Final Encounter?

[NorseItalian]

I'm running a short dnd campaign that will bring 6 characters from level 1 to level 5-7. It's just to hold my newly formed group over till 4e. I've been trying to decide what the final mpnster should be. I want it to be challenging and rewardingly spectacular. It's okay if it kills off a couple characters, but I don't want a TPK. The idea is that a lizardfolk tribe has been ravaging the countryside to prepare for the comming of their 'god' (who can actually just be a very powerful monster). At the end of the final dungeon the yuan-ti priestess summons the monster. Any ideas on what the monster should be?

[Azerian Kelimon]

I would say a version of That Damn Crab, but you need something serpentine.

Hmm...maybe a toned down evil version of a couatl?

[purple gelatinous cube o' Doom]

You can never go wrong with a dragon encounter. Or make up your own monster/bad guy.

[Zincorium]

Half-fiend were-megaraptor lizardfolk. Dangerous, yet, in the general level range your looking for.

And heck, if I were a lizardman I would worship it. If you want it statted out I'll do that for you.

[Djinn_in_Tonic]

An interesting twist would be to take a normal Giant python and pump it through, say, the Monster of Legend template. It'll seem normal until, for example, it's blood starts wounding people.

[NorseItalian]

You can never go wrong with a dragon encounter. Or make up your own monster/bad guy.

Yeah, the problem is (and I should've specified this) in order to have a dragon encounter that won't cause a tpk, the dragon has to be large sized, and I'd prefer huge sized.

[Squash Monster]

My recommendation:

Start with a Monitor Lizard (CR 2) then give it 9 more animal hitdice (CR +3) and two size increases (CR +2) then add the Monster of Legend template from Monster Manual II (CR +2) for a grand total of CR 9, which should be a pretty rough fight for a party of level 7s, but doable.

If you want the stats for that, just ask.

[NorseItalian]

My recommendation:

Start with a Monitor Lizard (CR 2) then give it 9 more animal hitdice (CR +3) and two size increases (CR +2) then add the Monster of Legend template from Monster Manual II (CR +2) for a grand total of CR 9, which should be a pretty rough fight for a party of level 7s, but doable.

If you want the stats for that, just ask.

That sounds good, I'd like to see the stats.

[TheFlamingHobo]

be wary of the ultimate animal killer, Ray of Stupidity.

I would go with a dragon, just increase the size category to huge without increasing it's HD. That should make it an particularly challenging encounter but not unbeatable.

[FlyMolo]

Throw an illithid at them. It's just a suggestion, and not particularly well-suited to the flavor, but maybe it has a hat of disguise to look scaly, and uses its suggestion powers on naysayers. Could be cool.

[Squash Monster]

be wary of the ultimate animal killer, Ray of Stupidity.

Good point. I'll do the stats as if two of those hitdice came from Awaken.

Done twice, once with Monster of Legend and once without.

Awakened Twice-Advanced Monitor Lizard of Legend
Size/Type: Huge Magical Beast (Augmented Animal)
Hit Dice: 12d10 + 84 (144 HP average)
Initiative: +0
Speed: 30ft, Swim 30ft
Armor Class: 16 (-2 size, +8 natural) touch 8, flat 16
Base Attack/Grapple: +12/+31
Attack: Bite +21 melee (3d6+11)
Full Attack: above and again at +16
Space/Reach: 15ft/10ft
Special Attacks: -
Special Qualities: Low-light vision, Darkvision 60'
Saves: Fort +15, Ref +8, Will +5
Abilities: Str 33, Dex 11, Con 25, Int 11, Wis 12, Cha 4
Skills: 24 skillpoints, +8 racial bonus on Swim, +4 racial bonus on Hide and Move Silently
Feats: 4 feats: I recommend fairly bad ones: Iron Will, Improved Initiative, Lightning Reflexes, Improved Natural Armor. A better set would include Power Attack, Snatch, Improved Bullrush, Awesome Blow
Challenge Rating: 7


Or the Of Legend version:

Awakened Twice-Advanced Monitor Lizard
Size/Type: Huge Outsider (Native, Augmented Animal)
Hit Dice: 12d10 + 144 (204 HP average)
Initiative: +3
Speed: 30ft, Swim 30ft
Armor Class: 24 (-2 size, +3 dex, +13 natural) touch 11, flat 21
Base Attack/Grapple: +12/+36
Attack: Bite +26 melee (3d6+16)
Full Attack: above and again at +21
Space/Reach: 15ft/10ft
Special Attacks: Raging Blood: does 1d4 acid damage to all in a 5ft cone whenever damaged.
Special Qualities: Damage Reduction 10/Magic, Haste (as the spell), Low-light vision, Darkvision 60'
Saves: Fort +23, Ref +14, Will +8
Abilities: Str 43, Dex 17, Con 35, Int 13, Wis 14, Cha 8
Skills: 24 skillpoints, +8 racial bonus on Swim, +4 racial bonus on Hide and Move Silently
Feats: Improved Initiative, Multiattack, and 4 others. I recommend Power Attack, Snatch, Improved Bullrush, Knockback
Challenge Rating: 9

Note that the Monster Of Legend template gives you a few choices. I chose what I thought would be most fun, but you probably should look over them. An alternate set I would consider:
Replace Raging Blood with Poison: via bite, 1d6 Strength damage, Fort save DC 23
Replace Damage Reduction with Reflective Hide (a permanent Spell Turning effect)


Random note: if you chose the Fire breath-weapon and the right feats, this would make a wonderful flightless dragon for an E6 campaign.

[Zincorium]

Squash monster, I've got a few things to point out regarding your stats. It's cool that you made it up, but accuracy is always something to strive for.

First, the DR. There are no pluses anymore, and the update for the monster manual 2 replaces it with DR/magic. Minor change.

Also, monster of legend makes it an outsider (native). But with the normal D10 hit dice and full BAB of the magical animal that awaken made it (as it lacks the caveat that all characteristics remain the same). Monster of legend only changes the hit dice to a D8 if it's smaller than that, so it remains the same, along with BAB.

The end result is Outsider (native, augmented animal) with most of the characteristics of a Magical beast.

[Squash Monster]

My bad. You'll have to excuse me for missing a few details: it's rather hard to get every last one of them when doing one of these. I'll edit the correct ones in shortly.

[Kol Korran]

Hhhhmmmm... the old "Yuan ti summoning a god/ devil/ the kobold who hasthat new scale lotion" idea...
well, here are a few ideas. i haven't stated them yet, but it could easely here goes:

- the "pre-dragon": the Yuan Ti summons a creature from the dawn of time- an ancestor of dragon! it should have a much more reptilian look, and some of the capabilites of dragons, but not as "fully developed" as modern species are. you can make it as big as you want. just ake a big enough dragon and start downgradin it's abilities (with maybe adding a few other simpel ones, such as a wyvern's poisenous tail).
there are several advantages for this monster: it's unique, it's odd look and relationship to both dragons and Yuan- Ti could add depth to thw world and/ or adventure. experienced players will know a bit about it (being of the dragon type), but not enough as to ruin the surprise, and lastly- you can safely pepper all kind of hints (and contradictions), about the "god" without worrying the players find out what it is too soon. (since no player have ever encountered this creature).
true, it requires some work, but i think it will boe worth it to cap the adventure. if youhave experienced players, i suggest you design some truly unique abilites for this relic of the past.
another idea concernign this- youcan have the first half of the fight in the temple/ summoning arena, andthen have the beast retreat to it's time. now the characters must follow it and slay it before it escapes/ complets it's plan.
(maybe the Yuan-Ti's plan is not to summo ntheir god, but to summon their era and time, before the warm blooded races walked the earth? the -Pre Dragon is summoned so it can take/ carry/ embody some artifact, that it then carries back in tiem, to a close location in which the ritual is to be completed?)

- alternetavly, you can have a huge dragon (especially suitable for new players, or ones that almost never battled ragons before). pepper all kind of /magical tablets/ power stones/ other equivalent objects through the campaign. the party learns these may help them defeat this "god". at the temple they must reach certain locations/ perform rituals and so on, that weaken the "god". for each such accomplishment, reduce HD or abilities or spells or qualities from the dragon. plan this well, and they might face an old "handicapped" dragon of their CR...

- any Naga. perhaps with class levels, or special abilities? (it must be able to move around the temple to fight though. at least in my opinion)

i might work on some of the stats if you're realy interested...