I'm trying to design this encounter for an ECL 17 party of four (two melee glass cannons, one tank, and one waste of space). At this point the encounter is comprised of a psychic vampire (Libris Mortis) and two or three of his spawn (at least one psychic warrior and one wilder). The basic gist of the encounter is ridiculous amounts of psionic self-healing. Ive never run high-level psionics before and I just have no idea the best way to accomplish these things.
I'm basing the big guy on one of Phaedrus's builds
here.Here's a repost for convenience sake:
Note that the only difference between a normal vampire psychic vampire is he loses the level drain slam and gains a wisdom drain slam and a 10 foot Wisdom drain aura (only affects living things).
Conrad Bains, Death's Diplomat
Human Vampire Telepath6
CR 8 Undead (Augmented Humanoid)
Stats:
Str 20 (14+6) 24 buffed
Dex 17 (13+4)
Con - (was 8 )
Int 18 (15+2+1)
Wis 12 (10+2)
Cha 16 (12+4)
Hit Points: 6d12+12 (51 avg, 81 with vigor, half damage goes to spawn via Share Pain)
(He was "turned" in a Desecrated shrine. Give all his spawn 8 more hit points also. If the heroes make it to his coffin, it will be in the desecrated shrine, giving all undead +2 to hit, damage, and saves, and inflicting a -6 penalty to Turn Undead checks. He should be allied with some evil church or cleric to explain this, if you want. Or give the area a permanent Desecrate effect.)
Initiative: +7
Saves: F+3, R+8, W+7
Attack: +13 Slam (1d6+10 + Energy Drain)(+2d6 Psionic Fist, and he can refocus every round if he doesn't have to move)
AC:31 fully buffed +concealment (10+7armor+4shield+7natural+3dex), Touch 13, Flatfooted 28 (-4 w/Karmic Strike)
Feats: Alertness, Combat Reflexes, Dodge, Improved Initiative, Lightning Reflexes (all bonus up to here), Combat Expertise (1st), Karmic Strike (Human), Psionic Meditation (Egoist1), Overchannel (3), Psionic Fist (Ego5), (6) Expanded Knowledge: Animal Affinity
Powers: (1st-5) Force Screen, Vigor, Precognition: Offensive, Entangling Ectoplasm, Inertial Armor (2nd-4) Concealing Amorpha, Energy Adaptation, Share Pain, Read Thoughts, Animal Affinity (3rd-2) Empathic Transfer: Hostile, Dispel Psionics
Power Points: 47
Skills: Bluff +20(9), Diplomacy +16(9), Gather Information +12(9), Sense Motive +18(9), Concentration +9(9), Intimidate +9(4cc), Hide +15(4cc), Spot +10 (1cc), Listen +9, Move Silently +11, Search +12
(includes +8 racial bonus on Bluff, Hide, Listen, Move Silently, Search, Sense Motive, and Spot checks. He's also used a stone of Psychic Reformation after becoming a vampire to take advantage of his enhanced form's bonuses)
Special Attacks: Blood drain, domination (DC 16, range 30 ft, lasts 6 days), energy drain, create spawn, children of the night
Special Qualities: +4 turn resistance, damage reduction 10/silver and magic, darkvision 60 ft., fast healing 5, alternate form, gaseous form, resistance to cold 10 and electricity 10, spider climb, undead traits
Equipment: Cloak of Resistance +1, Amulet of Natural Armor +1, Hat of Disguise, Gloves of Object Read. (A bit below standard wealth I think)
Buffs: (Au=Augmented, OC=Overchanneled, Cost, duration) Vigor (Au 6, 6min), Force Screen (1, 6min), Share Pain (3, 6hrs), Animal Affinity (3, 6min), Precogn:Off (Au&OC 7, 7min), Concealing Amorpha (3, 6min), Inertial Armor (Au&OC, 7hrs), Energy Adaptation (3, 60min) Total 33 PP.
The ultimate goal is a telepath with a Life-driking Necklace of Natural Attacks (yeah it's cheap I know), ridiculous AC, that hits once or twice a round and repeatedly level drains his attackers with Karmic Strike, while reducing damage via Shared Pain (with the psychic warrior, or the wilder, or both, can you have more than one shared pain manifested?) and healing himself via a Schismed brain with Empathic Hostile Transfer. The biggest problem I'm having is the group will be protected by a Magic Circle against Evil until I knock the waste of space unconscious so most of the best [Compulsion] and [Charm] powers won't do any good. I'm having trouble finding good power combos (like Death Urge/Deja Vu)
I'm also planning on Detect Hostile Intent combined with Sense Danger (MoE) and Synchronicity, to manifest Temporal Acceleration in case he loses initiative and really needs to go first for some reason, or manifest something like Timeless Body if he's about to be killed.
For the psychic warrior, the general plan at the moment is to manifest claws of the vampire with an augmented Expansion along with Reach to either grapple the waste of space or beat on people running around him, mostly for HP damage. I'm on the fence as to whether to use Rapidstrike or not (it's not a completely optimized party and I don't want to outright kill them, just make it challenging). He'll also use Ubiquitous Vision to prevent the two glass cannons from flanking him for sneak attack.
I realize claws would probably be worse than a weapon if I don't use Rapidstrike, but I'm trying to keep the vampires unarmed so they get their Wisdom drains in there. I'm also at a loss of the best way to make use of him.
The wilder will pretty much serve as the healer. Of course when I say healing, I mean via things like a Sculpted Fiendish Conduit and the various Stygian stuff in XPH.
For her defenses I pretty much wanted to keep her hidden somehow, and when she is discovered have the psionic equivalents of Blink, Displacement, and Mirror Image (if they exist) protecting her. It's a fully transparent game so maybe I can get away with saying she researched them?
The other plan I had for her was Zone of Alertness, so the group can share the benefit from the BBEG's Detect Hostile Intent, and generally be another sponge to soak HP damage. Or perhaps deliver touch powers along with her Wisdom drain.
Again, biggest problem is I've never played a wilder so I have no idea what I'm doing.
Any suggestions? Comments?