DM needs help!

[Bonzai]

Hey all, I could use a little help. I've been running a home brew campaign, and I've run into some writers block. I need to create a boss lvl encounter, and I have been completely uninspired. I haven't been able to settle on a build.

Here is a little background info. In the back history of the setting there was an enhanced hag that ruled the area. She was slain by a local Saint, and her tyranny ended. Fast forward thousands of years. This boss is a direct descendent of the Hag. The party tracks her down to the Hags old lair, where she seeks to obtain power and follow in the footsteps of her ancestor.

I'm using 3.5 rules, and it needs to be CR 19ish. I was thinking some sort of warlock build, but I am open to builds, ideas, and inspiration.

Any help or feedback would be very much appreciated.

[Honest Tiefling]

I'm not much of an optimizer, but I wonder if a warlock flying around invisible around a larger minion type would do? This person is following in the steps of great-grandma, so a watery minion sounds right up her alley. Krakens seem thematic, but might be a little too large. Maybe a giant octopus, with minimal and slippery land to transverse in a seaside cave, giving way to environmental shenanigans?

[nedz]

What's her RHD and LA — if any ?

What sort of Warlock are you thinking of building ?

Ranged
Ranged/Sniper
Melle
Debuffer
etc.


Warlocks are best at infiltration - this is probably not the best class for her.

Do you have any stats — in particular the mental ones — even the relative order would be useful ?

[Bonzai]

What's her RHD and LA — if any ?

What sort of Warlock are you thinking of building ?

Ranged
Ranged/Sniper
Melle
Debuffer
etc.


Warlocks are best at infiltration - this is probably not the best class for her.

Do you have any stats — in particular the mental ones — even the relative order would be useful ?

I'm the DM, so stats are whatever I write them to be for this encounter. I usually go with a 32 point buy. I was going for a basic human (though any fun templates you would like to suggest would be welcome). Warlock or Sorcerer seem to be a good fit thematicly with the whole tainted bloodline background.

As for build, I am open to suggestions. I have a couple warlock tricks in mind, but those are just a couple feats and invocations.

[prufock]

Is this hag-descendant a full hag herself, or is she some mix of bloodlines?

Why not use all three types and form a hag covey? They'll need some class levels to bump each one up to CR 16. You could use a warlock, bard, and hexblade, for example. This has the benefit of increasing their action economy as well, spreading out the PCs attacks so that it isn't a one-round fight.

I do like Honest Tiefling's idea of the larger minion, though. Make sure to get greater invisibility, though, and have the warlock hag hover around the minion's forehead or eye to make it seem like the blasts are coming from it. Maybe a Merrow Ogre (or homebrew an aquatic ogre mage) or Scrag Troll?

[nedz]

Warlock 3 / Sorcerer 4 / Eldritch Theurge 10 / X 2
Gives you more options for the cost of some power.
Of course you could use some early entry tricks — there are several — if you wanted to power up this individual.

Or you could just go with Sorcerer and pick up a Reserve feat.

[sakuuya]

I know this is a 3.5 game, but you might want to take a look at the Pathfinder Witch (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/classes/base-classes/witch) class, which is sort of like a Warlock that also gets regular spellcasting. They don't have a basic damaging ability like Warlocks do, but their hexes give them a greater variety of useful in-combat tricks, and they can use their spells to buff without worrying about UMD.

[DrMotives]

For hags, I like Wu Jen. It's very gishy, which fits with the hag's stat line. It's also exotic enough that most PCs won't have the abilities. You don't need to run it as Chinese if you don't want to, I suggest you don't for a hag. No explanation needs to be given.

[Theodred theOld]

For some reason the OP reminds me of episode #308 of Avatar in which Katara fights the bloodbending old lady. Maybe a master of the unseen hand?

[carrdrivesyou]

I'd suggest a shugenja from Complete Divine. Elemental based, emphasis on one, so it's sort of specialized. BBEG will be able to heal as well as cause some damage on a large scale.

As for a minion, how about a scrag troll or a water elemental with wu jen levels?