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| #1DarthMachoMar 26, 2015 14:51:07 | I've gotten some great advice on these forums, so I'm hoping for some help with this. I'm trying to apply the Half-Dragon template to a Fire Giant base to create a big bad that's supposed to be the main antagonist and leader of the evil empire that will be the main force threatening my players in our world. My problem is that I can't figure out how to do it, despite the DMG and MM all but holding my hand through the process.
Therefore, I was hoping that someone could help me out and help me build this villain. My questions are the following:
How do I apply the Half Dragon template to a Fire Giant? If I want this villain to be more powerful than the average Fire Giant, how do I accurately bump up his powers? If my players are likely to face this guy in the upper tier of our campaign, what CR would make sense? CR 15, and give him allies? Or CR 20+ and make him a solo?
I appreciate any advice. Thanks in advance!
-- Sincerely, Confused DM |
| #2Igfig2Mar 26, 2015 16:35:27 | It's simultaneously pretty straightforward and pretty complicated.
In theory, all you have to do is take the things mentioned under the heading "Half-Dragon Template" in the Half-Dragon section of the MM, and add them to the fire giant's statblock. Since the giant is already immune to fire, that's just blindsight 10 ft., darkvision 60 ft., the Draconic language, and a breath weapon dealing 16d6 damage (the same as a young red dragon).
Before this gets too complicated, I'll just tell you that these changes (mainly the breath weapon) increase the giant's CR from 9 to 10.
Now, if you want to make this guy stronger than that, there are a few basic dials that you can play with:
Instead of starting with a CR in mind, for now just increase those dials until they match your idea of what this guy should be like.
If he's a great warrior, increase his Str and Con; if he's a tactician, increase his Int. If he were a human, what class level would you peg him at? Add that level to his HD. (e.g. if you see him as a level 10 fighter, add 10 to his HD). If he's wealthy or important enough, you could make his greatsword or his armour magical. If you see him as fighting on the front lines, maybe increase his Multiattack to give him three greatsword attacks instead of two.
Then work out his new stats from there, just like you would a PC. Hit points are (6.5 + Con bonus) x number of HD; attack bonus is Str bonus + proficiency bonus + magic bonus, if any; proficiency bonus is... well okay, that actually depends on his final CR, but it'll probably be +5 or +6. Let's put it at +6.
Once you have those stats worked out, you'll want to look at four vital numbers: his hp, his AC, his attack bonus, and his average damage per round. The last of those is the most complicated, since he can use the breath weapon every third round or so and it's worth double because it's an area attack... I'll just give you a formula for now, instead of the reasons for all the numbers. The formula for this guy's average damage per round is:
((Breath weapon average damage x 2) + (greatsword average damage x number of attacks per Multiattack x 2)) / 3
(Now, there's a lot more you could do to customize this guy, by adding extra traits, special attacks, or spells. There's too much variety there for me to tell you exactly how to handle it, but there are some examples on page 280-281 of the DMG that you can slot in pretty directly. They'll increase the effective values of those four vital numbers for the purposes of this next step, but note that they often don't increase the numbers directly.)
Then you look at the table on page 274 of the DMG.
First, find the level where his hp match the value in the Hit Points column. For instance, if his hit points were 310, we'd be looking at level 16. Then, compare his AC to the AC listed in that column. If his AC is two or more points higher or lower than the listed AC, add/subtract half the difference to/from the level we're at. For example, the listed AC at level 16 is 18. If his AC were 21, then we'd increase the level by (21 - 18) / 2 = 1.5, which rounds down to 1, leaving us at level 17. Write down the level you ended up at. This is your Defensive CR.
Now, do it over again but with average damage per round and attack bonus, using the Damage / Round and Attack Bonus columns. e.g. If his average damage per round is 95, start at level 15; then, if his attack bonus is +14 (six more than the listed attack bonus of +8), bump yourself up three more levels, to 18. This level is your Offensive CR.
In general you want your Offensive CR to be equal to or higher than the Defensive CR, or the battle will be a bit of a slog. If it isn't, increase your Str a little, or decrease your HD or Con, or add a die to the damage of each greatsword attack, and then recalculate.
Finally, take the average of your Offensive CR and Defensive CR. This number is your final CR. If it's not to your liking, you'll have to go back and fiddle with some of the numbers some more.
Now frankly, this can get pretty exhausting if you're not used to it. I'm currently trying to solve this problem by building an web-based monster builder, but it's still in pre-alpha and not really ready for public release yet. If you like, though, I can let you know once it hits the beta stage. |
| (Reply to #2)DarthMacho |
Igfig2, Thank you for your advice, this actually made it much clearer for me. Thankfully, I also have a lot of time to work on this since my players just started the campaign and are only at Level 2. I don't plan on letting the party near this guy for some time. I plan on making him one of the main villains, if not the big bad as the leader of the Obsidian Empire, an evil force looking to conquer the world in the name of the evil gods of our world. With your guidelines and some time, hopefully this villain will live up to my expectations. Thanks agian!
DarthMacho |