Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Nightshade22 05-20-04, 05:49 PM	I just made a BBEG for my four new-b (party level 2.5) players: Vandar-Nith Shadar-kai Clr 2/sor 1 Medium sized-fey (Shadow) Hit Dice: 2d8 +6 Plus 1d4 +3 (24 Hp) Initiative: +3 Speed: 20 ft Armor Class: 21 (+3 dex, +7 armor, +1 force) Base Attack/Grapple: +1/+3 Attack: Flaming scimitar +4 melee (1d6+3--18-20/x2), Light crossbow +4 ranged (1d8--19-20/x2), spell touch +3 melee Special Attacks: Sneak attack +1d6. Special Qualities: Shadow curse, familiar, Hide in plain sight, superior low-light vision. Saves: Fort +9, Ref +6, Will +12 Abilities: Str 14, Dex 16, Con 16(17), Int 12, Wis 16, Cha 16 Alignment: NE Skills: Alchemy +3, Balance +4, Bluff +4, climb +4, concentration +4, diplomacy +4, Escape artist +5, Forgery +2, Hide +4 (+14 in shadow), Intimidate +4, jump +3, listen +6, move silently +5, search +2, sense motive +4, spellcraft +3, spot +5. Feats: weapon finesse (scimitar), exotic weapon proficiency (spiked chain) (B), expertise, alertness (when Shhast is within arm’s reach). Possessions: +3 Gal-Ralan, Shadow half-plate (no spell failure/check penalty for shadow creatures), ring of deflection +1, 8 bottles of alchemist’s fire, 2 bottles of unholy water. Shadow curse: When Vandar-nith is unconscious, stunned, dazed or staggered, he must make a will save (Dc 15), but his total bonus is +14, so he makes anything but a 1. This save must also be made if his Gal-Ralan is removed. Cleric spells per day: 4/2+1 sorcerer spells per day: 5/3 known: ray of frost, detect magic, resistance, mage hand. 1st- magic missle, ray of enfeeblement, Familiar: a Shadow asp(Fiend Folio page 152) named Shhast Tiny magical beast - Hp 12; init +5; speed 30 ft, climb 10ft; Ac 21, touch 17, flat-footed 16; Bab/grap +1/+2; attack, bite +8 melee (1d3+poison); SQ/SA- poison, create spawn, darkvision 60 ft, incorprial form for 1hour, low-light vision; saves- fort +5, ref +7, will +7 Str 12, dex 20, con 14, int 7, wis 14, cha 16 Skills: Climb +9, hide +16, listen +7, move silently +6, spot +7. All others as Vandar. What do you think? He leads a small group of shadow monsters in a forest east of the main campaign city. Some time soon, he'll lead an attack on the city. The city's stats are here (http://www.aarg.net/~minam/towns.cgi?size=7&seed=1084997924), with the following changes: Name: Red Oak Power Centers 1. lawful good Noble (standard) __- opposes lawful evil wizard __- supports Neutral good constable __- not aware of Lawful neutral Thieves guild 2. lawful evil wizard (magical) __- is allied with lawful good noble __- fears Neutral good constable __- ignores Lawful neutral Thieves guild 3. Neutral good constable (nonstandard) __- supports lawful good Noble __- distrusts lawful evil wizard __- distrusts Lawful neutral Thieves guild 4. Lawful neutral Thieves guild __- distrusts lawful evil wizard __- ignores lawful good Noble __- fears Neutral good constable finially, my 2 questions: 1. I have an idea for an attack for Vandar, where he swings Shhast around and either throws him or hits somone with him (i'm thinking like an automatic attack for Shhast...). How would this work? 2. What kind of monsters would he have, and how would they attack the city? (cool shadow tactics appriciated :behold: ;) )
Nightshade22 05-21-04, 07:13 AM	noone?
Nightshade22 05-21-04, 03:47 PM	it's odd... noone ever posts on my threads. :(
warok 05-21-04, 08:51 PM	is this a home-brew race? or the one from the fiend folio? the fiend folio version starts with 3 fey HD so you gotta redo him if you got this guy from that book
Nightshade22 05-21-04, 08:56 PM	rule zero :) If you have any ideas for a backstory (why he has no normal HD), that would be good
warok 05-21-04, 09:14 PM	damn double
warok 05-21-04, 09:16 PM	rule zero eh, fair enough maybe he is still a young one? also whats you cr for him? and i noticed you made a similar thread elsewhere, i hear its a good guideline to just have one thread about the same exact subject at once. just me
Nightshade22 05-21-04, 09:18 PM	he'd be Cr 4. (as per FF Level adjustment) don't worry, the players should all level up before they meet their nemisis (i'm planning to have this guy around fr a while :devil: ) No one posted on this thread so i tried another forum.
Teron Gorefiend 05-22-04, 01:23 PM	Originally posted by Nightshade22 he'd be Cr 4. (as per FF Level adjustment) don't worry, the players should all level up before they meet their nemisis (i'm planning to have this guy around fr a while :devil: ) No one posted on this thread so i tried another forum. Level adjustment has nothing to do with CR; it's for determining a PC's ECL only. To determine a monster with class levels's CR, you just add the number of levels to the base CR. At a guess, I'd say removing the 3 racial HD is worth -1 to the CR.
LiXinjian 05-22-04, 02:00 PM	I hear there's a Shadow template in the Manual of the Planes. You could add this to the creatures he summons. Wait. He's only a Clr2/Sor1. Hmm. In that case, forget it. Summon Monster I won't allow him to conjure shadowy creatures. At the very least, I'd make him either a full Clr3 or Sor3, not a bit of both. If I were you, I'd pump this guy up a bit and give him minions. That way, you could establish a real BBEG. Because it is my belief that what you have here a) doesn't fit the BBEG description b) won't last long enough to make a real impression. See, with so few hit points, and so little resources, your shadar-kai won't be able to survive one encounter with the PCs. He will be more like a simple encounter than anything else. Besides, with an average party level equal to 2.5, your so-called BBEG will be slaughtered in a minute. Just my thoughts.
LiXinjian 05-22-04, 02:00 PM	Double Post. sorry.
Nightshade22 05-22-04, 06:25 PM	so how many levels/racial HD should I add?
LiXinjian 05-23-04, 12:28 PM	You can't make your BBEG meaner and badder without actually changing (and certainly lenghtening) the adventure you had initially planned, so I cannot really tell you what CR you should make this guy. A Shadar-Kai receives a 3d6HD bonus, but which accounts for only a +1 LA overall (a Shadar-kai CHARACTER is a +4 LA, but not a NPC). I suggest creating a BBEG that's perhaps one or two effective levels above the PCs' level when they face him. For instance, if you want your PCs to confront the BBEG when they're level 5, make the BBEG a Sor6 shadar-kai (EL 7). Give the shadar-kai some low-level minions (CR3) to keep your PCs from concentrating all of their attacks on him, and he's golden. He'll be tough, but the PCs should survive, which is what you are going for. It's just that to create an effective BBEG, you have to establish him first as such. That means your players must ear from this guy beforehand. His villainous reputation as a treacherous would-be conqueror (or whatever) should precede him somewhat, so as to build anticipation. As the PCs encounter more and more of the man's minions, they become anxious to tackle the one who's pulling the strings. When they finally do, they get their long-awaited shot at him, and that's how a BBEG makes an impression on them (provided the encounter is challenging enough). They'll remember that character for the months, if not the years, to come. Another aspect of what makes a BBEG memorable is his agenda. What his he looking for? Shadar-kai are usually rogues, so what is it they're after? I assume you have already figured that much out, but if not, take a moment to. Create obstacles that cannot be easily overcome for him and his underlings, then place the PCs in the middle of it all trying to figure out who's who and who's after what. You want to lenghten this adventure by fracturing it into smaller parts. From a cool BBEG concept and character, you can easily conceive an adventure that will take months to unravel. If, at the end of it all, the PCs finally get a chance to vanquish your BBEG, you'll have the rewarding feeling of a job well done, and your players will have the glorious and wonderful feeling of closure. So the question is: is your shadar-kai character material suitable for a BBEG? Or do you only want to make him an encounter of sorts? Or a smallish villain? It's okay for you to pick either, because a campaign needs all of those. If you feel you villain is interesting enough to make a BBEG out of him, go for it and give the guy an adventure. If not, well, a smallish villain with only one or two thugs under his control can be an interesting encounter in itself, especially if your foreshadow it a bit to add drama.
Nightshade22 05-23-04, 01:28 PM	Well, they'll only fight him for about two rounds in the big battle. So that's sort of the intro. His main goal is some artifact (I havn't decided on what it is) that can remove the shadow curse. His new stats (+2 fey HD): Vandar-Nith Shadar-kai Clr 2/sor 1 Medium sized-fey (Shadow) Hit Dice: 2d6(fey)+6 plus 2d8 +6 Plus 1d4 +3 (38 Hp) Initiative: +3 Speed: 20 ft Armor Class: 21 (+3 dex, +7 armor, +1 force) Base Attack/Grapple: +2/+4 Attack: Flaming scimitar +5 melee (1d6+3--18-20/x2), Light crossbow +5 ranged (1d8--19-20/x2), spell touch +4 melee, ranged spell touch +5. Special Attacks: Sneak attack +1d6. Special Qualities: Shadow curse, familiar, Hide in plain sight, superior low-light vision. Saves: Fort +9, Ref +9, Will +15 Abilities: Str 14, Dex 16, Con 16(17), Int 12, Wis 16, Cha 16 Alignment: NE Skills: Alchemy +3, Balance +4, Bluff +4, climb +4, concentration +4, diplomacy +4, Escape artist +5, Forgery +3, Hide +4 (+14 in shadow), Intimidate +5, jump +4, listen +6, move silently +5, search +3, sense motive +4, spellcraft +3, spot +5. Feats: weapon finesse (scimitar), exotic weapon proficiency (spiked chain) (B), expertise, alertness (when Shhast is within arm’s reach), dodge. Possessions: +3 Gal-Ralan, Shadow half-plate (no spell failure/check penalty for shadow creatures), ring of deflection +1, 8 bottles of alchemist’s fire, 2 bottles of unholy water. Shadow curse: When Vandar-nith is unconscious, stunned, dazed or staggered, he must make a will save (Dc 15), but his total bonus is +14, so he makes anything but a 1. This save must also be made if his Gal-Ralan is removed. Cleric spells per day: 4/2+1 (Dc 13 + spell level) sorcerer spells per day: 5/3 (Dc 13+ spell level) known: ray of frost, detect magic, resistance, mage hand. 1st- magic missle, ray of enfeeblement. Familiar: a Shadow asp(FF page 152) named Shhast Tiny magical beast - Hp 12; init +5; speed 30 ft, climb 10ft; Ac 21, touch 17, flat-footed 16; Bab/grap +1/+2; attack, bite +8 melee (1d3+poison); SQ/SA- poison, create spawn, darkvision 60 ft, incorprial form for 1hour, low-light vision; saves- fort +5, ref +7, will +7 Str 12, dex 20, con 14, int 7, wis 14, cha 16 Skills: Climb +9, hide +16, listen +7, move silently +6, spot +7. All others as Vandar.
Torkwaret 05-23-04, 02:13 PM	Ok. Nightshade22, lets start with some more basic info: 1) where is your campaign taking place (Faerun, Greyhawk, homebrew etc.) ?? 2) do you want Vandar-Nith to stay longer and advance in level along with the characters, or do you want him as a minion of a more powerful Shadar-Kai ? 3) what minions you want him to have - other Shadar-Kai, allied shadow creatures, or perhaps demons or yugoloths ??
Nightshade22 05-23-04, 06:13 PM	1) homebrew, currently on an island (the island is anmed izrom, or somthing like that. A map is somewhere in map-a-week) 2) right now he's serving a more powerfull shadar-kai, but in a few levels he'll turn against him. :devil: 3) I'm asking you. (something shadow-themed, hommade monsters appriciated) I use 3.25 :D