[3.5] Help me with an undead-themed miniboss!

[PincoPallino]

Hello, Playground. Long time lurker, first time poster.

i'm GMing a campaign for some friends, they've just reached level 5.

On the next session, they'll visit a sieged city, and they'll need to help them break the siege by infiltrating the enemy camp and disabling their catapult / killing their leader.

They'll be told to break down the catapult and then make a signal with Dancing Lights, and they'll be teleported back by the town's mages through some spell.
BUT, something will go wrong, the teleport won't work and they'll end up captured.
The commander of the army, some undead cleric or Wizard guy (still haven't decided, not important right now) will have them pitted in a 100x100 feet square area (around there will be a lot of undead, so no escaping) against some huge undead monster.

They'll have to fight and defeat said undead monster.

(After they defeat him, the evil commander will go nuts and order the entire army to attack them, but luckily they'll get teleported home just before getting swarmed and killed.)

Now, for the actual request =)
I'd like you to help me stat up this monster.
I want it Huge and Undead, everything else is open.

The party is level 5(Druid, Bard, Factotum, TWFRanger, Barbarian) and not particularly optimized, so nothing too strong =)

I'd like it to be some sort of puzzle monster like Hydras, but i don't really know how to begin.

So, can the almighty Playground help me stat up this monster?
Thanks in advance

[PincoPallino]

Uhm... Please? Pretty Please?

[Keld Denar]

Do you want something simple like an animated zombie or skeleton? Or do you want something fancy like...I dunno, I can't think of any huge undead that aren't CR 13+

You could take like, a Hill Giant skeleton, and apply the Evolved Undead to it. That gives it a bit more Str, some fast healing, a single SLA (don't pick one of the really mean ones), and a bit more of a dangerous feel than a simple vanilla skeleton. Libris Mortis is the source of that template, and your general go-to guide for things that are both mean and undead.

[Phase]

Now do you want it to be huge, or Huge?

There are some really interesting undead in the various books. My personal favorites are either over or under the appropriate CR, though. If they're well optimized and not too low on supplies at the time of battle, I would recommend a Bloodhulk Crusher from MM IV, but if that's too much of a challenge, a Bloodhulk Giant should do the trick.

[PincoPallino]

Thanks for the suggestions.
I'm currently checking out some books, and i've come up with the Hulking Corpse, from Libris mortis page 109

Now, he's definitely too strong for the party, but that's what i want.
A monster who is nigh-unbeatable if you just face it and charge it, but can be made defeatable by some trick.

Basically what i want is a puzzle monster, to give my players a monster that isn't just "he attacks again".

I'm now checking the things you suggested..

EDIT: WHOA, that Bloodhulk thing is awesome! i'm afraid, though, that 3d6+24 would be like 80% of the hp of the barbarian player..
Anyway that's a great starting point, like the one i found in Libris Mortis.

Now i just need an idea to make it into a puzzle mosnter..

[Phase]

What you could do is tone it down a bit, then add on some Damage Reduction/Piercing. Then scatter wooden spear pole things around the arena for flavor. Once they figure out the thing's weakness (which will take some thinking, since I've never really heard of any undead with DR/Piercing) they can use bluffs and feints to trick it into impaling itself on the pikes.

[docnessuno]

I would suggest a Zombie Mature adult Fang dragon (using the zombie dragon template in draconomicon)

HP: 21d12+45 (181)
Size: Huge
Str: 27 / Dex: 8 / Con: - / Int: - / Wis: 10 / Cha: 8
AC: 17 (-2 size, -1 Dex, +10 natural)
Fort: +6 / Ref: +5 / Will: +12
Initiative: -1 / BaB: +10
Speed: 60ft, fly 120ft (clumsy)
Space/Reach: 15 ft./10 ft. (15 ft. with bite)
Attacks: Bite +16 4d6+8 + Ability drain OR Crush +16 4d6+12 (DC 19)
Special attacks: Sound imitation, Ability drain (1d4 con, DC 19)
Special qualities: DR 5/slashing, Undead traits, SR 22, Blindsense 60 feet, Keen Senses, Darkvision 120ft, Slow
Skills: None
Feats: Toughness
CR: 6

I would consider using DM fiat to lower SR by 5.
Also i'm not 100% sure the undead version keeps the ability drain (it should not keep any non-ex special attacks, but breath-weapons are kept with half damage and the drains substitutes the breath weapon)

EVERYONE loves fighting dragons!

[doko239]

I dunno if you wanna open the game up to Pathfinder stuff, but a Pathfinder Summoner's Eidolon can basically be whatever you want it to be. (If you're unfamiliar with PF Summoner, basically an Eidolon is an "animal companion" analogue whose stats are almost entirely malleable; you build your own beast, in essence).

This is probably overpowered, but as an example:

A 13th-level Summoner will have 17 evolution points. He can spend 10 evolution points on the Huge evolution for the Eidolon, giving it +16 Str, +8 Con, +5 Nat Armor, -4 Dex, -2 Armor penalty, +2 CMB/CMD (In 3.5, treat it as +2 on grapple/disarm/sunder checks), and 15-foot reach.

Spend another 6 Evolution points to give it Undead Appearance. This gives it immunity to disease, exhaustion, fatigue, paralysis, poison, sleep effects, and stunning, and causes it to be affected by Channel Energy as if it were Undead (Turn Undead/Rebuke Undead in 3.5). One more point spent gives it Unnatural Aura: normal animals do not willingly approach the eidolon unless the animal's master makes a DC 25 Handle Animal, Ride, or wild empathy check.

With the Humanoid base form, this will give the "Undead Champion" eidolon the following stats:

Str 37
Dex 13
Con 21
Int 7
Wis 10
Cha 11

2 unassigned Ability Score increases.

AC 26 (10 + 17 natural + 1 Dex - 2 Size), Touch 9, Flat-Footed 25

HP 105 (5d10 + 50)

Fort +12, Ref +4, Will +7

5 Feats, 40 Skill Points (Unassigned)

BAB +10

Attacks: 2 Claws +23 (1d8 + 13) 20x2, 15-foot reach

Special Abilities: Immune to disease, exhaustion, fatigue, paralysis, poison, sleep effects, and stunning; Affected by Turn Undead/Rebuke Undead as if it were an Undead creature; Normal animals cannot approach unless controller makes DC 25 Handle Animal/Ride/Wild Empathy check.

Edit: For a "Trick Monster" effect, the key here is it's not really Undead, it's an Outsider with Undead traits. This means that things that affect Outsiders only will work on it. It's also vulnerable to Sneak Attack.

[PincoPallino]

What you could do is tone it down a bit, then add on some Damage Reduction/Piercing. Then scatter wooden spear pole things around the arena for flavor. Once they figure out the thing's weakness (which will take some thinking, since I've never really heard of any undead with DR/Piercing) they can use bluffs and feints to trick it into impaling itself on the pikes.

Now this is awesome!

This is exactly what i was looking for =)

Any other ideas of "puzzle monsters" like this?

[Waker]

Well, aside from 100x100 square, you haven't really described the environment, but if this is an invading army you could include some city-based environmental hazards. Buildings that risk collapse; cluttered roads, trenches or ditches that could impede the monster; fires from the battle still rage that the creature could be lured into; a statue in the city square could be toppled onto the creature; perhaps there is a sewer system that has formed a makeshift pit due to damage from siege engines.

[PincoPallino]

I haven't given details of the environment because i would have to explain the plot, more or less, and i don't think you would be very interested (although it features undead parachutes).
Anyway it would be in a plain, not in the city, although i guess some changes can be done (rocks, poles standing, etc)

[Kulture]

Consider a cat and mouse chase with a very smart opponent, it's one of my favored methods of building tension.
For this one I'd use a pathfinder 3.5 mixed build.
4 levels of rogue, one Zen archer monk, 1 assassin and make him a sepulchral thief (cityscape) Fetchling (PF bestiary 2).
Give him a grand crossbow, rapid reload, some shatter bolts (dragon compendium), crossbow sniper, dead eye, focus shot and cunning evasion from complete adventurer (or was it PH2?).

Have them be rescued by another squad, the sniper I've given here can easily eradicate them with hit and fade attacks.
For added fun make the weapon profane burst with steel phase bolts, meaning he gets healed and the bolts (with assassin spells like wood wisp) should go straight through every single piece of cover and armor they have (wood wisp ignores wood, metal phase iron or steel).

If they try to blast him out from cover with AOEs cunning evasion should allow him (save passed, of course) to take a 5ft step and hide again.

Crossbow sniper and deadeye double range for sneak attack and add dex and a half in total to crossbow damage on crossbows you have weapon focus in.
Focused shot adds Int to damage with crossbows you have focus in.

Have them fight a running battle out of the camp, through the entire city, making full use of the fact that if they try to call in reinforcements that they're probably half his HD or less and thus must make a willsave or be deafened and blinded by his aura.

If you're really mean then give him a belt of negative energy (healing belt for undead) and symbionts.
Psionic sinew alone gives blind sense, +4 inertial armor, +4 strength, 1d12+strength claws and the mind leech gives him a lot of methods to mind control their allies that they'll actively flee their friends until he's dead.
It also gives a nasty surprise that he's not only hideous at range but equally nasty in close quarters.

Plus he will reform in D10 days at his most expensive piece of gear, so he could easily stalk the party for encounters to come.

All of this adds together to a decent recurring villain a lot scarier in the long run than something like a zombie giant. Zombie giants and the like stay dead. This build makes a sniper who is so difficult to kill and almost impossible to permanently put down that it'll force them to play things clever, using light sources and the ilk to break down his defenses, carefully planning ambushes on the run and such.

Not quite what you had in mind, I know, but it's an idea.

[dspeyer]

This calls for a bit of homebrewing and a sick mind.

Take a very young pyroclastic dragon, kill it, feed its corpse to a swarm of maggots, and before they can finish digesting it cast create undead. What you now have is a hideous abomination that will suit your needs perfectly. It is a swarm of undead maggots which form into overlarge pyroclastic dragons.

At first the creature resembles the very young pyroclastic dragon it once was, except one size category larger thanks to the added mass of the maggots (recalculate grapple, natural weapon damages and AC -- leave stats unchanged). The creature no longer has its energy immunities, its con (recalculate hp), its int (remove skills and feats, and play very stupid), its energy immunities or its disintegration breath. In their place, it gains mindless, undead and swarm immunities. In particular it takes no damage from slashing or piercing and half from bludgeoning. It does take double from AoEs, but your party is pretty short on those.

If your players deal more than 10 points of slashing damage to it at once, they separate the swarm into two pieces. Roll randomly to decide how many HD go into each side, unless the attacker specifically chooses, in which case they suffer a -4 attack penalty for trying to line it up that precisely. Each piece turns into a smaller pyroclastic dragon. A piece with at least 7hd uses the wyrmling stats (size adjusted as above). For smaller, extrapolate linearly.

The trick to beating it is to arrange for its pieces to use breath weapons on eachother. As a mindless creature, it's dumb enough to fall for that over and over again.

[PincoPallino]

@Kulture: This sniper guy is really, really awesome, thanks!
I'll totally use it in another session and make it become a recurring villain (i kinda needed an "assassin" type villain)

@dspeyer: WOW, another great idea! The idea looks very cool, thank you, i'll likely use it =)
Where do i find a pyroclastic dragon? (EDIT: found it^^ )

Also, it would get normal damage from Force, right?

Anyway, this is exactly the kind of thing i needed. Thank you very much. I'll happily see any other ideas you guys come up with, in case i'm not sure with this one (fighting a swarm is not easy, and the party has NO AoE at all.)

EDIT: Actually, i'll try to help my players by "suggesting" them how to do it.
I'm kinda afraid they'll just pick up bludgeoning weapons and try to hit him that way.

First of all, i won't tell them immediately what it is. I'll tell them it's an undead dragon crawling with maggots.
When they get a hit on him and it splits up, they'll know it is actually MADE of maggots, and they'll understand that just hitting it won't work, so they'll have to figure out the fire strategy