[3.5] Character Aid Requested!

[arguskos]

My RL players, I know you read this forum. Stay the hell out. You know who you are.

Yes. You too. Especially YOU. :smalltongue: Nothing personal guys, but can't have you reading this thread, or using the mouse-over text, to get an advantage or spoil anything! Don't want to spoil it.

Ok, are they gone? Good, I hate those guys (not really). Moving on then!

I find myself in need of aid for a baddie for an upcoming game. He's a murdering bastard of an enchanter (though, his preferred method of killing is probably not what you think; I can expound on it if desired, it's kinda neat IMO). Eventually, the party is probably gonna encounter him and attempt to violence him until he is no more, and he'd really rather not be violenced to death if you catch my meaning!

Now, as an enchanter, he's not an amazing combat character. What I need help with is a spell selection that will keep him around for more than half a round. Character details:

-Human Enchanter 3/Master Specialist 2 (built this way because he's intended to become a recurring bad guy; more on this in a moment). Banned schools are up for debate, but currently sit at Evocation and Illusion. Could change that to Evocation/Abjuration.
-He traded his familiar for Instant Daze, making Focused Specialist not an option (I asked a player to take either the Immediate Magic ACF -or- the Focused Specialist ACF for balance concerns with the rest of the party, so I'm doing the same with my NPCs; 'sonly fair).
-He has a Copper Asp (Dragon #341) on his wrist that he built and will be using its poison spit to help out. Don't assume much about it though.
-There are no allies he can call upon, though his escape route has a tin golem to help block people in, and the party will have already fought a pair of tin golems. Tin golems are also Dragon #341 (melee brutes, lots of life, crappy attack, are not a serious threat).
-The party is five members strong, is level 5, and will be mostly martial focused (confirmed is a guns-akimbo samurai, a binder/scout using Paimon, and a conjurer/MS; likely is a cleric of some kind and a possible fighterish guy?).
-He has full PC WBL (so 9,000 gp).
-Feat selection: Spell Focus (enchantment), Combat Charm, Scribe ScrollB, Unsettling Enchantment, Combat Casting, Skill Focus (Spellcraft)B. I give more feats than usual.

He is meant to be a recurring character, so ideally, he has an escape route planned (I know he's buying anklets of translocation for that purpose, and may buy a scroll of dimension door too, just to be safe). If they kill him though, well done. This guy's the antagonist of a murder mystery adventure, so he should be fairly tricky to handle.

I need a spell selection worth a damn and some item suggestions. Basically everything is fair game (setting stuff too), but PLEASE give both reasoning for whatever you suggest and where I can find it (book at minimum, page number would be ideal). No Dungeon Mag though, I don't have any of them. :smallbiggrin:

[SleepyShadow]

Sounds like the Mind Bender PrC (Complete Arcane) would be good for him thematically, even if it isn't the most power PrC out there. At higher levels, have him go into Initiate of the Sevenfold Veil (Complete Arcane). Best. Defensive. Caster. Ever.

If you want him to be a reoccurring villain, I'd make him a couple levels higher than the party, especially if he's going up against them alone.

As for spells, charm/suggestion/dominate are your friends. Summon Monster would be helpful too. Lastly, look through the Illusion spells. There are some tricks in that spell school worth looking into.

[arguskos]

Sounds like the Mind Bender PrC (Complete Arcane) would be good for him thematically, even if it isn't the most power PrC out there. At higher levels, have him go into Initiate of the Sevenfold Veil (Complete Arcane). Best. Defensive. Caster. Ever.
Mindbender is planned at higher levels (after finishing out MS).


If you want him to be a reoccurring villain, I'd make him a couple levels higher than the party, especially if he's going up against them alone.
I naturally optimize far beyond what my party is capable of, so I'm kinda counting on that and on them being somewhat weakened from the tin golems to cover for the differences. Also, I don't want him to have more than 3rd level spells, since he could just ruin them with 4th level effects (lulzblacktentacles).


As for spells, charm/suggestion/dominate are your friends. Summon Monster would be helpful too. Lastly, look through the Illusion spells. There are some tricks in that spell school worth looking into.
I was thinking about a lot of suggestion. Maybe use a few more tricky things like unluck. Still, detailed spell help would be AWESOME.

[PollyOliver]

Personally, I would never recommend barring abjuration for a recurring villain. He's only recurring if he lives, and abjuration will help him do that.

As for spells, I guess my main question would be if he has minions or not. If he does, I'd recommend some buffs, but if not my recommendations would be different. Also, what are your PCs' will saves like?

[arguskos]

Personally, I would never recommend barring abjuration for a recurring villain. He's only recurring if he lives, and abjuration will help him do that.
True. Thus why the current schools banned are Illusion/Evocation. Could ban Necromancy instead?


As for spells, I guess my main question would be if he has minions or not. If he does, I'd recommend some buffs, but if not my recommendations would be different. Also, what are your PCs' will saves like?
None for this encounter.

Eh, dunno about their saves yet. Probably not amazing though. They're level 5, so in the 3-6 range?

[Grelna the Blue]

If you did give him Mindbender later on, then the telepathy gained at first level would make him eligible to take the Mindsight feat, which means when casting area effect spells he'd only have to worry about Line of Effect, not Line of Sight. That would make it possible to use darkness or nonsolid walls to good effect against the party.

[Quirp]

Enchantments mostly require you to be very creative (like illusions) since the effects are often up to you. I think you should try to come up with some suggestions before the fight starts. Remember that those may not put the target in direct danger (one of my favorites is "Remove your armor.", since that can take minutes). I wouldn´t drop illusion since those can help to cover your escape (and never forget to start the encounter before the players know it started: nothing is worse then a group of PCs that think that no one can hear them since they are in that dark alley, but that are really walking over the market place)

[arguskos]

If you did give him Mindbender later on, then the telepathy gained at first level would make him eligible to take the Mindsight feat, which means when casting area effect spells he'd only have to worry about Line of Effect, not Line of Sight. That would make it possible to use darkness or nonsolid walls to good effect against the party.
Yeah, that's also planned, but not until later.


Enchantments mostly require you to be very creative (like illusions) since the effects are often up to you. I think you should try to come up with some suggestions before the fight starts. Remember that those may not put the target in direct danger (one of my favorites is "Remove your armor.", since that can take minutes). I wouldn´t drop illusion since those can help to cover your escape (and never forget to start the encounter before the players know it started: nothing is worse then a group of PCs that think that no one can hear them since they are in that dark alley, but that are really walking over the market place)
This is very good advice. I'll think about ideas for this stuff. I did take Combat Charm so he doesn't suffer that hideously stupid "+5 bonus against enchantments in battle" thing.

Also, while I've received a lot of nice advice about the future of the character, at the moment that doesn't matter, since if he never makes it there, well then. :smalltongue:

Really, I'm looking for fairly obscure enchantment spells of Sor/Wiz levels 1-3 to use as a solo encounter. Anyone got anything for me?

[Quirp]

Miser´s Envy (p.114 Draconomicon) is a wonderful spell to use since it can lead to so much trouble for a group of "friends". Just try to cast it before the actual encounter begins, since then only half the group will deal with you, while the rest has another task.

[Grelna the Blue]

Torrent of Tears (Sor/Wiz 2) Complete Mage

Black Karma Curse (Sor/Wiz 2) from PH2 is nice if you have anyone in your party who does a lot of damage per attack.

Adoration of the Frightful (Sor/Wiz 3) from Dragon Magic is also nice if he has spells, items, or allies that induce fear.

Yoke of Mercy (Sor/Wiz 2) from BoXD could be something of a nasty surprise to the party. It's a Good spell, but a caster of any alignment can cast it.

[arguskos]

Right now I have the following:
0th- daze, acid splash, double cantrip, caltrops
1st- grease, hold portal, charm person (x2)
2nd- black karma curse, tasha’s hideous laughter, sting ray
3rd- miser’s envy, suggestion

He also carries two scrolls each of inevitable defeat (CMage, ongoing 3d6 nonlethal) and black karma curse, along with a scythe for killing characters knocked out by inevitable defeat.

That look reasonable? Oh, the hold portal is for the locking of his getaway route. :smallbiggrin:

[Grelna the Blue]

Hold Portal is great for blocking an enemy group's escape route (esp. if they are trapped inside a Stinking Cloud or some other long lasting save or lose spell).

However, if this guy is worried about his own escape route, he could have just cast Arcane Lock upon it well beforehand.

[Biffoniacus_Furiou]

Shrink Item saves the day. Get a large metal dome crafted, cast Shrink Item on it, and wear it as a helmet. Cast Shrink Item on a volume of lava if you want to kill them, or on a volume of water otherwise, to make it into a cloth patch. Secure several such patches on the underside of the metal dome turned helmet, all the patches should have the same command word but one different from the dome. Melee runs at him, he (free action) speaks the word to turn the helmet into a dome which falls around them trapping them all inside, (standard action) teleports out from under, (free action) speaks the word to turn the patches back into lava/water, thus filling the inside of the dome, and he has a move action remaining. The melee characters are now trapped inside a metal dome filled with lava/water, if lava they're taking 20d6 damage per round, if water they risk drowning if they cannot escape. Good luck getting them out from under that. At caster level 5 he can keep five items continually shrunk at the cost of his precious 3rd level spell slot, but it will be well worth it.

He could use Alter Self to take the form of a Troglodyte for +6 natural armor, or a Crucian from Miniatures Handbook/Sandstorm for +8 natural armor, which combined with Mage Armor and Shield gives him a 24/26 AC with Dex 10. With Mirror Image he should be relatively safe for quite a few rounds. Be sure to put Alarm on his prepared and used spells so he has all his buffs active as soon as they walk in.