Need Help Designing a Bird Themed Spellcaster

[Who What Now]

I'm running a solo campaign for a friend, who is currently playing a 2nd level Half-Elven Archery Ranger. The background of the campiagn so far is thus; Having never known his father Rick (the PC) was cast out of his elven village when he came of age to live amongst the humans and other races. He met up with a band of bandits (though he didn't know they were bandits at the time) and was convinced to help them raid a cart of goods being transported by a merchant on behalf of a crooked Baron. The raid was ultimately successful, though one of Rick's bandit friends was killed while another was seriously injured. While fencing their stolen goods Rick's injured friend became infected with a very potent form of virus known as Black Swamp Fever. Rick was able to at least forestall his friend's death (with a Critical Success on his Heal check), but he needed real aid and fast.

Rumors spoke of an ancient witch in the woods known as Old Mother Blackstrand. After searching, and a speedy ride, Rick eventually found her. Old Mother Blackstrand, who made a point of preferring to be addressed as Mistress Blackstrand, tried her best to magically cure the infection, but the disease was too strong and her magic had weakened considerably in her old age. Mistress Blackstrand took Rick aside and told him that she could cure his friend if she had the Crown of Black Thorns, a magical item she had created in her youth the aid her in her old age. But the Crown had been stolen by Walthos, the insane Ruler of Rooks (the bird, not the chess piece or building) who had has avian familiar steal it from her.

Now Rick has reached the Ruler of Rook's tower in the fetid swamps of the south, and is trying to sneak inside to steal back the Crown of Black Thorns.

Now, I have encounters, puzzles, and a few dastardly traps for Rick to face when he enters the tower, but what I don't have is a BBEG! I've been at a loss as to the best way to stat one out. I do know I want a spellcaster of at least 3rd level, and no more than 4th. My first thought was obviously a Druid, but I wondered if there might be better or more interesting ways to do this.

As further info, I am a DM that often plays fast and loose with the rules if it will make for a better or more interesting experience for the player. As such, any suggestions you may have need not necessarily be legal per the rules! I had already begun looking for any Prestiege classes that may fit the theme I'm going for (Corvid birds) but haven't had much luck. Any and all help is much appreciated!

-EDIT-

Some further info on the setting. This is a low-magic, low-fantasy setting, and this arc was meant to introduce what little magic is around. Mistress Blackstrand was a 4th level Adept, which still makes her one of the mightier spellcasters in the realm, and her Crown of Black Thorns mechanically just casts Remove Disease once per month. So please try to keep that in mind as well with suggestions.

[Piggy Knowles]

OK, here is my thought...

Necropolitan Illumian (Naenhoon), Dread Necromancer 4

1. Dread Necromancer1- Corpsecrafter, Destructive Retribution (Flaw), Fell Animate (Flaw)
Charnel touch, rebuke undead
2. Dread Necromancer2-
Lich body DR 2
3. Dread Necromancer3- Obtain Familiar (Raven, refluffed as a rook)
Negative energy burst 1/day
4. Dread Necromancer4-
Advanced learning (Kelgore's Grave Mist), mental bastion +2

The character is absolutely obsessed with birds, and raises rooks. He's got hundreds and hundreds of them. Twice a day, he gathers all his rooks in a circle and casts Kelgore's Grave Mists on them, modified by Fell Animate. All the rooks rise as undead birds under his control.

In addition to being creepy undead rooks that he commands, they get +4 strength, +2 HP, and when they die, they explode in a burst of negative energy that deals 1d6.

The Rook King uses his army of undead rooks as messengers and spies, treating them like carrier pigeons to carry messages, etc. If anyone attacks them, they explode, dealing damage to the attacker and destroying whatever message they are carrying.

They can also be used as bombs - he can command them to dive bomb an enemy, dealing this exploding damage.

As a necropolitan, the Rook King is immune to the damage from these exploding rooks. In fact, it heals him. He always surrounds himself with a ton of his birds, and he has commanded them to dive-bomb themselves into the ground at the feet of anyone who tries to hurt him.

In combat, the Rook King mostly relies on his birds to keep enemies at bay, but he isn't too terrible on his own. Lich body's DR is pretty good at this level, and charnel touch and negative energy burst can both hurt enemies and heal himself. His main offensive spell is Kelgore's Grave Mist, and beyond that he mostly focuses on debuffs.

For fluff, you've got an undead caster with a crown of glowing sigils around his head, who obsesses over and loves his creepy zombie birds. He has cages and cages of rooks, both alive and dead, that he absolutely fawns over, and his army of rooks serve as a huge network across the swamps that are his domain. They aren't intelligent when they're zombified, but he can use them to always be aware of what's going on. For example, he can have many rooks color coded with small ribbons or some other identifying mark, and command that if anyone enters his domain, they immediately fly to him. This way, he constantly knows where anyone unauthorized is.

[Who What Now]

That looks fantastic! Although I may power it down just a touch. That'd be a pretty awesome encounter for a party of four, but a might overkill for what I'm looking for. Thank you very much!

And I had actually already thought of him using his rooks as spies and sentries. The reason Rick was sent was because the crazy old magician knows whenever any man enters his domain. But since a half-elf isn't, strictly speaking, a man Rick has been able to sneak in unknown. Or so he thinks, anyway. :smallamused:

[Piggy Knowles]

If you drop him to level 3, he can still pull everything off, he just won't be able to use Kelgore's Grave Mist to animate lots of birds at once. Losing 2nd level spells as well as a decent amount of HP and a point of BAB should make him a much easier encounter to deal with. Then it becomes more a question of bypassing his exploding birds and finding a way to bypass his DR. Maybe with some research someone can offer him special bludgeoning arrows (check Races of the Wild) to help take on the Rook King.

[Preaplanes]

Well, if the player wants to play a bird-like character himself (Yo dawg, we heard you like birds, so we put some birds in your birds so you can bird while you bird. Or something), he/she could play a Raptoran.

[Who What Now]

If you drop him to level 3, he can still pull everything off, he just won't be able to use Kelgore's Grave Mist to animate lots of birds at once. Losing 2nd level spells as well as a decent amount of HP and a point of BAB should make him a much easier encounter to deal with. Then it becomes more a question of bypassing his exploding birds and finding a way to bypass his DR. Maybe with some research someone can offer him special bludgeoning arrows (check Races of the Wild) to help take on the Rook King.

Time is of the essence, if he doesn't get the Macguffin soon his friend will die, so reaseraching and crafting any arrows won't work at the moment. He does have a cursed magic sword (its a masterwork longsword by day, and a +1 Forst Longsword at night. If he draws it at night it freezes to his hand and he can't let go. Regardless he can't abandon the sword without having panic attacks. If he tries to draw a weapon other than the sword, he has to make a Will save or be forced to draw it.) but other than that the only thing that will help him is his Favored Enemy is Humans, which the Ruler or Rooks is.

Sorry Preaplanes, but while interesting, Raptoran's just don't fit into the setting (at this juncture anyway).

[Piggy Knowles]

The main reason I brought up special bludgeoning arrows is that you mentioned your ranger was an archer, and if you go with the dread necro, he will have DR 2/bludgeoning and magic. If he's sitting with ~21 HP, a consistent source of healing, and he's knocking two points of damage off each attack, that can get pretty tough for a solo low level archer in a low magic campaign. Doable, but tough.

I've actually used a similar bad guy in a campaign I've run before, but much higher level - a wizard/dread witch focused on fear, with an army of exploding dead birds. One of my favorite baddies ever, and I'll probably port him over to the next game I run.

[Vaz]

If you get yourself Black Sand (as a spell, or in a pouch), you can sit with your hand in a bag of it, and fast healing d4.

[hamishspence]

Raven swarms are in Tome of Magic- page 87-88. They can be summoned with the summon swarm spell.

There is a raven-centric divine caster PRC in Expedition to Castle Ravenloft- page 201-202- Knight of the Raven. It requires you to be Good. It gets a Raven Harrier as a companion- it's a celestial raven. It also gets the ability to speak with ravens at will.