barteem
2010-10-21, 05:44 PM
Hello all, just dropping by to ask for some help on balancing an encounter I am building.
Without going in to detail on the story (I’ll relate if you ask) the party is about to take on
a Spawn of Yog-Sothoth that is being summoned by a high priest and his Cult of Cuthulu.
The encounter is pulled from the Pathfinder module Carrion Hill I ran for them, but heavily modified to accommodate our storyline and power level.
Encounter details.
1 “Weakened” Spawn of Yog-Sothoth. Currently CR10 (Needs to be adjusted. Stats below)
1 Cleric level 7-9? High priest finishing up an incantation (3.5 rule) that will bring the Spawn to full power.
10 Commoner level 1 cultists assisting in the ritual. Each has a small vial, akin to a mini-phylactery, that guards their soul against being consumed by the Spawn while they complete the incantation.
5 Player characters all level 6, Cleric, Paladin, Bard, Ranger, Wizard, all carrying magic weapons of at least +1 and various other lower level magic items, like armor, potions, a scroll or two. All within the wealth by level 6 category for medium progression. They have a few extra feats among them, but nothing too over the top and we use a home brewed hero point system that almost mirrors the hero point system in the Pathfinder APG.
The Encounter
When the PCs show up in the town square they find the incantation is ending. The spawn has begun to flail out with it’s tentacles and drain the cultists of their souls by grappling them and crushing their mini-phylacteries. Once a round, with a successful grapple and application of strength damage the phylactery breaks and the soul is consumed giving the Spawn 10 additional HP. The cultists are insane and suicidal and will not run. If the cultists are killed by a PC, their phylacteries will hold their soul, but if the phylactery is broken, this once again will feed the Spawn. When all ten cultists are consumed, the Spawn breaks free under the command of the priest.
The Goal
The PCs need to kill the Spawn to have a chance to survive and return home from this nightmare dimension.
To do that they need to deal with the cultists and high priest, who will try and stop them, and kill the Spawn.
They can’t ignore cultists because the spawn can feed off them if they are alive and within reach, the cultists, though low in power, can still attack the PCs Cultists can also shatter their own phylactery in a fit of madness and feed the Spawn.
So with that in mind, how would you adjust the Spawn CR while maintaining his epic Cthulu feel, and what level should I make the high priest?
Over all, I’d really like this to be doable for the PCs but only barely.
Thanks in advance for your advice.
Spawn of Yog-Sothoth CR 10
XP 9,600
CE Large aberration (extraplanar)
Init +6; Senses blindsight 30 ft., darkvision 60 ft.; Perception +20
Aura stench (DC 22, 10 rounds)
Defense
AC 24, touch 11, flat-footed 22 (+2 Dex, +13 natural, –1 size)
hp 133 (14d8+70)
Fort +9, Ref +8, Will +12
Defensive Abilities natural invisibility, DR 10/magic; Immune
cold, fire; Resist sonic 10; SR 20
Weakness 6 negative levels (or fewer), not included in these totals
Offense
Speed 30 ft., climb 30 ft.
Melee 1 bite +17 (1d8+8/19–20), 4 tentacles +16 (1d6+4 plus grab)
Space 10 ft.; Reach 10 ft.
Special Attacks blood drain, devastation
Statistics
Str 26, Dex 15, Con 21, Int 17, Wis 17, Cha 20
Base Atk +10; CMB +19; CMD 31
Feats Combat Reflexes, Improved Critical (bite), Improved
Initiative, Lightning Reflexes, Multiattack, Vital Strike,
Weapon Focus (tentacles)
Skills Climb +33, Escape Artist +19, Intimidate +22, Knowledge
(arcana) +17, Perception +20, Spellcraft +20, Stealth +15
Languages Aklo
Ecology
Environment temperate hills
Organization solitary
Treasure standard
Special Abilities
Blood Drain (Ex) If a spawn of Yog-Sothoth establishes or
maintains a pin with a tentacle, it drains blood via tiny
slavering mouths that open along the tentacle’s length,
dealing 1d4 points of Constitution damage.
Devastation (Ex) As a full-round action, the spawn can
assault a structure, dealing 4d6+16 points of damage to
the structure in that round.
Without going in to detail on the story (I’ll relate if you ask) the party is about to take on
a Spawn of Yog-Sothoth that is being summoned by a high priest and his Cult of Cuthulu.
The encounter is pulled from the Pathfinder module Carrion Hill I ran for them, but heavily modified to accommodate our storyline and power level.
Encounter details.
1 “Weakened” Spawn of Yog-Sothoth. Currently CR10 (Needs to be adjusted. Stats below)
1 Cleric level 7-9? High priest finishing up an incantation (3.5 rule) that will bring the Spawn to full power.
10 Commoner level 1 cultists assisting in the ritual. Each has a small vial, akin to a mini-phylactery, that guards their soul against being consumed by the Spawn while they complete the incantation.
5 Player characters all level 6, Cleric, Paladin, Bard, Ranger, Wizard, all carrying magic weapons of at least +1 and various other lower level magic items, like armor, potions, a scroll or two. All within the wealth by level 6 category for medium progression. They have a few extra feats among them, but nothing too over the top and we use a home brewed hero point system that almost mirrors the hero point system in the Pathfinder APG.
The Encounter
When the PCs show up in the town square they find the incantation is ending. The spawn has begun to flail out with it’s tentacles and drain the cultists of their souls by grappling them and crushing their mini-phylacteries. Once a round, with a successful grapple and application of strength damage the phylactery breaks and the soul is consumed giving the Spawn 10 additional HP. The cultists are insane and suicidal and will not run. If the cultists are killed by a PC, their phylacteries will hold their soul, but if the phylactery is broken, this once again will feed the Spawn. When all ten cultists are consumed, the Spawn breaks free under the command of the priest.
The Goal
The PCs need to kill the Spawn to have a chance to survive and return home from this nightmare dimension.
To do that they need to deal with the cultists and high priest, who will try and stop them, and kill the Spawn.
They can’t ignore cultists because the spawn can feed off them if they are alive and within reach, the cultists, though low in power, can still attack the PCs Cultists can also shatter their own phylactery in a fit of madness and feed the Spawn.
So with that in mind, how would you adjust the Spawn CR while maintaining his epic Cthulu feel, and what level should I make the high priest?
Over all, I’d really like this to be doable for the PCs but only barely.
Thanks in advance for your advice.
Spawn of Yog-Sothoth CR 10
XP 9,600
CE Large aberration (extraplanar)
Init +6; Senses blindsight 30 ft., darkvision 60 ft.; Perception +20
Aura stench (DC 22, 10 rounds)
Defense
AC 24, touch 11, flat-footed 22 (+2 Dex, +13 natural, –1 size)
hp 133 (14d8+70)
Fort +9, Ref +8, Will +12
Defensive Abilities natural invisibility, DR 10/magic; Immune
cold, fire; Resist sonic 10; SR 20
Weakness 6 negative levels (or fewer), not included in these totals
Offense
Speed 30 ft., climb 30 ft.
Melee 1 bite +17 (1d8+8/19–20), 4 tentacles +16 (1d6+4 plus grab)
Space 10 ft.; Reach 10 ft.
Special Attacks blood drain, devastation
Statistics
Str 26, Dex 15, Con 21, Int 17, Wis 17, Cha 20
Base Atk +10; CMB +19; CMD 31
Feats Combat Reflexes, Improved Critical (bite), Improved
Initiative, Lightning Reflexes, Multiattack, Vital Strike,
Weapon Focus (tentacles)
Skills Climb +33, Escape Artist +19, Intimidate +22, Knowledge
(arcana) +17, Perception +20, Spellcraft +20, Stealth +15
Languages Aklo
Ecology
Environment temperate hills
Organization solitary
Treasure standard
Special Abilities
Blood Drain (Ex) If a spawn of Yog-Sothoth establishes or
maintains a pin with a tentacle, it drains blood via tiny
slavering mouths that open along the tentacle’s length,
dealing 1d4 points of Constitution damage.
Devastation (Ex) As a full-round action, the spawn can
assault a structure, dealing 4d6+16 points of damage to
the structure in that round.