Rejakor Designs Awesome Encounters

[Rejakor]

In another thread I challenged people to present to me a party I could not write an encounter for that was challenging, fun, and nowhere near instantly lethal.

That gave me an idea.

I know a lot of GMs have trouble writing encounters that have that optimal blend of 'Epic Swashbuckling Awesome', 'Dangerous', 'Tactically Interesting', and the ever-important, 'Won't Slaughter The Party'.

So; Give me the specifics on your group, their builds, classes, and inclinations, and the KIND of fight that you're looking for (be as specific or general as you need to be on this i.e. 'Effeminate female spellcaster who likes trickery and illusions but who prefers working on her own fighting the party in the ruins of an old border fort on a deserted island, halfway through the fight soldiers arrive with a great commander and she tricks them into fighting the PCs' or 'Something with lizards? I just really feel like a lizard eating the fighter.'), and I will write a ball-shakingly awesome encounter for you.

Have at me, fellows.


First version of this thread:  here.

[jvallerand]

Let me start. First, I must say I love what you do, I've ran a few of the encounters you posted on Giant ITP (namely, the Forgemaster and the Goblin grenades), and they were pretty darn cool. Anyway, here's my request:

I have a 10th level party, although by then they'll probably be 11th level. The party consists of a Kothian (Dragonlance Minotaur) Barbarian/Fighter, an Elf Bard (going for Sublime Chord), a Human Paladin 2/Favored Soul 8 (going for Gray Guard) and a Dwarf Wizard 7/Fatespinner 3 (with, I must point out , an incredible 67HP). The party is rather low-op,

They have been chosen to put an end to an evergrowing evil cult. The cult is based around those green stone altars, which have two effects: (1) praying on them gives power to the cult's leader (and that's why they try to destroy them); and (2) being close to them for too long gives you mutations, some nice, some nasty. Naturally, the nature of the mutation affects your standing in the cult: if it's negative (lose an eye, blood won't clot, etc...), then it's seen as if the altar doesn't approve of you, but if your mutation is positive (get larger, get extra natural attacks), then you are seen positively. Furthermore, some receive really powerful powers: for example, one of the recurring villains is an ogre who received an extra pair of arms, wings and a breath weapon. These are, usually, made leaders rather fast.

The party is currently destroying the second to last altar, and the last one (the one I need a cool encounter for) is located in the Empire, the most powerful country in the world by then, and an expansionist, ridiculously religious country. Their main population is human, although they have a large amount of Kothian (Minotaurs from Dragonlance) given that they conquered the Kothian's lands.

I want that chapter of the cult to be set in the sewers of the capital, maybe somehow related to the Thieves' Guild... And, because they hit lv11, I want a Beholder somewhere in there, most probably at the head of either the cult or the Guild. While the cult has a lot of mutants (where I usually just take any monster and refluff it as a mutant), it also has many "regular" people without any idea of what the cult is doing.

[nijineko]

not familiar, but always curious to see what others can come up with.

encounter(s) for six 18th level pcs: human psywar, shadow themed rogue, young mercury dragon monk, human ranger type, dwarf cleric, ghost feytouched half fey motuh. they have attracted the negative attention the high-muckity mucks of good, evil, and neutrality. they are currently attempting to penetrate mirith glarnon deep beneath sterich near istivin, all devoted worshipers of tharizdun, to retrieve a imprisoned demon priest and attempt to get him to reveal how to reverse a rather nasty summoning that is slowly eating the minds and vitality of the citizens of istivin. this is actually a side quest that cropped up, and they couldn't bring themselves to abandon, on the way to tracking down the tomb of acererak, despite having finally found a teleport-locate accurate enough to risk it teleporting to greyhawk, the next city on their planned route.

[Threadnaught]

Okay, here's an exact repost of what I put in the other thread. Enjoy. 

You remember that Druid and Wizard duo? And the Lich they almost effortlessly stomped?

Same Lich and they had backup in the form of a 9th level NPC with a single Shout prepared. Lich had Protection from Energy (Fire) active and is under the effects of Blur. Before the fight it spent a while killing some prisoners with Enervation, so no level drain for my players.
They've got it down to 11HP and 81 Fire Resistance and are almost drained of Spells, but when they're done I want them to encounter something in the swampy forest they're in once they exit the cave. Wizard is useless in the fight as he's spent the last 3 rounds laughing, with another 7 to go, he rolled a 2.

So yeah, right after killing an enemy that they're struggling against and the Lich basically telling them it's Phylactery is elsewhere using it's fake/an amulet enchanted to be magical, I want to surprise them with something tough enough to last a few rounds while they despair over what's happening. Something hard to kill, but easy enough to survive.

BTW they also met a Black Dragon that gives tours for a contribution to it's horde, they accepted it's offer and that's how they found the cave, so it won't be attacking it's customers. Trolls also, are civilized enough to be accepted in an elven city and spend a lot of time with a bunch of Druids, though troll bandits have existed in the setting in fact, there's a nearby ruin where Trolls, Ogres and some Druids (including Ogre and Troll Druids) are constantly fighting for control against Necromancers, one day one side is in control, the next the other side is. But other things live in the swamp, that's just the main features.


My players are gonna love me. 

[DarkEternal]

Any chance of this still being alive?

I see the thread is dead ont he other forum, so I'll repost

Basically thought of making a side quest for the party, especially one player who based his character off Kenshiro from a popular anime Fist of the North Star. he keeps badgering me about finding the person that hurt him, and stole his woman. I was thinking of leading him to this encounter when they reach level 10 or something. He plays an unarmed swordsage, and it would be great if the said enemy(enemies) have martial arts as weapons of choice. I don't mind them being homebrewed or stretched. I was thinking something about each party member having something opposite or reflecting his own style of fighting as an opponent, while the main "villain" fights against the said swordsage. Rest of the party is knight, archivist, cleric(divine inquisitor), bard.

[nijineko]

no idea...

rejakor's profile indicates that there was logon activity yesterday...

[Necrosnoop110]

Well, just in case this is active I could use some help for a thread I already started.

Setting: 3.5 D&D

Party: 15th level Barbarian, 14th level Ranger, 14th level Psion, 14th level Rogue, 13th level Cleric (No true optimizers but the Psion and Cleric are strong and often make very smart tactical decisions)

Background: Underdark showdown between an isolated group of Drow and the party. The Drow are working in conjunction with a Beholder to complete a ritual. They have already fought two smaller groups of Drow and kinda mopped the floor with them. The ritual is to summon a powerful demon. The final confrontation will be Drow + Beholder vs PCs.

My Psion is a Shaper (Astral Construct & Ectoplasmic Cocoon) and my Cleric is an undead turning machine, the rest of the group is ground and pound.

[nijineko]

Well, just in case this is active I could use some help for a thread I already started.

Setting: 3.5 D&D

Party: 15th level Barbarian, 14th level Ranger, 14th level Psion, 14th level Rogue, 13th level Cleric (No true optimizers but the Psion and Cleric are strong and often make very smart tactical decisions)

Background: Underdark showdown between an isolated group of Drow and the party. The Drow are working in conjunction with a Beholder to complete a ritual. They have already fought two smaller groups of Drow and kinda mopped the floor with them. The ritual is to summon a powerful demon. The final confrontation will be Drow + Beholder vs PCs.

My Psion is a Shaper (Astral Construct & Ectoplasmic Cocoon) and my Cleric is an undead turning machine, the rest of the group is ground and pound.

beholder mage?

[Rejakor]

Hey guys!

Sorry I kind of completely forgot about this thread.

I'll post up some encounters for you shortly.

[Threadnaught]

Cancel my previous request, please. We finally go around to finishing the Lich encounter and I just threw some cowardly Wights over the prisoners' corpses. Both players were absolutely knackered.

Wizard is level 6, Druid is still level 5 and NPC (Wizard5/Bearer of the Ancestral Weapon4) is still helping them. I rolled an 8 on the Lich's regeneration and the players have slept since then, so they have 7 days ingame to go before it strikes again, this time, indirectly. Another week or so after that, they'll encounter a Sahuagin in the main port town who'll hand over to them some free armour. Which they'll need to follow it under the sea.

The Lich who was a 10th level Wizard, has assessed the Wizard and Druid's capabilities little by little, so far he knows they favour Cold and Electricity type magic, when they desire to slay the Lich or other undead they focus on Fire, Force and Positive Energy.
A handful of living low CR opponents for the Lich to buff appropriately. Most likely occupying a Gem Orchard the players find irritating, please.

When they go under the seas, they'll be with a Sahuagin2, Iron Man9, for the purpose of getting to it's underwater home. No mandatory encounters here, only encounters are for players who decide they don't want to listen to their Sahuagin companion. Anything aquatic besides a Kraken, the leader of all the Sahuagins' enemies, which includes outcast Sahuagins, is a the Kraken. It's the whole reason they're going to go underwater.

I'll PM the current character sheets of everyone involved along with all the Spells in the Wizards' Spellbooks.


Edit: Thought I'd clarify, the NPC Wizard who's character sheet I sent along with the players' characters, is not going to follow them under the sea. He has a project, he's taking a break from by spending time with the players.

[Necrosnoop110]

Well, just in case this is active I could use some help for a thread I already started.

Setting: 3.5 D&D

Party: 15th level Barbarian, 14th level Ranger, 14th level Psion, 14th level Rogue, 13th level Cleric (No true optimizers but the Psion and Cleric are strong and often make very smart tactical decisions)

Background: Underdark showdown between an isolated group of Drow and the party. The Drow are working in conjunction with a Beholder to complete a ritual. They have already fought two smaller groups of Drow and kinda mopped the floor with them. The ritual is to summon a powerful demon. The final confrontation will be Drow + Beholder vs PCs.

My Psion is a Shaper (Astral Construct & Ectoplasmic Cocoon) and my Cleric is an undead turning machine, the rest of the group is ground and pound.

Game is planned for tomorrow night if you get a chance. 

Thanks,
Necro

[DarkEternal]

This thing still alive?

[nijineko]

don't know, he seems to keep forgetting the thread exists. maybe someone should pm him....