Post/Author/DateTime	Post
KnightyMcPaladin 02-26-07, 12:15 PM	Basic backstory for campaign: Heironeous (sp) is seduced by a demon, gives birth to twins. One dies, becomes Atropal, the other becomes an infernal. Big-H can't morally kill his sons, but he can banish them to seperate demi-planes. Infernal eventually gets out and is working to free his brother, then conquer the multiverse (standard bad guy plotting ensues). Basically, I'm setting up the party to first fight the Infernal (cr 25ish), then have him come back as a vampire (+some other templates to make him cr appropriate) to fight alongside the atropal in the final, definitive battle. Basically, I'm looking for cr 22-30 encounter ideas that might lead up to this, basically, henchmen working for the twins that also provide hints along the way so the PCs have a chance of knowing what they're facing. As of now, they're about two to three sessions away from fighting the infernal (they like excitement, so I'm power leveling them, basically giving them experience as if they were a couple of levels lower than they are...also, this makes it easier for me to come up with new challenges instead of making them constantly fight Mithril golems and pseudotrolls due to my possession of, but lack of familiarity with the epic level book) Any help would rock! Also, there's a lot of copious backstory about the main continent they adventure on, so if you need history for ideas, just ask! (i.e. racial make up, major kingdoms, major geographic areas, legends, that sort of thing)
bluemage55 02-26-07, 01:15 PM	Big-H can't morally kill his sons, but he can banish them to seperate demi-planes. Why can't he kill them? His sons are beings of pure evil, why should smiting them be any less a good deed from destroying any other evil outsider or undead?
elondir 02-26-07, 03:35 PM	I'd say a CR 27 Marilith Dervish with six keen speed greater wounding weapons and perfect multiweapon fighting might be one of his henchmen. Also consider a half-iron golem half-black dragon troll barbarian/frenzied berserker. And don't forget that infernals have lots of pit fiends or balors at their command. Atropals might have a few liches and several vampires to call on. And nothing says "epic" like a few thousand zombies in a single encounter. Don't pull punches. Throw whatever you want at them, particularly if they powergame. CRs are out the window at epic. BUT, you know your players well, so you'll have to eyeball it a bit. Abominations are pretty powerful. Check out H4 Throne of Bloodstone (download it, if you can find an original cheap get it - it's worth a few hundred dollars). It's a first edition planar romp where you get to fight Orcus, Tiamat, and possibly Demogorgon. The H series puts you against all kinds of nasties like the Tarrasque, dozens of glabrezus at a time, and a city that energy drains three levels per minute just for being inside the gates, that is home to 500,000 demons immune to energy drain. It was for "levels 18 to 100".
Renvale999 02-27-07, 01:34 PM	Why can't he kill them? His sons are beings of pure evil, why should smiting them be any less a good deed from destroying any other evil outsider or undead? You don't watch the news?? All these serial killers and bad people, and their parents stick by them no matter what. I don't think any parent, no matter what the crime, could condemn their child to death. Now BlueMage, before you rip me a new one, I understand that gods and demons are different than real people...but Herionous probably feels responsible for their birth and does not want their deaths on his soul (and in some weird way loves them) To be honest, if I was the DM, I would have Herionous's forces opposing the PC's as he believes his children are not beyond redemption. I guess you'd have to be a parent to see where I'm coming from lol.
rob_douglas 02-27-07, 04:27 PM	Agreed - Heironeous can have many reasons for not wanting to kill them, and his own pride may be part of it. As could interference from his brother Hextor. Sometimes these questions come up in game and I don't even bother answering them - I let the players ruminate on it for a while and see what they come up with. Ok, so you need lots of encounters along the way. Don't forget a Dracolich in there somewhere. Dragotha was supposed to have once been a consort of Tiamat if you want to use that story. So the Atropal maybe brought back a discarded Tiamat consort. If Hextor is involved, he could provide a few Deathbringers. MMII, page 55. CR17 at 30HD and Large size, can be advanced to Gargantuan and 90HD (CD32). The Quicksilver Hourglass adventure from Dungeon could also be worked in if you wanted. There is a multiworld vampire covey hinted at in there that could be working for/with the atropal. ROB