Fleshing out an adventure idea using Poison Dusk Lizardfolk; Against the Giants

[ksbsnowowl]

(click to show/hide)

Last week I started a new gaming group into The Sunless Citadel.  The group has one experienced player (also playing in my 20th level gestalt game), a fairly novice player (plays in my 20th level group, but has only had about 4 months of serious gaming under his belt), and a new-to-me player who has never played 3rd edition (played 2nd ed back in high school; 4th ed was out when he got back into D&D, so he had been playing that).  With a little luck, I'll be gaining a fourth player (a total D&D newb) this week.
They are 28 point buy, non-gestalt, and I'm generally not letting them use things from FR or Eberron.  Right now I have an Elven Rogue (will multiclass with Warlock), a Human Druid, and a Dwarven Barbarian.

Part of why I've started this game was to give the novice player a better foundational understanding of the game, by exposing him to a much simpler campaign, where he's not overwhelmed with 20 gestalt levels, and all that entails, and can actually learn the game from first level.  It was also to help me prevent DM-burn-out from the high level game that has started to get nuts.

I've never played nor run the eight "3.0 adventure path" modules that were published in 2000-2002, though I have picked several of them up at used book stores over the years, and have been holding a specific third party adventure in reserve to insert into the adventure path.  I've heard fantastic things about Sunless Citadel, which is why I've started there.  Very quickly, here is my planned campaign:

Levels:
1-3: The Sunless Citadel
3-5: The Forge of Fury
5-7: Adventure of my own design, featuring Poison Dusk Lizardfolk (will discuss below)
7-9: The Standing Stone
9-10: Beyond the Veil by Penumbra Press (written by Monte Cook)
10-13: Expedition to the Demonweb Pits (though it is designed for levels 9-12)
14: Unsure; I'll figure out something
15-17: Lord of the Iron Fortress
18-20: Bastion of Broken Souls

I've never been enamored by Speaker in Dreams, so I need to come up with something to fit in the 5-7 level range; I'll describe my plans for that shortly.  Although I have The Heart of Nightfang Spire (10th level), I've read that it is a real meat grinder, and overall quite boring to play through, so I plan to avoid it, and I've never owned Deep Horizons.  Also, as I'm looking at things now, I may well invert Demonweb Pits and Beyond the Veil; that would put EttDwP back at the levels it was intended for, and the main villain of Beyond the Veil is a 3.0 CR 12 Ghost Adult Black Dragon; 3.5 bumped all dragon CR's up by 1, so he's a CR 13, really, and I've always harbored the crazy idea of making him a half-red dragon black dragon, to help tie him in with Ashardalon (who would be his daddy), basically adding the fire subtype and giving him two types of breath weapon, which would add to his CR even more.

Stealth edit: I just opened up The Standing Stone and found some campaign-planning notes I'd written down over 10 years ago.  Apparently I had two alternate ideas, one with the half-red half-black son of Ashardalon described above, and one where I was planning to have changed the Black Dragon Ghost from Beyond the Veil into a female (and Ashardalon's mate).  In either case, the dragon from Beyond the Veil was killed by the druidic order featured in the backstory of The Standing Stone and Bastion of Broken Souls.  I'll have to play with this idea some more to see what I want to do.

Greater Edit: So I had a thought today about the Gulthias Tree... What if the vampire staked by the still-live branch got free?  He'd still be there, at the heart of the tree, after all.  Well, it appears that WotC had the same thought.  Indeed, the BBEG of The Heart of Nightfang Spire IS Gulthias, who was somehow released after the PC's cut down the Gulthias tree in The Sunless Citadel.  THoNfS also deals with the backstory of Ashardalon pretty heavily, which makes me want to make use of this adventure somehow...
   Since I've already decided I want to use Expedition to the Demonweb Pits for the 9-12 range, and had decided to move Beyond the Veil to after EttDwP... Add in that I needed something to fill in 14th level, and from what I've read, THoNfS is a meatgrinder that devours PC's of 10th-12th level...  I'm thinking of running Beyond the Veil and The Heart of Nightfang Spire together in the 13-14 level range.
   Beyond the Veil already deals with crossing over into the Ethereal Plane to fight the ghost dragon physically in his ethereal solid castle.  I'm thinking of taking the Nightfang Spire and putting it in the same location on the Plane of Shadow.  So there are two things tied to Ashardalon at the same place, but on two planes coexistent with the Material Plane (and on the Material Plane there is nothing of note there.)
   One of the hooks for The Heart of Nightfang Spire is even rumors of a black dragon (the PC's find him dead at the start of the adventure, but he was there).  I'll need to read through Beyond the Veil again to double check what became of the black dragon ghost's body...
   In all likelihood, I'll scale way back on the inhabitants of Nightfang Spire, and possibly tie the Black Dragon Ghost's final destruction to the heart in Nightfang Spire (which has undead boons already).  It'll take a lot of planning and some reworking of things, but I like the idea of it.
Mini-Edit:  I've been reading through Beyond the Veil again, and the tie-ins are just uncanny.  One of the foes in Storamere's palace on the ethereal plane is a "dragon blood-spawn" (quarter dragon template found in the adventure) vampire cleric who used to worship dragons... Gee, Gulthias is a vampire leader of a cult that worshiped dragons, but only became a vampire after his dragon "god" left the Material Plane.  The vampire in Beyond the Veil committed suicide (and thus unintentionally becoming a vampire, because he did it in an unholy shrine) after Storamere's daddy left... All I'm doing is changing that daddy to Ashardalon.

Gulthias was freed from the Gulthias tree by Sharwyn, and he teleported to the basement of the tower beside the Beyond the Veil half-bridge.  He encountered the adventurers there, who had just finished digging up the chest with the statue that awoke Storamere.  Gulthias dominated two of the adventurers, but two got away, into the sunlight, with the chest.  Gulthias fed on the two adventurers, and left them in the basement of the tower, in the pit the adventurers dug.  They spawned as Vampire Spawn (probably ~4th level) a few days later, and eventually were brought to the Plane of Shadow and Nightfang Spire.

There is some sort of "switch" inside the tower, that alters whether the half-bridge goes to the Plane of Shadow or the Ethereal Plane.  Gulthias switched it to the Plane of Shadow, and that is where it is set to currently.  Keep in mind that Davben will see the ethereal palace due to his constant see invisibility effect, so the PC's might well stumble into the Plane of Shadow, though they expect to go to the ethereal plane.

The two escaped adventurers were tracked down and killed by Storamere; the PC's should stumble upon the dead adventurers without much issue if they decide to try and backtrack them at all.  Although this was several months ago, the dragon ghost has only just now started really destroying anything near Iversham (make Iversham several days' travel through the swamp), though the number of killed lizardfolk should perhaps increase.

So anyway, the main point of this post is to run my 5th level adventure idea past you guys and gals, and get input on it.  The idea just came to me yesterday, so it's a bit rough, yet.  The three things that started the wheels churning in my head were:

• The Invisible Fist Monk ACF from Exemplars of Evil
• Poison Dusk Lizardfolk from MMIII
• The Sepulchral Thief template from Cityscape

Here are my quickly-jotted notes of the adventure idea:

Poison Dusk Lizardfolk - Sunless Citadel campaign idea
For the adventure to fill 5th-6th levels, use a Sepulchral Thief Poison Dusk Lizardfolk (Rog 3/Monk 2 w/ Invisible Fist - CR 7).  Lackeys can be Rog 1/Monk 2, or have NPC classes. 

Adventure Background
An adventuring party was murdered in town (town near temperate marsh) after having returned from an expedition into the swamp.

The party stole something from the Poison Dusk Lizardfolk tribe (admittedly, the Poison Dusk Lizardfolk had been stealing things from the town.) and so the lizardfolk came, murdered the adventurers during the night, and took the item back.  Maybe the adventurers had already contacted an art dealer or something, who will pay the PC's the same amount he was planning to offer the old adventurers.

The Poison Dusk Lizardfok's crime spree has been on-going in the town, but for the most part they had been undetected and/or unidentified. The Sepulchral Thief was created as he failed in stealing from a church? And that is what alerted the town to hire the first group of adventurers.

The party of NPC adventurers tracked down the most recent missing items, falling upon the Poison Dusk Lizardfolk village while their best warriors (the Rogue/Monk invisible fists) were away on a thieving mission.  The adventurers slaughtered many of the lizardfolk villagers, took a bunch of poison damage in the process, but recovered a lot of the items.  Some items were old (stolen from other travelers or a generation ago), and the party kept those, while returning recently stolen items to the townsfolk.

The Sepulchral Thief rose as undead, gathered his thieving gang, and vowed revenge.  He and his thieves murdered the NPC party in the night, and stole back what they could, both from the adventurers and the townsfolk.

Thus enter the PC's.  They are investigating the murders, (poison was involved; was it the lizardfolk or a disgruntled townsperson who didn't have items recovered and returned, or had items stolen once again?) and are asked to truly bring the situation to an end, unlike the previous party, who claimed to have finished things (bringing back heads & missing items), but were unintentional liars who were paid by the town.  The town tells the PC's that their payment will be the recovery of the payment to the previous party (now stolen by the lizardfolk, though the townsfolk only assume the payment was stolen by whomever murdered the former party, as all their gear & wealth is missing.)

So, the PC's enter town just after there was a murder of another adventuring group.  The town is small, and the constable asks them to help look into the matter (unbiased eyes, etc), and initial suspicions are on a red herring townsperson; after all, the murdered party had solved the problem...

The PC's look into the matter, maybe giving the lizardfolk a look on their own, or maybe only once items continue to go missing around town.  The party eventually track down the lizardfolk thieves, or encounter a small group of them during a thieving raid, and dispatch the problem... (enter site-based monster killing with added swamp environmental condition difficulty) ... or so they think.

The leader is a Sepulchral Thief, which is sort of like a Rogue-Lich.  When they die, the most expensive item on their person becomes their phylactery.  The item has to either be destroyed or cleansed with dispel evil or hallow (and succeeding on a CL check) for the master thief's soul to be destroyed, and stop him from coming back.  If the PC's don't figure it out, he can escape and become a constant thorn in their sides, or have a re-climax as he attempts to murder them later, too.


The Poison Dusk Lizardfolk

Part of the fun will be the ridiculous Hide modifier on these guys, so that makes me lean more toward Ninja or Monk w/ Invisible Fist builds (armor negates the poison dusk lizardfolks' racial Hide bonus).
Hide modifiers: +5 racial chameleon ability, +4 size, +1 from racial Dex bonus puts them at a net +10 before skill ranks or 25 point buy stats; The Sepulchral Thief leader will get another +8 racial* and +2 from racial Dex modifier.

*According to PHB p. 171, racial bonuses stack - "... With the exception of dodge bonuses, most circumstance bonuses, and racial bonuses, only the better bonus works..."


As I said above, the Invisible Fist ACF from Exemplars of Evil is one of the things that triggered this adventure idea.  It requires 2 levels of Monk, and replaces Evasion.  It grants the supernatural ability to, once every three rounds, become invisible for one round, as an immediate action.  Note, this is the condition of being invisible, not invisible as the spell, so attacking would not end it.

The basic plan is to make the leader a Rogue 3/Monk 2 with Invisible Fist.  Most of his lackeys would be CR 3 Rogue 1/Monk 2 also with Invisible Fist.  Poison Dusk Lizardfolk are normally neutral, so having a thieving contingent that are LN wouldn't be out of bounds, though thieving isn't a particularly lawful activity in the societal sense, being part of a different society than the humans, it could fall well within the code of ethics of the lizardfolk.  Either way, the potential "non-lawfulness" of thieving got me thinking of other ways to build the characters.

Making the leader a 5th level Swordsage would get a fairly similar result.  He could get 2d6 sneak attack from Assassin's Stance, and he could periodically turn invisible via Cloak of Deception.  Third level lackeys could still get Cloak of Deception, but wouldn't have sneak attack.  The problem is that Cloak of Deception won't refresh on its own.

To that end, I could do some sort of multiclassed Rogue 1/Warblade 2/Fighter 2, picking up Martial Study (Cloak of Deception) to allow the leader to refresh Cloak of Deception every other round.  Not a terrible idea, but perhaps not the best; they also wouldn't get Wisdom to AC.  Similarly, I could do Crusader in place of Warblade.

I could also go with a Ninja based build, getting the invisibility via Ghost Step and ki points.  Rogue 1/Ninja 4 would get 1d6 sneak attack and 2d6 sudden strike, could turn invisible a few times when needed, would get Wisdom to AC like the Invisible Fist and Swordsage builds, and unlike the Swordsage, would still get to add the Poison Dusk Lizardfolk's racial bonus to Hide (only applies when not wearing armor).

I could also head into more convoluted multiclass options, such as Rogue 1/Ninja 2/Warblade 1/Fighter 1, picking up Cloak of Deception via Martial Study, for two ways to gain invisibility.  But, neither of those options is quite as nice as what Invisible Fist is, since that is an immediate action, and lasts for one round (Cloak of Deception is swift, but only to the end of your turn; Ghost Step is a swift action, and lasts one round).

So, I suppose I'm looking for comments or insight into the basic premise of the adventure idea (the party participates in a murder mystery, and ends up cleaning up after the murdered adventurers who didn't finish the job), and I'm also looking for thoughts on which way to go with building my villains for the adventure.

Any thoughts would be appreciated.

(click to show/hide)

As an aside about the dragon from Forge of Fury...

The dwarven stronghold is supposed to be in the "northern frontier," but black dragons' listed environment is "warm aquatic."  The listed Young Black Dragon is CR 5 and Medium-sized.  Young Green Dragons are also CR 5, Medium-sized, and they also have swim speeds and can breathe under water.  But green dragons' listed environment is "temperate forests," which is a better match for the supposed location of the adventure site.  I can also then take the lake beside the mountain, and have it lead to marshes nearby... leading to the "temperate marshes" environment for Poison Dusk Lizardfolk, and thus leadings fairly naturally into the adventure I'm designing here.

This also removes the double-up on black dragons, since the main foe of Beyond the Veil is a black dragon ghost.

[awaken_D_M_golem]

SorO puts Invisible Fist to good use on his handbook.

Quanak Lizardfolk ... if you want some psi-ish stuff mixed in.
3 or 4 posts here http://www.minmaxboards.com/index.php?topic=11474.msg209436#msg209436

There was 1 short poison dusk lizardfolk goog-hit.
http://www.minmaxboards.com/index.php?topic=3484.0

[ksbsnowowl]

Okay, so Invisible Fist is as good as I thought.  I'll just plan to go that route.

Anyone have any thoughts or suggestions for the very basic plot that I've outlined?  Come to a small town, start to investigate the murder of a "successful" adventuring party, and discover the party wasn't as successful as they'd thought they were.

[awaken_D_M_golem]

The towns npc casters can be secretly at each others throats, like a mafiawars situation.  They've all splashed lots of Divinations at the events, and are only somewhat the wiser.  You get told some of this, but only reluctantly, and certainly not when it'd be timely to know, just later.  You're "neutral" so they've all got tails watching as many of your moves as possible.  Tail on Tails violence, which you aren't helping.  Trouble.  Assassin of the King shows up later to take out who they think was the most problematic.  Your party gets rumor-mongered into that too.

 

[ksbsnowowl]

I worked up the stat blocks for the Poison Dusk Lizardfolk.  I have stat blocks for Rogue 1, Rogue 1/Monk 2, two different versions of Rogue 3/Monk 2 (using slightly different point-buy allocations), and the BBEG Sepulchral Thief Rogue 3/Monk 2.
My PC's for this campaign are 28 point-buy; I made these guys using 26 point buy.

Now that I think about it, I really should give these guys longspears... they have Combat Reflexes, and they would threaten at range and up close... though that would prevent the use of claws as secondary natural attacks...

Sepulchral Thief Poison Dusk Lizardfolk Rogue 3/Monk 2

(click to show/hide)

Racial +2 Dex, +2 Con, –2 Cha
26 Point Buy:
Str 10 (2), Dex 16 (10), Con 10 (2), Int 12 (4), Wis 15 (8), Cha 8 (0)
Str 10, Dex 18, Con 12, Int 12, Wis 15, Cha 6

Poison Dusk Lizardfolk Invisible Fist Sepulchral Thief
Rogue 3/Monk 2
Small Undead (Augmented Humanoid, Reptilian)
Hit Dice: 5d12 (38 hp)

Initiative: +6

Speed: 30 ft. (6 squares)
Armor Class: 28 (+1 size, +6 Dex, +3 Wis, +8 natural), touch 20, flat-footed 22
Base Attack/Grapple: +3/–1

Attack: Negative energy touch +10 melee touch (1d8+5 / Will DC 11 half) or unarmed strike +10 melee (1d4) or
   claw +10 melee (1d3) or short sword +10 melee (1d4/19-20) or shortbow +10 ranged (1d4/x3)

Full Attack: 2 claws +10 melee (1d3*) and bite +8 melee (1d3) or
   +1 short sword +11 melee (1d4+1/19-20) and claw +8 melee (1d3*) and bite +8 melee (1d3) or
   +1 short sword +11 melee (1d4+1/19-20) and negative energy touch +8 melee touch (1d8+5 / Will DC 11 half) or
   unarmed strike +10 melee (1d4) and 2 claws +8 melee (1d3*) and bite +8 melee (1d3) or
   shortbow +10 ranged (1d4/x3) and bite +8 melee (1d3)
      *the first claw attack deals additional negative energy damage (1d8+5 / Will DC 11 half)

Space/Reach: 5 ft./5 ft.

Special Attacks: Poison Use, +3d6 Sneak Attack, flurry of blows, unarmed strike, draining touch, obscuring aura

Special Qualities: Chameleon skin, hold breath, low-light vision, trapfinding, evasion, trap sense +1, invisible fist, turn resistance +4, damage reduction 15/magic and either good or lawful, immune to cold, electricity, and mind-affecting attacks, reanimation, see in darkness, shadow jump 30 feet

Saves: Fort +4, Ref +12, Will +7

Abilities: Str 10, Dex 22, Con –, Int 14, Wis 16, Cha 8
Skills: Balance +25 [5], Climb +13 [5], Disable Device +7 [5], Hide +30 [7], Jump +11 [5], Listen +8 [5], Move Silently +20 [6], Open Lock +11 [5], Search +4 [2], Sleight of Hand +19 [5], Spot +8 [5], Swim +6 [2], Tumble +15 [7]; [intelligence raised from 12 to 14 after gaining 5th level]

Feats: Multiattack, Stunning Fist, Weapon Finesse, Combat Reflexes

Environment: Temperate marshes

Organization: Solitary, gang (2–3), band (5–8 plus 1 leader of 3rd–6th level), or tribe (20–40 plus 50% noncombatants plus 2 lieutenants of 3rd–6th level and 1 leader of 4th–10th level)
Challenge Rating: 7

Treasure: 50% coins, 50% goods

Alignment: Lawful evil
Advancement: By character class
Level Adjustment: +1

   A poison dusk lizardfolk is between 3 to 4 feet in height, weighing 42–52 pounds. Its tail is 2 to 3 feet long, and its scales shift color with its mood. The eyes of a poison dusk lizardfolk are larger than those of the other species, and males have a crest running down the back of the head that can lie flat or extend based on mood.
   Poison dusk lizardfolk speak Draconic. A lizardfolk with an Intelligence score of 12 or greater will also speak Common.

COMBAT
Poison dusks are far more cunning than the other species of lizardfolk. They prefer to avoid physical combat altogether if possible; when striking against a human village, they will often try to poison the water or food supply instead of launching a direct assault. When they do fight, they favor ambushes and clever traps. Bolas and nets are considered to be martial weapons for poison dusks, and they often use these tools to handicap larger foes while archers strike with poisoned arrows.

Poison Use: Due to their long tradition of working with venoms, poison dusks are never at risk when applying poisons to weapons. Common poisons include black adder venom and blue whinnis.
   Black Adder Venom:  Injury Poison, Fort DC 11 negates (1d6 Con / 1d6 Con), 120 gp.
   Blue Whinnis:  Injury Poison, Fort DC 14 negates (1 Con / Unconsciousness for 1d3 hours), 120 gp.
Chameleon Skin (Ex): Poison dusks can adjust the colors of their scales to blend in with their surroundings. When it is not wearing armor, robes or other covering clothing, a poison dusk lizardfolk gains a +5 racial bonus on Hide checks.
Hold Breath (Ex): A poison dusk lizardfolk can hold its breath for a number of rounds equal to 4 × its Constitution score before it risks drowning (see page 304 of the Dungeon Master’s Guide).
Invisible Fist (Su): As an immediate action, you can become invisible for 1 round. You must wait 3 rounds before you can use this ability again.
Draining Touch (Su): Any time the sepulchral thief deals damage with its touch attack, it gains a number of hit points equal to 1/4 the damage dealt (for this reason, the creature often attempts to begin combat with a sneak attack delivered with this method). If this raises its hit point total above its normal maximum, it gains the excess as temporary hit points that disappear after 1 hour. It can never have more temporary hit points than its total normal hit points.
Obscuring Aura (Su): Sepulchral thieves are shrouded in a mind- and senses-clouding aura of negative energy. Living creatures in a 30-foot radius must succeed on a DC 11 Will save or be affected by the aura. Creatures with fewer than one-half the sepulchral thief’s Hit Dice are blinded and deafened. For example, if the sepulchral thief has 9 HD, this applies to creatures of 4 HD or fewer. All other creatures take a –2 penalty on Listen, Search, and Spot checks. A creature that successfully saves cannot be affected again by the same thief’s aura for 24 hours.
Sneak Attack (Ex): The sepulchral thief deals 1d6 points of extra damage when flanking an opponent or at any time when a target would be denied its Dexterity bonus.
Damage Reduction (Su): A sepulchral thief’s undead body is powered by hatred and negative energies, giving the creature damage reduction 15/magic and either good or lawful (regardless of the thief’s actual alignment). Its natural weapons are treated as magic weapons for the purpose of overcoming damage reduction.
Reanimation (Su): The greed and malevolence that animate the sepulchral thief cannot be dispersed through mere physical destruction. When a sepulchral thief is destroyed, its life force immediately inhabits the single most valuable item it has on its possession (often but not always a weapon). Unless the item is destroyed or mystically cleansed, the sepulchral thief reappears 1d10 days after its apparent death. Casting dispel evil or hallow on the item destroys the thief’s essence if the caster makes a successful caster level check against a DC equal to 11 + the sepulchral thief’s HD. Destroying the item also destroys the inhabiting essence.
   If the thief has two or more items of equal value as its “most valuable” possessions, it inhabits a weapon in favor of any other item; otherwise, choose randomly. So long as the sepulchral thief inhabits an item, that item radiates moderate necromancy and evil, in addition to its normal auras.
See in Darkness (Sp): Moreso even than other undead, the sepulchral thief is fully comfortable in the black of night. They can see perfectly in darkness—retaining the ability to distinguish color and texture—to a distance of 60 feet. This applies even to magical darkness.
Shadow Jump (Sp): A sepulchral thief gains the ability to travel between shadows as if by means of a dimension door spell, just as a shadow dancer can (DMG 195). The thief can jump a total of 30 feet each day in this manner. If the sepulchral thief has the shadow jump ability from some other source, such as levels in the shadow dancer prestige class, these total daily distances stack.
Skills: Because of their tails, lizardfolk have a +4 racial bonus on Jump, Swim, and Balance checks.  Sepulchral thieves have a +8 racial bonus on Balance, Climb, Hide, Move Silently, and Sleight of Hand checks.  Note, PHB p. 171 states, “With the exception of dodge bonuses, most circumstance bonuses, and racial bonuses, only the better bonus works…”

Poison Dusk Lizardfolk Rogue 3/Monk 2

(click to show/hide)

Racial +2 Dex, +2 Con, –2 Cha
26 Point Buy:
Str 10 (2), Dex 16 (10), Con 10 (2), Int 12 (4), Wis 15 (8), Cha 8 (0)
Str 10, Dex 18, Con 12, Int 12, Wis 15, Cha 6

Poison Dusk Lizardfolk
Rogue 3/Monk 2
Small Humanoid (Reptilian)
Hit Dice: 3d6 + 2d8 + 5 (27 hp)

Initiative: +4

Speed: 30 ft. (6 squares)
Armor Class: 21 (+1 size, +4 Dex, +3 Wis, +3 natural), touch 18, flat-footed 17
Base Attack/Grapple: +3/–1

Attack: Unarmed strike +8 melee (1d4) or claw +8 melee (1d3) or short sword +8 melee (1d4/19-20) or shortbow +8 ranged (1d4/x3)

Full Attack: 2 claws +8 melee (1d3) and bite +6 melee (1d3) or
   short sword +8 melee (1d4/19-20) and claw +6 melee (1d3) and bite +6 melee (1d3) or
   unarmed strike +8 melee (1d4) and 2 claws +6 melee (1d3) and bite +6 melee (1d3) or
   shortbow +8 ranged (1d4/x3) and bite +6 melee (1d3)

Space/Reach: 5 ft./5 ft.

Special Attacks: Poison Use, +2d6 Sneak Attack, flurry of blows, unarmed strike

Special Qualities: Chameleon skin, hold breath, low-light vision, trapfinding, evasion, trap sense +1, invisible fist

Saves: Fort +5, Ref +10, Will +7

Abilities: Str 10, Dex 18, Con 12, Int 12, Wis 16, Cha 6
Skills: Balance +15 [5], Climb +5 [5], Disable Device +6 [5], Hide +20 [7], Jump +11 [5], Listen +8 [5], Move Silently +10 [6], Open Lock +9 [5], Search +3 [2], Sleight of Hand +9 [5], Spot +8 [5], Swim +6 [2], Tumble +13 [7]

Feats: Multiattack, Stunning Fist, Weapon Finesse, Combat Reflexes

Environment: Temperate marshes

Organization: Solitary, gang (2–3), band (5–8 plus 1 leader of 3rd–6th level), or tribe (20–40 plus 50% noncombatants plus 2 lieutenants of 3rd–6th level and 1 leader of 4th–10th level)
Challenge Rating: 5

Treasure: 50% coins, 50% goods

Alignment: Lawful evil
Advancement: By character class
Level Adjustment: +1

   A poison dusk lizardfolk is between 3 to 4 feet in height, weighing 42–52 pounds. Its tail is 2 to 3 feet long, and its scales shift color with its mood. The eyes of a poison dusk lizardfolk are larger than those of the other species, and males have a crest running down the back of the head that can lie flat or extend based on mood.
   Poison dusk lizardfolk speak Draconic. A lizardfolk with an Intelligence score of 12 or greater will also speak Common.

COMBAT
Poison dusks are far more cunning than the other species of lizardfolk. They prefer to avoid physical combat altogether if possible; when striking against a human village, they will often try to poison the water or food supply instead of launching a direct assault. When they do fight, they favor ambushes and clever traps. Bolas and nets are considered to be martial weapons for poison dusks, and they often use these tools to handicap larger foes while archers strike with poisoned arrows.

Poison Use: Due to their long tradition of working with venoms, poison dusks are never at risk when applying poisons to weapons. Common poisons include black adder venom and blue whinnis.
   Black Adder Venom:  Injury Poison, Fort DC 11 negates (1d6 Con / 1d6 Con), 120 gp.
   Blue Whinnis:  Injury Poison, Fort DC 14 negates (1 Con / Unconsciousness for 1d3 hours), 120 gp.
Chameleon Skin (Ex): Poison dusks can adjust the colors of their scales to blend in with their surroundings. When it is not wearing armor, robes or other covering clothing, a poison dusk lizardfolk gains a +5 racial bonus on Hide checks.
Hold Breath (Ex): A poison dusk lizardfolk can hold its breath for a number of rounds equal to 4 × its Constitution score before it risks drowning (see page 304 of the Dungeon Master’s Guide).
Invisible Fist (Su): As an immediate action, you can become invisible for 1 round. You must wait 3 rounds before you can use this ability again.
Skills: Because of their tails, lizardfolk have a +4 racial bonus on Jump, Swim, and Balance checks.



Racial +2 Dex, +2 Con, –2 Cha
26 Point Buy:
Str 10 (2), Dex 16 (10), Con 14 (6), Int 10 (2), Wis 14 (6), Cha 8 (0)
Str 10, Dex 18, Con 16, Int 10, Wis 14, Cha 6

Poison Dusk Lizardfolk
Rogue 3/Monk 2
Small Humanoid (Reptilian)
Hit Dice: 3d6 + 2d8 + 15 (37 hp)

Initiative: +4

Speed: 30 ft. (6 squares)
Armor Class: 20 (+1 size, +4 Dex, +2 Wis, +3 natural), touch 17, flat-footed 16
Base Attack/Grapple: +3/–1

Attack: Unarmed strike +8 melee (1d4) or claw +8 melee (1d3) or short sword +8 melee (1d4/19-20) or shortbow +8 ranged (1d4/x3)

Full Attack: 2 claws +8 melee (1d3) and bite +6 melee (1d3) or
   short sword +8 melee (1d4/19-20) and claw +6 melee (1d3) and bite +6 melee (1d3) or
   unarmed strike +8 melee (1d4) and 2 claws +6 melee (1d3) and bite +6 melee (1d3) or
   shortbow +8 ranged (1d4/x3) and bite +6 melee (1d3)

Space/Reach: 5 ft./5 ft.

Special Attacks: Poison Use, +2d6 Sneak Attack, flurry of blows, unarmed strike

Special Qualities: Chameleon skin, hold breath, low-light vision, trapfinding, evasion, trap sense +1, invisible fist

Saves: Fort +7, Ref +10, Will +6

Abilities: Str 10, Dex 19, Con 16, Int 10, Wis 14, Cha 6
Skills: Balance +15 [5], Climb +5 [5], Disable Device +5 [5], Hide +18 [5], Jump +11 [5], Listen +6 [4], Move Silently +9 [5], Open Lock +9 [5], Search +2 [2], Sleight of Hand +9 [5], Spot +6 [4], Swim +5 [1], Tumble +11 [5]

Feats: Multiattack, Stunning Fist, Weapon Finesse, Combat Reflexes

Environment: Temperate marshes

Organization: Solitary, gang (2–3), band (5–8 plus 1 leader of 3rd–6th level), or tribe (20–40 plus 50% noncombatants plus 2 lieutenants of 3rd–6th level and 1 leader of 4th–10th level)
Challenge Rating: 5

Treasure: 50% coins, 50% goods

Alignment: Lawful evil
Advancement: By character class
Level Adjustment: +1

   A poison dusk lizardfolk is between 3 to 4 feet in height, weighing 42–52 pounds. Its tail is 2 to 3 feet long, and its scales shift color with its mood. The eyes of a poison dusk lizardfolk are larger than those of the other species, and males have a crest running down the back of the head that can lie flat or extend based on mood.
   Poison dusk lizardfolk speak Draconic. A lizardfolk with an Intelligence score of 12 or greater will also speak Common.

COMBAT
Poison dusks are far more cunning than the other species of lizardfolk. They prefer to avoid physical combat altogether if possible; when striking against a human village, they will often try to poison the water or food supply instead of launching a direct assault. When they do fight, they favor ambushes and clever traps. Bolas and nets are considered to be martial weapons for poison dusks, and they often use these tools to handicap larger foes while archers strike with poisoned arrows.

Poison Use: Due to their long tradition of working with venoms, poison dusks are never at risk when applying poisons to weapons. Common poisons include black adder venom and blue whinnis.
   Black Adder Venom:  Injury Poison, Fort DC 11 negates (1d6 Con / 1d6 Con), 120 gp.
   Blue Whinnis:  Injury Poison, Fort DC 14 negates (1 Con / Unconsciousness for 1d3 hours), 120 gp.
Chameleon Skin (Ex): Poison dusks can adjust the colors of their scales to blend in with their surroundings. When it is not wearing armor, robes or other covering clothing, a poison dusk lizardfolk gains a +5 racial bonus on Hide checks.
Hold Breath (Ex): A poison dusk lizardfolk can hold its breath for a number of rounds equal to 4 × its Constitution score before it risks drowning (see page 304 of the Dungeon Master’s Guide).
Invisible Fist (Su): As an immediate action, you can become invisible for 1 round. You must wait 3 rounds before you can use this ability again.
Skills: Because of their tails, lizardfolk have a +4 racial bonus on Jump, Swim, and Balance checks.

Poison Dusk Lizardfolk Rogue 1/Monk 2

(click to show/hide)

Racial +2 Dex, +2 Con, –2 Cha
26 Point Buy:
Str 10 (2), Dex 16 (10), Con 14 (6), Int 10 (2), Wis 14 (6), Cha 8 (0)
Str 10, Dex 18, Con 16, Int 10, Wis 14, Cha 6

Poison Dusk Lizardfolk
Rogue 1/Monk 2
Small Humanoid (Reptilian)
Hit Dice: 1d6 + 2d8 + 9 (24 hp)

Initiative: +4

Speed: 30 ft. (6 squares)
Armor Class: 20 (+1 size, +4 Dex, +2 Wis, +3 natural), touch 17, flat-footed 16
Base Attack/Grapple: +1/–3

Attack: Unarmed strike +6 melee (1d4) or claw +6 melee (1d3) or short sword +6 melee (1d4/19-20) or shortbow +6 ranged (1d4/x3)

Full Attack: 2 claws +6 melee (1d3) and bite +4 melee (1d3) or
   short sword +6 melee (1d4/19-20) and claw +4 melee (1d3) and bite +4 melee (1d3) or
   unarmed strike +6 melee (1d4) and 2 claws +4 melee (1d3) and bite +4 melee (1d3) or
   shortbow +6 ranged (1d4/x3) and bite +4 melee (1d3)

Space/Reach: 5 ft./5 ft.

Special Attacks: Poison Use, +1d6 Sneak Attack, flurry of blows, unarmed strike

Special Qualities: Chameleon skin, hold breath, low-light vision, trapfinding, invisible fist

Saves: Fort +6, Ref +9, Will +5

Abilities: Str 10, Dex 18, Con 16, Int 10, Wis 14, Cha 6
Skills: Balance +15 [5], Hide +18 [5], Jump +11 [5], Listen +7 [5], Move Silently +10 [6], Search +2 [2], Spot +7 [5], Swim +6 [2], Tumble +11 [5]

Feats: Multiattack, Stunning Fist, Weapon Finesse, Combat Reflexes

Environment: Temperate marshes

Organization: Solitary, gang (2–3), band (5–8 plus 1 leader of 3rd–6th level), or tribe (20–40 plus 50% noncombatants plus 2 lieutenants of 3rd–6th level and 1 leader of 4th–10th level)
Challenge Rating: 3

Treasure: 50% coins, 50% goods

Alignment: Lawful neutral
Advancement: By character class
Level Adjustment: +1

   A poison dusk lizardfolk is between 3 to 4 feet in height, weighing 42–52 pounds. Its tail is 2 to 3 feet long, and its scales shift color with its mood. The eyes of a poison dusk lizardfolk are larger than those of the other species, and males have a crest running down the back of the head that can lie flat or extend based on mood.
   Poison dusk lizardfolk speak Draconic. A lizardfolk with an Intelligence score of 12 or greater will also speak Common.

COMBAT
Poison dusks are far more cunning than the other species of lizardfolk. They prefer to avoid physical combat altogether if possible; when striking against a human village, they will often try to poison the water or food supply instead of launching a direct assault. When they do fight, they favor ambushes and clever traps. Bolas and nets are considered to be martial weapons for poison dusks, and they often use these tools to handicap larger foes while archers strike with poisoned arrows.

Poison Use: Due to their long tradition of working with venoms, poison dusks are never at risk when applying poisons to weapons. Common poisons include black adder venom and blue whinnis.
   Black Adder Venom:  Injury Poison, Fort DC 11 negates (1d6 Con / 1d6 Con), 120 gp.
   Blue Whinnis:  Injury Poison, Fort DC 14 negates (1 Con / Unconsciousness for 1d3 hours), 120 gp.
Chameleon Skin (Ex): Poison dusks can adjust the colors of their scales to blend in with their surroundings. When it is not wearing armor, robes or other covering clothing, a poison dusk lizardfolk gains a +5 racial bonus on Hide checks.
Hold Breath (Ex): A poison dusk lizardfolk can hold its breath for a number of rounds equal to 4 × its Constitution score before it risks drowning (see page 304 of the Dungeon Master’s Guide).
Invisible Fist (Su): As an immediate action, you can become invisible for 1 round. You must wait 3 rounds before you can use this ability again.
Skills: Because of their tails, lizardfolk have a +4 racial bonus on Jump, Swim, and Balance checks.

Poison Dusk Lizardfolk Rogue 1

(click to show/hide)

Racial +2 Dex, +2 Con, –2 Cha
26 Point Buy:
Str 10 (2), Dex 16 (10), Con 14 (6), Int 10 (2), Wis 14 (6), Cha 8 (0)
Str 10, Dex 18, Con 16, Int 10, Wis 14, Cha 6

Poison Dusk Lizardfolk
Rogue 1
Small Humanoid (Reptilian)
Hit Dice: 1d6+3 (9 hp)

Initiative: +4

Speed: 30 ft. (6 squares)
Armor Class: 18 (+1 size, +4 Dex, +3 natural), touch 15, flat-footed 14
Base Attack/Grapple: +0/–4

Attack: Claw +1 melee (1d3) or short sword +1 melee (1d4/19-20) or shortbow +5 ranged (1d4/x3)

Full Attack: 2 claws +1 melee (1d3) and bite –1 melee (1d3) or
   short sword +1 melee (1d4/19-20) and claw –1 melee (1d3) and bite –1 melee (1d3) or
   shortbow +5 ranged (1d4/x3)

Space/Reach: 5 ft./5 ft.

Special Attacks: Poison Use, +1d6 Sneak Attack

Special Qualities: Chameleon skin, hold breath, low-light vision, trapfinding

Saves: Fort +3, Ref +6, Will +2

Abilities: Str 10, Dex 18, Con 16, Int 10, Wis 14, Cha 6
Skills: Balance +12 [4], Hide +17 [4], Jump +8 [4], Listen +6 [4], Move Silently +8 [4], Search +2 [2], Spot +6 [4], Swim +6 [2], Tumble +8 [4]

Feats: Multiattack

Environment: Temperate marshes

Organization: Solitary, gang (2–3), band (5–8 plus 1 leader of 3rd–6th level), or tribe (20–40 plus 50% noncombatants plus 2 lieutenants of 3rd–6th level and 1 leader of 4th–10th level)
Challenge Rating: 1

Treasure: 50% coins, 50% goods

Alignment: Usually neutral
Advancement: By character class
Level Adjustment: +1

   A poison dusk lizardfolk is between 3 to 4 feet in height, weighing 42–52 pounds. Its tail is 2 to 3 feet long, and its scales shift color with its mood. The eyes of a poison dusk lizardfolk are larger than those of the other species, and males have a crest running down the back of the head that can lie flat or extend based on mood.
   Poison dusk lizardfolk speak Draconic. A lizardfolk with an Intelligence score of 12 or greater will also speak Common.

COMBAT
Poison dusks are far more cunning than the other species of lizardfolk. They prefer to avoid physical combat altogether if possible; when striking against a human village, they will often try to poison the water or food supply instead of launching a direct assault. When they do fight, they favor ambushes and clever traps. Bolas and nets are considered to be martial weapons for poison dusks, and they often use these tools to handicap larger foes while archers strike with poisoned arrows.

Poison Use: Due to their long tradition of working with venoms, poison dusks are never at risk when applying poisons to weapons. Common poisons include black adder venom and blue whinnis.
   Black Adder Venom:  Injury Poison, Fort DC 11 negates (1d6 Con / 1d6 Con), 120 gp.
   Blue Whinnis:  Injury Poison, Fort DC 14 negates (1 Con / Unconsciousness for 1d3 hours), 120 gp.
Chameleon Skin (Ex): Poison dusks can adjust the colors of their scales to blend in with their surroundings. When it is not wearing armor, robes or other covering clothing, a poison dusk lizardfolk gains a +5 racial bonus on Hide checks.
Hold Breath (Ex): A poison dusk lizardfolk can hold its breath for a number of rounds equal to 4 × its Constitution score before it risks drowning (see page 304 of the Dungeon Master’s Guide).
Skills: Because of their tails, lizardfolk have a +4 racial bonus on Jump, Swim, and Balance checks.

[ksbsnowowl]

So, half my party met a grisly end in the town of Ossington, at the climax of The Standing Stone.  That leaves one newly-8th level character, and a 7th level character whose player was planning to leave the group at the conclusion of their investigations around Ossington.  Rather than follow the rules of the DMG and have my killed PC's come back as 6th level and 7th, since they both want to make new characters, I'm going to have them come in at 8th level.  As it is, due to previous deaths and negative levels, as well as failing to defeat the true foes of the adventure, the now-highest-level character among them is a level behind where I expected the party to be.

So, if the two dead PC's come in at 8th level with new characters, they still won't be ready for Expedition to the Demonweb Pits, which is intended for a 9th-level party of four.  Add in the fact we're losing our fourth player (though I am trying to recruit a new player), and I really need to cobble together an adventure of some sort to get them to 9th level, or possibly most of the way to 10th.

Then my mind started wandering... Expedition to the Demonweb Pits... GDQ!  There are conversions of the original Against the Giants adventures, and I actually have copies of the original adventure series... However, they suffer from a disconnect of the CR system.  The first installment, The Steading of the Hill Giant Chief is meant for 8th level characters.  But it is a large "dungeon" location filled with Hill Giants, which in 3.5 are CR 7.  It's been probably a year since I looked at it, but I recall calculating what some of the Encounter Levels would be... and I think there were quite a few that were EL 13 or higher.  Hill Giants in first edition only had 60 hit points or something like that; in 3.5 they have 102 hp.

I don't intend to run the PC's through the whole series of Against the Giants, but I think I will do the Hill Giant one... and at the end they will find a Drow emissary meeting with the chief, and they'll find the note on her that leads to the same point in the EttDwP adventure.  But I think I'll need to change the Hill Giants somehow...  Maybe just make them Trolls, then they are CR 5 creatures instead of CR 7's...

I need to work this out...  Anyway, this was just a quick note to myself, more than anything, but certainly comment if you have any ideas.

Edit:  So I looked at Against the Giants and I see why it would still work as written in a straight-up conversion to 3rd edition... Even though the cover says for levels 8 - 12, the first page of the adventure warns the DM that the adventure should be for NINE 9th-level PC's.

Maybe if I make them Ogres instead...

[Keldar]

You could always replace that drow emissary idea with a bunch of dead drow and knock a few hit points off most of the giants.

Yeah, just go with Ogers.

[MrPurple]

why not the big brothers, skull crushers ogres MM3 or 4 I think? or a just some half giant with class levels.

[ksbsnowowl]

Skullcrusher Ogres might just be the best of both worlds... I'll run the numbers and see what the encounters end up looking like.
I was planning to treat these ogres as more "civilized," thus the large lodge they'd constructed.  Skullcrushers are perfect in that regard.  Just need to double check the CR and EL calculations.

Probably change their half-plate to breastplates.  I like this idea, thank you.

Prior to the suggestion of Skullcrusher Ogres, my plan was to scale everything down thusly:
Hill Giants replaced with Ogres
Stone Giants replaced with Trolls (or maybe Ice Trolls from UE)
The Cloud Giant replaced with a Hill Giant
The Hill Giant children (which have the same stats as Ogres) be replaced with Eneko (Secrets of Sarlona; Medium Giants w/ Powerful Build)
Ogres replaced with Half Ogre Warrior 2's
Orcs would remain orcs
Bugbears replaced with hobgoblins (Warrior 2?)
Dire Wolves replaced with normal wolves

That should make things much more appropriate for an 8th level party.  I'll run the encounter EL numbers for both the above, and with Skullcrusher Ogres.  Hopefully, the skullcrushers aren't too strong, at CR 5.

Edit: I ran the numbers, and the top floor of the steading will be enough to raise the party one level, and maybe about a level and a half, so there won't be a dungeon level.  The great hall is still something like an EL 15 (using skullcrusher ogres) or an EL 14 (using normal ogres), so I'll just stick with the Skullcrushers.  The party just has to be smart, and listen to the uproarious commotion occurring in that room, and not enter it.  The adventure was designed to have the PC's leave, rest, and return, and doing so will slowly dwindle the numbers that can join in the nightly carousing, while others are siphoned off to replace the guards the PC's have previously killed.  They experienced this same sort of thing with the goblins in the Sunless Citadel, so a little smarts will go a long way.