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View Full Version : Reducing a CR 13 monster to... CR 8



Jeff the Green
2012-10-15, 06:00 AM
My players stay out, please.


I'm sending my party up against an oni that hitchhiked with a player from Rokugan to Ravenloft. I'd really like to use an Akuna no Oni from Oriental Adventures, but it's CR 13, and I have a group of six ECL 7 tier-3ish characters:

{table=head]Player|Character|World|Race/Class
al'Lan Mandragoran|Arya Skye (http://www.myth-weavers.com/sheetview.php?sheetid=392015)|Far Plains|Catfolk Knight/Swordsage
Fireheart|T'rissaste Xorlarrin (http://www.myth-weavers.com/sheetview.php?sheetid=391911)|Forgotten Realms|Drow Scout/Ranger
candycorn|Kuni Komori (http://www.myth-weavers.com/sheetview.php?sheetid=431483)|Rokugan|Water Shugenja
Mahrke|Isaac Pellivander (http://www.myth-weavers.com/sheetview.php?sheetid=391905)|Earth (Shadowrun)|Human Chronomancer (https://docs.google.com/document/d/1mDL6oVkpiTNyjmr3OvN8V1NIqJ8uyUdcWMcSsXOreCM/edit)
The Fallen One|Aswin Vigunnarson (http://www.myth-weavers.com/sheetview.php?sheetid=392225)|Earth (Norse)|Goliath Harmonious Knight of Freedom
Sallera|August (http://www.thetangledweb.net/forums/profiler/view_char.php?cid=59167)|Earth (European Fairy Tale)|Aasimar Shadowcaster
[/table]

It's probably going to be the last battle of the day. The psionicist has 17 pp remaining, the shadowcaster should have a good number of mysteries remaining, and the shugenja has all of her spells remaining. Everyone is at full health except the paladin's mount. They also have a thoroughly unoptimized ECL 6 paladin tagging along.

Here's the critter:

Akuna no Oni
Large Outsider
HD 12d8+48 (102 HP)
Speed 40 ft. (8 squares)
Init: +2
AC 19 (-1 size, +2 Dex, +8 natural), touch 11, flat-footed 17
BAB +12; Grp +16
Attack Claw +16 melee (1d6+5)
Full-Attack 2 Claws +16 melee (1d6+5), 3 tongues +16 melee touch
Space 5 ft.; Reach 10 ft. (5 ft. with tongues)
Special Attacks Improved grab, burning tongues, spell-like abilities, fear aura
Special Qualities Damage reduction 15/magic, SR 23, resistance to cold, fire, and acid 10, telepathy, alternate form (humanoid), regeneration 5
Saves Fort +12 Ref +10 Will +9
Abilities Str 20, Dex 14, Con 18, Int 11, Wis 13, Cha 15
Skills Bluff +14, Concentration +16, Knowledge (the planes) +12, Listen +13, Search +10, Sense Motive +11, Spot +11
Feats Cleave, Dodge, Great Cleave, Power Attack

Combat
Improved Grab: The oni must hit with a tongue attack to use this ability. If it gets a hold on its opponent, it inflicts 1d6 points of fire damage each round it holds the opponent.

Burning Tongues: Any tongue hit leaves burning saliva on the victim. The saliva inflicts an additional 1 point of fire damage each round after the hit. This damage does not stack with the damage the oni inflicts on a held opponent. The damage continues until the saliva is washed away, which requires vinegar or alcohol.

Spell-like Abilities: At will—cloud of taint, deeper darkness, desecrate, detect magic, doom. CL 12, save DC 19 + spell level.

Fear Aura: Oni are shrouded in a constant aura of terror and evil. Creatures within a 30 foot radius must succeed at a Will save (DC 18) or become shaken. Shaken creatures suffer a -2 morale penalty on attack rolls, weapon damage rolls, and saving throws.

Regeneration: Oni take normal damage from jade or Kuni crystal weapons, and from honorable or blessed weapons of at least +2 enhancement.

I'm thinking I'll drop the regeneration and the SLAs, drop the HD a couple, and reduce the SR to 16. Will that be enough to make it an average difficulty fight?

Noctis Vigil
2012-10-15, 06:14 AM
Off the top of my head: regeneration becomes fast healing instead, SLAs become 1/day, SR becomes HD+10 if you lower it's HD or HD+5 if you don't, DR should be lowered to 10 or less or your Paladin may be next to useless (he's gotta get some good damage rolls to do anything as it stands now), and let the flaming saliva be washed off with water. As a side note, specify a duration on the fear effect before the battle starts, as there isn't one listed in the entry, nor does it say it wears off when you leave the aura (IE: poor writing of the entry could be interpreted as unending fear effect).

Hope this helps! :smallsmile: