Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Paul S 07-05-03, 03:57 AM	I like playing around with templates and creating monstrous NPCs. Sometimes they're interesting BBEGs, other times they're just fun encounter monsters. Occasionally they surprise me. The following critter was based off an Annis Hag. I used the Insectile template from Savage Species, and based her stats off a standard PC/NPC mix: 15 14 13 12 10 10. Because of the insectile template, I changed her regular "Change Self" ability into "Summon Vermin I", which works just like Summon Nature's Ally I except it can only be used to summon a single vermin under CR1. She came out a nominal CR7, after the +1 CR for the template. I added magic items suitable for a 7th level NPC, and here's what I got: Insectile Annis (Lg Abberation) CR: 7 HD: 7d8+21 (55hp) Init: +9 Spd: 40 feet, Climb 40 feet AC: 29 Atk: 2 Claws +15 (1d6+9), Bite +13 (1d6+4) Reach 10 feet Align: CE Fort +5 Ref +10 Will +7 ST: 29 DX: 20 CN: 17 IN: 13 WI: 14 CH: 12 Skills & Feats: Alertness, Multiattack, Improved Initiative; Concentration +10, Hide +13, Listen +12, Spot +15 Special Abilities: Improved Grab (Claw), Rend 2d6+18, 3/day (CL=8): Summon Vermin I (1 Vermin, CR <1, 8 rds), Fog Cloud; Darkvision 60’, Tremorsense 60’, Wide Vision (+4 Spot, no flanking), Steely Skin, SR19 Possessions: +1 Ring, Potion of Vangal’s Touch*, Potion of Greater Magic Fang (+2), Potion of Cure Serious Wounds, Bracers of Armor +2 *Vangal's Touch is a Clr 2 spell from "Relics & Rituals" that induces barbarian rage in the affected creature. Now this is a tough and nasty CR7. She averages 25hp/rd vs AC25. Her own AC29 and SR19 will be challenging targets for 7th level characters - not unreachable, but definitely challenging. I figure that if a 7th level party hits her with everything they have, they should be able to kill her within 3 rounds. But in that 3 rds she'll do 75hp worth of damage to one of them. And that's just a straight fight. If she uses her Fog Cloud and Tremorsense to attack them one at a time, she'll tear a 7th level party to bits. I think on balance a 7th level party will be able to handle her, but not at the expected 20% of resources. She's probably more like CR8. --Paul
(Psi)SeveredHead 07-05-03, 12:20 PM	But in that 3 rds she'll do 75hp worth of damage to one of them. What if the players don't trade full-round attacks with her? Anyway, the fog + tremorsense ability is really neat ... good job.
Paul S 07-05-03, 01:01 PM	Originally posted by (Psi)SeveredHead What if the players don't trade full-round attacks with her? Anyway, the fog + tremorsense ability is really neat ... good job. If they're smart, they'll stay away from her. However it might take a full round of combat before they figure out what she can do close-up. The worst-case scenario is that Improved Grab ability of hers. With a Grapple check of +20 she's deadly in close combat. If she gets a hold of a 7th level PC chances are she'll shred him before the rest of the party can kill her. If I give her the Tear ability that an Annis has in Savage Species (once she gets a hold she automatically hits with both claws, a rend, and a bite) then she's double-ugly. I can see a sort of Predator scenario with her: Use her Fog Cloud/Tremorsense combo to pick off one PC at a time, leave, then come back later for another one. It could make for an interesting dungeon-crawl, especially since she's smart enough to get the cleric first. :smirk: --Paul