Quote Originally Posted by Swaoeaeieu View Post
To the Zealot experts! I would deeply apreciate some advice

my players (im the DM) will soon fight a buch of bad guys hunting the same treasure as them. I figured a zealot with some minions and maube another capable npc.
They will have a number of Kuo Toa henchmen, i was thinking a ranged Zealot could be a good back up for them.

How could i build such a zealot to challenge a group of 5 level players, without overwhelming them too much?
Without knowing anything about your group of level 5 players, it's impossible to say. But here are some general tips.

Have the Zealot have lower HP than what a PC would have. Like, say, 10 constitution. Dip a level of Rubato Bard for a bit less HP, 1 less BAB, 1 less IL, but more minion support and Flowing Creek. Take the Combat Training trait to grab Leaping Dragon (TD) for some mobility. Use lots of minion-supporting boosts and counters like Pride Movement (GL) and Fear the Reaper (EG). Use strikes that don't directly do bonus damage, but lightly debuff the players or enable the minions, like Harmony-Shattering Strike (SG) and Disarming Shot (TG). Make it obvious that the Zealot is a threat that exponentially makes the fight harder so that the players will decide it's worth the risk to shove past the minions and attack the Zealot.