Requilac
2018-09-16, 04:12 PM
If you are current a player in the campaign Eldritch Dissonance, please do not read this thread as it will reveal massive spoilers.
Hello everybody. I have been DMing a PbP adventure for the past seven months, and it now has finally reached its culmination. The players are now level 14 and set to face off against their main nemises, the ghost of an ancient aboleth slain before the gods ruled and Viakkuradh the Elder "Vampyre". Viakkuradh has been repetitively casting the Gate spell to summon armies of creatures from a place a plane of existence known as the Unfathomable Depths where deep sea monsters and aberrations have poured forth to wreak havoc on the kingdom. The region has been thrown into a state of total entropy, and the players have decided that the best way to resolve this issue is by killing Viakkuradh as he is one the only person alive on the material plane who is powerful enough to cast 9th level spells (to their knowledge at least), thusly stopping more creatures from being summoned. Currently Viakkuradh is squatting in the former king's castle which he had overrun. The aboleth's ghost is the commander of the forces of the deep on the material plane.
The player's plan for killing Viakkuradh is quite daring, but this is a largely narrative epic storyline so I suppose it makes sense. The PC are allied with an army of fire elemental creatures, and they have decided that the plan is for the entire army of fire elementals to swarm the city forming a distraction and the PCs will run through a secret passage way into the castle (long story which isn't really relevant to the actual encounters) and fight their way to Viakkuradh and slay him. Needless to say this is very largely impractical, but it is epic D&D play so I thought it made sense. This is not the way I would have gone about it, but meh, I am not a player so its not my choice to make.
In approximately two weeks from now the group will be going through with their plan. The player's are as follows...
- Brann, a level 14 human war wizard who specializes blasting and NOVA tactics. His favored spells are AoE spells that deal hefty amounts of damage such as fireball, erupting earth and cone of cold.
- Diggory, a human champion fighter 10/swashbuckler rogue 3 who focuses on attacking enemies at a range with his longbow. He rarely ever goes into melee.
- Lily, a level 14 human bard who focuses on support spells such as healing word, faerie fire, and enhance ability as much as she does crowd control spells like insect plague, fear and stinking cloud
- Zaddion, a human warlock 11/paladin 2 who mainly spams eldritch blast but will also often times dedicate to crowd control with tentacle themed spells like arms of hadar, hunger of hadar and evard's black tentacles
- Zaladane, a level 14 human enchantment wizard who focuses on casting AoE spells that target mental saves such as confusion, fear, and synaptic static.
As they charge their way through the castle, I have set up the following four encounters as to what impedes their way. I do not intend to kill any of the characters during this final quest, but I will not pull my punches if any of them fall into dire straits. The players will first fight a hard encounter against five enemies, then a hard encounter against one enemy, followed by a medium encounter against two enemies and then finally a deadly encounter against three enemies. Here are the details about the encounters and their respective monsters.
I would really like any input on how to improve these fights so that they are neither too easy nor too hard. Please wise people of GitP, what should I do to make this finale the best it can be. I will welcome any sort of comment or help from anyone.
Encounter 1: The Elder Things
https://img00.deviantart.net/d331/i/2018/158/2/8/lovecraft___elder_thing_by_kingovrats-d4yywbz.jpg
Elder Thing
Large Aberration
Armor Class 15 (natural armor)
Hit Points 126 (11d10+66)
Speeds 30 ft., fly 40 ft., swim 40 ft.
STR
DEX
CON
INT
WIS
CHA
18 (+4)
18 (+4)
22 (+6)
24 (+7)
24 (+7)
20 (+5)
Damage Resistances cold,
Condition Immunities blinded, deafened,
Senses blindsight 60 ft., darkvision 120 ft.,
Challenge 5
Unnatural Anatomy The elder thing's body body is not distributed or organized like most biological creatures, granting it advantage in saving throws against being paralyzed, poisoned and or stunned.
Ethereal Sight The elder thing can see 60 ft. into the Ethereal Plane when it is on The Material Plane, and vice versa.
Far Traveller The elder thing does not need to breathe.
Echolocation The elder thing cannot use its blindsight when deafened.
Actions
Multittack The elder thing makes two attacks with its tentacles, and before or after any of these attacks it uses its Planar Stride if it can.
Tentacles Melee Weapon Attack:[/I] +8 to-hit, reach 20 ft., one target. Hit: 10 (1d12+4) magic slashing damage plus 7 (2d6) lightning damage.
Planar Stride (recharge 5-6) The elder thing becomes ethereal until either it makes an attack or ends its turn.
Etherealness The elder thing enters the Ethereal Plane from The Material Plane, or vice versa. It is visible on The Material Plane while it is in the Border Ethereal, and vice versa, yet it can't affect or be affected by anything on the other plane.
The elder thing screecher has the same statistics as the elder thing lasher, except that it has the following action.
Psychic Screech: The elder thing forces one creature that it can sense within 60 ft. of it to make a DC 15 Wisdom saving throw. On a failure, the target takes 4d10 psychic damage and is stunned for 1 minute, but on a success they take half as much damage and don't suffer from the condition. A stunned creature may repeat the saving throw at the end of each of their turns, ending the condition on a success.
This fight will probably take place in the castle's small gardened courtyard as soon as the players get out of the secret tunnel. It is going to be a wide open space, only minorly disrupted by organized rows of dead bushes and trees. This is favorable terrain for the elder things as they can make better use of their flight and superior range for attacks. Their will be four normal elder things and one elder thing screecher.
The enemy's main strategy will be a simple one, but one that plays on their strengths. The screecher will stand will stay within screeching range of the character who appears to be the largest threat to itself (probably Brann due to his blastiness) and two other elder things will "form up" around it within lashing range of the closest target to the screecher in a very loose formation and block the party's access to the screecher. If someone gets within 5 ft. of the screecher, both of these elder things will use their planar stride to approach that enemy and strike at them, prioritizing its protection. Two other elder things will be up close to the party, lashing at whoever is the screecher's main target, who may or may not be stunned.
Encounter 2: The Shoggoth
https://pre00.deviantart.net/2b81/th/pre/i/2015/343/c/e/lovecraft___shoggoth__terrastial_ii_by_kingovrats-d5uohe5.jpg
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1dZJlfk2qd2l56eoPb352D3hwpcjpSpqN/view?usp=sharing
Where the party fights this depends on where they go, but it will probably be within one of the thinner hallways of the castle. The shoggoth is largely a foolish creature and has a very basic tactic; trying to ram as many people as it can with one move and attack the target closest to it with its psuedopod. The thinness of the hallways gives the shoggoth plent of oppurtunites to push everyone around. This is a solo monster so I made sure to give it a lot of defensive measures. Even with its load of good damage resistances, condition immunities, avoidance and regeneration though I have little doubt it could survive long. This group can dish out a lot of damage if they so desire, and since will be suffering from focus fire I do not see it lasting long. This guy is meant to drain the party's resources and scare them, but I can't actually see it killing any of the PCs
Party automatically gains the benefits of a short rest before the following fight. This will be flavored as the spirits trapped in the PCs magic weapons (long story) coming to aid them. I know that doesn't make much sense, but I want there to be at least one short rest during this adventuring day and there isn't a way they could do this without breaking immersion. Its handwaiving I know, but it is what I am going with.
Encounter 3: Champions of the Aboleth
https://www.aidedd.org/dnd/images/sahuaginBaron.jpg
Champion of the Aboleth
Medium Humanoid
Armor Class 18 (plate armor)
Hit Points 142 (13d8+65)
Speeds 35 ft., swim 40 ft.
STR
DEX
CON
INT
WIS
CHA
20 (+5)
16 (+3)
20 (+5)
18 (+4)
18 (+4)
20 (+5)
Damage Resistances cold, lightning, thunder,
Damage Immunities poison
Condition Immunities frightened, poisoned
Senses darkvision 120 ft.,
Languages common, deep speech, draconic, primordial, telepathy 60 ft.
Challenge 8
Amphibious The champion can breathe in both air and water.
Cold Weapons The champion's weapon attacks deal an extra 3 (1d6) cold damage (included in the attack).
Pack Tactics The champion has advantage on attack rolls against a creature if at least one of the champion's allies is within 5 ft. of the creature and the ally isn't Incapacitated.
Parry Using its reaction, the champion adds 3 to its AC against one attack that would hit it.
Shocking Fury If the champion has 30 or less hit points remaining, then once per turn it can have one of its attack deal an extra 4 (1d8) lightning damage.
Actions
Multiattack The champion makes four attacks with its trident.
Trident (Two-Handed) Melee or Ranged Weapon Attack:[/I] +8 to-hit, reach 5 ft or range 30/120ft., one target. Hit: 10 (1d10+5) piercing damage plus 3 (1d6) cold damage. If the champion scores a critical hit with this weapon, than they gain 4d6 temporary hit points.
Thunderous Wave Each target within 10 ft. of the champion must make a DC 16 Strength saving throw. On a failure a target takes 10d4 thunder damage and is pushed 15ft. away from the champion, but on a success the target takes just half as much damage.
Necrotic Ray Ranged Spell Attack:+8 to-hit, range 120ft., one target. Hit: 36 (8d8) necrotic damage. The target must succeed on a DC 16 Constitution saving throw or have ther hit point maximum be reduced by an amount equal to the necrotic damage taken. This reduction lasts until it is dispelled by Remove Curse or a similar spell. The target dies if this effect reduces its hit point maximum to 0. Miss: 18 (4d8) poison damage.
Guarding Viakkuradh are two deep one knights who have swore an oath to the Aboleth's ghost. They are commanded to keep anyone from harming Viakkhuradh and thus ruining the invasion. This fight will probably have to take place on the battlements of the castle, but there is no guarantee of that. They are only a medium encounter and will do little more than drain the party's resources, but I actually believe this makes sense. A big part of the deep one's nature is that they have an almost religious devotion to the aboleth and will do anything to achieve its goals, even against all odds.
Their main strategy will be to determine who deals the most damage hit points wise in the first round of combat and try their best to attack them. One of the knights will stand up and tank hits, probably going down pretty quickly, while the other will be slamming the most seemingly dangerous fey with necrotic rays. Their reasoning for doing this is to ensure that the most dangerous person is at their weakest for the final fight against Viakkuradh. Once again, this is another encounter simply meant to drain their resources, but I like the theme of it.
Encounter 4: The Final Battle
https://img00.deviantart.net/02f1/i/2018/205/0/7/lovecraft___hound_by_kingovrats-d9kgmio.jpg
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1SmUefRLiTC_6FUiYvi5D2dhkUnFAnZxc/view?usp=sharing
The weird, teal mist which gathers around starts to clump together in a manner too tight to be possible. Suddenly the mist itself seems to coallesce into one impossible form. The figure in the mist appears to be that of a massive fish or whale with no identifiable features except for the ectoplasm oozing out from its immaterial skin. The liquid has condensed so much that the shape is long made of mist, but of what can only be called an unholy mix of slime and smoke. A multitude of vague humanoid figures writhe within its incorporeal body, each of which are desperately trying to escape from the cage of ooze and smog.
Avatar of the Aboleth
Large Aberration
Armor Class 15 (natural armor)
Hit Points 175 (13d10+104)
Speeds 0 ft., 40 ft. fly (hover), 40 ft. swim
STR
DEX
CON
INT
WIS
CHA
18 (+4)
16 (+3)
26 (+8)
30 (+10)
30 (+10)
26 (+8)
Damage Immunities acid, cold, poison; bludgeoning, piercing and slashing from nonmagical sources
Condition Immunities blinded, deafened, exhausted, grappled, poisoned, prone, restrained
Senses blind sight 120 ft, darkvision 120 ft.
Languages All, Telepathy 300 ft.
Challenge 8
Devil's Sight Magical darkness doesn't impede the avatar's darkvision.
Otherworldly Perception The avatar can sense the presence and pinpoint the location of any creature within 300 ft. of it that is invisible or on the Ethereal Plane.
Incorporeal Movement The avatar can move through other creatures and objects as if they were difficult terrain.
Unholy Regeneration Whenever the avatar deals damage, Viakkuradh regains an amount of hit points equal to the damage dealt.
Actions
Spectrals Chains Coils of ghostly, ethereal chains rise from the ground and wrap around the the avatar's enemies. The avatar chooses one point that it can sense within 120 ft. of it. A 15 ft. square originates from that point and everyone within the area of effect needs to make a DC 16 Strength saving throw. On a failure the target takes 12 (5d4) force damage, is grappled until the end of their next turn and while grappled in this manner restrained, but on a success they only take half as much damage and don't suffer from any of the conditions.
Poisonous Cloud The avatar exhales a mist of toxic gasses in a 40 ft. cone originating from itself. Everything in that cone must make a DC 16 Constitution saving throw. On a failure the target takes 12 (5d4) poison damage, is poisoned for 1 minute and while poisoned in this manner can't regain hit points, but on a success the target takes half as much damage doesn't suffer from the condition. A target may repeat the saving throw at the end of each of their turns, ending the effects on a success.
Blasphemous Radiance The aboleth causes a bright, alien bolt of lightning to strike the ground and erupt in a shower of brilliant sparks which overwhelm the senses. The avatar chooses one point that it can sense within 120 ft. of it. A 15 ft. radius, 40 ft, high cylinder originates from that point, and every creature in the area must make a Wisdom saving throw. On a failure the creature takes 12 (5d4) radiant damage and is blinded until the end of their next turn, but on a success they take half as much damage and avoid the condition.
Incite Terror The avatar lets out a disturbing wail that wracks an enemy's mind with hallucinations of fear and horror. Every creature within 15 ft. of the avatar must make a DC 16 Charisma saving throw. On a failure the target takes 12 (5d4) psychic damage and is frightened for 1 minute. A target may repeat the saving throw at the end of each of their turns, ending the condition on a success.
EtherealnessThe avatar enters the Ethereal Plane from The Material Plane, or vice versa. It is visible on The Material Plane while it is in the Border Ethereal, and vice versa, yet it can't affect or be affected by anything on the other plane.
https://cdnb.artstation.com/p/assets/images/images/007/918/087/large/yuuki-morita-9.jpg?1510238061
Viakkuradh the Elder Vampyre "Dragon"
Huge Undead
Armor Class 17
Hit Points 229 (17d12+119)
Speeds 50 ft., fly 50 ft.
STR
DEX
CON
INT
WIS
CHA
24 (+7)
24 (+7)
24 (+7)
28 (+9)
16 (+3)
16 (+3)
Damage Immunities necrotic, poison,
Condition Immunities charmed, exhausted, frightened, paralyzed, poisoned, stunned, unconscious,
Senses darkvision 120 ft., blindsight 30 ft.,
Challenge 11
Devil's Sight Magical darkness doesn't impede Viakkuradh's darkvision.
Spider Climb Viakkuradh can climb on difficult surfaces, including upside down on ceilings, without needing to make an ability check.
Turn Immunity Viakkuradh is immune to effects that turn undead.
Last Stand The first time Viakkuradh's hit points drop to 45 or below, his screech attack automatically recharges.
Actions
Multiattack Viakkuradh uses his Aura of Death attack and their either makes (a) one screech attack or (b) three attacks; one bite and two claw attacks.
Aura of Death Each creature within 10 ft. of Viakkuradh makes a DC 17 Constitution saving throw, taking 11 (2d10) necrotic damage on a failure and half as much damage on a success.
Screech (recharge 5-6) Viakkuradh unleashes a horrendous screech which tears at the their foe's mind and senses in a 30 ft. cone. Each creature within that cone must make a DC 17 Intelligence saving throw. On a failure a target takes 24 (7d612d4) thunder damage and is deafened for 1 minute but on a success they take half as much damage and aren't deafened until the end of their next turn. At the end of this minute a deafened target may repeat the saving throw, removing the condition on a success but keeping it permanently on a failure.
Bite Melee Weapon Attack:[/I] +8 to-hit, reach 10 ft, one target. Hit: 13 (1d12+7) piercing damage damage plus 16 (3d10) necrotic damage.
Claw Melee Weapon Attack:[/I] +8 to-hit, reach 10 ft, one target. Hit: 11 (1d8+7) magic slashing damage plus 4 (1d8) necrotic damage.
Reactions
Teleport After anyone's turn, Viakkuradh can use his action to teleport to an unoccupied space he can see within 120 ft. of him.
This fight will be the climax of the adventure. Here the party will be facing off against three enemies; Viakkuradh, the Avatar of the Aboleth and the Tomb Hound. I was planning on having this fight take place in a tower which has collapsed, leaving the field obstructed by small fragment of rubble. Some swaths off it will be difficult terrain, and there will be some sparse cover around the field. This tomb hound is an undead creature that the party has heard of earlier but never fought. This was once the corpse of a powerful wizard who tried to turn into a lich but failed. Viakkuradh leads the hound, but is not in direct control of it.
Here we have a fairly basic party set up off a tank (Viakkuradh), a sort of "caster" (the avatar) and a roguish sort (the tomb hound). Viakkhurad is first and foremost the main enemy, so I want to make sure he lasts the longest. Hopefully the aboleth's unholy regeneration will make the players prioritize the aboleth over the vampyre. Due to that feature the aboleth must be killed before the vampyre to keep it from regaining hit points and yo-yoing back up, but in what order the hound is slain doesn't matter too much. If all the other enemies except for the hound are dead, it will recklessly charge the target with the lowest hit points, abandoning stealth in an attempt to spite those that stopped the plans.
Viakkuradh's main tactic will firstly be trying to trap as many people as he can in his aura of death and screeches, disregarding most other factors other than the sheer number of enemies he can include within his AoE without harming his allies. Once that is met, he will bite and claw at whoever seems to be the most powerful in the group. More often than not this has proven to be Zaladane, but that is not a guarantee. If things look bad for him, he will teleport away and hang back, attacking the most isolated targets.
The avatar's primary role will be trying to keep the avatar from being harmed. Whoever is doing the most meddling against them will be targetted by one of its AoE's. The avatar will attempt to maximize the amount of people in the AoE but will always include the primary meddler in it without harming the vampyre. Even if the avatar is being attacked it will still do this, completely abandoning its own self interest.
The hound will be doing the much less glamorous role of sneaking and attacking the weakest target. Whoever has the lowest hit points will be the hound's prey. It will attack the target with the lowest hit points, fly away and then hide in the shadows once again. If somebody has managed to keep it from sneaking away (maybe if it is restrained), then the hound will try its best to escape and regain its mobility once again, targeting its hinderer if that is all it can do.
And that's it I think. If you have any questions, comments or concerns please make them. I could use all the help I can get.
Hello everybody. I have been DMing a PbP adventure for the past seven months, and it now has finally reached its culmination. The players are now level 14 and set to face off against their main nemises, the ghost of an ancient aboleth slain before the gods ruled and Viakkuradh the Elder "Vampyre". Viakkuradh has been repetitively casting the Gate spell to summon armies of creatures from a place a plane of existence known as the Unfathomable Depths where deep sea monsters and aberrations have poured forth to wreak havoc on the kingdom. The region has been thrown into a state of total entropy, and the players have decided that the best way to resolve this issue is by killing Viakkuradh as he is one the only person alive on the material plane who is powerful enough to cast 9th level spells (to their knowledge at least), thusly stopping more creatures from being summoned. Currently Viakkuradh is squatting in the former king's castle which he had overrun. The aboleth's ghost is the commander of the forces of the deep on the material plane.
The player's plan for killing Viakkuradh is quite daring, but this is a largely narrative epic storyline so I suppose it makes sense. The PC are allied with an army of fire elemental creatures, and they have decided that the plan is for the entire army of fire elementals to swarm the city forming a distraction and the PCs will run through a secret passage way into the castle (long story which isn't really relevant to the actual encounters) and fight their way to Viakkuradh and slay him. Needless to say this is very largely impractical, but it is epic D&D play so I thought it made sense. This is not the way I would have gone about it, but meh, I am not a player so its not my choice to make.
In approximately two weeks from now the group will be going through with their plan. The player's are as follows...
- Brann, a level 14 human war wizard who specializes blasting and NOVA tactics. His favored spells are AoE spells that deal hefty amounts of damage such as fireball, erupting earth and cone of cold.
- Diggory, a human champion fighter 10/swashbuckler rogue 3 who focuses on attacking enemies at a range with his longbow. He rarely ever goes into melee.
- Lily, a level 14 human bard who focuses on support spells such as healing word, faerie fire, and enhance ability as much as she does crowd control spells like insect plague, fear and stinking cloud
- Zaddion, a human warlock 11/paladin 2 who mainly spams eldritch blast but will also often times dedicate to crowd control with tentacle themed spells like arms of hadar, hunger of hadar and evard's black tentacles
- Zaladane, a level 14 human enchantment wizard who focuses on casting AoE spells that target mental saves such as confusion, fear, and synaptic static.
As they charge their way through the castle, I have set up the following four encounters as to what impedes their way. I do not intend to kill any of the characters during this final quest, but I will not pull my punches if any of them fall into dire straits. The players will first fight a hard encounter against five enemies, then a hard encounter against one enemy, followed by a medium encounter against two enemies and then finally a deadly encounter against three enemies. Here are the details about the encounters and their respective monsters.
I would really like any input on how to improve these fights so that they are neither too easy nor too hard. Please wise people of GitP, what should I do to make this finale the best it can be. I will welcome any sort of comment or help from anyone.
Encounter 1: The Elder Things
https://img00.deviantart.net/d331/i/2018/158/2/8/lovecraft___elder_thing_by_kingovrats-d4yywbz.jpg
Elder Thing
Large Aberration
Armor Class 15 (natural armor)
Hit Points 126 (11d10+66)
Speeds 30 ft., fly 40 ft., swim 40 ft.
STR
DEX
CON
INT
WIS
CHA
18 (+4)
18 (+4)
22 (+6)
24 (+7)
24 (+7)
20 (+5)
Damage Resistances cold,
Condition Immunities blinded, deafened,
Senses blindsight 60 ft., darkvision 120 ft.,
Challenge 5
Unnatural Anatomy The elder thing's body body is not distributed or organized like most biological creatures, granting it advantage in saving throws against being paralyzed, poisoned and or stunned.
Ethereal Sight The elder thing can see 60 ft. into the Ethereal Plane when it is on The Material Plane, and vice versa.
Far Traveller The elder thing does not need to breathe.
Echolocation The elder thing cannot use its blindsight when deafened.
Actions
Multittack The elder thing makes two attacks with its tentacles, and before or after any of these attacks it uses its Planar Stride if it can.
Tentacles Melee Weapon Attack:[/I] +8 to-hit, reach 20 ft., one target. Hit: 10 (1d12+4) magic slashing damage plus 7 (2d6) lightning damage.
Planar Stride (recharge 5-6) The elder thing becomes ethereal until either it makes an attack or ends its turn.
Etherealness The elder thing enters the Ethereal Plane from The Material Plane, or vice versa. It is visible on The Material Plane while it is in the Border Ethereal, and vice versa, yet it can't affect or be affected by anything on the other plane.
The elder thing screecher has the same statistics as the elder thing lasher, except that it has the following action.
Psychic Screech: The elder thing forces one creature that it can sense within 60 ft. of it to make a DC 15 Wisdom saving throw. On a failure, the target takes 4d10 psychic damage and is stunned for 1 minute, but on a success they take half as much damage and don't suffer from the condition. A stunned creature may repeat the saving throw at the end of each of their turns, ending the condition on a success.
This fight will probably take place in the castle's small gardened courtyard as soon as the players get out of the secret tunnel. It is going to be a wide open space, only minorly disrupted by organized rows of dead bushes and trees. This is favorable terrain for the elder things as they can make better use of their flight and superior range for attacks. Their will be four normal elder things and one elder thing screecher.
The enemy's main strategy will be a simple one, but one that plays on their strengths. The screecher will stand will stay within screeching range of the character who appears to be the largest threat to itself (probably Brann due to his blastiness) and two other elder things will "form up" around it within lashing range of the closest target to the screecher in a very loose formation and block the party's access to the screecher. If someone gets within 5 ft. of the screecher, both of these elder things will use their planar stride to approach that enemy and strike at them, prioritizing its protection. Two other elder things will be up close to the party, lashing at whoever is the screecher's main target, who may or may not be stunned.
Encounter 2: The Shoggoth
https://pre00.deviantart.net/2b81/th/pre/i/2015/343/c/e/lovecraft___shoggoth__terrastial_ii_by_kingovrats-d5uohe5.jpg
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1dZJlfk2qd2l56eoPb352D3hwpcjpSpqN/view?usp=sharing
Where the party fights this depends on where they go, but it will probably be within one of the thinner hallways of the castle. The shoggoth is largely a foolish creature and has a very basic tactic; trying to ram as many people as it can with one move and attack the target closest to it with its psuedopod. The thinness of the hallways gives the shoggoth plent of oppurtunites to push everyone around. This is a solo monster so I made sure to give it a lot of defensive measures. Even with its load of good damage resistances, condition immunities, avoidance and regeneration though I have little doubt it could survive long. This group can dish out a lot of damage if they so desire, and since will be suffering from focus fire I do not see it lasting long. This guy is meant to drain the party's resources and scare them, but I can't actually see it killing any of the PCs
Party automatically gains the benefits of a short rest before the following fight. This will be flavored as the spirits trapped in the PCs magic weapons (long story) coming to aid them. I know that doesn't make much sense, but I want there to be at least one short rest during this adventuring day and there isn't a way they could do this without breaking immersion. Its handwaiving I know, but it is what I am going with.
Encounter 3: Champions of the Aboleth
https://www.aidedd.org/dnd/images/sahuaginBaron.jpg
Champion of the Aboleth
Medium Humanoid
Armor Class 18 (plate armor)
Hit Points 142 (13d8+65)
Speeds 35 ft., swim 40 ft.
STR
DEX
CON
INT
WIS
CHA
20 (+5)
16 (+3)
20 (+5)
18 (+4)
18 (+4)
20 (+5)
Damage Resistances cold, lightning, thunder,
Damage Immunities poison
Condition Immunities frightened, poisoned
Senses darkvision 120 ft.,
Languages common, deep speech, draconic, primordial, telepathy 60 ft.
Challenge 8
Amphibious The champion can breathe in both air and water.
Cold Weapons The champion's weapon attacks deal an extra 3 (1d6) cold damage (included in the attack).
Pack Tactics The champion has advantage on attack rolls against a creature if at least one of the champion's allies is within 5 ft. of the creature and the ally isn't Incapacitated.
Parry Using its reaction, the champion adds 3 to its AC against one attack that would hit it.
Shocking Fury If the champion has 30 or less hit points remaining, then once per turn it can have one of its attack deal an extra 4 (1d8) lightning damage.
Actions
Multiattack The champion makes four attacks with its trident.
Trident (Two-Handed) Melee or Ranged Weapon Attack:[/I] +8 to-hit, reach 5 ft or range 30/120ft., one target. Hit: 10 (1d10+5) piercing damage plus 3 (1d6) cold damage. If the champion scores a critical hit with this weapon, than they gain 4d6 temporary hit points.
Thunderous Wave Each target within 10 ft. of the champion must make a DC 16 Strength saving throw. On a failure a target takes 10d4 thunder damage and is pushed 15ft. away from the champion, but on a success the target takes just half as much damage.
Necrotic Ray Ranged Spell Attack:+8 to-hit, range 120ft., one target. Hit: 36 (8d8) necrotic damage. The target must succeed on a DC 16 Constitution saving throw or have ther hit point maximum be reduced by an amount equal to the necrotic damage taken. This reduction lasts until it is dispelled by Remove Curse or a similar spell. The target dies if this effect reduces its hit point maximum to 0. Miss: 18 (4d8) poison damage.
Guarding Viakkuradh are two deep one knights who have swore an oath to the Aboleth's ghost. They are commanded to keep anyone from harming Viakkhuradh and thus ruining the invasion. This fight will probably have to take place on the battlements of the castle, but there is no guarantee of that. They are only a medium encounter and will do little more than drain the party's resources, but I actually believe this makes sense. A big part of the deep one's nature is that they have an almost religious devotion to the aboleth and will do anything to achieve its goals, even against all odds.
Their main strategy will be to determine who deals the most damage hit points wise in the first round of combat and try their best to attack them. One of the knights will stand up and tank hits, probably going down pretty quickly, while the other will be slamming the most seemingly dangerous fey with necrotic rays. Their reasoning for doing this is to ensure that the most dangerous person is at their weakest for the final fight against Viakkuradh. Once again, this is another encounter simply meant to drain their resources, but I like the theme of it.
Encounter 4: The Final Battle
https://img00.deviantart.net/02f1/i/2018/205/0/7/lovecraft___hound_by_kingovrats-d9kgmio.jpg
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1SmUefRLiTC_6FUiYvi5D2dhkUnFAnZxc/view?usp=sharing
The weird, teal mist which gathers around starts to clump together in a manner too tight to be possible. Suddenly the mist itself seems to coallesce into one impossible form. The figure in the mist appears to be that of a massive fish or whale with no identifiable features except for the ectoplasm oozing out from its immaterial skin. The liquid has condensed so much that the shape is long made of mist, but of what can only be called an unholy mix of slime and smoke. A multitude of vague humanoid figures writhe within its incorporeal body, each of which are desperately trying to escape from the cage of ooze and smog.
Avatar of the Aboleth
Large Aberration
Armor Class 15 (natural armor)
Hit Points 175 (13d10+104)
Speeds 0 ft., 40 ft. fly (hover), 40 ft. swim
STR
DEX
CON
INT
WIS
CHA
18 (+4)
16 (+3)
26 (+8)
30 (+10)
30 (+10)
26 (+8)
Damage Immunities acid, cold, poison; bludgeoning, piercing and slashing from nonmagical sources
Condition Immunities blinded, deafened, exhausted, grappled, poisoned, prone, restrained
Senses blind sight 120 ft, darkvision 120 ft.
Languages All, Telepathy 300 ft.
Challenge 8
Devil's Sight Magical darkness doesn't impede the avatar's darkvision.
Otherworldly Perception The avatar can sense the presence and pinpoint the location of any creature within 300 ft. of it that is invisible or on the Ethereal Plane.
Incorporeal Movement The avatar can move through other creatures and objects as if they were difficult terrain.
Unholy Regeneration Whenever the avatar deals damage, Viakkuradh regains an amount of hit points equal to the damage dealt.
Actions
Spectrals Chains Coils of ghostly, ethereal chains rise from the ground and wrap around the the avatar's enemies. The avatar chooses one point that it can sense within 120 ft. of it. A 15 ft. square originates from that point and everyone within the area of effect needs to make a DC 16 Strength saving throw. On a failure the target takes 12 (5d4) force damage, is grappled until the end of their next turn and while grappled in this manner restrained, but on a success they only take half as much damage and don't suffer from any of the conditions.
Poisonous Cloud The avatar exhales a mist of toxic gasses in a 40 ft. cone originating from itself. Everything in that cone must make a DC 16 Constitution saving throw. On a failure the target takes 12 (5d4) poison damage, is poisoned for 1 minute and while poisoned in this manner can't regain hit points, but on a success the target takes half as much damage doesn't suffer from the condition. A target may repeat the saving throw at the end of each of their turns, ending the effects on a success.
Blasphemous Radiance The aboleth causes a bright, alien bolt of lightning to strike the ground and erupt in a shower of brilliant sparks which overwhelm the senses. The avatar chooses one point that it can sense within 120 ft. of it. A 15 ft. radius, 40 ft, high cylinder originates from that point, and every creature in the area must make a Wisdom saving throw. On a failure the creature takes 12 (5d4) radiant damage and is blinded until the end of their next turn, but on a success they take half as much damage and avoid the condition.
Incite Terror The avatar lets out a disturbing wail that wracks an enemy's mind with hallucinations of fear and horror. Every creature within 15 ft. of the avatar must make a DC 16 Charisma saving throw. On a failure the target takes 12 (5d4) psychic damage and is frightened for 1 minute. A target may repeat the saving throw at the end of each of their turns, ending the condition on a success.
EtherealnessThe avatar enters the Ethereal Plane from The Material Plane, or vice versa. It is visible on The Material Plane while it is in the Border Ethereal, and vice versa, yet it can't affect or be affected by anything on the other plane.
https://cdnb.artstation.com/p/assets/images/images/007/918/087/large/yuuki-morita-9.jpg?1510238061
Viakkuradh the Elder Vampyre "Dragon"
Huge Undead
Armor Class 17
Hit Points 229 (17d12+119)
Speeds 50 ft., fly 50 ft.
STR
DEX
CON
INT
WIS
CHA
24 (+7)
24 (+7)
24 (+7)
28 (+9)
16 (+3)
16 (+3)
Damage Immunities necrotic, poison,
Condition Immunities charmed, exhausted, frightened, paralyzed, poisoned, stunned, unconscious,
Senses darkvision 120 ft., blindsight 30 ft.,
Challenge 11
Devil's Sight Magical darkness doesn't impede Viakkuradh's darkvision.
Spider Climb Viakkuradh can climb on difficult surfaces, including upside down on ceilings, without needing to make an ability check.
Turn Immunity Viakkuradh is immune to effects that turn undead.
Last Stand The first time Viakkuradh's hit points drop to 45 or below, his screech attack automatically recharges.
Actions
Multiattack Viakkuradh uses his Aura of Death attack and their either makes (a) one screech attack or (b) three attacks; one bite and two claw attacks.
Aura of Death Each creature within 10 ft. of Viakkuradh makes a DC 17 Constitution saving throw, taking 11 (2d10) necrotic damage on a failure and half as much damage on a success.
Screech (recharge 5-6) Viakkuradh unleashes a horrendous screech which tears at the their foe's mind and senses in a 30 ft. cone. Each creature within that cone must make a DC 17 Intelligence saving throw. On a failure a target takes 24 (7d612d4) thunder damage and is deafened for 1 minute but on a success they take half as much damage and aren't deafened until the end of their next turn. At the end of this minute a deafened target may repeat the saving throw, removing the condition on a success but keeping it permanently on a failure.
Bite Melee Weapon Attack:[/I] +8 to-hit, reach 10 ft, one target. Hit: 13 (1d12+7) piercing damage damage plus 16 (3d10) necrotic damage.
Claw Melee Weapon Attack:[/I] +8 to-hit, reach 10 ft, one target. Hit: 11 (1d8+7) magic slashing damage plus 4 (1d8) necrotic damage.
Reactions
Teleport After anyone's turn, Viakkuradh can use his action to teleport to an unoccupied space he can see within 120 ft. of him.
This fight will be the climax of the adventure. Here the party will be facing off against three enemies; Viakkuradh, the Avatar of the Aboleth and the Tomb Hound. I was planning on having this fight take place in a tower which has collapsed, leaving the field obstructed by small fragment of rubble. Some swaths off it will be difficult terrain, and there will be some sparse cover around the field. This tomb hound is an undead creature that the party has heard of earlier but never fought. This was once the corpse of a powerful wizard who tried to turn into a lich but failed. Viakkuradh leads the hound, but is not in direct control of it.
Here we have a fairly basic party set up off a tank (Viakkuradh), a sort of "caster" (the avatar) and a roguish sort (the tomb hound). Viakkhurad is first and foremost the main enemy, so I want to make sure he lasts the longest. Hopefully the aboleth's unholy regeneration will make the players prioritize the aboleth over the vampyre. Due to that feature the aboleth must be killed before the vampyre to keep it from regaining hit points and yo-yoing back up, but in what order the hound is slain doesn't matter too much. If all the other enemies except for the hound are dead, it will recklessly charge the target with the lowest hit points, abandoning stealth in an attempt to spite those that stopped the plans.
Viakkuradh's main tactic will firstly be trying to trap as many people as he can in his aura of death and screeches, disregarding most other factors other than the sheer number of enemies he can include within his AoE without harming his allies. Once that is met, he will bite and claw at whoever seems to be the most powerful in the group. More often than not this has proven to be Zaladane, but that is not a guarantee. If things look bad for him, he will teleport away and hang back, attacking the most isolated targets.
The avatar's primary role will be trying to keep the avatar from being harmed. Whoever is doing the most meddling against them will be targetted by one of its AoE's. The avatar will attempt to maximize the amount of people in the AoE but will always include the primary meddler in it without harming the vampyre. Even if the avatar is being attacked it will still do this, completely abandoning its own self interest.
The hound will be doing the much less glamorous role of sneaking and attacking the weakest target. Whoever has the lowest hit points will be the hound's prey. It will attack the target with the lowest hit points, fly away and then hide in the shadows once again. If somebody has managed to keep it from sneaking away (maybe if it is restrained), then the hound will try its best to escape and regain its mobility once again, targeting its hinderer if that is all it can do.
And that's it I think. If you have any questions, comments or concerns please make them. I could use all the help I can get.