Serpent mage

[Ossian]

Dear All

I need to stat a sort of semi-final boss for the climax of a Middle Earth campaign, which we are playing using the d20 system (with a lot of flexibility and houseruling and adaptations).

What I have in mind is a lesser Maia, so a creature like Gandalf or Saruman (definitely NOT Sauron Maia). So someone that can actually be killed, and its spirit banished to the outer void. The following are desirable traits for this creature

Challenging for a low op party of 4 PCs (all level 6)

2 Fighters (eothraim)
1 Ranger
1 Swashbuckler

and 2 NPCs (unspecified high level but around mid teens)

1 Teleri bard / ranger
1 Noldo paladin / celestial bloodline / healbot

The big boss is situated on a huge black ship, sort of like a 50 meters Dromon of Death (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dromon).

The big boss (and here comes the interesting part) is supposed to be

A maia (outsider?)
A shapechanger (his true form is that of a huge anaconda, but can shapechange into a humanoid form, that of a big (actually Large) man with sourhtern features (like a Southern Haradrim) but serpentine traits (scaly skin, eye slits etc...).
Most important (as it is what made him one of the main antagonists) he must be an expert of "transformation" magic. I was thinking of giving him 3 level of Wiz (specialist in "transformation" school, with the UA transmuter variant, and keeping Necro and Abjur) and adding 7 levels of Complete Mage Master Specialist). His thing is really to mutate other life forms and he is basically a fantasy version of the mad scientist with the "genome soldier" project of the day in his mind. Any ideas on how to replicate that?

Optimization is not a big deal, really, as stuff like summoning demons and shooting fireballs is not to tolkienesque. The guy has to have leadership as a feat (so he will have a cohort and a bunch of lower level adepts).

Personally, I was thinking of a Shapeshifting Outsider Giant constrictor with the aforementioned levels (so 18d8 HD + 10d4) able to shapechange into a Yuan Ti pureblood type of fighter or battle mage (scimitar).

Any ideas?


Ossian

[jara]

all i can think of is a lycanthrope between a yuan-ti pureblood and a huge constrictor snake, which ends up being HD15 and CR14 by itself. [also requires a bit of rule-bending with lycanthropy, due to the size difference, ogre may work better]
throw in the transmuter like you want, and it's far more powerful, obviously.
maybe apply a homebrew template to make it an evil outsider?
this ends up being at least HD25 and CR24.

and you say this party's level 6? you must really want them to die.

[Ossian]

all i can think of is a lycanthrope between a yuan-ti pureblood and a huge constrictor snake, which ends up being HD15 and CR14 by itself. [also requires a bit of rule-bending with lycanthropy, due to the size difference, ogre may work better]
throw in the transmuter like you want, and it's far more powerful, obviously.
maybe apply a homebrew template to make it an evil outsider?
this ends up being at least HD25 and CR24.

and you say this party's level 6? you must really want them to die.

Thanks!

Well, :smallbiggrin: winning is not quite an option for them (even though they are with powerful NPCs). The sooner they realise it, the better.

After all, the Fellowship wasn't that much of a Party, but Master Tolkien still threw in a Balrog, after days of orcs and cave trolls :smallwink:

[herrhauptmann]

Thanks!

Well, :smallbiggrin: winning is not quite an option for them (even though they are with powerful NPCs). The sooner they realise it, the better.



What's your contingency plan for when they don;t realize it in time? Or someone eats 3 bad rolls in a row (or a max damage crit) and dies?

[Ossian]

What's your contingency plan for when they don;t realize it in time? Or someone eats 3 bad rolls in a row (or a max damage crit) and dies?

That is a fair point. I can think of 2 trump cards. The level 16 to 18 elves could get in the way and buy time for an escape. The other could be that something happens at the Castle, where the black ship is headed, and the big boss has to drop the fight and teleport there (or turn himself into a pterodactyl and just fly over).

Must think of more though. The insta-kill on a critical hit...ah...ok, that'd get me in trouble with my friends I guess...:smallamused: