Encounter Level 13 (4400xp)
This encounter is really suitable for level 10 or 11 characters, maybe level 12, if you are hoping it will provide a challenge. When I ran it (slightly different) the party went nova on the Beholder killing it in the first round. They did use a lot of their resources doing that, so following this with another 2 or more encounters, or putting this on the end of 2 or more encounters will change the experience considerably.
The premise for this encounter is that the beholder is in the employ of someone more powerful and they have provided it guards in the form of the vampires and skeletal cyclopses. The group are then guarding either an entrance/exit to a complex and the party must defeat them to enter/leave. The complex itself is the sight of great slaughter in the past and so many areas (including this) have blood rock (DMG pg 67) through them, which can have a significant effect on the outcome of battles.
Scene Elements:
Use these elements to describe the room according to what your players have said their characters are doing when approaching the room.
- The room is no light source in the room.
- The room is divided roughly in half by a 10′ high ledge.
- The only monsters that are making themselves visible are the Eye of Flame and two Skeletal Cyclopses. The two Vampires are hiding (detected by 26 or higher passive perception, in which case they are heard).
- The floor is stained by long spilt blood.
Setup:
1 Eye of Flame Beholder (DDI)
2 Common Vampires (Adventure Tools File)
2 Skeletal Cyclops (DDI)
For Four Players: Remove 1 Vampire.
For Six Players: Increase the Beholder’s level by 2, and add a Skeletal Cyclops
- I recommend making the following adjustments:
- Eye of Flame: +1 all NADs, -1AC, +2 to all attacks, +4 to bite damage.
- Skeletal Cyclops: Increase its slam damage to 2d12+7
Features of the Area:
Illumination:The room is dark unless PCs bring their own light.
Ledge: The Ledge running across the middle of the room rises 10 feet up (2 squares) and is an Easy athletics check to climb.
Blood Rock: Due to the slaughter that has taken place here in the past the floor is imbued with angry spirits that inspire greater carnage. All creatures score critical hits on a 19 or 20 while in this room.
Tactics:
The Skeletal Cyclopses simply try to hold the PCs away from the Beholder, however their low intelligence makes them poor tacticians so they will follow compulsions such as marks disregarding better tactics. The vampires are more intelligent and should be considered able to order the cyclopses around, and should do so in order to set up flanks. The vampires work best if they can get a flank on an enemy with each other or a cyclops.
The beholder should follow its tactics, keep in mind that it can throw PCs off the ledge, and make them run away at the start of their turn, not simply impose damage on enemies. (Note I made it do damage on the first round, but it didn’t live to the second round so it may be necessary to use the “run away” options from its attacks to get it more than one round.)
Ending the Encounter:
In my running of the encounter the undead were compelled to fight, and so fought to the death. The beholder would flee if given the opportunity but not before it is bloodied. The encounter ends when the monsters are dead or have fled, or the PCs die or flee.
4 comments
Simon Withers says:
September 16, 2010 at 3:12 am (UTC 0 )
The map with tokens makes it looks like you’re using masterplan to build these encounters. Would you be able to post .masterplan files of your encounters?
ObsidianCrane says:
September 16, 2010 at 8:54 am (UTC 0 )
I do indeed use Masterplan (see here for my process outline) and I will be starting to upload the Masterplan encounter files as well. It occurred to me recently that I should be doing just that, just haven’t had an encounter to put up in the mean time!
Simon Withers says:
October 5, 2010 at 12:38 am (UTC 0 )
I just saw your latest two encounters…. And seeing the masterplan files was awesome
Thanks so much
ObsidianCrane says:
October 5, 2010 at 2:08 am (UTC 0 )
No problems. I’d love to hear any thoughts on the presentation etc of the encounters as well!