Scary Super Persistent Predator

[Bobby Baratheon]

As the title suggests, I'm looking for a cool monster to stalk the PCs. If any of my PCs are here lurking, shoo! I mean it.


I want it to be enigmatic and obscure enough that they won't know what it is; ideally both the players and the characters would be unable to recognize it. It should be terrifying, enigmatic, stealthy and capable of ignoring their attacks (until they figure out the weak point). I'm looking to introduce a little fear into the campaign and to keep the players on their toes. So far in the campaign they only ever had two fights where they were in very real danger, and they got stupidly lucky on both occasions (they almost took down a level 20 villain, who though admittedly unoptimized should still have wiped the floor with them) with critical hits galore. I want a monster that will stalk them, and simply ignore their strongest attacks (or shrug them off, or not care, etc).
So far my ideas are:
-Master of the Wild Hunt, but with both a Slender Man vibe and a Hircine vibe
-A genius loci sending enslaved creatures to watch them (creepy factor being that the watchers don't even defend themselves, and just watch the PCs while they cut them to pieces); the inspiration here is the Thorian
-A (somewhat) nerfed Worm that Walks (high AC should leave them unable to affect it, especially with a crit-negating item or something)
-A massive, souped up Tomb Spider sending Web Mummies to spy on the PC's; same general idea as the genius loci
-A majorly souped up grey jester
-A souped up whisper demon (stop hitting yourself!)
-A concordant killer
-A grisgol (phylactery golem for a lich)

What are some other monsters that would fill some of these criteria?

[The Insanity]

Human Wizard.

[Thurbane]

Astral Stalker, advanced with class levels? Maybe Mortal Hunter?

[Bobby Baratheon]

Human Wizard.

Well I'd like them to have some chance of beating the thing :smalltongue:

@Thurbane: Which book is Astral Stalker in?

[AlanBruce]

I had a forest campaign where the party was being stalked everynight by a Julajimus (MM 2). The guy had some ranger and rogue levels to make him really sneaky, despite its size.

The party only saw glimpses of him every night before jumping into a Rope Trick, so as to rest safely.

Then one day, the party wizard forgot to memorize Rope Trick for the day and the guy struck as it scampered into their camp looking like a fluffy and very scared bunny before putting the fear of god in them.

Look that monster up: it has some nice abilities and class levels mesh rather well with his chassis, since it is rather smart.

Astral Stalkers can be found in the MM 3. They live up to their name abd advance through class levels.

[ATHATH]

Perhaps a Choker would work?

Have a Handbook on them: http://www.minmaxboards.com/index.php?topic=6790.0

[DarkSoul]

What level is the group, and are you willing to bend a rule in the interest of a memorable encounter?

The Huntmistress is a marilith demon, iron half-golem (Monster Manual II) with Mortal Hunter (Book of Vile Darkness) levels to reach whatever CR you'd like. I gave her a pair of steel predators (Fiend Folio) as pets and the unique ability to take her pets with her when she teleported. One of her preferred tactics is control the battlefield with blade barriers, then grapple people and drag them into it, then just sit there and let her golem immunities protect her from damage.

By the book, the EL for the group is around 21-22. CR 20 for the Huntmistress plus 2 CR 13's. The rule-bending comes from the fact that you can't make an outsider into a half-golem.

[ATHATH]

What level is the group, and are you willing to bend a rule in the interest of a memorable encounter?

The Huntmistress is a marilith demon, iron half-golem (Monster Manual II) with Mortal Hunter (Book of Vile Darkness) levels to reach whatever CR you'd like. I gave her a pair of steel predators (Fiend Folio) as pets and the unique ability to take her pets with her when she teleported. One of her preferred tactics is control the battlefield with blade barriers, then grapple people and drag them into it, then just sit there and let her golem immunities protect her from damage.

By the book, the EL for the group is around 21-22. CR 20 for the Huntmistress plus 2 CR 13's. The rule-bending comes from the fact that you can't make an outsider into a half-golem.
You can put Half-Golem on the Marilith if it has the Humanoid Heritage feat. It might even fit fluff-wise, if the Huntmistress (or a majority of the souls that she is made of) used to be a Human before becoming a demon.

[Telonius]

One of my builds in the Villainous Competition might fit. The Blue Devil's (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showsinglepost.php?p=19662145&postcount=66) entire shtick is being terrifying, enigmatic, and stealthy as it tears PCs to ribbons. The "devil" is actually a souped-up Phasm, with maneuvers and soulmelds that help it in its hunting. It really turns on at official-CR 15, but would work (in some form) at CR 10 or above.

[Nibbens]

Use a lich.
No seriously, here's what you do.

1) Op the heck out of the lich.
2) Use the Secret Chest cheese to hide it's phylactery - so the lich doesn't even know where it is.
3) Use Sendings to the PCs to gain notoriety with them, taunt them and the like.
4) If (and I do mean IF) you decide to bring the lich to face the PCs, Contingency - heightened Detonate is a really fun way for the lich to die and possibly take a melee guy with him. Then, the lich is brought back to life at his neigh un-findable phylactery.
5) IF you really want to cheese it up: The lich opens combat with Wish Cheese - "I wish that all my present foes are planeshifted to a plane with the fast time trait - so fast that 1 round there is 1000 years there." Yes, it'll force the PCs to do a will check. Most will make it, but one may fail. The one that fails will either have no way to get out (if non-caster). If a Caster gets sent there, if he tries to make it back on the next turn with a planeshift, it's 1000 years in the future - congrats, you just effectively killed a PC for attempting to fight your lich. Boom, he must roll a new character. Show the PCs that this lich is not something that should be messed with. Even if all of them pass, it doesn't matter - they see how rutheless the lich operates and all of a sudden, they're worried about what else the lich has up its sleeve.
6) Use Scry and Die tactics on the PCs with the lichs near unlimited supply of undead.
7) Hire windigo (or other various undead that can use nightmare) to plague the PCs until they can no longer sleep and/or are constantly burning through daily spells to protect themselves from the relentless onslaught. Yes, most will pass, but the PCs will feel constantly watched and paranoid that they might fail. Fun times are had by all. :D

Ultimately:

8) Play the lich as though you were actually the one playing it against the PCs. Let this be your character (just never tell them this). Use the best tactics you can until they're pulling out their hair in frustration from the constant harrying.
9) When you finally let them find the phylactery and finally let them kill it - they will talk about it for years later. Just remember to never let them in on your secrets.

[WhamBamSam]

Use a lich.A Dracolich will come back faster (potentially the next round if its phylactery is nearby and there's a suitable corpse to possess). It also might give more of a predatory monster vibe, especially with the Dracolich version of Paralyzing Touch. The Dracolich could have a schtick of collecting bodies as trophies (especially reptilian or draconic ones that it can possess, but it might decide to branch out to a more complete collection over the millenia).

People have been suggesting Mortal Hunter, which is always fun. I'd go Half-Fiend (maybe a variant (http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/we/20060630x&page=1) for different SLAs and stats) on some creature with a high HD/CR ratio, then go into Mortal Hunter from there. Take Shape Soulmeld (Soulspark Familiar) as your means of meeting Mortal Hunter's Alertness prereq, then take Sapphire Smiting and Bonus Essentia once or twice (or Epic Essentia if it has 21+ HD I guess), and maybe Violate SLA for good measure. Invest as much as you can in Sapphire Smiting, and make Flyby Attacks with a Vile Lance (Smiting Good or Smiting Mortal, you'll have plenty of each thanks to Sapphire Smite) or with Violate Mortalbane SLAs to deal vile damage then stalk the party from a safe distance. They need Hallowed or Consecrated ground to heal vile damage, and whenever they try to create/find some, the Mortal Hunter can just do a Flyby Attack Desecrate or a Quickened Unhallow (Quicken SLA doesn't have any stipulations about casting time) to prevent them from healing. He can also use Quickened Unhallow to so things like Dimensional Anchor the entire party at once so they can't escape or to grant himself Freedom of Movement to get out of a sticky situation as well. If you want more Quickened Unhallows, then you could scrap the high HD base creature for one of the races that qualifies for Magic in the Blood, which would bump it up to 3/day. I'd probably drop it down to one level in the template class (http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/sp/20031010a) rather than a full Half-Fiend in this case, and forget about Violate SLA (since feats will be at more of a premium) unless you're okay with the Mortal Hunter being dedicated to an Elder Evil.

If you want something more straightforward that's still predatory and hard to kill, maybe a Mivilorn (MMIII), advanced to 30 HD, with a two levels in Swordsage, and one of Crusader (CR 16). Charge maneuvers combine well with Charging Bite, and I'm especially fond of Tide of Chaos (especially nice as Mivilorns are Chaotic, and in fact (Chaotic)) which gives it concealment (and hence miss chance) even from the creature(s) it just swallowed. From there the Ghostly Defense stance can turn blows that miss due to that miss chance against other party members (so swords will slash into the Milivorn only to hit the creatures it's swallowed or hit the swallowed creature's friends outside rather than actually helping them cut their way out - EDIT: After reading Ghostly Defense it seems you can't redirect attacks into the swallowed foes, just to enemies on the outside). Finally, with its 33 HD feat, it can take Strike of Righteous Vitality (learned as a Swordsage maneuver as its Crusader IL isn't high enough), which can make it even harder to put down.

[AvatarVecna]

One of my builds in the Villainous Competition might fit. The Blue Devil's (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showsinglepost.php?p=19662145&postcount=66) entire shtick is being terrifying, enigmatic, and stealthy as it tears PCs to ribbons. The "devil" is actually a souped-up Phasm, with maneuvers and soulmelds that help it in its hunting. It really turns on at official-CR 15, but would work (in some form) at CR 10 or above.

The entire contest (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?430650-Villainous-Competition-VI-Clever-Girl) features super-stalkers. It was a fun contest...

[ksbsnowowl]

The murderjack (http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/fw/20040828a) from one of the far corners of the world articles might work. It fits the vibe, but is only CR 9 (with 16 HD). It specializes in stalking prey, terrorizing them, and then letting them go on the brink of death to do it again. Whether it can actually fulfill that role against a high level party, I'm not sure.

[mabriss lethe]

Whatever creature you use, I think you should give it max ranks in the Lucid Dreaming Skill (Manual of the Planes) Make it so the party can't even rest while being stalked without being hunted in their nightmares. Don't go hog wild on them with it, though. LD can be used to kill with a high enough check against someone unskilled (by dragging them into the Dreamheart). Use it for flavor and to ramp up the tension/danger when the party spell casters can't get enough rest to refill spent spell slots.

[MisterKaws]

Awakened Cat Ruby Knight Vindicator(deity hand-waved) with the mindset of a psychotic middle-school girl. Make it some sort of really obnoxious fangirl.

Note that cats have d2 claw damage.

d2 claw damage.

d2

[Bobby Baratheon]

Awakened Cat Ruby Knight Vindicator(deity hand-waved) with the mindset of a psychotic middle-school girl. Make it some sort of really obnoxious fangirl.

Note that cats have d2 claw damage.

d2 claw damage.

d2

By far the most terrifying so far. :smallbiggrin:
No seriously! What manner of eldritch abomination is a d2? My sanity crumbles upon the mere thought of such a monstrosity. It is too late . . . Cthulhu awakens! Spare me, oh great one! Eeeeeee!

In all seriousness, a souped up panther with that lineup of classes/templates would be cool.

I'm loving all of these ideas! Keep 'em coming, though so far I think the idea I like most is Lucid Dreaming. I hadn't thought of that - that's brilliant! I'm still kind of leaning towards the Master of the Wild Hunt, though. I would go with the Blue Devil, but I'm just not familiar enough with Incarnum to run an Incarnum BBEG efficiently.

The party is four-six (the Vanishing plague is particularly virulent among my group) 7-8th level characters. These are the regulars:
-Level eight cheeselord Unseelie Fiey/Blue Dragonspawn sorcerer/anima mage/eldritch theurge. This guy is a nuke. Not quite as OP as he could be, but he's pretty brutal on the opposition. Empowered scintillating spheres as melee spells will do that, as will an arbitrarily high AC. Doesn't really invest in BFC or many utility spells, but in combat he just wrecks things (he's especially fond of empowered elemental darts). Has some decent self-buffs like wraithstrike, which he uses with thunderlance very effectively. It'll be funny to watch his nova spells not even faze the SSPP.
-Level eight Human bard/paladin of freedom. Doesn't do much in and of himself, though he gets some mileage from whirling blade and snowflake wardance. His main contribution is (pyroclastic) Dragonfire Inspiration, with some other cheese legitimate techniques to get it up to something like 6d6 worth of bonus.
-Level eight Human Favored Soul. More or less totally unoptimized (the player initially thought a flaming weapon was the bee's knees of melee combat), but he's getting better. Focuses on summoning, buffs and healing. Not much of a heavy hitter, but his summons and healing have kept the party alive more than once.
-Level seven human custom melee class called the Witchhunter http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?482409-The-Witch-Hunter-(specialized-martial-variant). Mostly tanks, or bakes pastries. Tough, but not a world shatterer.

The other two are a duskblade and a swift hunter, but I don't really have to plan much around them, as they're fairly predictable (melee + shocking grasp and standard archery, respectively). Collectively, these guys are pretty damn effective. They've steamrolled most of what I throw at them, though they've come close to defeat maybe three times, and the swift hunter almost got instagibbed in her debut by a clawlock doppelganger. They regularly defeat monsters with CR's north of 10, to the point that a random encounter with three frost giants was over in three rounds (and that was just with the main three casters). Specifically, I want the monster to ignore electricity damage and have a high SR (and force the sorcerer to get more creative than "I nuke it for 1 billion d6"), and preferably have a defense against the absurdity that ensues with Dragonfire Inspiration.

For context, I want to incorporate a RHOD-esque crisis, with some alterations to make it fit the custom setting and be more viable. I want the SSPP to stalk them Pyramid Head style while they have to find ways to slow down the massive dragon-worshipping beastmen (ibixians and elemental magi, mostly) horde descending upon their newly won citadel, which is led by none less than a hellfire wyrm.

[ksbsnowowl]

If they are level 7 - 8, then the Murderjack is in the perfect CR range to terrify them (they even have SR 21, helping with your goal of hindering the sorcerer). None of them appear to have sneak attack-inhibiting abilities (other than the swift hunter). One or two would be a decent encounter. Three would likely kill the party (they have an ability that becomes more powerful if there are 3 of them), but that's an EL 12 encounter for the ECL 8.7 party (if there are three level 7's, and three level 8's).

Another great and terrifying option would be Meenlocks from the MM2. They are only CR 3, and if you put 7 (EL 9 easy encounter) or 8 (EL 9 very difficult encounter) of them against a party of six... You could very easily whittle down the party and kill a party member or two before the party figures out how to deal with them. If you use their Rend Mind ability, and Dimension Door abilities to move around between uses of Rend Mind... add in the fact they are supposed to live in forests (giving them cover and concealment, as well as vertical places to DD to, getting away from the party), and even a group of 5 of them could really tear a party apart.

[Gruftzwerg]

What about a "Master of Many Forms" or any other wildshape/shapeshift build? You switch between stalking and combat forms. A strong but beatable enemy imho. You just need to power up the build up to the players level, look up some good forms as arsenal that you are going to abuse and everything should be fine.
A druid of Malar would be a fitting background. Always on the hunt, looking for some strong prey (the PCs). His intentions are simple. The Malar fanatic druid has noticed/heard of the PCs glory & power and acknowledged the PCs as worthy preys. Keep in mind that his character isn't pure evil. He is just following some obscure concept of living the life of "hunters & preys". He may even help the players in an uncomfortable situation and let them flee to recover, so he can fight em on full strength.
I think this would be a really flexible (shapshift) solution with a nice RP hook.

[Bobby Baratheon]

If they are level 7 - 8, then the Murderjack is in the perfect CR range to terrify them (they even have SR 21, helping with your goal of hindering the sorcerer). None of them appear to have sneak attack-inhibiting abilities (other than the swift hunter). One or two would be a decent encounter. Three would likely kill the party (they have an ability that becomes more powerful if there are 3 of them), but that's an EL 12 encounter for the ECL 8.7 party (if there are three level 7's, and three level 8's).

Another great and terrifying option would be Meenlocks from the MM2. They are only CR 3, and if you put 7 (EL 9 easy encounter) or 8 (EL 9 very difficult encounter) of them against a party of six... You could very easily whittle down the party and kill a party member or two before the party figures out how to deal with them. If you use their Rend Mind ability, and Dimension Door abilities to move around between uses of Rend Mind... add in the fact they are supposed to live in forests (giving them cover and concealment, as well as vertical places to DD to, getting away from the party), and even a group of 5 of them could really tear a party apart.

The sorcerer's caster level is like +10 though. I will probably use that Meenlock encounter though. It would be fun to have them jump the party as they're (presumably) running from the SSPP. I just checked the MM, and those would be awesome supplementary attackers. I think they would sync well with some half golem phase spiders.

[Bobby Baratheon]

I'm kind of formulating an idea here where the main SSPP, a Master of the Wild Hunt, stalks the party for a while and gets them while they're asleep, and sucks them into some sort of weird dream demiplane (with an ever present element of doubt whether or not they're actually dreaming), which is basically Hircine's hunting grounds (with the MotWH being Hircine here). "Hircine" (I'll call him Big H from now on), stalks the PCs, but is also herding them through the more dangerous parts of his realm, where they will face:
-packs of Meenlocks roving underground
-Hordes of lycanthropes (some souped up, some not)
-Astral Stalkers
-A squad of Murderjacks
-Corrupted Phase Spiders
-A pack of beasts of malar form-locked into panther mode
-2 Wild Watchers (lieutenants to Big H; they'll coordinate monsters while Big H tracks the PCs and won't engage the PCs unless confronted; they're not kill stealing from their boss)
-A large pack (15 or so) of corrupted dire gorillas, led by a extra large, extra strong one we'll name King Louie :smallwink:
-If I really want to mess with them, topiary guardians
-A few swarms (I'm thinking crystal beetles, for starters)
-Nature-y traps (quicksand, etc)
-Randomly dispersed and appopriately upgraded treants (You lean up against the tree to catch your breath? It snaps your spine.)
-Any dead PC's will shortly reappear as revenants hunting down the party relentlessly

They are not supposed to beat these encounters so much as survive them (each monster, with a couple of exceptions, will stay in it's area of the demiplane unless ordered to do otherwise by the bosses).

And, of course, Big H himself, whom I have decided (for the moment) will be a half-fiend corrupted Master of the Wild Hunt. I'm debating giving him casting, but he honestly might not need it. The catch here is that they shouldn't have a chance in hell to beat Big H - he's the ominous portent of doom that they're running from. I'm thinking that he will assemble the PCs and some other poor schmucks who he has deemed worthy, and inform them that they need only survive the "night" (which is 12 hours in this plane) and make it to the stronghold at the center of the plane to earn their release, and that he will give them a two hour head start. I'm going with more "contestants" to add gravity to the situation by them getting slaughtered (maybe Hunger Games style alerts when someone dies), and to provide plausible backups for when a PC dies. The secret, of course, is that they are in fact dreaming and if someone "dies" they simply wake up. The PC's reward for surviving is either getting pulled into the plane for real, with actual death on the line or customized magic items. I'm getting excited about this! This "sidequest" is going to be awesome. I still want/need further suggestions, so keep 'em coming!

[ATHATH]

Perhaps an incomplete soldier of the Emerald Legion?

Have you looked into the Body Leech class? That might be fun for the reveal, if you have one.

[mabriss lethe]

I had a thought about this earlier. The Faceless Hunt: led by a doppelganger caster and its changeling minions. Use the lucid dreaming option I mentioned earlier. Give the leader access to level 1 of mindbender along with mindsight. just give the minions levels in expert with a basic subterfuge and stealth skill set and maybe a level of cabinet trickster for a couple of lieutenants. and be done with them. The leader and his minions haunt the party in their dreams and then seek to separate members of the party so that they assume the pcs' forms and screw with the rest of the party.

[Bobby Baratheon]

I had a thought about this earlier. The Faceless Hunt: led by a doppelganger caster and its changeling minions. Use the lucid dreaming option I mentioned earlier. Give the leader access to level 1 of mindbender along with mindsight. just give the minions levels in expert with a basic subterfuge and stealth skill set and maybe a level of cabinet trickster for a couple of lieutenants. and be done with them. The leader and his minions haunt the party in their dreams and then seek to separate members of the party so that they assume the pcs' forms and screw with the rest of the party.

Hmmm that's definitely got potential. I think I'm just going use DM fiat on the dreaming part though. it'll make it easier on me if I can just roleplay it out rather than try to represent it mechanically. I'm really liking the changeling idea, though. I think we have a winner for Big H's most trusted minions! What better way to screw with PCs then have malevolent, shapeshifting ninjas stalking them through the forest. If I can pull it off, I'll definitely do a kill and replace. Might even talk to a player beforehand to set it up propery, though in that case I might just have the character get lost for a while and have a changeling replace him.

[mabriss lethe]

I'd do the latter. Sows more long term discord than a kill and replace. Use something like obscuring mist on the party and then have your impersonators go in as well. They think they're following another pc, but in reality, one of the changelings has led them off/infiltrated. I'd do it by means of passed notes to the whole party. Every player gets a note with something on it. Doesn't matter what. One player's note, however, reads:

" your character got lost in the fog. You are now controlling an evil shapeshifter. Cause as much chaos as you can until you're found out.". Afterwards, the party finds the missing pc...or did they?

[Bobby Baratheon]

I'd do the latter. Sows more long term discord than a kill and replace. Use something like obscuring mist on the party and then have your impersonators go in as well. They think they're following another pc, but in reality, one of the changelings has led them off/infiltrated. I'd do it by means of passed notes to the whole party. Every player gets a note with something on it. Doesn't matter what. One player's note, however, reads:

" your character got lost in the fog. You are now controlling an evil shapeshifter. Cause as much chaos as you can until you're found out.". Afterwards, the party finds the missing pc...or did they?

That's what I was thinking. I normally don't really use notes, but I will here, and I think that will contribute to the ambient I'm looking for. I kind of want the Hunting GroundsTM to be already super misty, so it won't be hard to split them up. In fact, I'll point out to the more amoral players in their notes that their chances of eluding detection might be better if they don't stick around the slower, more vulnerable players. On the other hand, I don't want to run a bunch of separate encounters. Maybe I'll tell them, but have a massive impenetrable fire railroad all the "contestants" in the same general vicinity. Speaking of which, how many other "contestants" would be appropriate? I'm thinking maybe 20 or so, with five or so of them actually statted up to fill in for PCs who get killed.

[Bobby Baratheon]

Ooooh! Wait, I'm having one of those things, like a headache with pictures! one cookie to everyone who gets the reference What if Big H is stuck in a Sheogorath type loop? By which I mean that he is actually the ancient deity the Green Man (let's say his name is Cernunnos), but was imprisoned or cursed or somesuch, and can only be freed by someone besting his corrupted avatar (Big H). That would mean that no one has ever actually survived the Hunting Grounds, but hey sometimes its fun for PCs to set precedents. That actually would tie in pretty well to the story context, as the restored Cernunnos (assuming the PC's win) could then aid the PCs in their war by sending beasties to help them, and maybe rile up a tree army Treebeard style.

[Necromancy]

Instead of one big bad, make it a pack of critters. I recommend a small pack of Slaad. Being hunted isn't nearly terrifying enough. Being hunted so you can be captured and implanted with eggs that hatch alien style? Eww

[Bobby Baratheon]

Instead of one big bad, make it a pack of critters. I recommend a small pack of Slaad. Being hunted isn't nearly terrifying enough. Being hunted so you can be captured and implanted with eggs that hatch alien style? Eww

Well, presumably Big H would be using at least some of his critters in the hunt; only a poor huntsman makes no use of hunting hounds. Heck, I might even come up with actually useful special werewolf mooks for Big H and call them the Hounds of Cernunnos or somesuch. I'm saving the alien type hunting for a colony of tomb spiders. Not only are you an egg incubator, you're a mobile one enslaved to the mother! A colony of bloodwasps might do the trick as well, though I'm definitely not ruling out the slaad.