Hello. A quick rundown of the heroic tier.
I'm trying to make a module for a party to graduate from heroic to paragon. The map at the bottom was what the party originally encountered at level 3 or 4. The objective was basically to kill the bbeg. Now, the module was interrupted by the fact that the party actually dove into the portal after shoving the bbeg into it. I run the module to get the feel of a party so that I can tune future modules to specific bands of heroes. These guys, however, decided to screw with me. They decided to go in the portal instead of destroying it like others did.
So I gave them a choic of themes between time travel, steampunk, or planar travel. They chose time travel, but wanted a dark theme. So they did stuff in the future, found a way to get back, collected the special reagents, found the ritual, and are at the end of the future module.
Now, the bbeg, after going through the portal, squeezed through the bars of a forcecage for medium sized creatures. This is the same bbeg that had been giving the party troubles for a long time.
The party is going to hit 10 at the end of the module(some of them already are). So they need a module to break from being a simple heroic character to being a paragon.
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I've got the rest of the module done, but this last room, where the party first found out the bbeg was someone who had posed as a friend at level 3 or 4, is only heroic in feel. It needs to feel like paragon.
The water level was only 2 feet tall before to give it difficult terrain status with added checks to keep from slipping when charging or running and the like. The stones were slippery with mildew, which applied to charging and the like. The four pillars around the central path were empty because the party lacked range at the time, and I had two people who were brand new to the game just starting that session. Instead, the main platform was filled with a soldier who could mark, two brutes, and a controller in the back. Oh, and the BBEG used that time to throw captured people into the party as sacrifices, complete with descriptions of the people already almost dead.
Fast forward to now, and the BBEG has succumed to undead influences. He will have the ability to bring the dead to undeath. The encounter will be a hard Dragon's Den type encounter. Solo level+1(11) and elite of level(10). Instead of just the elite. I was thinking of eight level 10 minions. Half could be artillary on the four pillars, and the other half...lurkers or something?
Party will consist of a level 10 warlock with level 8 warlord companion, probably a level 10 bard, and hopefully replacements will be gotten for the level 10 hunter with level 8 druid companion by this time. Assume I find two level 10s.
Anything you can suggest to make this worthy, please let me know.
~Cliff
1/ Raise the water. With the water coming over the stable places, or some of them, those blocks look like they could be different heights, you add a little bit of extra challenge.
2/ do it over time, with a time limit. Sure, start the water at 2 feet, but have it climb bit by bit for a few rounds, with a known torrent upstream ready to wash the lot away.
3/ Add in skill challnge. Maybe you already have one to shut down the portal, but unless they are gonna jump in it again, they're gonna have to survive the rushing river.
just seems a shame to have that water and not push the use of it. Use a water elemental that can submerge to heal maybe?