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Mystic Muse
2010-03-31, 10:19 PM
okay, our group is going through the campaign red hand of doom. However, it's going way too easy. almost every enemy we've encountered has gone down quickly. I want to present the DM with some replacement monsters that might actually do something. Here's the current Party build.

http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=133737 This version of the Paladin. Human, using an adamantine warning greatsword and on a Drakkensteed. level 8 http://www.myth-weavers.com/sheetview.php?sheetid=180486 I used to use a charging build so that might have had something to do with it.

A spellthief 1/dragonfire adept 6. He's a cat race called a Frey. The only items I know he has are a cloak of charisma and gloves of dexterity.

a Half Li lung-Dragon Half orc Monk level 7. Has a ridiculously high AC somehow that makes it so most enemies can't hit him. He's also large sized and can now fly. He got the Half dragon template for +1 La which probably affects things a lot.

a Druid 7/Dracolyte 1. She hardly ever uses wildshape and mostly lets her animal companion attack. Not sure what else she has. Don't have her list of spells.

Is there anything I can suggest to the DM that would work well against this group? or at least will survive more than a few rounds?

The DM has the first four monster manuals and the fiend folio along with Both fiendish codexes, the book of vile darkness and the book of bad latin. (Libris mortis)

AslanCross
2010-03-31, 11:25 PM
What part are you at? The encounters in my campaign are drastically more difficult than the book as written, though I did fail miserably in some of them.

Mystic Muse
2010-03-31, 11:27 PM
we just evacuated a town. Drellin's ferry I believe. Does it get harder after that?

AslanCross
2010-03-31, 11:32 PM
It's supposed to. My party had an easy time before they returned to Drellin's Ferry---although Ozzyrandion slagged the artificer's homunculus, they got through most of the intro fairly easily.

Then came the midnight raid on Drellin's Ferry. They forgot to heal, assuming they were safe. Artificer got crisped by a scintillating sphere.

1. For one I use ToB, so the Bladebearers, Sergeants and others get some Warblade levels.

2. Instead of sorcerers, the Kulkor Zhul War Adepts are Hobgoblin Warcasters with two wizard levels.

3. All the dragons are older by one age category.

4. Almost all of the Wyrmlords should be heavily revamped. They're mostly kind of weak.

5. Spawn of Tiamat from MM4 are both fluff-relevant and easy enough to make dangerous threats.

6. I changed the spell selections of all the casters.

Mystic Muse
2010-03-31, 11:45 PM
Is that before or after the evacuation? because the evacuation was pretty easy.

AslanCross
2010-03-31, 11:59 PM
I'm not exactly following what happened: The evacuation wasn't supposed to be a combat encounter. Ideally you find the horde, then you beat Koth and the dragon, get back to Drellin's Ferry and convince them to evacuate. The goblins get in one attack before then, then the town evacuates.

If you fail to convince them to evacuate, a massive invasion happens and the horde pretty much slaughters everyone. If you were able to beat THAT, then there must be something very wrong.

Either way the evacuation (or burning) of Drellin's Ferry is supposed to be the end of chapter 1.

Mystic Muse
2010-04-01, 12:02 AM
ah. Well, the battle before the Evacuation went off without a hitch. I believe my mount sustained 1 damage and I sustained 3 the entire battle. There were two or three small raiding parties but that was it.

AslanCross
2010-04-01, 12:11 AM
ah. Well, the battle before the Evacuation went off without a hitch. I believe my mount sustained 1 damage and I sustained 3 the entire battle. There were two or three small raiding parties but that was it.

Yeah, that encounter's rather easy as written. Eldariel helped me make it a lot more difficult---for one the caster was beefed up and had better spells. The goblin outriders had significantly better Scout/Fighter builds, and I had a couple of snipers positioned on the rooftops. I also threw in a couple of hobgoblin duskblades.

...also, that monk is messed up. Is he an orc half-dragon, or a half-orc with the half-dragon template? :smalleek: If it's the latter... (http://www.shawntionary.com/chainmailbikini/?p=39)

Mystic Muse
2010-04-01, 12:14 AM
Well, he had an Orc Parent and a Dragon parent so he's half Orc and half Dragon. His origin is not due to a threesome.

So, the battle get harder after this?

AslanCross
2010-04-01, 12:18 AM
Well, he had an Orc Parent and a Dragon parent so he's half Orc and half Dragon. His origin is not due to a threesome.

So, the battle get harder after this?

Ah, alright. You had me worried there.

Yes, they should get harder, but in my case it's mostly because I dramatically increased the monsters' power level to match the PCs. I don't know how much your DM is willing to tweak the encounters. There are only two encounters I ran straight out of the book with no changes.

Also, you seem to be already at ECL 8. That might be why it's really easy---the adventure's supposed to start at ECL 5.

Mystic Muse
2010-04-01, 12:20 AM
you mean the Evacuation? because the adventure did Start at level 5. It's just we were ECL 8 by the Evacuation.

AslanCross
2010-04-01, 12:22 AM
That's still pretty quick. If I'm not mistaken my players were only ECL 6 at the end of that. They were about ECL 8 when they got to the end of Chapter 2.

Mystic Muse
2010-04-01, 12:24 AM
Maybe the DM isn't adjusting things for the party correctly? or his CR calculator is off? that would definitely affect things.

Runestar
2010-04-01, 08:06 AM
So I take it you have just finished part 1 of the module?

1 problem I noticed is that the module likes to throw a large number of relatively weaker mooks at the PCs. Sure, between all of them, they get a lot of actions, but they are individually so weak that they probably cannot hit the PCs, and are so easily 1-shotted.

One suggestion might be to replace them with 2-3 monsters of individual cr 2 points lower than the party's average EL. Plus, you need to be willing to optimize them a little, and maybe rely on potions/buffs to further improve their effectiveness.

Magic item compendium is also chock full of cheap magic items which provide fair useful powers. Plus point is that your players can loot them afterwards, so they don't feel cheated.

For example, at the road blockade, instead of an assortment of cr3 minions who can't hit for nuts, you can consider replacing them with 2 cr7 npcs. If your DM is pressed for time, I recommend the ogre barb npc in the MM (using the UA wolf totem variant to replace uncanny dodge with improved trip, and possibly replacing rage with whirling rage).

Else, consider 2 ogre crusader4 with thicket of blades, reach weapons and white raven tactics (assuming racial HD advances IL). This ramps up the EL to 9 though.

For the spawn of tiamat, simply add another one (also EL9).

Ignore all encounters with lizardfolk or simply have the DM handwave them; they are simply too weak to harass the PCs.

As for hobgoblin npcs, MM5 does have some rather decent statblocks (including one that is basically a lv9 wizard at cr8). If you lack them, go with hobgoblin duskblade5 (open up with quickened true-strike+channel-shocking grasp+full power attack).

3A - replace 4 ogres with 2 ogre crusader4.
3B - Same.
3C - Add an extra razorfiend.
3D - Add an extra ettin, or use an ettin barb2 instead. Alternatively, use a giant of cr8 (MM5 has the elemental magi).
3E - Restat mindbender as a beguiler5/mindbender1/beguiler+2 (so you can use advanced learning to learn a new 4th lv spell). Give him 2 hobgoblin warblade5 as tanks.
3F - I have no idea how to optimize sarviith (maybe rebuild him as a ranger5/scout4 with swift hunter?), though you should use the distracting shot variant in PHB2, its animal companion is essentially worthless.
3G - Make the black dragon a young adult (cr9), which also makes it large. If you have MM5, use the xorvintaal template (replaces spellcasting with a special ability and bonus on saves, I recommend berserker str).

Let me know if I missed anything out.