Where to go from here......

[Chester]

Followup to this thread (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?498018-I-need-to-cover-my-tracks).

So, dopplegangers sprang a trap on the party while they marched along a catwalk above a raging river in a deep gorge. Five rangers caused panic amongt the group casters while the Doppleganger Artificer wrecked the warforged. A lucky critical hit helped end the artificer, and an invisibility spell allowed our Psion to live (he had nine HP left).

The party is now scrambling to regroup outside the dopplegangers' hideout, where the group's artificer (and his father) are presumably being held.

So...apart from a doppleganger spellcaster, I'd like to throw something else more terrifying at them for the "boss fight." What is it?

Dragon? Another spellcaster? I do like the idea of a Beholder.....

Thoughts on what could be a challenge for level 10 and also strike some more fear into them?

[Manyasone]

If you say 'strike fear' I say 'dread'...
They have the fear like nothing else

[trikkydik]

I know the hydra has weak versions.
it has fast healing, and requires coordination to defeat.
PC's always seem to get scared when they imagine "hydra" and they act timid so watch out for that.
You can always give it a breath weapon if the PC 's give you too much trouble.

[J-H]

Give the doppelgangers some class levels in Warblade and other good classes.

Tiger Claw 3 has a maneuver that lets you do +6d6 extra damage if you succeed at a Jump check against your target's AC. With a greatsword, that's 8d6 damage to roll in front of them.

Got Treants? Tendriculos? Massed shocker lizards? Swarms? A Psion-Killer construct (CR12 by itself!)?

[Cwymbran-San]

There is a warforged in the party, so i assume you are playing in Eberron?

In this case, add an Inspired Telepath and Charm/Dominate away. Inspired make for great recurring villains, as you can kill the host body but the quori will survive and can come back in another host :smallwink:

[Chester]

If you say 'strike fear' I say 'dread'...
They have the fear like nothing else

Is this "dread" a creature I cannot find?


There is a warforged in the party, so i assume you are playing in Eberron?

Well, it's a custom world, so anything goes. :smallwink:

[Manyasone]

Is this "dread" a creature I cannot find?

Depends really, sorry for being incomplete. Dread is a class from DSP psionics. It works with fear and is a rather decent class I think.
Dread are also antagonists in Raymond Feist his 'magician' series, they are beings of anti life from the lowest Plane, quite dangerous

[zyggythorn]

Dread is a wonderful psionic class by DSP, that might be nutshell as 'if phantasmal killer were a melee character'

http://www.d20pfsrd.com/psionics-unleashed/classes/dread

3rd party and all that, YMMV, etc etc.

Fair question:
How important is the party?
The Doppel's could easily be in the midst of trying to Ice-Assassin him, assuming they have a scroll. This leads to the classic trope of a mirror match.

[Chester]

Fair question:
How important is the party?
The Doppel's could easily be in the midst of trying to Ice-Assassin him, assuming they have a scroll. This leads to the classic trope of a mirror match.

Ice-Assassin?

Party is well-known. Righteous do-gooders who managed to piss off a few evil beings. I'm thinking that doppelgangers are employed by one of the major enemies. Maybe allied with a powerful druid who feels that the party is throwing off the natural balance of the world, etc etc.

Also, I'm trying to do as little work as possible prepping, so.....pre-statted monsters help immensely.

[Cwymbran-San]

Well, it's a custom world, so anything goes. :smallwink:

Well, in this case, an Inspired is fair game :-)

Most players are afraid of losing control of their characters (at least at my table), so Psionic Charm/Dominate can be a nightmare. The Inspired Telepath is a master of these tactics. Pair him with an Inspired Dread as a bodyguard, add some Doppler-Mooks and: voilá, you have yourself a bossfight :smallbiggrin:

[An-D]

A bunch of dopplegangers working for a Rakshasa might be pretty neat. They're tough bad guys and they have a **** ton of mind-affecting abilities that'll definitely give your party something to think about.

[Chester]

a **** ton of mind-affecting abilities that'll definitely give your party something to think about.

I see what you did there.

[zyggythorn]

Ice-Assassin?

Party is well-known. Righteous do-gooders who managed to piss off a few evil beings. I'm thinking that doppelgangers are employed by one of the major enemies. Maybe allied with a powerful druid who feels that the party is throwing off the natural balance of the world, etc etc.

Also, I'm trying to do as little work as possible prepping, so.....pre-statted monsters help immensely.

First, explanation!

Ice Assassin
Illusion (Shadow)
Level: Sorcerer/wizard 9
Components: V, S, M, XP
Casting Time: 8 hours
Range: Touch
Effect: One duplicate creature
Duration: Instantaneous
Saving Throw: None; see text
Spell Resistance: No
The ice assassin spell is in many ways
an improved version of simulacrum.
Developed by powerful frost mages
who have more than their fair share
of enemies to fi ght, an ice assassin is
an effective way to destroy an enemy
without putting yourself at risk.
An ice assassin spell creates a living,
breathing creature that is a near-per-
fect duplicate of an existing creature.
The duplicate is formed entirely out
of ice, but once the spell is in effect,
it appears as an exact duplicate to
all but its source, who always sees
the ice assassin as an animated ice
statue of himself. The ice assassin
possesses all the skills, abilities, and
memories possessed by the original,
but its personality is warped and
twisted by an all-consuming need to
slay the original. It also constantly
uses locate creature on its duplicate
at a caster level equal to your own. If
its quarry is outside the range of this
effect, the ice assassin must rely on
its own cleverness or advice from you
to track the original.
The ice assassin has the cold sub-
type. Creatures familiar with the
original might detect the ruse with
a successful Spot check. You must
make a Disguise check (gaining a
+10 circumstance bonus from the
power of the spell) when you cast
the spell to determine how good the
likeness is.
The ice assassin is under your
absolute command. You possess a
telepathic link to the ice assassin, and
when you concentrate, you receive a
clear image of the area surrounding
the ice assassin as if you were scrying
it. Further, you can have any spell you
cast on yourself affect the ice assas-
sin as well; this includes spells with
a target of “You” only. These benefi ts
persist as long as you and the ice assas-
sin remain within a mile of each other.
If the ice assassin travels beyond this
range, it continues to function and
seek out its nemesis, but you have no
direct control over it.
An ice assassin has no ability to
become more powerful; it cannot
increase its level or abilities. Damage
caused to the ice assassin can be
repaired only via a complex process
requiring 1 day, 100 gp per hit point,
and a fully equipped laboratory. If
the ice assassin is reduced to 0 hit
points by any damage except for fi re
damage, it explodes into a burst of
icy shrapnel in a 20-foot radius that
causes 1d6 points of cold damage for
every two caster levels you possess; a
successful Refl ex saving throw halves
the damage. An ice assassin slain by
fi re damage simply melts into a pool
of water.
Material Component: This spell is
cast over the ice statue of the creature
to be duplicated. Some portion of the
creature to be duplicated (hair, nail,
and so on) must be placed inside
the ice statue as it is constructed. In
addition, the spell requires powdered
diamond worth 20,000 gp.
XP Cost: 5,000.

Now, on to nutshelling:
It's a kill and replace sort of spell. Depending on your party's level, this could be either 'awesome! We're causing issues for the BBEG!' or 'Oh ****, we're causing problems for the BBEG!'

This would also make them paranoid about who around them is an original, and who could be a fake. Wonderful bit of mentalism right there.

[LordOfCain]

First, link!

http://alcyius.com/dndtools/spells/frostburn--68/ice-assassin--1279/index.html

Now, on to nutshelling:
It's a kill and replace sort of spell. Depending on your party's level, this could be either 'awesome! We're causing issues for the BBEG!' or 'Oh ****, we're causing problems for the BBEG!'

This would also make them paranoid about who around them is an original, and who could be a fake. Wonderful bit of mentalism right there.
I believe that that site is taboo on GitP due to copyright issues.

[Janthkin]

Ice Assassin seems like overkill for a Level 10 party - if the BBEG can toss around level 9 spells with 20k material costs, he can probably spend less time & overall effort to scry-n-die the party instead.

I'd keep hitting the "you can't trust your eyes" theme you've got going. Doppleganger illusionists! They'll never be quite certain that they actually killed their foe.

[Chester]

The Inspired Telepath is a master of these tactics. Pair him with an Inspired Dread as a bodyguard, add some Doppler-Mooks and: voilá, you have yourself a bossfight :smallbiggrin:

Books / sources / stats?

[Pugwampy]

Drop a Deck of Many Things onto the hapless adventurers ....

[Cwymbran-San]

Books / sources / stats?

Inspired Inquisitor - there is your manipulator - Magic of Eberron pg. 146
or, if you'd like it a little softer/squishier - Inspired - Eberron Campaign Setting pg. 290

Tsucora Dreamblade - not a dread, but close enough to the idea as a bodyguard - Secrets of Sarlona, pg. 66 ff. If you would like a more warrior-like approach, take look at the Du'ulora Champion on the same page (although CR 13 might be a bit much for your group).

Hope this is helpful

[Chester]

Inspired Inquisitor - there is your manipulator - Magic of Eberron pg. 146
or, if you'd like it a little softer/squishier - Inspired - Eberron Campaign Setting pg. 290

Tsucora Dreamblade - not a dread, but close enough to the idea as a bodyguard - Secrets of Sarlona, pg. 66 ff. If you would like a more warrior-like approach, take look at the Du'ulora Champion on the same page (although CR 13 might be a bit much for your group).

Hope this is helpful

Wow....these are cool.....

I'll definitely need to offer the party a "way out" if they wish to avoid slaughter......

[Cwymbran-San]

Wow....these are cool.....

I'll definitely need to offer the party a "way out" if they wish to avoid slaughter......

Anti-Psionic Field in their vicinity. Negates nearly all powers of an Inspired and disrupts the link between host and quori.