Author Topic: Time to make the BBEG. Tarrasque Psion  (Read 3636 times)

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archangel.arcanis

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Time to make the BBEG. Tarrasque Psion
« on: June 29, 2009, 01:13:16 PM »
Methodology on how it is done here.

Ok so i have a high level Psion that has hijacked a new body, namely the Tarrasque. This is nothing new for him as the party has found out the guy has done this for hundreds of years to gain a form of psudo-lichdom.

I need to finally stat this guy out and get him ready as the party is approaching fighting him soon. 3 of the 4 will each have a special item to help fight it as well, these were used to defeat it in ancient days. The warblade will have the Blackrazor from return to white plume mountain module, it will replace the need to wish it dead and ignore the DR in addition to its normal abilities. The wizard will have an orb that will act as a focus reducing his metamagic costs by 1 and allow him to ignore its SR. The druid will have bracers that provide regen of 5 always subdual like big T and makes all of their attacks deal normal damage to it rather than subdual.

Facts the party knows about this guy/ things that need to be in the build:
1) telepath with mind switch
2) has leadership with a Wujen as cohort. Highest level follower is elf using Eternal blade PrC from ToB
3) he has been using several mines of adamantine and diamonds to finance his efforts and to provide him help in binding T until he is successful in transfer.
4) hundreds of years old, gains the aging benefits but not sure how multiple lifetimes works with that.
5) 32 point buy for stat generation, just like the party.

Most anything goes on this guy as he will end up being the final fight of the campaign, most likely anyway. More details about the party:
c1) Dwarf Warblade: focuses on power attack and critical with 2 handed weapon, now blackrazor. Loves to use WRT and Mountain hammer series. Most equipment is geared to gain str and con.
c2) 1/2 elf Druid going into Daggerspell Shaper. has quarantine daggers. wants to use wild shape as primary combat form and like ranged touch spells, splinterbolt and ice lance. Bear companion right now but that will likely leave as it will just get itself killed soon. Only healer in group.
c3) now kobold wizard. transmutation specialist with Mage of the Arcane order as PrC. Co-DM running this character, to get this guy ready to run his own game. Reincarnate was the only way to get people back for a while so entire party has changed race at least once. Loves to enlarge or polymorph the party. Mostly BF control right now as the trans. won't benefit them as much.
c4) my character Human Psion/Crystal Master. I have a thread around here helping with build. Short version is rechage between combats and use ACs to help the party and crystal shard to blase, NRG/Ecto walls for BF control, and NRG push for putting them back where i want them.

I really want this to challenge the party with out devastating them. They should have a good chance at both victory and loss. I also want this to be kinda easy for me so i was thinking of essentually doing the BBEG as a Gestalt Terrasque//Psion with out making him go beyond level 20 psion. I could level him further if needed but don't want to get to him using epic cheese to dismantle the party or making him unrealistically so he wouldn't use what is available to him either.
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Retire the character before the DM smacks you with the Table as the book will feel totally inadequate now.-Hazren

woodenbandman

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Re: Time to make the BBEG. Tarrasque Psion
« Reply #1 on: July 01, 2009, 04:19:07 PM »
I don't think it'll be all that challenging unless the guy uses Schism/Practiced Manifester. Otherwise the Big T loses the action economy, and is pretty easy to destroy, depending upon the level of the party (and seeing how the party is Warblade, Druid, Wizard, Psion, they'll probably have no trouble). Its AC is trivial at that level, opening it up to huge damage on a power attacking full attack, not to mention the strategy of just jumping down its throat the entire time (though that part might have to be adapted).

Assuming the psion buffs himself, then you've got more of a problem, but the wizard can probably dispel the buffs unless the Wu-Jen readies to counterspell (if they can).

Any person wishing to overcome the DR of the Big T can just purchase a +5 Magical Beast bane weapon (easier said than done for the druid, I suppose). Also, your party has a polymorpher wizard in it. The wizard will probably polymorph the fighter into, like, an Astral Deva, or something, and then he'll kick ass. Also its Spell Resistance is trivial anyway.

Your party seems fairly optimized, and they look like they'll be able to win. I can only assume that they're at least level 15, but you kinda left that part of the story out.

archangel.arcanis

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Re: Time to make the BBEG. Tarrasque Psion
« Reply #2 on: July 01, 2009, 06:57:01 PM »
The party isn't all that optimized though. And they tend to take the simplistic "me bash" approach. Maybe i'm just being too worried about it.

I'm not too worried about the action advantage since the BBEG has his followers and will probably charm the Warblade, or attempt to initially.
Clerics and Druids are like the 4 and 2 in 42. Together they are the answer to the ultimate question in D&D.
Retire the character before the DM smacks you with the Table as the book will feel totally inadequate now.-Hazren

Risada

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Re: Time to make the BBEG. Tarrasque Psion
« Reply #3 on: July 01, 2009, 07:06:30 PM »
Remember: you can use Quicken or Linked Power, so you have more actions at your disposal.

Tactical uses of Linked Power tend to be awesome...

Lycanthromancer

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Re: Time to make the BBEG. Tarrasque Psion
« Reply #4 on: July 01, 2009, 08:27:35 PM »
Make sure that the psion's power choices sync well with being a tarrasque. Of course, true mind switch is a requirement.

You can use metamorphosis (or just a skin of proteus) to revert back to humanoid (or whatever else you decide you want to be, for recon, spying, social encounters, or general day-to-day life), but when the decomposing compost strikes the magically-empowered wind turbine, powers such as hustle and fission will definitely be called for - research and EK whichever ones you need. (Note: nab schism for extra fun.)

Make sure that most of your powers are buffs, since he's going to be a melee powerhouse. Ensure that at least one is a first-level power with a swift- or immediate-action manifestation time, such that you can manifest via Linked Power without having to burn standard actions. Powers such as inertial armor, vigor, share pain (with a psicrystal in tow, of course), psionic overland flight, psionic freedom of movement, psionic mind blank, psionic iron body (or maybe oak body), and psionic contingency/psychic reformation in case you have to rebuild yourself on the fly.

You may also wish to research (or EK) a number of psychic warrior powers, including but not limited to: expansion, psionic lion's charge, strength of my enemy, dimension hop/swap, hustle (unless you're an egoist), claws of the vampire, greater concealing amorpha, and claw of energy.

Maybe play around with a few oddball powers from other lists, such as null psionics field; most groups wouldn't consider the tarrasque to have a portable dead-magic zone along for the ride, and since it's only a 10 ft emanation, it's only gonna be inside your stomach; good luck dimension dooring out of there.

What's important is that the PCs don't know that your psion is inside the tarrasque. They'll think it's a big dumb brute, and they'll die accordingly.

Also, temporal acceleration is your friend. (Just make sure to buff yourself, rather than your psicrystal...)
« Last Edit: July 01, 2009, 09:26:14 PM by Lycanthromancer »
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Loke

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Re: Time to make the BBEG. Tarrasque Psion
« Reply #5 on: July 02, 2009, 07:39:43 AM »

archangel.arcanis

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Re: Time to make the BBEG. Tarrasque Psion
« Reply #6 on: July 04, 2009, 01:24:36 PM »
well we ran our game yesterday and it has caused some changes in our group.  The psion, warblade, and druid all died and were reincarnated again. Psion is now a halfling, the other 2 are elves. None of us are all that happy about the change in race and we are considering how to fix this.  I think we are about to burn though are large cash stores, and the fact that we have figured out the astral projection trick in game, to fix our party. We do know a psion with psi. reformation to change classes and feats as well as a wizard willing to cast almost any spell we want for a price.
Clerics and Druids are like the 4 and 2 in 42. Together they are the answer to the ultimate question in D&D.
Retire the character before the DM smacks you with the Table as the book will feel totally inadequate now.-Hazren

Emy

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Re: Time to make the BBEG. Tarrasque Psion
« Reply #7 on: July 04, 2009, 07:32:36 PM »
We do know a psion with psi. reformation to change classes and feats

Psychic Reformation only allows the reselection of feats and powers (probably spells too, if you're using transparency).

archangel.arcanis

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Re: Time to make the BBEG. Tarrasque Psion
« Reply #8 on: July 06, 2009, 02:43:02 PM »
ok good to know that i somehow missed that. I don't think any of them will take up the offer though so no need to worry.
Clerics and Druids are like the 4 and 2 in 42. Together they are the answer to the ultimate question in D&D.
Retire the character before the DM smacks you with the Table as the book will feel totally inadequate now.-Hazren