Ridiculous boss fight

[Epicniro1]

So my players have asked for a challenge and oh boy am i happy to oblige... so long as theyre okay with waiting. i have an idea for a high level boss fight that will just drive my players up the wall. my campaign setting will have characters at an entrance to some dwarven ruins. note that after a succesful knowledge check, the characters will be made aware that the dwarves have been extinct for thousands of years, all cities wiped of the map after a freak accident occured in their lost capital.

ever heard of troll dragons? no? lucky you. I plan for this boss fight to be unfairly difficult for the players. the ruins are going to be an entrance to a massive prison for the characters to explore. some trolls are going to be gaurding it... trolls with monk levels. and after fighting a few troll groups, they will reach the doors of the ruins where there will be 5 druid trolls who summon this troll dragon. already an annoying fight. right about when they think theyve won against the troll dragon. i want a black dragon dracolich to finish it off with its breathe weapon. hello act 2. now they have to deal with him. and i want him to raise the dead trolls for added sting.

i want the players to be in theyre earlies 20s for this fight. any help optomizing will be appreciated. note that the players will be well equipped to handle undead.

[Eldariel]

You'll need to be more specific. This sounds like a very high level campaign, where optimisation level is a key factor to how powerful the players are. Sources too. If they're level 20, a tier 1 party with full casters would walk all over Troll Monks and Troll Dragon for that matter, only having an actual fight against the Dracolich. Meanwhile, a party composed of level 20 mundanes might have a real fight at their hands - they're just numbers after all.

So:
1) Sources you're using
2) Party level and composition
3) The general optimisation level at the table


Else we'll probably end up either slaughtering them all or having them just walk through a non-encounter.

[ExLibrisMortis]

Else we'll probably end up either slaughtering them all
That sounds fun!

Trolls aren't all that dangerous at ECL 20+, so we'll need to add some serious class levels. First of all, let's start with a war troll. They're a bit stronger than the usual troll, and aren't vulnerable to fire. Secondly, we want to add a bit of offensive power, so we tack on 5-8 levels of crusader (results in CR 17-20); crusaders get a fair amount of healing, and each point of healing reduces lethal and nonlethal damage, which works nicely with regeneration.

Because there are several trolls in an enclosed space, you'll want to make them work together to control the rooms/corridors they are in. War trolls use advanced tactics, so White Raven maneuvers are perfect. You don't need a lot of stopping power--Dazing Blow is strong on its own--but you want some mobility and flexibility. Order Forged From Chaos, Flanking Maneuver, White Raven Tactics, war trolls using guisarmes and spiked armour--that's going to be a tactical nightmare for any mundanes you might have.

To control the magical side of things, the Mage Slayer feat chain is nice, and you'll want to make sure you can get cover when you need it--a wand chamber inside your guisarme with wings of cover inside will do very nicely (and yes, war trolls love magical equipment--that +1 heavy fortification mithral breastplate will go nicely with your natural defenses).


Needless to say, the only way you're going to have a serious fortification at epic levels is through epic magic, so you'll want a mythal covering the entire complex. Permanent death ward/mind blank/favour of the martyr for the trolls, a couple of keyed greater dispelling screens covering key entrances, illusions covering everything in ice and abyssal water (put a few aboleth in there, too). Sure, the party will notice that they're illusions straight away, but that sets up your actual aboleth tank/portal to Stygia that much better.

[Vizzerdrix]

That sounds fun!

Hmm... Needs more cute, unasuming creatures. I wonder what could be done with bunnies...:smallbiggrin:

[flappeercraft]

The first I read a long while ago on this forum and as such don't remember who it was but here it goes

1. Plant Masterwork Grass seeds
2. Mow the Lawn with masterwork scythes
3. Hire wizards to individually enchant every blade of grass to be Vorpal
4. Hire trippers to fight in the lawn
5. ???
6. Profit

The next would be to have something that can detect them. What use is to have a Multiheaded Half Dragon of every variety Tarrasque if it can't see a merely invisible creature? Get an Illithid to join the group of trolls and give it Mindsight.

[ExLibrisMortis]

Hmm... Needs more cute, unasuming creatures. I wonder what could be done with bunnies...:smallbiggrin:
Bunny swarm animal companion + Share Soulmeld + Dissolving Spittle?