Mad Servants of the Volcano God

[Palanan]

This is a DM-only thread, my players should bamf away now.



In our last episode, the party fought their way to the shores of a small island, far out in the open ocean, with a suspiciously conical peak in its center and absolutely no sign of volcanic activity. Any sensible player knows it's a dormant volcano just waiting for a dramatic moment.

It's not, of course, but I reserve the right to mess with my players' heads. :smallbiggrin:

Somewhere in the heights above them, the players hope to find an abandoned monastery...and to reach the monastery, there will be a bridge. A sturdy, ancient stone bridge. Over a chasm.

I want my players to work to get across this bridge. The island is uninhabited, and I don't want to use Joe Humanoid Tribe here; I'd like something that fits with the theme of a cold, isolated island, covered in stunted forest and rippling grass, strangely silent and alone.

Given a fifth-level party that rolls every encounter I send their way, what would be a tough challenge that fits the scene and mood?

[Kuulvheysoon]

A pair of Ice Trolls (UE, CR 4 each), perhaps? Fits with the bridge, if nothing else.

There's also the Rejkar (MM3, CR 5), a sort of cold-devil based on a goat. They typically 'take over' a tribe of humanoids by pretending to be a spirit animal, and begin to manipulate them into becoming it's willing minions.

[Palanan]

Hmm. I'm looking for something...strange, peculiar; possibly unrecognizable.

Creatures are good, but I'm also feeling the need for some sort of lost, lonely spirit...or several. I've leaned on ghosts and the like a little too much, ...so is there some sort of sad, ethereal spirit-being that isn't actually undead? Something obscure, that would take more than simple bladework to defeat?

[javijuji]

The Bridge is an Animated Object just waiting for someone to cross it. Once it feels its prey is in the middle of the bridge it unhinges from one side of the chasm. Anyone who decides to hang on to the bridge will have to grapple its way up.

Edit: Spirit controlling the bridge? Possesed bridge maybe.

[Kuulvheysoon]

Hmm. I'm looking for something...strange, peculiar; possibly unrecognizable.

Creatures are good, but I'm also feeling the need for some sort of lost, lonely spirit...or several. I've leaned on ghosts and the like a little too much, ...so is there some sort of sad, ethereal spirit-being that isn't actually undead? Something obscure, that would take more than simple bladework to defeat?

The telthor template (UE) can be added to any Animal or Humanoid and changes them into incorporeal Fey. They're bound to a specific place, as well: like your island.

[ArcturusV]

I was thinking something like a Yuki-Onna. Possibly refluffed to the needs of the particular setting.

The spirit of a beautiful woman, who leads people astray (Or helps guide then if they are lost), fascinates people, etc. Not necessarily "malicious" and not going to go for a Fight so much as lead players on a somber little wandering.

[avr]

Just before you get too hung up on this idea - there's no one in this 5th level party who can fly while carrying a rope? If the bridge was looking like too much of a pain to cross I know I'd try that.

[Biffoniacus_Furiou]

Frostburn has quite a few cold-themed creatures. Yetis (CR 3) would be fitting, especially if a pair of them approached during a blinding snowstorm and got the drop on the PCs. That book also has the Spirit Animal template, incorporeal fey versions of animals that could strike from within a solid object, like the bridge itself. Sort of the same as Shadows do, but they're not vulnerable to Turn Undead.

A Snowflake Ooze (MM3) is CR 5.

A Frost Salamander (MM2) is CR 7, but it doesn't do much damage. It could crawl along the underside of the bridge and get the drop on the PCs in the middle who are trying to avoid melee.

[Vaz]

Mineral Warrior Template Flamebrother Salamanders. Turned to stone by the lack of a god, they are no resilient. They've perhaps lost all Fire Based attacks, but are still a powerful match, and you could make it a bit more climatic by having a Noble Salamander begin to come out of its rock-like Status, and begin to throw some of its spell-likes around.

http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/hallucinatoryTerrain.htm on a dilapidated and trapped bridge.

Imagine being swarmed by dross Stoney Salamanders, and as they charge the bridge, they trigger the trap. Now some are on one side, some on the other, some unlucky sod having either fallen to his death, or just hanging on to something. They now either have to escape in time from the Salamanders, which are getting steadily stronger through waking up the full Salamanders, followed by the steady awakening of a Salamander Noble, who can summon an effigy of the volcano god (SM Spell Like).

[subject42]

It doesn't fit your original theme, but if you really want to mess with their heads, use a mixture of constructs and anthropomorphic animals (SS and maybe elsewhere). Play up a Doctor Moreau vibe.

NO SPILL BLOOD.

[Palanan]

Okay, thanks for the suggestions so far. Some of these I'll definitely want to keep in mind for later, such as the yuki-onna.


Originally Posted by avr
...there's no one in this 5th level party who can fly while carrying a rope?

As a matter of fact, no. The party is almost entirely martial, and no one has any items of flight.


Originally Posted by Kuulvheysoon
The telthor template (UE) can be added to any Animal or Humanoid and changes them into incorporeal Fey. They're bound to a specific place, as well: like your island.

This...is close to absolute perfection, for both the mood and the locale. Not sure exactly how to use it, but incorporeal Fey is just about ideal. I love this.


Originally Posted by Biffoniacus_Furiou
[Frostburn] also has the Spirit Animal template, incorporeal fey versions of animals that could strike from within a solid object, like the bridge itself.

...and from how you describe this, it seems almost exactly like the telthor. I'm afpdf right now; is the Spirit Animal essentially a 3.5 update of the telthor?

[RagnaroksChosen]

What about elementals?

Potentially multiple types... Like fire and earth(though I am sure there are lava elemental s out there)... I don't know why your description made me think of them...

[Kuulvheysoon]

This...is close to absolute perfection, for both the mood and the locale. Not sure exactly how to use it, but incorporeal Fey is just about ideal. I love this.

...and from how you describe this, it seems almost exactly like the telthor. I'm afpdf right now; is the Spirit Animal essentially a 3.5 update of the telthor?

Far as I can tell, very nearly. There's a few differences, though:

Spirit Animal can only be applied to Animals, while telthor can be applied to any Humanoid (as well as Animals)
Spirit Animals changes all HD to d6s (!)
Telthor get a fly speed (equal to their base land speed)
Telthor get a deflection bonus to AC equal to their natural armor, while Spirit Animals get their Wisdom modifier to AC as deflection
Spirit Animals get a +4 to Wisdom/Charisma, while telthor have an Intelligence score of at least three.


There's a few other differences, but overall, I'd peg the telthor template as a little more powerful.

[Flickerdart]

Joystealers are eerily beautiful incorporeal creatures that drain Charisma. I think that fits the mood pretty well. Fairly low CR, so you could use a few at once.

[Palanan]

I vaguely recall the joystealers, and I may be able to find a home for them somewhere...not sure if they're quite what I had in mind for this encounter, though.

If they take advantage of low Will saves, though, I have got to use them somewhere.

:smallbiggrin:




Originally Posted by Kuulvheysoon
*detailed comparison of Spirit Animal vs. telthor*

Okay, thanks for the rundown. The telthor just calls to me...it's ideal for the scenario.

Because the monastery was sacked and destroyed, the telthor would have originally died defending the island, which works well all around. The question is--apart from incorporeal touch attacks, what can this telthor really do?

I'd like for it to send something, or somethings, against the party once they're conveniently on the bridge. Humanoid telthors are able to bond with an animal type, and I'm thinking this telthor would send nature-spirits after the party, possibly the telthors of animals who were bound to the monastery as well.

But I'd like to do something other than Joe Spirit Wolf here...something eerie and memorable, natural and unnatural at once. Any ideas?

[Kuulvheysoon]

Maybe something along the lines of a (Tashalatora) Monk 2/Psion (Nomad) 5?

Focus on time-controlling powers. IF it was a higher level boss fight, I'd recommend trying out some Zerth Cenobite (CPsi).

[Palanan]

Well, I've been using "monk" to mean "resident of a monastery," rather than the character class. It wasn't a large monastery, so in game terms there would only have been a scatter of clerics among the brethren, possibly a retired fighter or two, maybe a low-level druid.

Also, I'd like for there to be some clever way for the party to overcome this challenge, apart from brute force of arms. The party's barbarian/warblade has been dominating combat encounters ever since he arrived, and I'd like some way for the silver-tongued swashbuckler or the wood-wise elven archer to contribute here.

.

[ReluctantDragon]

*snip*
The party's barbarian/warblade has been dominating combat encounters ever since he arrived, and I'd like some way for the silver-tongued swashbuckler or the wood-wise elven archer to contribute here.


Then if you're putting them into a challenge wherein the possible resolution of it is to 'hit thing, drop hit points to -10' you aren't going to see the swashbuckler or archer do much. The archer you could give a flying target, but then you're neutering the bar-blade(love that name, totally yoinking it) and swashbuckler.

To offer a challenge to the entire party, I have a couple of suggestions:

1. Provide situations for each character to shine. This means not just putting an enemy in front of them and letting them "Swing away, Merrill." If you have a ranger-ish character, put them into situations where Survival(the skill) is used. Or Wild Empathy. Or any situation where the ranger can feel useful. Social situations would be where the swashbuckler can shine. Make a house rule that he can use his Int instead of Cha for social checks. Things like that.

2. Build encounters(re:combats) more specifically tailored to the group. Off the top of my head, I'd suggest a mirror battle. One in which you have a foil for each character. A high AC tank vs the BarBlade. A monk/fighter(Mighter? Fonk?) vs. the archer. A high dex Rogue or Scout vs. the Swashbuckler. If that's not to your taste, then just seed monsters/creatures that are the foil for the characters. Give the Barblade a phasing creature. Give the archer a flyer. Give the Swashbuckler a countess to seduce(ha!)

My two bits anyway.