I have read through numerous suggestions on changing Vordakai's spells selections, feats, adding more class levels, and etc. All of them are great ideas but I wanted to go for an entirely fresh take (no pun intended) on him.
So instead of Vordakai having arcane spells, I was looking at recasting (heh) him as a psychic. Because I run a mythic campaign, I considered making him mythic as well but then I saw the following two templates: psychic lich and dread lord.
With those two templates in mind (I can alter his mental stats slightly so that it will fit whatever psychic discipline I decided on for him), there are a few things I wanted more information/recommendations on to reach a satisfying and memorable villain.
Although I might still make Vordakai mythic as well (I have 5 experienced players, with above average optimized mythic characters), I was looking for a good archetype for the psychic class to help bring in the flavour of Vordakai being a necromancer and/or a devotee to the Four Horsemen. In addition, I need an appropriate psychic discipline.
So far, based on my limited knowledge of the psychic class (pretty much only official Paizo material but I am open to 3rd Party materials if you know of any good ones for the psychic class), I have the following: male cyclops psychic 9 (warp discipline) with the dread lord template and the psychic lich template. His CR should be CR 14 (in theory). By the time my players reach him, their characters should be 9th level, with 4 mythic tiers (4 mythic pcs, 1 mythic gm'ed pc, and 2 animal companions).
Can anyone suggest for consideration other disciplines and/or psychic archetypes? One thing I am doing to make him especially frightening/weird is the addition of a countenanced carbuncle (from the Vampire Hunter D pathfinder supplement that was only available through a Kickstarter last year, as far as I know) that was a gift from the Four Horsemen.
Thanks for reading and any recommendations you may have. Cheers!
CB
True, but his domain gradually expands over time (I think it does so naturally; will have to check the template again), which is the reason why (in-game) the Trust Score with the centaurs (a mod to Book 3 from DM_Dudemeister) erodes on a monthly basis. Basically at the start of the adventure Vordakai controls only 1 hex (the hex with his island) but every month afterwards his sphere of influence expands outwards by another hex in every direction. The Occulus can be the McGuffin behind the expanded influence, :)
CB
OK, you are correct, pennywit, the domain is locked at 5 miles per HD, so currently that is 90 miles in every direction, which is actually a handful of hexes. I probably don't need to expand the domain but it sounds cool that the Occulus can do that so I'll keep that idea, :)
CB
That's a thought. Originally I was thinking of having the stolen bracelet by Wilas be the physical memoir, with the Maestro unwittingly re-discovering bits and pieces of the lich's legend but still misinterpreting it (hence, reinforcing the notion that sometimes people meddle with forces beyond their ken).
The pcs have dealings already with the fey (including the Black Prince) and suspect that they are pawns in a game between the fey nobles so they are doing what they can to strengthen their nation (building all the necessary buildings to support different kinds of armies) and boosting their nation's Stability as high as possible, while diverting as much resources towards magical healing and reconstruction in case of attacks on the settlements.
CB
I have "Wilas" (the vilderavn in disguise) be the one who reads the physical memoir (thus "rediscovering" Vordakai's legend). The discovery of that fact will be part of Vordakai's monologue when he confronts the pcs for the first time in his lair.
Plus it gives another reason why the centaurs had forgotten about Vordakai; after killing him once, they had realized that by eliminating every solid information about him, it could weaken him enough so that he could be fully defeated in the future. That also explains why he lost so many class levels - he's just a shade of his former legend.
The trials that the pcs go through to earn the centaurs' trust culminates in giving them the knowledge of a ritual that allows them to confront Vordakai in his mindscape after they destroy his physical form in the Mortal Realm.
Did I miss anything? :)
CB
Oops! I had edited my post after you had replied. My bad.
CB
Kerezar? That's the dead dragon in the graveyard, right?
Hm, interesting! I wonder though if maybe making Kerezar the head of a small army of undead centaur skeletons to march against the centaurs and the pcs' nation would help the alliance between them?
Still hoping though that somebody got recommendations for the psychic lich.
That is a tempting thought but the pcs have sold a few of those thematically appropriate items.
I will do one more throughout search for any necromancy-themed stuff for a psychic. If I do find something, I will design one myself, :).
Thanks pennywit, as always, you helped me bounce some ideas around! :)
CB
They sold those items in Brevoy, usually at Restov. :(
Although maybe that can still work. Hmm.
Heh. Nicely done. They did sell a cursed robe from the time I ran Tomb of the 4 Sorcerer Kings to a merchant in Restov. They didn't know it was cursed and the individual who bought it from the merchant they sold it to is looking into how to legally get compensation for damages suffered. He may end up petitioning a claim to the Brevoy crown to intercede on his behalf.