Dork_Forge
2020-06-19, 10:00 PM
So the party (10th level, 3 PCs) I DM for is currently going through an arena event to raise funds, there's five rounds and they're currently after the fourth round and next session will be going into the fifth and final round. This was meant as an endurance event and I want the final encounter to be very hard on them (not kill them, but they should feel like it's a possibility). The tournament has gone like this so far:
Encounter 1: Two Giant Scorpions
Encounter 2: Eight Ice Mephits
Short Rest
Encounter 3: Tweaked Blackguard (added a bit of damage) and Giant Boar (bumped AC and HP... got double critted first turn)
Encounter 4: Tweaked Stone Golem (The heavy hits and nonmagical BPS resistance really pushed them (even though they had access to magic weapons), from my point of view they were nowhere near close to losing or dropping, but so far they haven't really had any close calls)
Short rest (they are currently here)
Encounter 5 This is where I need the feedback
So for Encounter 5 I currently have a tweaked Storm Giant (Rolf Thundrin) prepared but I'm not sure it'll be enough to actually push them, especially since they have rationed their biggest hits for this round.
AC 16 HP 230
Multiattack changed to three attacks
Greatsword +14, 10ft reach, 4d6+9 slashing 2d4 lightning
Rock unchanged
Lightning Strike I think unchanged
The more I think about it the more I think they'll just gank him and he needs significant buffing, at least higher AC, Legendary Resistances and maybe actions too.
The party, their items and current state of affairs are:
Dragonborn Vengeance Paladin AC 19 w/shield HP 114(+3 Con and Tough)
Fighting Style: Protection
Current resources: 10 lay on hands points, 3 1st level slots, 2 3rd level slots, breath weapon (he can smite on his breath weapon if he focuses it into single target
He uses spells a lot for a Paladin (in the arena so far he cast Magic Weapon on his sword/whip rather than taking out his +1 longsword)
Boons: Fly speed 25ft with shield, 30ft without
Items and consumables:
- one common health potion
- one potion that deals 1d4 lightning damage to anyone that touches him for 1 minute
- +1 Longsword
- Gauntlets of Ogre Power
- a wand of necrotic magic missile, he's used it already but I'm not sure how many charges he has left (it has 5 total)
- Custom weapon: dragonbone longsword that does an extra 1d4 Fire damage and can shift into a whip for reach (damage die becomes 1d4, reatains fire damage)
- Custom armor that has an aoe ability he's already burned for the day and wrist claws that do 2d4 slashing
-A kind of firebomb he was gifted by an alchemist he befriended, he doesn't know what these do yet (and neither do I...)
Kobold (minus the Str penalty) Glamour Bard (+5 Cha) AC 15 HP 63 (Actor feat though not really relevant here)
Current Resources: 2 1st level slots, 2 2nd level slots, 2 3rd level slots, 1 4th level slot, 2 5th level slots, 5 Bardic Inspiration, Cower Grovel and Beg
His ability to give out 11 temp hp as a bonus action, multiple times has soaked an unbelievable amount of damage during the campaign as a whole and the arena
Relevant spells:
-Animate Objects
-Wall of Force
-Polymorph (turned into a T Rex twice to restrain the Stone Golem and tank hits)
-Dimension Door
-Counter Spell
-Hypnotic Pattern
-Dissonant Whispers (he used this with devastating effect against a dragon)
-Heat Metal (healped take down the Black Guard fairly quickly)
-Hypnotic Pattern
-Fear
-Healing Word
-Entangle
-Command via Mantle of Majesty
Boons: Added Entangle and Druidcraft to his list and cantrips
Items and Consumables:
-Luck Stone
-Doss Lute (nothing used so far and only Fly and Levitate used once each so far ingame (11 sessions in)
-A piccolo that grants him an additional Bardic Inspiration, but it can only be used to inspire it can't fuel his abilities
-A ring that grants a +2 to AC as a bonus action for an hour
-An amulet that can summon a Raven for 1 hour a day
-Potion of Heroism
-Common healing Potion
Minotaur Barbarian (Bear Totem) 6 Rogue (Swashbuckler) 4 AC 17 HP 83
I allow him to use Sneak with his horns and he TWFs (no fighting style)
Current Resources: He still has use of his Primal Fury Boon, his weapon smite and two rages left, otherwise he's essentially resource agnostic thanks to the Rogue levels, very high initiative
Boons: Primal Fury- when he rages, once a day, he can grow to large and deal an extra 1d6 fire damage with his horns
Items and Consumables:
-Custom weapon: 1d6 slashing with 1d4 Fire, once per day can perform a 3rd level Smite (4d8) with it, this is not a Finesse weapon so no Sneak on it
-+1 Scimitar
-+1 Dagger
-Cloak of Elvenkind
-Greater Healing Potion
-Potion of Gaseous Form
So there you have it, they're coming out of a short rest so will be at full hp, likely smothered in temp hp and hitting hard as they can as fast as they can. What tweaks and buffs can I make to Rolf to make him a suitable challenge to drive them to the edge? Would you give any thematic companion to a Storm Giant gladiator?
Thanks in advance!
Encounter 1: Two Giant Scorpions
Encounter 2: Eight Ice Mephits
Short Rest
Encounter 3: Tweaked Blackguard (added a bit of damage) and Giant Boar (bumped AC and HP... got double critted first turn)
Encounter 4: Tweaked Stone Golem (The heavy hits and nonmagical BPS resistance really pushed them (even though they had access to magic weapons), from my point of view they were nowhere near close to losing or dropping, but so far they haven't really had any close calls)
Short rest (they are currently here)
Encounter 5 This is where I need the feedback
So for Encounter 5 I currently have a tweaked Storm Giant (Rolf Thundrin) prepared but I'm not sure it'll be enough to actually push them, especially since they have rationed their biggest hits for this round.
AC 16 HP 230
Multiattack changed to three attacks
Greatsword +14, 10ft reach, 4d6+9 slashing 2d4 lightning
Rock unchanged
Lightning Strike I think unchanged
The more I think about it the more I think they'll just gank him and he needs significant buffing, at least higher AC, Legendary Resistances and maybe actions too.
The party, their items and current state of affairs are:
Dragonborn Vengeance Paladin AC 19 w/shield HP 114(+3 Con and Tough)
Fighting Style: Protection
Current resources: 10 lay on hands points, 3 1st level slots, 2 3rd level slots, breath weapon (he can smite on his breath weapon if he focuses it into single target
He uses spells a lot for a Paladin (in the arena so far he cast Magic Weapon on his sword/whip rather than taking out his +1 longsword)
Boons: Fly speed 25ft with shield, 30ft without
Items and consumables:
- one common health potion
- one potion that deals 1d4 lightning damage to anyone that touches him for 1 minute
- +1 Longsword
- Gauntlets of Ogre Power
- a wand of necrotic magic missile, he's used it already but I'm not sure how many charges he has left (it has 5 total)
- Custom weapon: dragonbone longsword that does an extra 1d4 Fire damage and can shift into a whip for reach (damage die becomes 1d4, reatains fire damage)
- Custom armor that has an aoe ability he's already burned for the day and wrist claws that do 2d4 slashing
-A kind of firebomb he was gifted by an alchemist he befriended, he doesn't know what these do yet (and neither do I...)
Kobold (minus the Str penalty) Glamour Bard (+5 Cha) AC 15 HP 63 (Actor feat though not really relevant here)
Current Resources: 2 1st level slots, 2 2nd level slots, 2 3rd level slots, 1 4th level slot, 2 5th level slots, 5 Bardic Inspiration, Cower Grovel and Beg
His ability to give out 11 temp hp as a bonus action, multiple times has soaked an unbelievable amount of damage during the campaign as a whole and the arena
Relevant spells:
-Animate Objects
-Wall of Force
-Polymorph (turned into a T Rex twice to restrain the Stone Golem and tank hits)
-Dimension Door
-Counter Spell
-Hypnotic Pattern
-Dissonant Whispers (he used this with devastating effect against a dragon)
-Heat Metal (healped take down the Black Guard fairly quickly)
-Hypnotic Pattern
-Fear
-Healing Word
-Entangle
-Command via Mantle of Majesty
Boons: Added Entangle and Druidcraft to his list and cantrips
Items and Consumables:
-Luck Stone
-Doss Lute (nothing used so far and only Fly and Levitate used once each so far ingame (11 sessions in)
-A piccolo that grants him an additional Bardic Inspiration, but it can only be used to inspire it can't fuel his abilities
-A ring that grants a +2 to AC as a bonus action for an hour
-An amulet that can summon a Raven for 1 hour a day
-Potion of Heroism
-Common healing Potion
Minotaur Barbarian (Bear Totem) 6 Rogue (Swashbuckler) 4 AC 17 HP 83
I allow him to use Sneak with his horns and he TWFs (no fighting style)
Current Resources: He still has use of his Primal Fury Boon, his weapon smite and two rages left, otherwise he's essentially resource agnostic thanks to the Rogue levels, very high initiative
Boons: Primal Fury- when he rages, once a day, he can grow to large and deal an extra 1d6 fire damage with his horns
Items and Consumables:
-Custom weapon: 1d6 slashing with 1d4 Fire, once per day can perform a 3rd level Smite (4d8) with it, this is not a Finesse weapon so no Sneak on it
-+1 Scimitar
-+1 Dagger
-Cloak of Elvenkind
-Greater Healing Potion
-Potion of Gaseous Form
So there you have it, they're coming out of a short rest so will be at full hp, likely smothered in temp hp and hitting hard as they can as fast as they can. What tweaks and buffs can I make to Rolf to make him a suitable challenge to drive them to the edge? Would you give any thematic companion to a Storm Giant gladiator?
Thanks in advance!