[3.5 BBEG Encounter] What you can't see will hurt you!

[Tokiko Mima]

Hi all!

I'm constructing a BBEG for a one shot Eberron adventure for 11th level PC's, and I was looking for any advice on how I could do this better, or if this is too powerful an encounter, or if I can do anything to make this encounter spookier.

I'm basically going to send the players on a hunt for serial killer who has been terrorizing Sharn ala Jack the Ripper. They're going to investigate murder scenes, get a few false leads, etc, but eventually they're going to find themselves down in the killer's personal chamber of torment, an old goblin mining cave in the Depths where he extracts liquid pain and souls from the "lucky" victims he didn't eviscerate immediately.

The only foe they will face is the BBEG, a fairly normal looking human who is essentially a Beguiler//Artificer gestalt. I know it's normally a bad idea to have only one foe in a BBEG encounter, but the BBEG is going to have the whole room trapped with explosives that detonate the insides of the cages the victims are in if set off, as well as exploding any nearby PCs.

The BBEG also has a full five levels of Master of the Unseen Hand, and 60' Arcane Reach via 2 levels of Archmage, meaning he's 16 level at least. He'll be spec'ed out for using Telekinesis (which he got via the Extra Spell Feat) and Chain Spell. He'll attack by telekinetically manipulating the helpless/drained bodies of the his hostages, having them take a weapon, and buffing the heck out of them with GMW, Greater Invisibility, and other Chain Spell-able buffs. Using Chain Spell + Telekinesis and MotUH levels means he can hit animate as many as 20 people, and have them full attack with his caster level as their BAB.

Meanwhile, the BBEG remains behind the traps, protected by guile and the best Beguiler buffs he has. So essentially he's going to try and trick the PC's into murdering the people they're supposed to rescue.

The players consist of one really, really strong, high damage Half Ogre, a sorceress specializing in enchantment and illusion, a diviner, and a rather standard cleric all of the 11th level. They're used to letting the Ogre do all the heavy lifting and just supporting him in melee, but I wanted this encounter to require them to think outside that box.

What do you think? Any ideas on improving this encounter?

[JeenLeen]

Be careful not to make the BBEG too immune to your party's tactics. Thinking outside the box for the final encounter is good, and it's reasonable that he would prepare for the PCs in particular if he knows they are tracking him down.

He should have some protections on him against Illusion and Enchantment (at least a Protection from Good), but not so much that your sorceresss cannot effect him or get by it through casters some particular spells. If he immune to her enchantment or mind-affecting spells, I would not give him True Sight or an item emulating it so that she can at least use buff illusions.

Are half-ogres large? If so, having some sections being too small is a nice touch. Do the players bust through, triggering traps and maybe risking a cave-in, or do they try to force the BBEG out where the half-ogre can reach him?

Some NPCs dressed as the BBEG wouldn't be a bad idea, if the players know what he looks like. It would use the BBEG's Disguise check, I believe, perhaps at a penalty.

[Melamoto]

Depends on his tactics. If you have him hit for the weaker of the party right away with all he's got, he could probably drop them in one turn. But if he focuses only on the muscle of the party, then he will still probably be dealing a fair amount of damage, but not enough to make the party cry.

[Tokiko Mima]

Be careful not to make the BBEG too immune to your party's tactics. Thinking outside the box for the final encounter is good, and it's reasonable that he would prepare for the PCs in particular if he knows they are tracking him down.

He should have some protections on him against Illusion and Enchantment (at least a Protection from Good), but not so much that your sorceresss cannot effect him or get by it through casters some particular spells. If he immune to her enchantment or mind-affecting spells, I would not give him True Sight or an item emulating it so that she can at least use buff illusions.

Well, I hadn't actually planned for the BBEG to have any specific preparation for the players. That is a good point! I should take into account how much my BBEG knows about the party in advance, and how stealthily they conduct their investigations.


Are half-ogres large? If so, having some sections being too small is a nice touch. Do the players bust through, triggering traps and maybe risking a cave-in, or do they try to force the BBEG out where the half-ogre can reach him?

I will definately keep that in mind when I map the room. Squeezing through a trapped area might not be a good idea for the players!


Some NPCs dressed as the BBEG wouldn't be a bad idea, if the players know what he looks like. It would use the BBEG's Disguise check, I believe, perhaps at a penalty.

Since the BBEG will have a Beguiler base, Disguising is easy. The BBEG might even have illusion'ed himself as a nearby corpse, just so he can stay close and personal with the PC's as his illusion across the room draws any ranged attacks. Good idea!

I might also have the BBEG sub in a level of Mindbender, just for the creepiness of having the BBEG taunt them telepathically as they fight. It could also be add to the effect if he piped in some of the mental screams of his victims as he uses their bodies to attack the players.


Depends on his tactics. If you have him hit for the weaker of the party right away with all he's got, he could probably drop them in one turn. But if he focuses only on the muscle of the party, then he will still probably be dealing a fair amount of damage, but not enough to make the party cry.

I want this to be a climactic encounter, and the BBEG at heart is a demented serial killer and builder of demonic machines and inhuman devices. His tactics will probably be to go for maximum pain and gore across the party, unless he is injured by someone at which point he'll focus fire on them. That should play into the hands of the players, but I've already given the BBEG a host of advantages with a trapped lair, hostages, surprise, and an unexpected attack form.

[Tokiko Mima]

Question: I just ran the numbers and my BBEG will have a Caster level of 21 when using Telekinesis. Does that mean a BAB of +21/+16/+11/+6/+1, or should I assume the 21st point of BAB granted via the spell should be treated as Epic AB, and doesn't add an iterative attack?

I'm thinking the first interpretation is RAW, and the second is RAI.