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Let's Read Threats to the Nentir Vale: Frost Witches
Copyright 2011 Wizards of the Coast. This post is part of a series! Click here to see the others.
This is another Vale-specific faction, and a cool one.
The Lore
The Winterbole forest takes up nearly the entire northern edge of the Vale. This snowy conifer forest is home to several different factions that exist in uneasy equilibrium, and the Frost Witches are one of the most powerful.
The Witches worship the primordial Cryonax, one of the Evil Elemental Princes, but no one outside their group knows about this. To most other inhabitants of the Vale they’re “merely” scary forest witches who manipulate and terrify others for their own benefit.
The Frost Witches count elves, humans, harpies and gnomes among their number. Every one of them knows how to use magic, and the vast majority are female. They increase their numbers mostly through active recruiting, which might mean kidnapping children from communities bordering the woods as often as it means inducting consenting adults into the coven. Their leader is the elf witch Clenderi, which rules the group with absolute authority second only to Cryonax himself.
The Witches are spread out through the whole Winterbole forest, in scattered huts housing either lone individuals or small groups of less than half a dozen. Their central headquarters is known simply as “Cold Camp”, and it’s important not only because it’s Clenderi’s home but also because it houses the source of their power, an artifact known as the Cold Cauldron.
The Cauldron is entirely made of ice, and a frozen flame burns eternally underneath it. Standing too close to it is hazardous to anyone who’s not a Witch, and it causes a wide area around itself to be covered in frost.
The Witches have no true friends outside their own group. Any alliances they make with others are opportunistic and likely to be temporary. They are absolutely willing to turn on these allies if circumstances change.
The Tigerclaw barbarians who also live in the Winterbole forest have been burned by this enough times that they now attempt to kill any Frost Witches they meet on sight. The Witches are wary around their territory but don’t consider them a serious threat. They maintain much better relations with the Winterbole treants, and are engaging on a subtle campaign of manipulation against the dragon Bitterstrike, intending to eventually convert her to the worship of Cryonax.
The Numbers
We start off with stats for the Cauldron, which will be relevant to any battle that happens inside Cold Camp. It’s 6 feet in diameter, so you could say it’s Large. Rules-wise it counts as an indestructible terrain feature, emitting an aura of Icy Flames (2) that deals cold damage to any enemy of the Witches who ends their turn inside. It also turns the terrain inside the whole of Cold Camp into Frozen Ground, which is difficult terrain for anyone without Ice Walk.
As you might expect, all stat blocks in this entry have Ice Walk and a lot of cold magic powers, along with resistance to cold and a vulnerability to fire. They also retain their racial traits, if any.
Icicle Swarm
This is a Medium swarm of Tiny, sharp ice elementals that the Witches known how to summon and control. It’s a Level 6 Skirmisher with 68 HP and all the standard swarm traits. Their Swarm Attack aura deals 5 cold damage to enemies inside, and their basic attack is an Icicle Stab that deals cold damage, allows them to shift 2 squares before or after the attack, and immobilizes on a critical hit (save ends).
Frost Witch
A typical member of the group. This one is human, but you can make her an elf or gnome by adding the proper traits. She’s a Level 8 Controller with 87 HP. She projects a Frost Aura (1) that makes enemies inside vulnerable 5 to cold. If the enemy was resistant to cold, this reduces their resistance, otherwise it increases any cold damage they suffer as normal.
The witch fights in melee with a Frost Staff that deals cold damage and slides 2 squares on a hit. At range she uses a Snow Blindness spell that deals cold and radiant damage. Cold resistance alone won’t protect you from it! Targets hit by the spell can’t see anything further than 3 squares away (save ends).
Once per encounter she can cast an Icy Blast (close blast 5) which deals cold damage, half on a miss, and turns the affected area into a zone of difficult terrain. This lasts a turn but can be sustained with minor actions.
Frost Witch Harpy
Harpy members tend to be a little stronger than the others, and their cold magic is geared towards enhancing their natural powers. They’re Level 12 Controllers with 123 HP. They add thunder resistance to the standard Frost Witch traits, and can fly with a speed of 8 (clumsy). Their Frost Aura has a radius of 2. They fight with Frost Claws that do cold damage, ranged Icy Stares that do cold damage and slow, and a Chilling Screech encounter power that hits a Close Burst 2, does cold and thunder damage, and if the target was slowed or immobilized also inflicts ongoing 10 cold damage (save ends).
They’re going to wait to use the screech once multiple players are slowed by their stare, or by their allies’ powers.
Frozen Cauldron Guardian
These elementals are made of frozen mist, and as their name implies they hang around the Cauldron to protect it from thieves and intruders. They’re Level 15 Brutes with 179 HP. Despite its misty look. Its diffuse nature makes it hard to hurt but that is represented by its high level and HP total - the creature is not insubstantial.
The guardian’s basic attack is called Cold Snap. It deals cold damage and causes the target to fall prone. It can also expand itself temporarily for a Enveloping Chill attack (recharge 4+), a Close Burst 1 that deals a bit less cold damage and knocks prone. It also has an extra rider: targets hit by the attack take ongoing 10 cold damage and are unable to stand up (save ends both).
Anyone fighting these things will stay prone for most of the fight, which makes every PC’s job more difficult. They pair really well with melee monsters that can exploit combat advantage.
Clenderi
The leader of the Frost Witches is probably one of the most powerful individuals in the Vale. Any fight against her will likely take place near the Frozen Cauldron, so she can expect help from a bunch of Guardians and any other high-ranking witches the GM cares to stat up.
Clenderi is an elf, and a Level 18 Elite Controller with the Leader tag and 344 HP. She projects a Frost Aura that inflicts Vulnerable 5 Cold on any enemies while they’re inside. She also has the usual elven Wild Step that lets her ignore difficult terrain when she shifts. She already ignores ice-based terrain anyway due to Ice Walk, but it’s also hard to restrict her movement in other ways. She can also benefit from Elven Accuracy once per encounter, which lets her reroll an attack roll that she dislikes and take the second result. In practical terms, she can reroll an attack she missed.
Clenderi’s Frost Staff basic attack works like that of the typical frost witch, dealing cold damage and sliding 2 squares. Her Icy Glare is an at-will ranged attack that deals cold damage and immobilizes. She can cast a Wind of Winter spell (recharge 5+) that deals cold damage in a selectice Area Burst 2 and creates a zone of icy wind that lasts for a turn. This is difficult terrain to creatures without ice walk, and allows Clenderi’s allies who are inside to spend a move action to teleport 10 squares to a space outside the zone.
Her ultimate technique is the Frostfall encounter power, a Close Blast 3 that deals cold damage and turns victims to ice! This is equivalent to being petrified, and is a (save ends) condition. On a miss, the target takes half damage and is restrained for a turn.
All of her spells target Fortitude, so most of the party’s squishies are going to be especially vulnerable to them.
Final Impressions
The greatest thing about the Frost Witches are their interactions with the other factions in the Winterbole Forest. The basic idea of an ice cult conspiring to take over the world really comes alive when you factor in those interactions and can see how they actually interact with the world around them.
If you need more Frost Witch stat blocks, there’s one back in the Bitterstrike entry for a Level 12 witch.
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Let's Read Threats to the Nentir Vale: Felldrake
Copyright 2011 Wizards of the Coast. This post is part of a series! Click here to see the others.
Felldrakes are a Vale-specific new addition to the game.
The Lore
Shortly after signing the pact that transformed them, the ruling nobility of Bael Turath set about applying their newfound infernal power in several ways they felt would benefit the empire. One of the things they did was magically alter the many breeds of drake the Turathi already employed to make them stronger and more vicious. These magically altered breeds became known as felldrakes.
Though felldrakes are considered natural animals, they’re much more aggressive and territorial than other species and are susceptible to control via old Turathi techniques and infernal magic. The Fell Court from our previous entry was taught the secret of controlling these creatures by their diabolical patrons. It’s possible other groups have learned it as well.
The Numbers
Like other drakes, these are Natural Beasts. They’re a varied lot, though, and their abilities are specific to each stat block.
Leaping Felldrake
This Small drake looks like a green-scaled lizard. As the name implies they’re capable of long flying leaps, but they’re also pretty good at lying in ambush. Their jaws are very efficient at biting the necks of their victims, and their saliva contains a weak venom that turns the flesh around the bite mark blue. They were used to protect homes and vaults from burglars, and those blue marks aided in tracking any culprits that escaped.
Leaping Felldrakes are Level 1 Lurkers with 26 HP. They have ground and climb speeds of 6. Their basic bites are a little weak, but they can use Neck Bites against targets granting them combat advantage. This deals about double the damage of a basic bite and allow the drake to grab the target (escape DC 12), dealing them ongoing 5 damage while the grab lasts.
The drake’s Flying Leaps allow them to fly 3 squares without provoking opportunity attacks. If they have cover, concealment, or no enemies within 5 squares, they can use Instant Camouflage to become effectively invisible until they attack or cancel the effect. That’s how it gains combat advantage in most situations, though flanking also works fine in a fight against multiple monsters.
Crested Felldrakes
These Small drakes are kinda like a cross between a standard guard drake and a Jurassic Park raptor. They’re pack hunters like unmodified guard drakes, but they’re stronger and smarter than then. Crested felldrakes have been known to climb on top of one another to reach high places, or to open doors with their claws to get at victims on the other side.
Crested Felldrakes are Level 2 Skirmishers with 39 HP. They have a ground speed of 8 and their Pack Frenzy trait gives them +1 to hit and +2 to damage when adjacent to a felldrake ally. Their bites damage and allow a felldrake ally within 2 squares of the attacker to shift up to 2 squares as a reaction. When hit by an opportunity attack, they can automatically shift 2 squares. This doesn’t negate the damage from the attack, but it also doesn’t use up an action, so it can be done as often as you like. The more you hit them, the more mobile they are.
Hissing Felldrake
Another Jurassic Park-inspired monstrosity, this is a Medium drake with a large folding frill around its neck and the ability to spit a corrosive venom laced with soporific chemicals. It’s Level 3 Artillery with 38 HP.
They can bite but the star of the show is clearly their Fell Spit, a ranged attack that targets Reflex and deals acid damage. If the target is bloodied, they become slowed for a turn. If they’re already slowed, they instead become dazed (save ends).
Tri-Horned Felldrake
The larger and most aggressive of the felldrake subspecies, but also oddly enough the easiest to domesticate. The Turathi enforced an instinctive pecking order with tri-horns at the top, so they have some ability to control other felldrake species.
Tri-horns are Medium Level 4 Soldiers with 58 HP. They have a speed of 5, are immmune to fear, and gain a +3 to damage when charging. They can bite and also perform challenging gores that deal about the same damage and mark for a turn. If a marked target makes an attack that doesn’t target the drake, it can use a melee reaction to automatically deal light damage and knock them prone.
Final Impressions
The origin of the felldrakes gives you ample excuse to have a wild pack of them that attacks on sight and fights to the death, unlike most natural beasts. However they really come into their own as pets to the Fell Court or to other similar groups that know how to control and boost them in the same way.
They could also be used as additional Dark Drake species to go with the Dark Drake of the Moon Hills. Maybe the Dark Drake is a supernaturally powerful felldrake who survives since the days of Bael Turath?
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Let's Read Threats to the Nentir Vale: Fell Court
Copyright 2011 Wizards of the Coast. This post is part of a series! Click here to see the others.
We just looked at a faction of Arkhosian revivalists, and now we’re looking at an example of their Turathi counterparts.
The Lore
Even long after the fall of Bael Turath, tieflings still have to contend with the suspicions and prejudice of others. You could argue such suspicion was warranted right after that fall, since the people who became the first tieflings had all been members of the Turathi elite, and therefore quite nasty slave-holding diabolists. Their descendants however were just born that way and are as varied in their moral outlook as any other sapient people. It is wrong to expect them to be scheming diabolists just because of their looks.
And then you have people like the Fell Court, who keep the stereotype alive by living up to it. They’re a group of tieflings based on Fallcrest who want to Make Bael Turath Great Again. Their leader is one Melech Ambrose, a self-proclaimed general and visionary who can trace his ancestry very precisely to a specific noble lineage.
Despite all his claims, Ambrose acts more like a petty crime lord than as a would-be ruler. His group’s current activities are all aimed at filling their “war chest” so the “real” takeover can begin. They have only recently stepped up their operations, and though the Lord Warden of Fallcrest has heard rumors, his men have so far failed to turn up any concrete information about the Court.
Ambrose himself has a public life as a successful trader and contacts among several members of Fallcrest’s high society. He uses this as cover to run a modest black market operation that enjoys the favor of many of the city’s poorest residents, since they operate in the slums and provide some of the support and security the city’s government can’t or won’t get them.
Most of the Court’s operating budget comes from Melech Ambrose’s criminal enterprise. They’ve stepped up their recruitment efforts, and are setting up caches of weapons and supplies for a future takeover of Fallcrest. The money also sees good use gathering information about the city’s defenses and blackmail material for use against its officials.
As you would expect from such a fan of old Bael Turath, Melech is a diabolist, and his dealings have got him a measure of supernatural support from infernal patrons. This include control over a large pack of Felldrakes, a species of vicious drakes that used to be bred in Bael Turath.
Recruitment happens through a couple of layers of deception. The Court stages a “false flag” attack on a potential candidate, and then swoops in for the rescue. A member of the “rescue team” befriends the target and then the Court slowly brings them into the group while probing their potential and loyalty to the Turathi cause. A member who looks like a good fit gets contacted by an underboss, who gives them a “trial by fire” mission that consists of committing a crime suited to their abilities that also advances the interests of the Court. Those who prove the extent of their skill and loyalty by successfully performing this mission are made full members of the Court. Those who reveal themselves incompatible end up murdered in a way that points to one of the Court’s rivals.
All of that is for tieflings. Non-tieflings never really progress beyond the stage of “disposable tool”.
Melech has also heard of the Iron Circle, an Asmodeus-worshiping mercenary company from the south who is entering the Vale through the Harkenwold region. He believes he can enter an alliance with them, offering his Fell Court’s services as spies and saboteurs and using the Circle’s military might to conquer the Vale so they can rule together. Though he has yet to hear back from them after making his initial diplomatic overtures, he’s absolutely sure they will be successful. This belief may lead him to act rashly.
The Numbers
All of our stat blocks here are for tiefling members of the Fell Court. As such they all have Low-Light Vision and Resist Fire 5. They tend to me at low-to-mid Heroic levels, making them appropriate as your group’s first “urban intrigue” antagonists in Fallcrest.
Let’s look at them in order of level.
Fell Court Ruffian
Ruffians are the some of the lowest-ranking members of the Court, individuals who probably have not undergone their trial by fire yet. They’re Level 2 Minion Brutes. They fight with clubs that deal half damage on a miss, and have a Dances with Drakes ability that allows them to make a free attack against an enemy that has just been hit by a drake ally.
Fell Court Creep
The same ranking as a Ruffian, but sneakier. Creeps are Level 3 Minion Skirmishers. Their basic attack is a Dazing Dagger that damages and dazes for a turn, and when they’re missed by an attack Fiendish Shift allows them to shift 1 square and deal 3 fire damage to the target.
Fell Court Blackheart
A seasoned Court operative, combining mundane stealth training with a side of infernal magic. They’re Level 2 Lurkers with 37 HP.
Blackhearts fight with Deadly Sickles that deal necrotic damage, and can spend their action to assume a Smoke Form instead of attacking. While in smoke form, they can’t attack or be attacked, and can pass through and occupy other creatures’ spaces. It can revert as a free action, or when it drops to 0 HP (from ongoing damage or something).
If the blackheart starts its turn in smoke form, it can use a Sly Attack to target Reflex and deal about double the damage of a basic attack, half on a miss. It can also use this power without turning to smoke, but it doesn’t do double damage then.
They can use the tiefling’s standard Infernal Wrath power to inflict a bit of fire damage on someone who just hit them, and when they’re reduced to 0 HP they can delete a healing surge from an enemy they can see before dropping.
If the blackheart damages an enemy that was granting combat advantage to it, they stop that enemy from spending healing surges (save ends).
Fell Court Underboss
This veteran Court member has proven to be loyal enough to be promoted, and is now in charge of recruiting new members and sending them on jobs. It’s a Level 3 Soldier with 47 HP and the Leader keyword.
The underboss is a Drake Wrangler, and gives Resist Fire 5 and a +2 bonus to the AC of any drakes adjacent to it. It also projects a Hellbound aura (1) that deals 5 fire damage to any creature that leaves it. Its bastard sword strikes kind of skip the whole marking business. A target hit by the sword suffers 5 fire damage if it doesn’t target the underboss with an attack during their next turn.
They can also use the sword in a Diabolical Strike that deals fire damage and, if the attack was made with combat advantage, prevents the target from shifting for a turn. Infernal Wrath rounds out the tiefling’s arsenal.
Underbosses will always be in a tight formation with a pack of drakes, and will seek to stay adjacent to a PC. Scattering those drakes might be a useful tactic, since they’d take damage from Hellbound.
Fell Court Hellmage
An underboss-rank Court member who prefers to rely more on magic than on swords. It’s Level 4 Artillery with 42 HP and the Leader keyword. Its aura of Drake Regeneration (3) causes any bloodied drake ally inside to recover 5 HP at the start of their turns if they have at least one HP left.
Hellmages fight with daggers in melee and shoot Infernal Bolts at range. These deal both immediate and ongoing fire and radiant damage. Infernal Wrath works as standard for them, and when they drop to 0 HP they use See you In Hell to fire off one last infernal bolt without provoking opportunity attacks.
Melech Ambrose
The big boss is a unique Level 5 Skirmisher with 68 HP and the Leader keyword. As a regular, Melech will always have plenty of bodyguards and felldrakes with him. He projects two auras: Bloodthirsty (radius 1) makes all enemies inside grant combat advantage; and Drake Fervor (radius 3) gives drake allies inside a +2 bonus to damage and to saves.
Melech himself fights with a scimitar, which can be used for basic attacks or Fiendish Strikes that allow him to shift 2 squares before or after the attack, and, if made with combat advantage, daze for a turn. He can also hurl flame to strike at range, dealing fire damage. Infernal Wrath works as normal for him.
Final Impressions
I think it’s a bit unfortunate that the Fell Court lives up to the bad reputation tieflings have, but it does give heroic PC tieflings an extra reason to fight them. The first time I read this entry, I thought it was odd that they went into that much detail about their recruitment process, but it’s a perfect ready-made story hook to get one of those heroic PC tieflings involved with them.
Any fight against Fell Court members should absolutely include a couple of fell drakes at least. Another thing I hadn’t noticed until now is how central drakes are to their whole flavor - every stat block here has some interaction with drake allies. A “final battle” encounter against Melech, an Underboss, a Hellmage and a troop of drakes will have the latter punch above their weight class with bonuses to AC, damage, saves, and regeneration.
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Let's Read Threats to the Nentir Vale: Dythan's Legion
Copyright 2011 Wizards of the Coast. This post is part of a series! Click here to see the others.
This is another setting-specific group.
The Lore
Dythan’s Legion is a large all-dragonborn military organization. As the name implies, their leader is Legatus Dythan, an ambitious and charismatic leader who dreams of seeing Arkhosia restored to its ancient glory, presumably with him at the top.
The Legion uses the same ranks and organization as the ancient armies of Arkhosia, and numbers about 500 members in total, usually operating in platoons of 20 to 24 people. These are supported by war-trained drakes and behemoths, and sometimes even by salvaged Arkhosian battle constructs.
Upon admission into the Legion, every member is branded with a symbol that used to be a Turathi slave marking. Dythan’s ancestors in the Drakerider clan used to live in the border between Arkhosia and Bael Turath, and were taken captive in a Turathi raid. After they were freed or escaped their enslavement, they took the mark for their own as a reminder of what Arkhosia was fighting against, and passed it onto their descendants. Dythan himself bears such a mark, and makes sure his soldiers remember as he does.
Though the Legion usually operates far south of the Vale, a contingent of them arrived here recently looking for ruins of Arkhosian outposts that are said to have been here back in the old days. One of them, Rolaz-Gaar, is somewhere along the shores of Lake Nen (in the NE corner of the Vale). Another might be somewhere beneath the Ogrefist Hills near the Vale’s western border. The Legion detachments concentrate in these two locations.
Despite being fairly small when compared to those ancient imperial armies, the Legion is still a large force by the standards of our narrative present, and its members are well-trained and well-equipped professionals. They’re not interested in conquering the Vale, but they’re unlikely to be very nice to anyone who stands in the way of their search. It’s unclear from the text whether Dythan himself is in the Vale at the moment. If the GM judges the ruins contain something really important, then he’s likely to be here overseeing the searches personally. If he’s not, a sufficient challenge to the Legion’s operations in the area might result in him appearing with reinforcements.
The Numbers
The actual people who make up the legion are all dragonborn, and their elite training places them as early Paragon threats. We also get stats for their salvaged Arkhosian siege towers, and for the Liondrakes they use as mounts. They use other drakes and behemoths in various roles, but those use the base stats for these creatures, perhaps leveled-up to match their handlers.
As dragonborn, all members of Dythan’s Legion can use Dragon Breath, which like the PC version is an encounter power that lets them breathe energy in a Close Burst 3 vs. Reflex. The damage type varies per stat block, and can be changed to match specific individuals. They also have Speed 6, and the non-minions have the PC trait that gives them +1 to hit while bloodied.
Alignment-wise, every dragonborn here including Dythan has the Evil alignment, which paints us an interesting picture combined with the slave marking story in the Lore section. You could perhaps see them as greedy and ruthless imperialists who are nevertheless vehemently against slavery in all its forms. It would also be relatively easy to say they focus on the less-bad parts of Arkhosia’s past and make them Unaligned. Making them actively heroic is more of a stretch, I feel, and would require bigger changes to their background.
Like we did with the Daggerburg goblins, we’ll look at them in order of increasing level.
Dythan’s Legion Warrior
The rank and file of the Legion is made up of these veteran soldiers. They’re Level 10 Minion Skirmishers wearing leather armor and carrying heavy shields. They fight with spears in melee, and can throw javelins at range.
Their Phalanx Formation trait gives them an extra +1 AC per adjacent ally, up to a maximum of +4. This would be a big no-no on a regular monster (remember MM1 hobgoblins?) but it’s OK to have on a minion since you only need to hit them once.
The Spear Attack deals a bit of extra damage when they have combat advantage, and allows the warrior to shift 1 square before or after the attack. The Javelin is a standard ranged attack. Their breath is lightning.
PCs are unlikely to meet legionnaires in numbers smaller than a platoon, and this stat block helps fill out those numbers without making the encounter impossible. They can be easily made into regulars if you need more powerful infantry for an encounter.
Dythan’s Legion Archer
These are battlefield archers, so they’re trained to put a lot of arrows into a group of clustered targets. They’re Level 10 Artillery with 84 HP. The short sword and Longbow basic attacks are solid, with the latter being the better option. They can also fire an Arrow Volley (recharge 4+) that targets enemies in an Area Burst 1 within 20 squares and does light physical damage to each one it hits.
Their dragon breath deals cold damage and also pushes 1 square on a hit, making it a good “keep-away” emergency power.
Dythan’s Legion Vanguard
Vanguards march into battle at the front of the Legion’s infantry formations, engaging the enemy directly to give space for the mobile Warriors to flank them. They’re Level 11 Soldiers with 111 HP, wear plate, and carry swords and heavy shields.
They have the same Phalanx Formation trait as the Warriors, which means they punch above far above their weight as far as AC is concerned. If you can’t isolate them from their allies, hit them in the non-armor defenses!
Their basic Longsword attack marks for a turn on a hit, and they can use minor actions to shield bash marked targets. This does no damage, but dazes for a turn. Vanguard’s Mark (recharge when first bloodied) allows them to mark a target that’s up to 5 squares away with a minor action. If the marked target doesn’t end their next turn adjacent to the vanguard, the vanguard can charge it as a free action that doesn’t provoke opportunity attacks. This makes the power an excellent way to hit the PC’s squishies.
Their Dragon Breath does poison damage.
Dythan’s Legion Dragoon
Real-world dragoons were so named because they were cavalry that carried firearms (so their weapons “spat fire”). The dragoons of Dythan’s Legion got this name from the fact that they ride the next best thing to an actual dragon.
Dragoons are Level 12 Controllers with the Leader keyword and 119 HP. They wear leather like the infantry, and carry lances into combat. Most of their abilities are related to mounted combat. The Masterful Rider trait negates 1 square of all forced movement imposed upon them if they’re mounted; the Incensed Mount reaction allows their mount to make a free basic attack against an enemy who damages the rider; and even their basic lance attack knocks prone on a hit if the dragoon is mounted.
Their Battlefield Mastery power (recharge 4+) is a minor action that allows every ally in a Close Burst 2 to shift 1 square. And yeah, the mount is an ally. Their Dragon Breath does acid damage.
Dragoons are quite dangerous when mounted! Canny PCs will seek to knock them down and prevent them from remounting again.
Liondrake
Captured young in the distant deserts of the south, these Large Natural Beasts are the mount of choice for Dythan’s Dragoons. They look a lot like dragons, and have many of the same attacks, but are not sapient and lack breath weapons. The specimen statted up here has been trained as a war mount and is a Level 12 Skirmisher with 122 HP. It has a ground speed of 7, a fly speed of 10, and Darkvision.
The drake’s Fierce Mount trait gives both it and its rider a +4 bonus to defenses against opportunity attacks. It has both a bite and a claw as basic attacks, and can perform Battle Leaps that allow it to shift up to 4 squares and then either bite once or claw twice. It has a Terrifying Roar encounter power that is kinda like dragon breath, targeting a Close Blast 5, doing thunder damage, and dazing (save ends).
Liondrakes are dangerous even on their own, but they synergize very well with Dragoons. They also make great mounts for other kinds of paragon-tier “rider” opponents.
Arkhosian Siege Tower
Copyright 2011 Wizards of the Coast. These are ancient constructs built by Arkhosia and salvaged by the Legion. They were either brought to the vale from the South, or salvaged from local Arkhosian ruins depending on how you want to play it in your campaign. They are 30-foot tall and 15-foot wide stone towers that move on 10-foot tall granite rollers.
A tower can transport troops in its two internal floors, allowing them to disembark on enemy battlements. On top of it is a sculpted dragon head that can swivel in a 360-degree arc and shoot fireballs at enemies. Being a construct, the tower is capable of driving and shooting by itself, though if it gets too damaged its occupants will dearly feel the lack of internal safety equipment.
Arkosian Siege Towers are Huge Natural Animates with the Construct keyword and 336 HP. They’re immune to charm, disease, and poison, and have Resist 15 to all damage originating from outside themselves. The rest of their stat block really stretches the format in an attempt to model all they can do, starting with a trio of very interesting traits:
All-Around Vision means they don’t grant combat advantage when flanked; Juggernaut means it ignores difficult terrain and doesn’t provoke opportunity attacks, but it also can’t squeeze, make OAs, or grab creatures. Living Building has a list of effects as long as my arm:
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The tower can occupy other creature’s spaces, and other creatures can end their movement in its spaces. That’s rules-talk for “it can fit people inside itself”. When it moves, creatures inside move along with it as if it was a vehicle.
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The tower is 30 feet tall and has two internal 15-foot tall levels. The Athletics DC for climbing it from the outside is 20.
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The lower level has two iron double doors (break DC 25) that it can open and close as a free action. When the doors are closed, there is no line of sight or effect between the inside and outside.
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The upper level has arrow slits that allow occupants to shoot outside. It’s linked to the lower level by 2 ladders.
Finally, the Rough Ride trait models how damage impacts the tower. While bloodied, the tower is slowed and inflicts a -2 penalty to attacks on all its occupants.
As a construct, the tower has two attacks. The Dragon’s Head shoots fireballs (Area 1 within 20) that deal immediate and ongoing fire damage, half on a miss. And it can Crush with its move action, which allows it to make attacks against any creatures whose spaces it enters during the move.
When the tower drops to 0 HP, it Collapses, making an attack vs. the Reflex of every occupant that deals heavy damage and knocks them prone on a hit. The tower’s space becomes difficult terrain (a giant pile of rubble!).
The stats make no mention of a disembarking ramp on the second level, but it’s easy to say there is one there. It’d be as sturdy as the ground floor doors, and controlled in the same way.
The best way to fight a siege tower is from inside, where you can bypass its DR and “only” have to contend with its occupants. These are likely to be a combination of vanguards and archers.
Legatus Dythan
Dythan is big and imposing even for a Dragonborn. He wears an ornate suit of plate adorned with Arkhosian heraldic devices done in gold inlay. He’s not just a competent general, but an extremely skilled combatant as well.
Dythan is a Level 15 Elite Soldier with 290 HP and the Leader keyword. He wears his nifty armor suit and carries a shield, a sword and a brace of javelins into battle. He has the same Phalanx Formation trait as his vanguards, and projects a Last Stand aura (5) that gives allies inside a +2 bonus to damage while they’re bloodied. He also gains at +2 to hit while bloodied himself, instead of the usual +1 for dragonborn.
Dythan might be a Soldier but he doesn’t mark anyone. Instead he wants the PCs to mark him! His longsword deals bonus damage if the target is marking Dythan or has an active defender aura. If an enemy marks an ally within 5 squares of Dythan, he can use Dythan’s Challenge to transfer the mark to himself.
As a minor action he can perform a Shield Bash, which damages, pushes 1 square, and allows the legate to shift 1 square to follow. This is a full attack with standard damage because he’s an elite. Those javelins are Shock Javelins that deal lightning damage. And finally, his Dragon Breath is the traditional fire.
Final Impressions
I really like Dythan’s Legion. They’re a major threat compared to almost everything else in the Vale, but they’re focused on doing their own thing and have no reason to be immediately hostile to the PCs.
Depending on how villainous you want to make them, they might make a good late-game antagonist faction when they find those ancient ruins and start bringing in their full numbers to the Vale looking to conquer it and make it their new base of operations. They might also work as uneasy allies against other Vale-wide threats, like a full-scale Bloodspear invasion or one of the big dragons.
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Let's Read Threats to the Nentir Vale: Dark Drake of the Moon Hills
Copyright 2011 Wizards of the Coast. This post is part of a series! Click here to see the others.
Another original monster!
The Lore
The largest human settlement in the Vale in our narrative present is the city of Fallcrest, which is more or less exactly in its center and connected by roads to the other major towns. It’s a big point of light, but the darkness starts just beyond it. Those roads are dangerous, and even the areas just outside the city’s walls contain their own threats.
Take the Moon Hills, for example, which are just to the south of the city. On the blackest of nights, a fearsome beast is said to roam the hills and moors of that region, hunting the unwary. No one has ever seen the Dark Drake and lived to tell the tale - its existence is only known by the gruesome remains it leaves behind.
The Dark Drake is in some ways Fallcrest’s pet monster, as it features in many stories told in taverns or to children. These tales attribute all sorts of weird abilities to it, and also talk about its extensive brood. These “lesser” drakes have been frequently spotted in the area, and they’re also clearly more dangerous and malignant than simple natural animals, but the Dark Drake itself has remained elusive for decades, evading even experienced monster hunters. Serious scholars dismiss it as just a myth. It doesn’t help that opportunists from Fallcrest sometimes stage hoaxes to make a buck or cover up a more mundane murder. Nevertheless, these smaller drakes and hoaxes can’t explain all the bodies found on the Moon Hills.
The Numbers
The entries below assume that the Drake does indeed exist, and that it has some connection to its “brood”. You are likely to find them together. They’re all Natural Beasts with the Reptile keyword. As a reminder, “Natural” only means it’s native to the middle world, and “Beast” means it looks and behaves like an animal. We’re still dealing with a weird mystical creature here.
Dark Drake of the Moon Hills
The Drake itself is Large, and a Level 8 Elite Lurker with 148 HP. That’s a hell of a thing to meet just outside the Vale’s premier “starting town”. It has Darkvision and a speed of 6. Its basic Bite is quite strong for a lurker, and it can use Double Attack to bite twice in an action. Instead of biting, it can use the Ghost Drake ability to gain insubstantial and phasing for a turn, move its speed, and then become invisible until the end of the encounter or until after it makes an attack.
Being invisible allows the Dark Drake to use its Unseen Killer power, a melee attack that targets Will and does heavy psychic damage - about double that of a bite. It can also use its Terrible Aspect as a weapon, a minor-action melee attack against Will that pushes the target 1 square and immobilizes them for a turn. This recharges whenever the drake hits with any of its other attacks.
The Dark Drake can sustain the same damage output whether it decides to stand and fight or to employ the more lurkerish tactic of alternating Ghost Drake and Unseen Killer. The latter is still a bit better since as a lurker its defenses and HP are a bit low for its level.
Hellghost Dark Drake
One of the two “dark brood” stat blocks we get in this entry. Hellghosts are Large Natural Beasts and Level 6 Brutes with 85 HP. It has Darkvision, a Speed of 8, and Fire Resistance 5. It projects an aura of Ghostfire Radiance (1) that makes creatures inside Vulnerable 5 to fire. I wonder how that interacts with a tiefling’s natural resistance.
The creature uses a Fiery Bite as its basic attack, which deals heavy fire damage even before you account for the aura. Once per encounter it can use Ghostfire Rampage, which is a standard “trample” ability: the drake moves its speed and can cross enemy spaces. Every time it does so, it makes an attack against that enemy. On a hit, it deals fire damage, knocks prone, and inflicts ongoing 5 fire damage (save ends).
Also once per encounter, when the drake is immobilized, restrained, or stunned, it can use Pulsing Ghostfire to attack a Close Burst 2. On a hit it deals fire damage and knocks the target prone, on a miss it still deals half damage.
Adderbrood Dark Drake
This one is highly venomous. It’s a Medium Natural Beast, and a Level 7 Skirmisher with 79 HP. Its bite deals poison damage and slows for a turn. It can attack these slowed targets with a Venomous Strike that deals the same amount of poison damage and inflicts ongoing poison damage (save ends). After the first failed save, the victim also becomes immobilized. A successful save clears both this and the ongoing damage.
Adder’s Mobility ensures that enemies slowed or immobilized by the drake cannot make opportunity attacks against it, and that the drake can enter their spaces. So it can, say, bite a defender and move through them to reach the squishies.
Final Impression
The Drake’s lore sounds a bit commonplace at first, and its stats while mechanically interesting are far from the most powerful thing we’ll see even in this book… but the full impact of it all hits when you look at a map of the Nentir Vale.
If you’re starting a campaign in the Nentir Vale, there’s a very high chance that Fallcrest will be your PC’s starting home base. It’s big enough to offer all the standard services, and it’s centrally located so they have plenty of choice of where to adventure. The only reason not to start here is if the GM has a more specific campaign or module in mind.
And the Moon Hills are right beside it, to the south. The road connecting Fallcrest and the Harkenwold goes through them! If you still hold any notion of D&D being “like a MMO” that demands every fight be “fair” after reading this far, this is where you drop them. A MMO would surround the starting town with low-level trash enemies you can grind for levels. This book puts a level 8 elite newbie-killer where those would be.
If deployed by a cruel GM against Level 1-2 players, the Drake is a terrifying threat they must escape from. It can kill a PC in one round of attacks no matter which approach it chooses. Against a party of experienced monster hunters who are closer to it in level, you’ll want to deploy the Drake alongside some of its brood to make a proper boss fight.
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