khalib as careless, not really worrying about injuring the "slave caste" giants with his area effects, so they got hit with a couple of his area spells when it meant he could target more PCs with the spell when doing so. I don't think the giants made a single save against his spells.
Also, as a Legendary ability, you should definitely play up his weapon. I don't recall, but you should allow him to have the weapon take a swing by itself (a la dancing weapon) as a legendary action.
could you provide a write up of your 5e karzoug please as I am doing the same thing.
if you have 5e stats for the rune giant , etc that would be awesome
I'll try to dig up my notes on both Karzoug and the Rune Giants. For now, here's what I can remember off the top of my head.
For Special K, I pretty much compiled what I discussed in this thread into his final form, handwaving some stuff with "He's an Ancient Thassilonian Runelord, he understands forms of magic that were lost in fall of Thassilon." (And you already find some of this in the original PF version with the embedded Ioun stones.) My players didn't really have any complaints. (Though I was really worried about 30 minutes into the 3 hour battle that we were heading for a TPK, they managed to pull it out with only PC death [the party wizard ate a Finger of Death from Karzoug] due to a clutch use of an Eversmoking Bottle by the party alchemist.)
I got around the Concentration requirements by having a lot of stuff keyed into his magic items or his lair/legendary actions as well as deciding one of his items (I can't remember which) allowed him to concentrate on two spells simultaneously, as long as at least one of them was a Transmutation spell. I also let his glaive function as an independent creature.
His Legendary Actions were:
- Cast Cantrip
- Melee Attack
- Greed's Embrace (re-fluffed Flesh to Stone)
His lair actions were:
- Runewell Surge: The Runewell bathes Karzoug in light as it absorbs a greedy soul. Roll a 1d8. He regains a spell slot of that level. He also regains 6d8+5 HPs.
- Leng Bubble: A 10' diameter weakening of the planar border appears within the Eye of Avarice in a location of Karzoug's choice. All creatures within the bubble must make a DC 15 Wisdom save or take 5d6 points of Psychic Damage and behave as if under the effects of a Confusion spell until the end of their next turn.
- Cast a spell. Karzoug casts a spell of 3rd level or lower without expending a spell slot or components. The Eye of Avarice can use its action each round to maintain concentration on this spell.
As one of his 9th level spells he had a "Diamond Form" spell that granted resistance against all damage except Psychic and Thunder and gave him Thunder vulnerability. (He then keyed his Transmuter's Stone to Thunder resistance.)
For the Rune Giant, I believe I started with a Titan and then swapped out/added abilities to make them more Rune Giant-y.
One thing to note is I had 7 16th level PCs with a lot of magic items facing off against him, so I erred on the side of him and his direct servants being overpowered than under when trying to balance things.
|
2 people marked this as a favorite.
|
Looks like my Rune Giants were as follows:
Rune Giant
Lawful Evil Huge Giant
Armor Class: 20 (Plate)
Hit Points: 300
Speed: 50ft
STR 30 DEX 13 CON 22 INT 14 WIS 21 CHA 18
Saving Throws: Str +15, Con +11, Wis +10, Cha +9
Skills: Athletics +15, History +7, Perception +10
Damage Immunities: Cold, Fire, Lightning
Senses: True Sight 120', Darkvision 60', Passive Perception 20
ACTIONS
Multi-Attack: The Rune Giant attacks twice with his Magic Greatsword or uses Rune Flare followed by Spark Shower
Magic Greatsword. Melee Weapon Attack: +15 to hit, reach 10 ft.,one target, Hit: 31 (6d6+10) slashing damage. If the target is a creature, it must succeed on a DC 18 Strength Save or be knocked back 10 ft and prone.
Javelin. Thrown Weapon Attack: +15 to hit, range 60/240 ft., one target, Hit: 36 (4d12+10) piercing damage.
Rune Flare. The runes adorning the giant's body flare with brilliant light. Any creature within 10 ft must make a successful DC 17 Constitution saving throw or be blinded until the end of the rune giant's next turn.
Spark Shower (Recharge 5-6). The rune giant unleashes a torrent of sparks in a 30' cone. Each creature within the cone must make a DC 17 Dexterity saving throw, taking 35 (10d6) fire and 35 (10d6) lightning damage on a failed save or half as much damage on a successful one
Enslave Giant. The rune giant can impress his will on one giant he can see within 60 ft. The target must make a successful DC 21 Wisdom save or become Charmed as per Dominate Monster. The rune giant can choose to end the effect as a bonus action, otherwise it remains in effect until the rune giant is slain or rendered unconscious. A creature that has successfully saved against this effect is immune to further attempts by this rune giant for 24 hours.
Kalshane wrote: Looks like my Rune Giants were as follows:
Rune Giant
Lawful Evil Huge Giant
Armor Class: 20 (Plate)
Hit Points: 300
Speed: 50ft
STR 30 DEX 13 CON 22 INT 14 WIS 21 CHA 18
Saving Throws: Str +15, Con +11, Wis +10, Cha +9
Skills: Athletics +15, History +7, Perception +10
Damage Immunities: Cold, Fire, Lightning
Senses: True Sight 120', Darkvision 60', Passive Perception 20
ACTIONS
Multi-Attack: The Rune Giant attacks twice with his Magic Greatsword or uses Rune Flare followed by Spark Shower
Magic Greatsword. Melee Weapon Attack: +15 to hit, reach 10 ft.,one target, Hit: 31 (6d6+10) slashing damage. If the target is a creature, it must succeed on a DC 18 Strength Save or be knocked back 10 ft and prone.
Javelin. Thrown Weapon Attack: +15 to hit, range 60/240 ft., one target, Hit: 36 (4d12+10) piercing damage.
Rune Flare. The runes adorning the giant's body flare with brilliant light. Any creature within 10 ft must make a successful DC 17 Constitution saving throw or be blinded until the end of the rune giant's next turn.
Spark Shower (Recharge 5-6). The rune giant unleashes a torrent of sparks in a 30' cone. Each creature within the cone must make a DC 17 Dexterity saving throw, taking 35 (10d6) fire and 35 (10d6) lightning damage on a failed save or half as much damage on a successful one
Enslave Giant. The rune giant can impress his will on one giant he can see within 60 ft. The target must make a successful DC 21 Wisdom save or become Charmed as per Dominate Monster. The rune giant can choose to end the effect as a bonus action, otherwise it remains in effect until the rune giant is slain or rendered unconscious. A creature that has successfully saved against this effect is immune to further attempts by this rune giant for 24 hours.
amazing
well if you find a write up of big K please post it
what you have so far is great
are not runegiants gargantuan...if so are they not stronger?
Yeah, they should be Gargantuan. I didn't have a size on my notes, so I just mirrored the Emperyal and other giants when writing this up, but checking the token I used in the VTT, I had them be gargantuan.
30 is the max for any ability score in 5E, so that's strong as strong can be.
I will say, my PCs really hated the the Rune Flare/Spark Shower combo. Also, the knock back effect on their attack can be really scary in certain terrain (like the Eye of Avarice.)
Kalshane wrote: Yeah, they should be Gargantuan. I didn't have a size on my notes, so I just mirrored the Emperyal and other giants when writing this up, but checking the token I used in the VTT, I had them be gargantuan.
30 is the max for any ability score in 5E, so that's strong as strong can be.
I will say, my PCs really hated the the Rune Flare/Spark Shower combo. Also, the knock back effect on their attack can be really scary in certain terrain (like the Eye of Avarice.)
would really appreciate seeing the complete write up of big K
still wondering what big k would look like in 5e. i have printed out your rune giants. they are perfect
vecnalives wrote: Kalshane wrote: Yeah, they should be Gargantuan. I didn't have a size on my notes, so I just mirrored the Emperyal and other giants when writing this up, but checking the token I used in the VTT, I had them be gargantuan.
30 is the max for any ability score in 5E, so that's strong as strong can be.
I will say, my PCs really hated the the Rune Flare/Spark Shower combo. Also, the knock back effect on their attack can be really scary in certain terrain (like the Eye of Avarice.)
would really appreciate seeing the complete write up of big K
Kalshane wrote: Yeah, they should be Gargantuan. I didn't have a size on my notes, so I just mirrored the Emperyal and other giants when writing this up, but checking the token I used in the VTT, I had them be gargantuan.
30 is the max for any ability score in 5E, so that's strong as strong can be.
I will say, my PCs really hated the the Rune Flare/Spark Shower combo. Also, the knock back effect on their attack can be really scary in certain terrain (like the Eye of Avarice.)
if you do find big K was wondering if you have anything on his minions
like most high Cleopatra
Kalib
and vorian
thanks
converting is not to bad after that
|
2 people marked this as a favorite.
|
Most High Ceoptra
Huge monstrosity , chaotic evil
Armor Class 23 (natural armor)
Hit Points 350 (28d12 + 168)
Speed 60 ft.
STR 28 (+9) DEX 24 (+7) CON 22 (+6) INT 13 (+1) WIS 17 (+3) CHA 24 (+7)
Saving Throws: Con +12, Wis +9, Cha +13
Skills: Arcana +7, Deception +19, Insight + 9, Perception +9, Religion +7, Stealth +13
Senses darkvision 60 ft.,passive Perception 25
Languages: Abyssal, Common, Thassilonian
Spellcasting. Most High Ceoptra is a 14th level spellcaster. Her spellcasting ability is Charisma (spell save DC 21, +13 to hit with spell attacks). Most High Ceoptra can cast the following spells:
Cantrip (at will): Guidance, Mage Hand, Mending, Resistance
1 level (4 slots): Cure Wounds, Detect Magic, Divine Favor, Fog Cloud, Sanctuary, Unseen Servant
2 level (3 slots): Blindness/Deafness, Hold Person, Levitate, Shatter, Silence, Spiritual Weapon
3 level (3 slots): Sending
4 level (3 slots): Blight, Death Ward
5 level (2 slots): Flame Strike, Telekinesis, Wall of Stone
6 level (1 slot): Blade Barrier, Heal
7 level (1 slot): Divine Word
Actions
Multiattack. Most High Ceoptra makes four attacks: two with her unholy dagger and two with her claws or three attacks: one with her intoxicating touch and two with her claws.
Unholy Dagger. Melee Weapon Attack: +15 to hit, reach 10 ft., one target. Hit: 19 (4d4 + 9) piercing damage plus 7 (2d6) necrotic.
Claws. Melee Weapon Attack: +15 to hit, reach 10 ft., one target. Hit: 16 (2d6 + 9) slashing damage.
Intoxicating Touch. Melee Spell Attack: +13 to hit, reach 10 ft., one target. Hit: The target is magically cursed for one hour. Until the curse ends, the target has disadvantage on Wisdom saving throws and all ability checks.
I'll see if I can find Khalib and Viorian.
|
2 people marked this as a favorite.
|
Khalib
Medium Human (Azlanti), LE
Wizard (Thassilonian Transmuter) 16
Armor Class 21 (Robe of the Archmage, Sihedron Ring)
Hit Points: 178 (16d6+112)
Speed: 30ft
STR 10(+0) DEX 20(+5) CON 20(+5) INT 20(+5) WIS 14(+2) CHA 12(+1)
Saving Throws: Con +11, Int +11, Wis +8
Skills: Arcana +10, History +10, Insight +7, Investigation +10, Perception +7, Persuasion +6, Religion +10
Senses: Darkvision 60', See Invisible, Passive Perception 17
Languages: All (Permanent Tongues Spell)
Damage Resistances: Fire (Transmuter's Stone)
Traits. Magic Resistance (Robes), Feat: Warcaster, Feat: Tough, Feat: Resilient (Con), Greed Caster (Khalib gains 1 additional spell slot per spell level and can prepare 1 additional Transmutation spell per spell level. He cannot prepare or cast spells from the Illusion or Enchantment schools)
Spellcasting: Khalib is a 16th level spellcaster. His spellcasting ability is Intelligence (spell save DC 20, +12 to hit with spell attacks). Khalib can cast the following spells:
Cantrip (at will):Shocking Grasp, Flame Bolt, Mage Hand, Prestidigitation, Light
1st level (5 slots): Longstrider, Feather Fall, Magic Missile, False Life
2nd level (4 slots): Alter Self, Enlarge/Reduce, Blindness/Deafness
3rd Level (4 slots): Slow, Fly, Dispel Magic, Counterspell, Lightning Bolt
4th Level (4 slots): Polymorph, Stoneskin, Banishment, Dimension Door
5th Level (3 slots): Telekinesis, Planar Binding, Conjure Elemental
6th Level (2 slots): Disintigrate, Globe of Invulnerability, Wall of Ice
7th Level (2 slots): Reverse Gravity, Teleport, Delayed Blast Fireball
8th Level (2 slots): Control Weather, Horrid Wilting
Actions.
Dagger +2. Melee Weapon Attack: +13 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 9 (1d4 + 7) piercing damage
|
2 people marked this as a favorite.
|
Viorian Dekanti
Medium Human, NE
Fighter (Battlemaster) 18
Armor Class 25 (Plate Armor +2, Shield of Bashing +2, Sihedron Ring)
Hit Points: 256 (18d10+144)
Speed: 30ft
STR 22(+6) DEX 17(+3) CON 22(+6) INT 10(+0) WIS 20(+5) CHA 8(-1)
Saving Throws: Str +13, Dex +10, Con +13, Int +1, Wis +6, Cha +0
Skills: Athletics +12, Deception +5, Insight +11, Intimidation +5, Perception +11, Stealth +9
Senses: Passive Perception 21
Languages: Common, Thassilonian
Damage Vulnerabilities: Dominant Weapons
Condition Immunities: Charmed, Paralyzed
Traits. Magic Resistance, Feat: Shield Master, Feat: Alert, Feat: Sentinel, Feat: Tough, Fighting Style: Dueling, Second Wind: 1d10+18 (1/SR), Action Surge (2/SR), Indomitable (3/LR), Maneuvers: (DC 20; (Commander's Strike, Disarming Attack, Feinting Attack, Lunging Attack, Parry, Riposte, Precision Attack, Pushing Attack, Trip Attack), Superiority Dice: 1d12 (6/SR), Relentless
Actions
Multiattack. Vioran makes three attacks with Chellan or her longbow. When attacking with Chellen, Vioran can use a bonus action make a Shield Shove or Shield Bash.
Chellan. Melee Weapon Attack: +15 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 15 (1d8 + 11) slashing damage
Longbow+1. Ranged Weapon Attack: +10 to hit, range 150/600 ft., one target. Hit: 9 (1d8 + 4) piercing damage.
Shield Bash. Melee Weapon Attack: +13 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 15 (1d6 + 8) bludgeoning damage
Shield Shove. Melee Weapon Attack: Athletics check opposed by Athletics or Acrobatics. On success target is moved 5' or knocked prone.
Sweet!!!!!
Absolute time saver and impressive to Boot!!
You just eliminated a big headache for me.
If you ever find Big K himself (Karzoug) I will be grateful
Im worried that the ending of my campaign will not be as epic as I like and I am not sure how to make Big K stand out??
I have 6 players and though they are with only 3 magic items each they are very seasoned and at high levels very tough.
If I didn't use an epic blue dragon dragon 5e fan creation they would have killed the ancient blue dragon in one round.
Your Rune Giant creation is a great obstacle. The lamia kin and even basic lamia need to be swapped out by me to have a more formidable offense.
If you think of anything else let us know. 5e can be tricky porting over its monsters.
Kalshane wrote: Viorian Dekanti
Medium Human, NE
Fighter (Battlemaster) 18
Armor Class 25 (Plate Armor +2, Shield of Bashing +2, Sihedron Ring)
Hit Points: 256 (18d10+144)
Speed: 30ft
STR 22(+6) DEX 17(+3) CON 22(+6) INT 10(+0) WIS 20(+5) CHA 8(-1)
Saving Throws: Str +13, Dex +10, Con +13, Int +1, Wis +6, Cha +0
Skills: Athletics +12, Deception +5, Insight +11, Intimidation +5, Perception +11, Stealth +9
Senses: Passive Perception 21
Languages: Common, Thassilonian
Damage Vulnerabilities: Dominant Weapons
Condition Immunities: Charmed, Paralyzed
Traits. Magic Resistance, Feat: Shield Master, Feat: Alert, Feat: Sentinel, Feat: Tough, Fighting Style: Dueling, Second Wind: 1d10+18 (1/SR), Action Surge (2/SR), Indomitable (3/LR), Maneuvers: (DC 20; (Commander's Strike, Disarming Attack, Feinting Attack, Lunging Attack, Parry, Riposte, Precision Attack, Pushing Attack, Trip Attack), Superiority Dice: 1d12 (6/SR), Relentless
Actions
Multiattack. Vioran makes three attacks with Chellan or her longbow. When attacking with Chellen, Vioran can use a bonus action make a Shield Shove or Shield Bash.
Chellan. Melee Weapon Attack: +15 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 15 (1d8 + 11) slashing damage
Longbow+1. Ranged Weapon Attack: +10 to hit, range 150/600 ft., one target. Hit: 9 (1d8 + 4) piercing damage.
Shield Bash. Melee Weapon Attack: +13 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 15 (1d6 + 8) bludgeoning damage
Shield Shove. Melee Weapon Attack: Athletics check opposed by Athletics or Acrobatics. On success target is moved 5' or knocked prone.
Nice, Kalashane! If I hadn't run this twice, I would consider running it in 5e... Hmm...
I found my notes on Karzoug. I'm piecing them together into something useful in my free time.
However, since I'm running this AP in 5E again from the beginning, a lot of my time is being spent on converting all the stuff from before the last run switched over. The fact that one of the recent updates to the character sheets I use in Roll20 borked all the characters and monsters I had already made and I had to fix them means I'm further behind in my conversion than I anticipated.
Hopefully I'll get big K posted in the near future.
|
3 people marked this as a favorite.
|
My taxes took me less time than I expected today so I had some free time. Here's the Karzoug I used against my 6 16th level characters. (Karzoug also had the Adult Blue Dragon, the two Wardens of Thunder, one Rune Giant and two lamia matriarchs assisting him. It came really close to a TPK, but had the PCs remembered that killing the rune giant would free the storm giants earlier it would have been much easier. Something I didn't do, and would have made things even uglier, would have been to drop a Symbol on either the landing platform or one the stairs prior to their arrival)
Karzoug the Claimer
Medium Human (Azlanti), NE
Wizard (Thassilonian Transmuter) 20
Armor Class 22 (Robes of Xin-Shalast, Ring of Protection)
Hit Points: 310
Speed: 30ft, Fly 60ft (hover)
STR 20(+5) DEX 20(+5) CON 20(+5) INT 22(+6) WIS 15(+2) CHA 20(+5)
Saving Throws: Con +12, Int +13, Wis +9
Skills: Arcana +12, Athletics +11, History +12, Insight +8, Intimidation +11, Investigation +12, Perception +8, Persuasion +11, Religion +12
Senses: Darkvision 60', True Sight 120', Passive Perception 23
Languages: All (Permanent Tongues Spell)
Damage Resistances: Thunder (Transmuter's Stone)
Condition Immunities: Confusion/Instanity (Talons of Leng)
Traits. Magic Resistance (Robes), Feat: Warcaster, Feat: Alert, Feat: Tough, Feat: Resilient (Con), Feat: Observant, Feat: Weapon Master, Master Transmuter, Greed Caster (Karzoug gains 1 additional spell slot per spell level and can prepare 1 additional Transmutation spell per spell level. He cannot prepare or cast spells from the Illusion or Enchantment schools), Legendary Resistance 3/day
Spellcasting: Karzoug is a 20th level spellcaster. His spellcasting ability is Intelligence (spell save DC 20, +12 to hit with spell attacks). Karzoug can cast the following spells:
Cantrip (at will):Acid Splash, Chill Touch, Mage Hand, Prestidigitation, Ray of Frost
1st level (5 slots): Expeditious Retreat, Fog Cloud, Grease, Magic Missile
2nd level (4 slots): Blindness/Deafness, Enlarge/Reduce, Gust of Wind, Shatter
3rd Level (4 slots): Blink, Counterspell, Dispel Magic, Fireball
4th Level (4 slots): Black Tentacles, Ice Storm, Stoneskin
5th Level (4 slots): Cloudkill, Cone of Cold, Telekinesis, Wall of Force
6th Level (3 slots): Circle of Death, Disintigrate, Globe of Invulnerability, True Seeing
7th Level (3 slots): Finger of Death, Force Cage, Reverse Gravity, Symbol
8th Level (2 slots): Control Weather, Horrid Wilting, Mind Blank
9th Level (2 slots): Diamond Form, Meteor Swarm, Time Stop, Wish
Spellmastery: Karzoug can cast the spells Shield and Misty Step without expending a spell slot.
Signature Spells: Karzoug can cast Slow and Haste once per day each without expending a spell slot.
Dual-Mind: The Runewell Amulet allows Karzoug to Concentrate on two spells simultaneously.
Actions.
Multi-Attack: Karzoug makes two attacks with his burning glaive or his talons of leng.
Burning Glaive. Melee Weapon Attack: +14 to hit, reach 10 ft., one target. Hit: 14 (1d10 + 8) slashing damage plus 2d6 fire
Talons of Leng. Melee Weapon Attack: +14 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 14 (1d4 + 8) slashing damage. On a critical hit the target must make a DC 15 Wisdom save or suffer from Confusion as per the spell.
Greed's Embrace. One creature of Karzoug's choice within 60' must succeed on a DC 20 Constitution save or become Restrained. A creature Restrained by this ability must make another Constitution saving throw at the end of each of its turns. If it successfully saves against this ability three times, the spell ends. If it fails saves three times, it is turned to gold and subjected to the Petrified condition. The successes and failures don't need to be consecutive, keep track of both until the target collects three of a kind. Karzoug can only have one creature Restrained with this ability at one time. If a different creature is targeted the Restrained (but not the Petrified) condition ends for the previous target.
Legendary Actions.
Karzoug take 3 Legendary Actions, choosing from the options below. Only one legendary action can be used at a time, and only at the end of another creature's turn. Spent legendary actions are regained at the start of each turn.
-Cast Cantrip. Karzoug can cast a cantrip from his spell list.
-Greed's Embrace. Karzoug can use his Greed's Embrace action.
-Melee Attack. Karzoug can make a single melee attack against a target in range.
Lair Actions.
The Eye of Avarice acts on an initiative count of 20. Each round it can perform one of the following actions:
-Cast one 3rd level or lower spell Karzoug has prepared without expending a spell slot.
-Leng Bubble: A weakening of the barrier with the Dimension of Leng appears at spot of Karzoug's choice. All creatures within a 10' radius of that spot takes 17 (5d6) Psychic Damage and suffer from Confusion, as per the spell. A successful DC 15 Wisdom save halves the damage and negates the Confusion.
-Runewell Surge: The Runewell aborbs another greedy soul, sending a surge of power into Karzoug, restoring 1d4+4 levels of expended spell slots and healing him for 33 (6d8+5) hit points.
-------
Diamond Form: This spell requires Concentration and allows Karzoug to turn his body into a super-strong diamond-like substance. While in this form, Karzoug gains vulnerability to Thunder damage, but gains resistance to all other forms of damage except Psychic.
|
2 people marked this as a favorite.
|
Lamia Hungerer
Huge monstrosity, chaotic evil
Armor Class. 19 (natural armor)
Initiative. +1
Hit Points. 264 (23d12 + 115)
Speed. 10, fly 60 (hover)
Abilities. Str 30 (+10), Dex 13 (+1), Con 20 (+5), Int 13 (+1), Wis 18 (+4), Cha 19 (+4)
Saving Throws. Constitution +10, Charisma +9
Skills. Athletics +15, Insight +14, Intimidation +14, Perception +9, Stealth +6
Damage Resistances. electricity, fire, bludgeoning, slashing and piercing damage from non-magical weapons
Damage Immunities. acid, poison
Condition Immunities. poisoned
Senses. darkvision 90ft
Languages. Abyssal, Common, Giant, Thassilonian
Traits.
Stench: Any creature that starts its turn within 30 ft. of the lamia hungerer must succeed on a DC 18 Constitution saving throw or be Poisoned until the start of its next turn. On a successful saving throw, the creature is immune to the lamia hungerer's Stench for 24 hours.
Vile Spew: Whenever a hungerer takes damage, the resulting wound spews a great gout of vile blood and acid. Any creature within 5ft of a hungerer when it is wounded takes 2d6 points of acid damage. A DC 18 Dexterity saving throw negates this damage.
Actions.
Multiattack. The hungerer takes one bite and two claw attacks.
Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +15 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 23 (3d8 + 10) peircing damage plus 2d6 acid. If a creature is brought to 0 hit points by this attack it is instantly slain as the hungerer decapitates it, bites it in half or otherwise inflicts a devastating wound.
Claw. +15 to hit, reach 10 ft., one target. Hit: 19 (2d8 + 10) slashing damage
this is invaluable thanks
my group is roughly 20th level and sp I will use your symbol idea and any others to make it more difficult.
My party has a lot of firepower and I need to slow them down. i am thinking two symbols maybe
so how did your guys end it? Did they win?
Kalshane wrote: Lamia Hungerer
Huge monstrosity, chaotic evil
Armor Class. 19 (natural armor)
Initiative. +1
Hit Points. 264 (23d12 + 115)
Speed. 10, fly 60 (hover)
Abilities. Str 30 (+10), Dex 13 (+1), Con 20 (+5), Int 13 (+1), Wis 18 (+4), Cha 19 (+4)
Saving Throws. Constitution +10, Charisma +9
Skills. Athletics +15, Insight +14, Intimidation +14, Perception +9, Stealth +6
Damage Resistances. electricity, fire, bludgeoning, slashing and piercing damage from non-magical weapons
Damage Immunities. acid, poison
Condition Immunities. poisoned
Senses. darkvision 90ft
Languages. Abyssal, Common, Giant, Thassilonian
Traits.
Stench: Any creature that starts its turn within 30 ft. of the lamia hungerer must succeed on a DC 18 Constitution saving throw or be Poisoned until the start of its next turn. On a successful saving throw, the creature is immune to the lamia hungerer's Stench for 24 hours.
Vile Spew: Whenever a hungerer takes damage, the resulting wound spews a great gout of vile blood and acid. Any creature within 5ft of a hungerer when it is wounded takes 2d6 points of acid damage. A DC 18 Dexterity saving throw negates this damage.
Actions.
Multiattack. The hungerer takes one bite and two claw attacks.
Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +15 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 23 (3d8 + 10) peircing damage plus 2d6 acid. If a creature is brought to 0 hit points by this attack it is instantly slain as the hungerer decapitates it, bites it in half or otherwise inflicts a devastating wound.
Claw. +15 to hit, reach 10 ft., one target. Hit: 19 (2d8 + 10) slashing damage
20th level is definitely a lot more firepower. I intentionally stopped my group at 16th so they wouldn't have access to 9th level spells. :)
Actually, we had 7 PCs, now that I think about it. The player who dropped out previously finally had time to play again and joined up for the final arc.
They rolled really poorly on initiative and most of the party was dropped to low health by Kazrzoug's Meteor Swarm and both Wardens of Thunder dropping their chain lightning effects on them before anyone could act. The bard/warlock immediately went Ethereal to heal herself back up because a stiff breeze would have knocked her over. The half-orc fighter used his Cape of the Mountebank to teleport next to Karzoug only to get dropped by the blue dragon. All in all it was a desperate fight with their cleric barely keeping them on their feet while they were getting pounded at range by the Wardens of Thunder and the spells from Karzoug and the lamia matriarchs until the alchemist popped his Eversmoking Bottle to shut down everything that required "target you can see" and gave them an opportunity to regroup. They got the fighter back on his feet and he was able to take out the rune giant, which turned the tide as the Wardens started attacking Karzoug instead.
All in all, the battle took almost the entirety of the 4 hour session, the barbarian 8/ranger 4/druid 4 great weapon master spent almost the entire battle using her bow and casting spells (and thus not raging), multiple PCs were dropped, but the only fatality was the wizard who ate a Finger of Death from Karzoug. The rogue ended up getting the kill shot on Karzoug with an arrow, having hidden in the smoke to get advantage/sneak attack prior to popping out and making his shot.
This is awesome! Would you mind putting up your conversions for Book 5? I am currently on Book 3 and recently converted over.
I'm currently prepping book 3 for my new group (They just killed Xanesha at the end of last session in an epic battle that (surprisingly) didn't kill any of them, but had them fearing for the lives throughout) but I'll see what I can find from my Book 5 notes. A lot of stuff just got plugged directly into Roll 20 (and this was pre-built-in-character sheets, so it's not in the most-readable format.)
I do know I made Freezemaw an Adult (rather than Ancient) dragon but gave it the Tough and Mobility feats (because of having 6 players.) I also give dragons a number of spells equal to double their Charisma bonus (rather than simply equal to as per the variant in the MM.)
Kalshane wrote: I'm currently prepping book 3 for my new group (They just killed Xanesha at the end of last session in an epic battle that (surprisingly) didn't kill any of them, but had them fearing for the lives throughout) but I'll see what I can find from my Book 5 notes. A lot of stuff just got plugged directly into Roll 20 (and this was pre-built-in-character sheets, so it's not in the most-readable format.)
I do know I made Freezemaw an Adult (rather than Ancient) dragon but gave it the Tough and Mobility feats (because of having 6 players.) I also give dragons a number of spells equal to double their Charisma bonus (rather than simply equal to as per the variant in the MM.)
Great idea about the dragons -- consider the idea yoinked!
Currently in the middle of converting the inbred Grauls.
For the leveled ogrekin, I will be using the stats of the "Gladiator" in the MM. For the unleveled ogrekin, I will be using "Half Ogres" from the MM.
Mammy is a different story. In my campaign, she was formerly a beautiful human woman that was cursed by Myrianna the nymph for killing and eating the fey creatures of the forest to extend her youth. She got her wish for an extended lifespan but it caused her to suffer from ravenous hunger which caused her to become the bloated monstrosity that she is. For stats, I used the "Qyllione" from p. 316 of Tomb of Beasts.
The tendriculosis (her cursed husband IMC) will be converted into a "Shambling Mound" from the MM whom Mammy keeps trapped in the cellar under her room (think Jabba the Hutt).
For the leveled ogres in Hook Mountain, I'll probably use the rules in the DMG and MM to create CR 5 ogres. For Pappy, I might give him the barbarian's rage ability and some legendary actions (I haven't decided yet).
How did you do the conversion for Xanesha/lamia matriarchs?
|
1 person marked this as a favorite.
|
I used a gladiator for Rukus, but switched him to using a magical great sword (I'm changing his "one big finger" to "a giant finger and thumb" allowing him to wield a two-handed weapon) that belonged to one of the dead and eaten Black Arrows. (Our barbarian has been using Nualia's vicious longsword [which replaced her +1 bastard sword] for lack of a magic great weapon up to this point.) I customized Crowfood (who has a grapple effect on his ogre hook attack based on suggestions on these boards about him doing hit-and-run, drag PCs into the cornfields tactics) and Hucker (who is a half-ogre barbarian/rogue with the shield master feat) and turned Mammy into a half-ogre warlock with an innate flight power as one of her Invocations. Like you I'm using a generic half-ogre for the rest of the Grauls and a modified Shambling Mound for Muck Graul.
For Xanesha I started with a lamia as a base, added a salamander's tail attack, a vampire's Charm ability and a special "Captivating Gaze" action (basically Hypnotic Pattern in a 30' radius around her that recharged on 5-6) and then made her an 8th level sorcerer (with the Quicken Spell, Subtle Spell and Twin Spell metamagics) and a legendary creature (the first one they faced.) Her legendary actions were 1) Move her speed without provoking Opportunity Attacks, 2) Tail Attack, 3) Charm (Costs 2 Actions). I think once all was said and done she was roughly CR 9 (rounded down). She had 184 Hps, an AC of 18, melee attack bonus of +9 and a spell DC of 17.
I had six 6th-level 30-Point-Buy PCs with a bonus feat, plus they recruited assistance from Kasadei from the Magnimar City Watch (who I used the stats for a Veteran for). I also had the 3 faceless stalkers backing up Xanesha in her lair, rather than hanging out by the bells. Started with Xanesha invisible, the stalkers disguised as cultists and a (Major Image) illusion of a succubus lounging on the cushions who taunted them and drew their first round of attacks before the real Xanesha used Quicken Spell to Haste herself as a Bonus Action (which ended her Invisibility) appearing next to the wizard and nearly dropped him in her first round of attacks (and had him grappled on top of it.)
Ended up dropping 3 of the PCs at one point or another during the course of the battle, plus had her grapple the paladin with her tail on her turn, then legendary action over to the edge on the next turn, followed by a legendary action for another tail attack on the following turn to drop him off the edge, but he made the Dexterity Save to grab the ledge so he didn't fall to his doom. We also had some fun going when she managed to stupify half the party with her Captivating Gaze, leaving the other half to scramble trying to "slap their friends awake." She almost Charmed the barbarian, but the latter just made her save thanks to standing in the paladin's Aura of Protection.
They also weren't too happy about her using Quicken Spell to heal herself with Cure Wounds while continuing to pound on them. They finally got her down to "run" HPs, so she legendary action moved off the tower and used her reaction to hit herself with Featherfall. The rogue and paladin jumped after her (who the wizard promptly hit with Featherfall) resulting into a slow-motion freefall battle until Xanesha's turn came back up, at which point she cast Fly, used her action to Disengage and tried to fly away only to get shot out of the sky by the UA Hunter Ranger with favored enemy Monstrosities (which he hadn't much chance to use prior to this) and Sharpshooter.
Lucrecia is probably going to be very similar stat-wise to Xanesha, but with twin-daggers instead of the Impaler of Thorns and Greater Invisibility and Dimension Door in the place of Haste and Blight (the barbarian was really unhappy when I hit both her and Kasadei with a Twinned Blight, bypassing her damage reduction from raging and nearly dropping both of them.)
I've just started working on Fort Rannick. I'm using modified Hill Giant stats (with ogre hooks aka war picks as their weapons) for the Ogre Fighters. I haven't gotten to the named ogres yet.
Kalshane wrote: I used a gladiator for Rukus, but switched him to using a magical great sword (I'm changing his "one big finger" to "a giant finger and thumb" allowing him to wield a two-handed weapon) that belonged to one of the dead and eaten Black Arrows. (Our barbarian has been using Nualia's vicious longsword [which replaced her +1 bastard sword] for lack of a magic great weapon up to this point.) I customized Crowfood (who has a grapple effect on his ogre hook attack based on suggestions on these boards about him doing hit-and-run, drag PCs into the cornfields tactics) and Hucker (who is a half-ogre barbarian/rogue with the shield master feat) and turned Mammy into a half-ogre warlock with an innate flight power as one of her Invocations. Like you I'm using a generic half-ogre for the rest of the Grauls and a modified Shambling Mound for Muck Graul. Very impressive. Do you stat them out like PCs? How do you adjudicate CR? Also, what template/format do you use for your stat blocks?
Kalshane wrote:
For Xanesha I started with a lamia as a base, added a salamander's tail attack, a vampire's Charm ability and a special "Captivating Gaze" action (basically Hypnotic Pattern in a 30' radius around her that recharged on 5-6) and then made her an 8th level sorcerer (with the Quicken Spell, Subtle Spell and Twin Spell metamagics) and a legendary creature (the first one they faced.) Her legendary actions were 1) Move her speed without provoking Opportunity Attacks, 2) Tail Attack, 3) Charm (Costs 2 Actions). I think once all was said and done she was roughly CR 9 (rounded down). She had 184 Hps, an AC of 18, melee attack bonus of +9 and a spell DC of 17.
I had six 6th-level 30-Point-Buy PCs with a bonus feat, plus they recruited assistance from Kasadei from the Magnimar City Watch (who I used the stats for a Veteran for). I also had the 3 faceless stalkers backing up Xanesha in her lair, rather than hanging out by the bells. Started with Xanesha invisible, the stalkers disguised as cultists and a (Major Image) illusion of a succubus lounging on the cushions who taunted them and drew their first round of attacks before the real Xanesha used Quicken Spell to Haste herself as...
Your Xanesha build is awesome. My players are loving the simplicity and the smooth gameplay of 5E, and on my end, legendary creature rules make boss battles an absolute joy to run. Thanks for regaling us with your epic Xanesha battle!
Cesare wrote:
Very impressive. Do you stat them out like PCs? How do you adjudicate CR? Also, what template/format do you use for your stat blocks?
I stat some baddies up like PCs, others I find an NPC or monster that works and then tweak it (for the Skinsaw Cultists I just used the Cult Fanatic NPC, changed the weapons and added a couple dice of sneak attack). Generally if I stat something up like a PC I add the Tough feat for free since the HPs end up a little low compared to equivalent NPCs.
For Nualia I waffled back and forth between Fighter/Cleric and Oathbreaker Paladin, before finally settling on Fighter/Cleric. I gave her the Tempest domain but modified the powers to make it more Wrath/Demonlike. So the Tempest rebuke power did her choice of Poison or Necrotic damage (instead of lightning/thunder) and I replaced the maximize thunder damage channel divinity with one that gave her a damage bonus similar to barbarian rage for 1 minute. (I also used the Fallen Aasimar race from Volo's Guide for her, but changed the "You do your level in necrotic damage once per round" for the Necrotic Shroud ability to an extra 1d8 necrotic per attack.)
I kind of eyeball CR because I'm being lazy and using milestone leveling based on what's listed in the AP (though they're generally about a level behind because there's 6 of them.) So getting an exact XP value doesn't matter.
We're playing online in Roll20 and I'm using the 5E Shaped built-in character sheets, so ones built like PCs use a PC-style character sheet, while monsters/NPCs look very similar to a MM stat-block.
I honestly probably stat things up as PCs more often than I really need to (I did it a lot in the first chapter and the early parts of the second) and I'm trying to move more to tweaking existing monsters/NPCs rather than building everything from the ground up to save time as we move along. Named creatures/monsters I will probably continue to heavily modify or build as PCs, though.
Cesare wrote:
Your Xanesha build is awesome. My players are loving the simplicity and the smooth gameplay of 5E, and on my end, legendary creature rules make boss battles an absolute joy to run. Thanks for regaling us with your epic Xanesha battle!
Thank you. There's stuff I miss about Pathfinder, but as a DM I'm finding running 5E (even with doing the work of converting the AP) is a whole lot easier and fluid. Outside of monster stats about the only time I have to crack a book during the session is when someone is using a spell or special ability they don't use that often.
|
1 person marked this as a favorite.
|
Finished prepping Fort Rannick.
Ogre Fighters get Hill Giant Strength, AC and HPs, plus second melee attack. and proficiency in Str and Con saves as well as Athletics and Intimidation. Ogre Hook does 2d12 instead of 2d10 (Great Weapon Fighting Style in my game ups the damage die one step rather than allowing damage re-rolls just to make things faster.)
Dorella Graul gets 8 levels of Chaos Sorcerer (seemed to fit the "she got hit in the head and developed magic powers" feel) added to a standard ogre, Str 19, Dex 10, Con 20, Int 6, Wis 12, Cha 14, and Warcaster and Resilient: Wisdom feats.
Pappy Graul gets stats boosted to Str 22, Dex 10, Con 20, Int 8, Wis 12, Cha 7 and 7 levels of Berserker Barbarian on top of standard ogre, plus Great Weapon Master, Tough and Resilient: Wisdom feats. Changed his weapon to a "Great Cleaver" (basically a big great axe) doing 3d8+6 slashing damage.
None of the ogres have magic weapons or equipment (other than healing potions.)
The undead ranger in the crypt below Rannick is now a ghost since 5E specters are much weaker than PF ones.
Shocker Lizards are nearly identical to their PF counterparts, just save DCs adjusted and their personal 1d8 shock effect is normal lightning damage (since non-lethal damage doesn't exist in 5E.) Save DC of the group shock goes up by 1 every 2 lizards, rather than every lizard. Recharges on 5-6.
Kalshane, your conversions are insanely helpful. Thanks!
BTW, quick question: how are you converting the traps strewn throughout the AP?
Below is the MM Half Ogre that I tweaked to make into a Pathfinder ogrekin. For the Grauls, I powered up the sample ogrekin presented below by merging it with the Beserker NPC from the MM.
Ogrekin
Medium humanoid (giant), any chaotic alignment
Armor Class 12 Hide Armor
Hit Points 30 (4d10 + 8)
Speed 30
STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA
17 (+3) 10 (+0) 14 (+2) 7 (-2) 9 (-1) 8 (-1)
Senses: Darkvision 60ft., Passive Perception 9
Languages: Common, Giant
Challenge: 1 (200 XP)
Deformities: An ogrekin picks an advantageous deformity and a disadvantageous deformity from the list below. Below are two sample deformities for the sample ogrekin.
Oversized Limb. A melee weapon deals one extra die of its damage when the ogrekin hits with it (included in the attack). The ogrekin also receives Advantage on all Strength checks.
Light Sensitive. The ogrekin gains Disadvantage on all attack rolls and skill checks in bright light.
Actions
• Ogrehook. Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 14 (2d10 + 3) slashing damage if used with two hands.
• Javelin. Melee or Ranged Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5 ft. or range 30/120 ft., one target. Hit: 10 (2d6 + 3) piercing damage.
Ogrekin Deformities
Beneficial Deformities: The ogrekin gains one of these, chosen randomly.
1: Oversized Limb: The ogrekin can wield weapons one size category larger than normal without any penalty and gains Advantage on Strength checks.
2: Oversized Maw: The ogrekin gains a bite attack (1d4).
5: Quick Metabolism: The ogrekin gains Advantage on Constitution saves.
4: Thick Skin: Improve natural armor bonus by +1.
5: Vestigial Limb: Vestigial third arm (can't be used to use items) grants a slam attack that does no damage but grapples its target (Escape DC = 10 + Strength)
6: Vestigial Twin: A malformed twin's head juts out from the ogrekin, providing the ogrekin with Advantage on Wisdom (perception) checks and Wisdom saving throws
Disadvantageous Deformities: The ogrekin gains one of these, chosen randomly.
1: Deformed Hand: One hand can't wield weapons; Disadvantage on attack rolls with two-handed weapons.
2: Fragile: The ogrekin is particularly frail and gaunt. It suffers Disadvantage on Constitution saving throws.
3: Light Sensitive: The ogrekin gains light sensitivity (Disadvantage on all attack rolls and skill checks in bright light).
4: Obese: The ogrekin takes a Disadvantage to all Dexterity checks and saving throws.
5: Stunted Legs: The ogrekin's base speed is reduced by 10 feet (minimum base speed of 5 feet).
6: Weak Mind: The ogrekin's head is huge and misshapen. It gains Disadvantage on Wisdom saving throws.
For traps I'm using a general rule of dividing the PF DC by 2 and then adding 5 to the result. (So a trap that was DC 18 to spot or avoid would be DC 14 in 5E) If the trap uses an attack roll instead I generally look at what CR the trap had and then give it the Proficiency bonus and attack stat of an average character of that level. (So a CR 5 trap would have a +7 to hit, since most 5th-level martial characters have a +7 to hit.) Damage I typically leave as-is unless I feel the need to up it. I have no idea if that's "fair" but it seems to be working so far.
For the standard Grauls, I've been treating the deformities as cosmetic-only. They're going to die too quick for it to make much of a difference. It also saves me time because then I only need to have a single "Graul Boy" sheet for the standard ogrekin ones in Roll20 and then link the individually named tokens to it. (I did create a document with all of their descriptions, though, so the players will still get to experience that part.)
Because I have 6 players I've added two more Graul boys (Cleetus and Zeebus) and a bunch more hounds (which I used wolves for.)
Basing the boys off the NPC berserker is a good idea, though. Makes them a little more than a speedbump.
BTW, I use this PF-to-5E Monster Converter as a rough starting point for monsters without a good 5E equivalent: http://marklenser.com/5econverter/ It has a lot of issues with attacks and special abilities, but does a decent job with HP, AC, stats and skills.
Did your players go through the Graul Farmstead yet? If so, any lessons learned from that?
Also, what do you plan on doing with the trek through the Shimmerglens, hags, Lamatar Bayden, and Barl Breakbones?
My players decided to ignore the sounds of the wild cat in pain and the off-key voice singing about eating kittens, so now they're trying to figure out how to get into Rannick with no backup and no information. Last plan I heard was the vengeance paladin thinking about just charging the gate and then using Misty Step to get on top of the walls. So I may be dealing with a TPK next session.
I haven't gotten to prepping the Shimmerglens or the Clanhold yet. I'm working on Skull's Crossing right now.
Here's what I have for Black Magga though (since they're going to fight her there rather than a flooded TBF. I'm doing the same thing I did the first time where the party needs to stop Black Magga from unintentionally destroying the dam while fighting the ogre demolition crew.)
Black Magga
Gargantuan fiend, chaotic evil
Armor Class. 18 (natural)
Initiative. +5
Hit Points. 206 (15d20 + 75)
Speed. 20 ft., swim 60 ft.
Abilities. Str 25 (+7), Dex 10 (+0), Con 21 (+5), Int 24 (+7), Wis 18 (+4), Cha 20 (+5)
Saving Throws. Dexterity +5, Constitution +10
Skills. Arcana +12, Athletics +12, History +12, Insight +9, Intimidation +10, Nature +12, Perception +14, Religion +12, Stealth +5, Survival +9
Damage Resistances. acid, cold, non-magical weapons not made of cold iron
Damage Immunities. necrotic,
Condition Immunities. charmed, frightened, paralyzed, petrified, surprised
Senses. darkvision 60 ft., truesight 120 ft.
Languages. Abyssal, Celestial, Common, Draconic, Infernal, Thassilonian
Challenge. 15 (13,000)
Traits. Amphibious, Magic Resistance, Warp Dimensions (Black Magga's presence distorts the dimensions. Any creature that attempts to utilize a teleportation effect while within 300 feet of Black Magga must succeed at a DC 16 caster ability check or the teleport effect fails. If the effect fails, the creature that attempted to create that effect must succeed at a DC 18 Constitution save or be nauseated (treat as Poisoned) for 1d6 rounds.)
Actions:
Multiattack.Black Magga makes 3 tentacle attacks or 2 tentacle attacks and 1 bite attack.
Tentacles. Melee Weapon Attack,+12 to hit, Reach 15 ft., Hit: 3d6+7 bludgeoning Damage. If the target is a creature, it is grappled (escape DC 18). Until this grapple ends, the target is restrained. Black Magga has six tentacles, each of which can grapple a creature. Black Magga's tentacles allow her to see and reach into the Ethereal Plane and Shadowfell and thus ignore cover.
Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +12 to hit, Reach 15 ft., Hit: 3d8+7 piercing Damage plus 3d6 necrotic damage. The target's hit point maximum is reduced by an amount equal to the necrotic damage taken, and Black Magga regains hit points equal to that amount. The reduction lasts until the target finishes a Long Rest. The target dies if this effect reduces its hit point maximum to 0.
Breath of Madness (Recharge 6). Black Magga can exhale a cloud of foul-smelling, poisonous breath in a 60-foot cone. All creatures in the area take 8d6 points of Psychic damage and become confused for 1 minute (as per the spell) unless they succeed on a DC 18 Wisdom saving throw, in which case they take half the psychic damage and are not confused. A creature that is confused can attempt a new Wisdom save at the end of each of its turns to end the effect.
Legendary Actions.
Legendary Actions
Black Magga can take 3 Legendary Actions, choosing from the options below. Only one legendary action can be used at a time, and only at the end of another creature's turn. Spent legendary actions are regained at the start of each turn.
Tentacle. Black Magga makes a tentacle attack.
Fling. One Large or smaller object held or creature Grappled by Black Magga is Thrown up to 60 feet in a random direction and knocked prone. If a Thrown target strikes a solid surface, the target takes [[1d6]] bludgeoning damage for every 10 feet it was Thrown. If the target is Thrown at another creature, that creature must succeed on a DC 18 Dexterity saving throw or take the same damage and be knocked prone.
I haven't come up with a third legendary action yet.
Keeping in mind I have 6, slightly more-powerful than standard PCs, here's the Skull Ripper (I started with a giant scorpion and then added the HP and AC of a stone golem, added the decapitate attack and upped the attacks/Save DCs to match the new CR):
Skull Ripper
Large construct, unaligned
Armor Class. 17 (Natural Armor)
Initiative. +1
Hit Points. 178 (17d10 + 85)
Speed. 40 ft., climb 40 ft.
Abilities. Str 21 (+5), Dex 13 (+1), Con 20 (+5), Int 5 (-3), Wis 13 (+1), Cha 12 (+1)
Skills. Athletics +9, Stealth +9
Damage Resistances. cold;
Damage Immunities. poison, psychic; bludgeoning, piercing and slashing damage from weapons that are not magical or adamantine.
Condition Immunities. charmed, exhaustion, frightened, paralyzed, petrified, poison
Senses. blindsight 60 ft., darkvision 60 ft.
Languages. Thassilonian (Can't Speak)
Challenge. 10 (5,900)
Traits. Magic Resistance, Immutable Form, Magic Weapons, Decapitate
Decapitate. If the skullripper has a creature grappled with both claws at the start of its turn it can attempt to tear the creature's head from its body as a bonus action. This deals 2d8+10 slashing damage, or half on a successful DC 17 Constitution saving throw. If this damage reduces the creature to 0 hit points it is decapitated (which results in death for most creatures.)
Actions:
Multiattack. The Skull Ripper makes three attacks: two with its claws and one with its sting.
Claw. Melee Weapon Attack, +9 to hit, Reach 5 ft., 1d8+5 bludgeoning Damage and the target is grappled (escape DC 17). The skull ripper has two claws, each of which can grapple only a single creature.
Sting. Melee Weapon Attack, +9 to hit, Reach 5 ft., 1d10+5 piercing damage and the target must make a DC 17 Constitution saving throw, taking 22 (4d10) poison damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one.
After giving it some further thought, I have revised the Skull Ripper. I upped the damage on Decapitate, changed the saving throw to reduce the damage to Strength and added the ability for it to restrain a creature by using both claws. I figure if one of my PCs end up in this unfortunate position, I'll telegraph what's going to happen by describing the skull ripper sliding one of its claws over the victim's head and beginning to twist. That gives the rest of the party a round to try and free their friend.
Skull Ripper
Large construct, unaligned
Armor Class. 17 (Natural Armor)
Initiative. +1
Hit Points. 178 (17d10 + 85)
Speed. 40 ft., climb 40 ft.
Abilities. Str 21 (+5), Dex 13 (+1), Con 20 (+5), Int 5 (-3), Wis 13 (+1), Cha 12 (+1)
Skills. Athletics +9, Stealth +9
Damage Resistances. cold;
Damage Immunities. poison, psychic; bludgeoning, piercing and slashing damage from weapons that are not magical or adamantine.
Condition Immunities. charmed, exhaustion, frightened, paralyzed, petrified, poison
Senses. blindsight 60 ft., darkvision 60 ft.
Languages. Thassilonian (Can't Speak)
Challenge. 10 (5,900)
Traits. Magic Resistance, Immutable Form, Magic Weapons, Decapitate
Decapitate. If the skull ripper has a creature grappled with both claws at the start of its turn it can attempt to tear the creature's head from its body as a bonus action. This deals 4d6+10 slashing damage, or half this damage on a successful DC 17 Strength saving throw. If this damage reduces the creature to 0 hit points it is decapitated (which results in death for most creatures.)
Actions:
Multiattack. The Skull Ripper makes three attacks: two with its claws and one with its sting.
Claw. Melee Weapon Attack, +9 to hit, Reach 5 ft., 1d8+5 bludgeoning Damage and the target is grappled (escape DC 17). The skull ripper has two claws, each of which can grapple one target. If the skull ripper grapples the same creature with both claws the target is restrained for as long as they are grappled.
Sting. Melee Weapon Attack, +9 to hit, Reach 5 ft., 1d10+5 piercing damage and the target must make a DC 17 Constitution saving throw, taking 22 (4d10) poison damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one.
So my party decided to go back and deal with Grauls after all, realizing a frontal assault on the orge-held keep was suicidal and they needed more information.
I re-checked my notes and realized I used thugs as my basis for the Graul boys. A half-ogre would have been better, as the PCs carved through them pretty easy. (Biggun also got killed before it could go by the party ranger and Shalelu both unloading Sharpshooter shots into it.) Crowfood scared the crap out of them, though, as he leapt out of the corn and sneak attack crit the barbarian (taking 3/4 of her health) and then drug her back into the corn fields.
Mammy never got a chance to do anything. The party wizard Counterspelled anything she attempted, so she ended up just getting whaled on like a pinata.
Hucker got a raging sneak attack on the party rogue, nearly dropping her, but then got Held by the party wizard which allowed the rest of the party to just lay into him. Even taking half damage because of rage he didn't last long from all the auto-crits.
Muck managed to grapple both the rogue and the barbarian and then swallow the former. He rolled terrible on initiative so he only got to act once before dying but had he gone again the rogue would have dropped from being digested and he probably would have swallowed the barbarian as well.
Is there a discord or place I could chat with one of you about converting ROTRL to 5e. I'm doing the same thing and i'm not nearly as experienced with this.
skinnyfat wrote: Is there a discord or place I could chat with one of you about converting ROTRL to 5e. I'm doing the same thing and i'm not nearly as experienced with this. What would you like to know Skinnyfat?
I just want to thank you all for all of your hard work with this conversion project. I know I've done a lot of the work myself for the first 5 adventures but (specifically Kalshane) the conversion work done for the final RotRL installment was spot on.
Thank you to all that contributed to that!
William Bryan wrote: skinnyfat wrote: Is there a discord or place I could chat with one of you about converting ROTRL to 5e. I'm doing the same thing and i'm not nearly as experienced with this. What would you like to know Skinnyfat? I would like to talk through certain encounters with DMs who have already run them. My players are starting to get to higher levels, like 8-12 and I do not have much experience with that. So far I feel pretty happy with what I've put in front of them. It has been quite challenging and yet they have somehow been able to stay alive. I want to keep that going, but they just took down Lucrecia and two ogres with relative ease. I don't want to give every bad guy "legendary resistance" but I also don't want them to start thinking things are getting too easy for them. There is still the threat of death, if my rolls are good and their's are bad, but what I really want is to make them use all of their resources so that they feel a sense of accomplishment.
My current party is level 10 and just made it to the Ancient Library level under Jorgenfist.
Lucrecia has taken the "constant thorn in our side" role that Xanesha had in the previous campaign. So far they have fought her three times and she's escaped each time. The party rogue even took Alert at 10th level specifically because she was tired of Lucrecia's invisible antics.
One house rule I've adopted (based on Matt Mercer's rule on Critical Role) is changing the per turn spellcasting limitation from Bonus Action Spell and Cantrip to one of the spells can be no higher than 2nd level.
While this helps the party out a lot (the cleric loves being able to drop a level 1 or 2 Healing Word on someone and still be able to "cast something cool") it also helps the bad guys out as well. Most enemies don't survive long enough to burn through all their spell slots, so giving them the ability to potentially cast two spells a turn means they get to do more things before the party inevitably kills them (or makes them run away.) I pretty much give any sorcerer enemies they face Quicken Spell as one of their metamagics. And clerical badguys who are on the ropes can sometimes give themselves some breathing room by pairing a casting of Sanctuary with a healing spell.
So far the only legendary creatures they've faced have been Xanesha and Lucrecia. (ETA: And The Black Magga) I also made the Black Monk legendary (though they haven't investigated the Black Tower and might never do so) and Mokmurian will be when they face him.
That being said, Chapter 5 looks to pit them against a fair number of legendary foes (The Scribbler, Arkhryst, Azaven, and High Lady Athroxis will all be legendary.) I try to look at each enemy's background and status when determining if they should be Legendary.
- Lucrecia and Xanesha hail from Xin-Shalast and are some of Karzoug's personal lieutenants as well as a higher form of lamia.
- Mokmurian is bonded with an Ancient Runelord on a mystical level.
- The Scribbler was resurrected by his goddess and imbued with special powers to protect her temple.
- Arkryst and Azaven are legendary by the nature of what type of creature they are.
- High Lady Athroxis is the Champion of Wrath and is encountered in the seat of her power.
I agree that everything they PCs face shouldn't legendary, but if there's a logical reason a specific enemy should be more than a normal foe, feel free to make them legendary.
As far as making the players use all their resources, sometimes it's a matter of not giving them a chance to rest so they're forced to press on and burn through everything. Assume the PCs will always take a rest if they have the opportunity to do so. In some cases you can put in a time restraint or not give them an easy safe place to rest in. Other times you have to assume "My PCs will probably rest right before this and be at full strength" and then plan the encounter accordingly.
In the end, though, how challenged the party feels is more in how likely it seems to them they're going to die, rather than how many spells they have left when its over.
|
1 person marked this as a favorite.
|
The PCs defeated Mokmurian last night. That being said, it was incredibly close fight with 2 of the PCs down and rolling death saves and the rest of the party really low on HPs.
While 5E's concentration mechanic prevents Mokmurian from layering on cloud spells like in his listed tactics, using Transmute Rock followed by Cloudkill really makes for a bad day for the party if they don't have any wind spells prepared (mine didn't.) I didn't even have to use another action to dispel the mud back to rock (and thus trap anyone in it) because trying slog through at 1/4 speed and constantly getting stuck was hindering enough to them.
I allowed him to create a fog cloud as a lair action (to free up his concentration on that) so in addition to the mud slowing them down they had a very hard time seeing him to target him while he was able to target them with impunity because of his fog-cutting lenses.
|
