Aotrs Commander
2009-09-21, 11:03 AM
Since my last thread on the subject here (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?p=6699974&posted=1) is close to thread necromancy, I'll play safe and start a new thread. And I'll even put it in the homebrew forum this time (no idea why I didn't last time...)
Anyway, long story short, I am attempting to make the idea of 4E's solo template (i.e. individual monsters that can face a whole party) practical in 3.5.
(Those of you wanting to know why I consider the amount of effort doing this for my particular group (and believe me, I do) and why I don't use "simpler" solutions should refer to the previous thread, or better the longer, more detailed explanation I made on the WotC boards here (http://community.wizards.com/go/thread/view/75882/20058081/An_Unecessarily_Longwinded_Treatise_on_BBEG_Encoun ter_Designand_a_couple_of_templates). I won't re-iterate them here, since I really don't need to repeat all that again when I don't need to. Again, long story short, I've tried them and they don't always work and/or are not optimal for every single boss fight I want to run.)
Finally, then, after a month and a half, I had another go, taking on board Quellian-dyrae's extremely useful suggestion in the previous GitP thread. The new template is a bit less messy and has more utility, since you can use it for more than just single monsters.
So then, I present for your evalutation:
Defiant Monster Template
A Defiant creature is one that is extremely hard to kill. They cling to life (or unlife) with a tenacity unheard of by lesser creatures. The reasons are many. They may be chosen by destiny, favoured by some higher power, powered by some unspeakable ritual magic, driven by their sheer bloody-minded will to survive or they may simply be preternaturally fortunate.
The Defiant Template can be applied to any creature, hereafter referred to as the Base Creature. This template can be applied up to five times (or more if the party size is larger).
All statistics are as the base creature except:
HD: A Defiant creature always has maximum hit points. A Defiant creature's hit points are divided into blocks, with the base creature's maximum hit points forming the first block. For each time this template is taken, it gains an additional block of hit points equal to it's maximum hit points. When one block is reduced to 0, damage transfers immediately to the next one.
These are not temporary hit points and are treated as regular hit points; if the creature's Constitution is reduced (or any other stat that applies to it's hit points), the base and the blocks are all reduced accordingly. Effects that reduce a creature's hit points to 0 or 1 (e.g. Harm, suffocation) instead reduce the current block's hit points to 0 or 1. Effects which likewise function on current hit points only treat the current block's hit points. The creature's HD remain unaffected.
Defiant creature hit points are indicated with the format x+x, where x is the base creature's maximum hit points, with each block being seperated by the plus sign.
Special Qualities: As the base creature plus the following special ability.
I Got Better (Ex): Once per encounter per template application, if the Defiant creature fails a saving throw, it can reroll it's save as a free action. It cannot reroll any one save more than once. Each time it uses a reroll, it takes a cumulative -1 penalty to attack rolls, skill and ability checks, opposed checks and saves.
At the end of it's turn, as a Swift action, the Defiant creature can expend one full block of hit-points to negate any one negative condition, power, spell or other negative effect currently affecting it. This effect on the creature ends immeditatly.
Any time the Defiant is subject to a non-hit-point-damaging effect that kills it outright or leave it otherwise Confused, Cowering, Dazed, Helpless, Nauseated, Paralysed, Petrified (or similar), Polymorphed or Stunned, it may expend a full block of hit points to negate that portion of the effect.
A block of hit points expended by this power must be one that is completely undamaged.
CR +1 for each template application.
Said new template even has some other applications. Sticking a single application or two on a mid-high level boss in a regular fight makes it slightly harder to wipe out in one shot; or a 3-5ish Defiant creature should work pretty well as a solo monster (party size depending).
Better than my last attempt? Any further suggestions as to how it may be improved? Obvious flaws I've missed?
(If I may ask, not to sound mean or ungrateful to everyone trying to help me, but can we please keep the number of "just use improved monsters/lots of monsters/terrain" etc etc suggestions to a minimum as they aren't very helpful to me at this juncture. I have tried all of those over the years, with variying success; for those wishing to learn why I don't consider them the only functional or desireable solutions, refer to the aforementioned WotC thread where I went into it in great, great detail! I feel I need ask this, since I'd really like to avoid having to make the same justifications why I think this template is necessary again, for the third time, and instead to concentrate on improving the template! Thanks, folks.)
Anyway, long story short, I am attempting to make the idea of 4E's solo template (i.e. individual monsters that can face a whole party) practical in 3.5.
(Those of you wanting to know why I consider the amount of effort doing this for my particular group (and believe me, I do) and why I don't use "simpler" solutions should refer to the previous thread, or better the longer, more detailed explanation I made on the WotC boards here (http://community.wizards.com/go/thread/view/75882/20058081/An_Unecessarily_Longwinded_Treatise_on_BBEG_Encoun ter_Designand_a_couple_of_templates). I won't re-iterate them here, since I really don't need to repeat all that again when I don't need to. Again, long story short, I've tried them and they don't always work and/or are not optimal for every single boss fight I want to run.)
Finally, then, after a month and a half, I had another go, taking on board Quellian-dyrae's extremely useful suggestion in the previous GitP thread. The new template is a bit less messy and has more utility, since you can use it for more than just single monsters.
So then, I present for your evalutation:
Defiant Monster Template
A Defiant creature is one that is extremely hard to kill. They cling to life (or unlife) with a tenacity unheard of by lesser creatures. The reasons are many. They may be chosen by destiny, favoured by some higher power, powered by some unspeakable ritual magic, driven by their sheer bloody-minded will to survive or they may simply be preternaturally fortunate.
The Defiant Template can be applied to any creature, hereafter referred to as the Base Creature. This template can be applied up to five times (or more if the party size is larger).
All statistics are as the base creature except:
HD: A Defiant creature always has maximum hit points. A Defiant creature's hit points are divided into blocks, with the base creature's maximum hit points forming the first block. For each time this template is taken, it gains an additional block of hit points equal to it's maximum hit points. When one block is reduced to 0, damage transfers immediately to the next one.
These are not temporary hit points and are treated as regular hit points; if the creature's Constitution is reduced (or any other stat that applies to it's hit points), the base and the blocks are all reduced accordingly. Effects that reduce a creature's hit points to 0 or 1 (e.g. Harm, suffocation) instead reduce the current block's hit points to 0 or 1. Effects which likewise function on current hit points only treat the current block's hit points. The creature's HD remain unaffected.
Defiant creature hit points are indicated with the format x+x, where x is the base creature's maximum hit points, with each block being seperated by the plus sign.
Special Qualities: As the base creature plus the following special ability.
I Got Better (Ex): Once per encounter per template application, if the Defiant creature fails a saving throw, it can reroll it's save as a free action. It cannot reroll any one save more than once. Each time it uses a reroll, it takes a cumulative -1 penalty to attack rolls, skill and ability checks, opposed checks and saves.
At the end of it's turn, as a Swift action, the Defiant creature can expend one full block of hit-points to negate any one negative condition, power, spell or other negative effect currently affecting it. This effect on the creature ends immeditatly.
Any time the Defiant is subject to a non-hit-point-damaging effect that kills it outright or leave it otherwise Confused, Cowering, Dazed, Helpless, Nauseated, Paralysed, Petrified (or similar), Polymorphed or Stunned, it may expend a full block of hit points to negate that portion of the effect.
A block of hit points expended by this power must be one that is completely undamaged.
CR +1 for each template application.
Said new template even has some other applications. Sticking a single application or two on a mid-high level boss in a regular fight makes it slightly harder to wipe out in one shot; or a 3-5ish Defiant creature should work pretty well as a solo monster (party size depending).
Better than my last attempt? Any further suggestions as to how it may be improved? Obvious flaws I've missed?
(If I may ask, not to sound mean or ungrateful to everyone trying to help me, but can we please keep the number of "just use improved monsters/lots of monsters/terrain" etc etc suggestions to a minimum as they aren't very helpful to me at this juncture. I have tried all of those over the years, with variying success; for those wishing to learn why I don't consider them the only functional or desireable solutions, refer to the aforementioned WotC thread where I went into it in great, great detail! I feel I need ask this, since I'd really like to avoid having to make the same justifications why I think this template is necessary again, for the third time, and instead to concentrate on improving the template! Thanks, folks.)