BBEG Help

[Viking_Mage]

I am planning an encounter with my story-arc's big bad - a Wiz 5/Mindbender6. I know that she is going to have a Improved Familiar (Combat Familiar) Air Mephit. The encounter is going to be on the top of an 80 story tower. The party is going to be 8th level. She will also have at least one defender in the encounter with her - I'm planning on a 8th level Brawler. I'm planning for an EL 13-14.

My biggest problem is my lack of familiarity with optimization. How do I utilize the BBEG to be able to be a significant threat?

The method of the campaign write-up is specifically not-tailor made to the PCs.

[Navigator]

Six levels of Mindbender is a serious blow to the threat level of this encounter, especially if you want it optimized. A single dip into Mindbender and the rest in Wizard would be much more challenging.

That being said, with six levels of Mindbender, you can, and should have two flunkies in the combat through his eternal charm ability. These flunkies should probably be somewhere around CR8 or CR9. Also, your BBEG should have some kind of contingency plan if the party carries break enchantment, because casting that with a decent caster level will probably trivialize the encounter.

It should be noted that calculating the total CR for an encounter with flunkies that are the result of a class ability is extremely ambiguous, so be careful. Keep in mind that these "large" creatures can be virtually anything, but it would make sense for them to be something the BBEG could conceivably defeat in combat.

Other than that, optimizing a Wizard is all about the spells. With 4th-level spells, the best you could probably do is blow someone up with an orb spell and buff his flunkies. Just make sure you make him hard to hit by stacking mirror image and displacement.

[Crossblade]

Wizard on top of a 80 story tower... watch out for Bull Rush. Or have fly prepared. Several times.

[KillianHawkeye]

Needs moar minions! RAWR!

Seriously though, I advise impressing upon your players the danger of an 800 foot drop (while also making your BBEG immune to falling). This is a smart villain, so he should use the terrain to his advantage. Use choke points, precarious balance, and physical barriers. Make additional barriers with magic. If the PCs try to come at you one way, make them go back. Don't underestimate battlefield control. Never go toe to toe against the party's beat stick. Summon flying creatures to harrass your players. Have your minions try to push the PCs before the PCs push them. Use the air mephit's gust of wind SLA strategically, catching as many PCs as you can and sending them to their doom.

[Vantharion]

Needs moar minions! RAWR!

Seriously though, I advise impressing upon your players the danger of an 800 foot drop (while also making your BBEG immune to falling). This is a smart villain, so he should use the terrain to his advantage. Use choke points, precarious balance, and physical barriers. Make additional barriers with magic. If the PCs try to come at you one way, make them go back. Don't underestimate battlefield control. Never go toe to toe against the party's beat stick. Summon flying creatures to harrass your players. Have your minions try to push the PCs before the PCs push them. Use the air mephit's gust of wind SLA strategically, catching as many PCs as you can and sending them to their doom.

I couldnt agree more. Generally perfect Killian.
I would say the Mindbender popping Fly and Greater Invisibility would make the encounter fairly... challenging. He can telepathy to the players and fly around while being invisible so no need for more silently, perfect scores on hide, general inability to be hit. Topping off a 'Sphere of Invulnerability, Lesser' will make the boss VERY difficult to track down and harm.
Beyond this, having a cohort that is DRESSED and acts like the mindbender (short of melee) can distract the players while the wizard sets up something like 'Break the support beam under the platform'. The challenge with the wizard doing something while the players are busy is it cant be TOO destructive or they don't see it coming and die.


In the more general list, I would recommend having a sufficiently protected way up onto the top floor so that the wizard can cast things like 'Haste, Bull's Strength, Delayed Dispel Magic (At player entrance location) and other spells' for a BIG advantage.

[Lysander]

By that same token, make it fun for your players by providing some puny minions that they can cast off the tower. Why not give the wizard/mindbender a small army of skeleton warriors or some other pushovers specifically so your players can use Gust of Wind and bull rushes to send them off the edge. You don't have to tell the players that those enemies are there just to be easily and amusingly killed.

[Viking_Mage]

Wizard on top of a 80 story tower... watch out for Bull Rush. Or have fly prepared. Several times.

She has a broom of flying. Should take care of that.

Lysander, thank you, that should amuse the players.

Navigator, Killian & Vantharion, your help and advice makes me a happy DM. :D