Karzoug’s Capstone


Rise of the Runelords


With the Chronicle of Legends out and giving wizards a level 20 capstone where before they didn’t have any, which one should Karzoug have?

On a fairly related note, which abilities that have been published since the Anniversary Edition should be given to Karzoug?


He doesn't have a familiar so Arch-Familiar is out, he's already The Boss and doesn't need an ability to do it, he's not a scholar and can afford any spells he wants so Walking Library doesn't make sense, his iconic weapon already is a minor artifact so With This Sword is redundant, and he's supposed to stay dead at the end of the AP so Won't Stay Dead doesn't fit. That leaves "Perfect Body, Flawless Mind" as the only real option for Karzoug by default. I'm personally not a fan of it since it's just a pure power creep stat buff.

Grand Lodge

Capstone: While I'd love "Don't Say Dead" for the sheer value of Karzoug appearing at the edge of the scene slow-clapping that you killed him once, it's definitely the wrong vibe for the scene. "With this Sword" wouldn't have much impact given how much wealth he's already got (and the fact that plenty of people add even more). I'd personally go with "Perfect Body, Flawless Mind" as that already fits in with his other supernatural abilities. Probably something like +4 Con, +4 Wis. "Walking Library" is also good, although it won't have any impact on the final fight.

Discoveries: Of course, Karzoug should have the Arcane Discovery "Idealize", granting +4 to any ability score bonus he gains from a Transmutation spell. When he casts a Transmutation spell, it shouldn't feel equivalent to what a PC should cast - the man is an ancient legend! I also think that Arcane Builder (wondrous item) is appropriate, but it doesn't actually confer any benefit.

Spells: I think there are some updates to Karzoug's spells that are appropriate, and I know there's a thread around here for making Karzoug more formidable in terms of gear and spell list. That being said, Core spells are still going to make up the bulk of his list just for how powerful they are, so I don't think much has to be done in that regard.

Shadow Lodge

I always thought he picked a souped-up version of the Immortality arcane discovery, and went with that.

Shadow Lodge

Chronicle of Legends is in the Pathfinder Player Companion line, and as such its options should not be available to NPCs.


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zimmerwald1915 wrote:
Chronicle of Legends is in the Pathfinder Player Companion line, and as such its options should not be available to NPCs.

You're certainly welcome to have that opinion, however, what I (and most GMs whose opinions I've heard on the matter) have the policy/attitude of "What's good for the players is good for the GM," that is, if the players have the benefit of a certain houserule, source material, or game-breaking combo, they need to be prepared for the GM to throw that exact same material back at them. It helps keep them honest.

So, while it's a legitimate viewpoint, it's also not what this thread is about.

Personally, I feel that the only 'fair' option is for Karzoug to have Well-Prepared as his capstone, which would give him an absolutely absurd number of lower-level spells, but that shouldn't much affect the actual fight.

The other option is to give him 'The Boss,' and mess with one of his minions in the fight to make it his cohort.


Who is to say that "With this Sword" is not appropriate? He has ridiculous wealth even without that glaive. Would saying it was a capstone item really be short-changing him?

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