My Party's Anti-Party

[Chester]

The group has been discussing ways to make things more challenging for them. So, as it's my turn to DM, I'd like to send an evil party to challenge them. Since our group seems to win straight-up slugfests, I'd like to challenge them differently. I'm hoping to make up a group that can force them to approach confrontation differently.

I'd also like at least one or two Changelings / Dopplegangers to be involved. :)

I'm not looking for builds, I'm just looking for suggestions. That being said, I don't want any complicated / obscure PrC's...

Anyway, our party is level 10 / 11.

Warforged Barbarian / Fighter / Juggernaut
Human Fighter / Artificer / Occult Slayer
Human Monk / Cleric / Sacred Fist
Elan Transmuter / Nomad / Cerebremancer
Human Paladin of Freedom / MM Sorcerer / Spellsword / Abjurant Champion

Not looking to do a TPK...just give them a fairly balanced challenge.

Suggestions?

[Albions_Angel]

I see two possible things you could do.

Your party is sneak/track light. Any chance you could have a rogue/spell thief/something like that steal something from the party and lead them for a merry chase in unfamiliar terrain, say a forest. Thief is part of a gang of bandits, maybe with a druid in the mix for some heavy control. Rangers, scouts, druid, animal companion, summoning, movement impairing control. Could end up locking that party down? Especially if its somewhere underground, a cave for example, with lots of underground foliage. Could even bring in some fey for some illusion based stuff and charm.

The alternate is a straight up magical evil party. A dread necro, an evocation wiz, a battle sorc, an evil aligned cleric, stuff like that. They are pissed at the party's ability to slay lone archanists, and so have banded together to teach them a lesson.

[Niwrad]

Seems like your party is pretty melee heavy, so perhaps instead of an enemy party that tries to match them in a straight-up slugfest, perhaps in the evil party, throw in a few characters designed to maintain control of the battlefield and keep the PCs at a distance.

Some ideas.

Fighter or warblade or some sort of melee chain tripping build designed to trip, control, and frustrate opponents rather than direct damage.

A conjurer with abrupt jaunt, summoning, and battlefield control spells.

Dread necromancer that swarms the PCs with armies of undead.

A dervish or arcane rogue that can easily enter and exit melee for some more heavy hitting.

Hellfire warlock that hits opponents with heavy damage from a range.

One or more of the above could be doppelgangers or changelings.

[Kelvarius]

Have you ever heard of Tucker's Kobolds?

:smalltongue:

[Chester]

Have you ever heard of Tucker's Kobolds?

:smalltongue:

I'll Google that.

[Kelvarius]

I'll Google that.

Enjoy. But only if you're truly evil.