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Let's Read the 4e Monster Manual 3: Shadow
Copyright 2010 Wizards of the Coast. This post is part of a series! Click here to see the other.
Shadows have been in the game since the beginning. They were usually undead in previous editions, but here they get a bit of new lore.
The Lore
It’s understandable that someone would think shadows are undead, but the truth is that they are a species of creature native to the Shadowfell. They’re sapient but they perceive the world in a way that makes then inimical to most other living creatures. They hate light, and believe the shadows cast by living creatures to be prisoners in cages of flesh. Many seek to rescue these prisoners by destroying their cages.
Shadows might form alliances of convenience with other people that would offer them the chance to “liberate” lots of living creatures, but they rarely care for the causes or gods of us fleshlings. The exception seems to be spellcasters versed in shadow magic, who can summon them very easily and always find them to be obsequious and eager servants. It’s almost like the shadows know something that these mortal masters don’t.
Shadows slip into the world via these summonings or at natural contact points between the world and the Shadowfell. Their number has increased in recent years, but no one knows why yet.
The Numbers
Shadows are Medium Shadow Humanoids with a ground speed of 8 and Darkvision. They’re insubstantial but vulnerable to radiant damage. Exposure to ambient light doesn’t damage them, but reveals their position and leaves them with less places to hide.
Their signature trait is Born of Shadows, which allows them to make Stealth checks to hide mid-combat when they have any amount of concealment, instead of needing total concealment. All of the variants here are trained in Stealth.
Shadow Stalker
This one is equivalent to the classic shadows of editions past. It’s a Level 3 Lurker with 25 HP.
The stalker attacks with a shadowy touch that does necrotic damage, and it has a Shadow Stalk power that deals necrotic damage and allows it to meld with an enemy’s shadow (save ends). While melded, the shadow moves in lockstep with its victim, without provoking opportunity attacks. It gains a +4 to all defenses and a +5 to attack the victim. When the victim saves, the shadow appears on an adjacent square.
Its triggered action is Shadow Step: when a nearby creature drops to 0 HP, the stalked teleports to an adjacent square and gains a +2 bonus to attacks for a turn (from eating the victim’s shadow). This also recharges Shadow Stalk.
Shadow Stalkers become major threats if they manage to land their Shadow Stalk attack. Its buddies should focus fire on the stricken PC, which increases the chances of the PC dropping to 0 HP and recharging the power. Note that it’s possible for multiple stalkers to meld with the same PC’s shadow, and that the attack also recharges if an enemy hits 0 HP.
PCs should focus their fire on any shadow stalkers in Team Monster, preferrably with radiant and force attacks to kill them quicker.
Shadow Strangler
This is a spellcaster specializing in remote shadow control. It uses the shadows it devours to fuel its magic, so it must feed more frequently than its fellows. Stranglers are Level 9 Artillery with 53 HP.
The Strangler’s shadowy touch deals necrotic damage and makes invisible to the target for a turn. Its basic ranged attack is a spell namd Blinding Shadows that deals the same amount of necrotic damage and makes the target unable to see further than 3 squares for a turn. Its special attack is Strangling Darkness (recharge 5+) which restrains and deals ongoing 15 damage (save ends). And finally it has an encounter power named Devouring Dark that’s basically a “shadow fireball” that deals light necrotic damage and blinds everyone it hits for a turn.
Despite being artillery, stranglers are very controllery. They pair well with lurkers whose increased damage depends on combat advantage or on being unseen by their targets.
Shadow Puppeteer
This powerful shadow has a more refined palate. It seeks to feed on the shadows cast by souls as they depart for the afterlife. So while the others might leave their victims a bit drained but alive, this one is definitely out for murder.
Puppeteers are Level 14 Lurkers with 74 HP. Their shadowy touch deals extra damage against targets that cannot see it, and creates a zone of lightly obscured squares centered on the target’s space that lasts for a turn. Its special attak is Shadow Puppet, which targets a creature that cannot see the puppeteer, deals light necrotic damage, and dominates them until they start their turn not adjacent to the shadow.
Puppeteers and stranglers have amazing synergy. If you want your PCs to sweat for their victory, it’s definitely worth it to adjust their levels so they’re closer to each other and can be included in the same encounter. Keep the strangler as the lower-level half of the pair to make things slightly less hard for them.
PCs fighting a puppeteer should remain mobile to avoid lingering in the darkness it creates, and should use forced movement powers to keep it away from potential domination targets. If they face the tag team described above, they should focus on killing the strangler first, since it frees the puppeteer from having to set up its lurker bonuses.
Final Impressions
Shadows don’t usually work well with other monsters, so you’re most likely looking at all-shadow teams when building encounters. If you want more variety it might be possible to turn another monster into a shadow by changing its origin, halving its HP, making it insubstantial, and making its basic attack into a touch that targets Reflex and deals necrotic damage.
The original reason shadows were scary was that they drained Strength, but here they’re scary because they’re sticky. The basic stalker can enter your shadow and attack you from there until it kills you. The puppetter does the same but dominates you to attack your friends while it’s doing it. And the strangler makes it a lot easier for the other two to do their part.
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Let's Read the 4e Monster Manual 3: Secret of Vecna
(The book has an illustrated Secret of Vecna. I did not include the image here because it’s gross.)
This post is part of a series! Click here to see the other.
I first saw a stat block for these in Thunderspire Labyrinth, the second heroic-tier module published for 4e. They appear here in revised form.
The Lore
Vecna is an ascended lich, the evil god of secrets and magic. He teaches that secret knowledge is the path to power, encouraging and rewarding his followers to learn all they can by whatever means necessary. He also punishes his followers for willingly sharing these secrets, an act that is anathema to him. The most common punishment is to transform the heretic into a Secret of Vecna.
These creatures resemble bald humans with plain features, usually wearing robes and wielding daggers or staffs. When they get seriously wounded, their skin sloughs off and they turn into an horrific living ghoul with wickedly sharp fangs and claws. Secrets lack any will of their own, living to do the bidding of their divine patron. They get sent to guard sites important to Vecna, or to aid the plans of his priests. A Secret’s ultimate aim is always to advance Vecna’s goals, though, even to the detriment of his followers. Smart followers know never to trust a Secret completely.
Legend says there is a ritual capable of mending a Secret and turning them back into the person they used to be. This could be done for altruistic reasons, or as a means of getting access to the information that person knows.
The Monsters
Secrets are Medium Natural Humanoids with a speed of 6. They are not undead and have no special resistances.
Their signature ability is Horrific Visage, which triggers as soon as they’re bloodied. It works as a Close Burst 3 attack vs. Will. On a hit it does light psychic damage and pushes the target 3 squares. This is the transformation into a ghoul-like horror.
Some of the monster’s abilities can only be used before it transforms, while others can only be used afterwards. So in practice each Secret has two distinct attack profiles. The human one is usually some degree of tricksy, while the “monster” one is simpler but stronger.
Enigma of Vecna
A spellcaster who grew too greedy and offered to sell or barter the secrets they learned in service to Vecna. They retain some of their magic, and gain the ability to temporarily strip a victim of its memories. They’re Level 6 Controllers with 68 HP.
When human, they fight with daggers and magic. Shock Bolt is a ranged attack that targets Reflex and does lightning damage, also slowing the target for a turn. And Memory Ripper is another ranged attack targetting Will and doing light psychic damage with an awesome rider. Targets hit by this spell are prevented from using encounter or daily attack powers, and any utility powers (save ends).
After the Enigma is bloodied, Horrific Visage triggers and it transforms into a straightforward melee combatant. Its only attack from that point on is Rend Flesh, which does heavy physical damage.
Spell Howler of Vecna
This is a more powerful caster who failed Vecna in some way. Maybe they failed on a mission given to them by the god, or failed to share a secret with Vecna after discovering it. Or maybe they just dug too deep and looked into matters forbidden to one of their rank. They’re Level 18 Artillery with 130 HP.
Spell Howlers are powerful enough to not need weapons. Their basic attack is a Maddening Touch that deals psychic damage. Their basic ranged attack is a Word of Force that targets Fortitude and does force damage. They can use a Word of Madness to deal psychic damage, slide the target 3 squares and have it make a free attack against another target of the howler’s choice. This recharges on a miss, so they can keep trying it. And finally they can say a Word of Pain once per encounter to deal heavy necrotic damage to a target, half on a miss.
Most of this stops after the transformation. Maddening Touch remains an option, but their only ranged attack is now the Word of Doom, which deals psychic damage and dazes for a turn.
Secret of Vecna
The titular monster of the entry used to be a high priest of Vecna who allowed some of the god’s secrets to fall into the hands of a non-believer. Vecna appears to them personally to shatter their minds and transform their bodies.
Secrets are Level 19 Skirmishers with 176 HP. Faster than average, they have a Speed of 8 and a Teleport speed of 4.
In human form, they use a Cloak of Ignorance spell that covers a Close Burst 3, deals psychic damage, and makes them invisible to the target (save ends). Then they move in with Shocking Grasp, a basic attack that deals lightning damage and has a big damage bonus when the target can’t see the monster.
After transforming, their only attack is Thundering Claws, which deals heavy thunder damage, knocks prone, and slides 1 square.
Final Impressions
This is exactly the sort of odd monster that you can typically find in Monster Manuals numbered 3 or above. Fortunately they had enough space for a nicely evocative bit of lore. Their mechanics are an interesting take on the “two-stage” monster, and a different one from both the MM2’s Phoeras and Fey Lingerers.
As the lore mentions, these are Vecna’s specialty divine servitors, so they’ll be found wherever the god’s cultists and temples are.
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Let's Read the 4e Monster Manual 3: Scarecrow
Copyright 2010 Wizards of the Coast. This post is part of a series! Click here to see the other.
The concept of scary animated scarecrows is a classic, so I’m sure they popped up in earlier editions. This is their 4e debut.
The Lore
Scarecrows in the middle world are straw mannequins placed on fields to keep birds away. Scarecrows in the Feywild are terrifying constructs built to keep people away, and to tear them to pieces if they get too close. Both look the same, so never forget which plane you’re in.
The first animated scarecrows were created by a hag with straw stolen from a farmer at the stroke of midnight, clothes from a freshly slain corpse, and thread made from the hair of a nightmare. The idea spread quickly, and now lots of different people use them. I imagine the recipes used by less evil creators are not as macabre, though the construction of a scarecrow still involves a lot of work.
Scarecrows are a bit less sturdy than golems, but they’re much smarter. They can understand more complex instructions and have a link to their master that allows for long-distance, two-way communication. When a scarecrow spots an intruder, it transmits what it sees to its master. They’re alarm and surveillance systems in addition to being guardians.
If the master dies, any surviving scarecrows will keep following their last orders. This means you could find an ancient ruin guarded by masterless scarecrows in the Feywild.
The Numbers
Scarecrows are Medium Fey Animates (Constructs). They’re immune to disease, poison and sleep, though non-minion variants are also vulnerable 10 to fire. They have low-light vision and a speed of 6.
Scarecrow Shambler
A proper scarecrow takes months of careful work, with each stitch and each bit of straw placed precisely in the configuration that will allow it to hold the most magic reinforcement and power. A skilled enough ritual caster, however, can cut a bunch of corners and and produce a small army of these crude models.
Shamblers are not much tougher than a mundane scarecrow, as their magic barely holds them together. They are still strong enough to kill someone with their bare hands, and are filled with toxic mold that spreads through the air when they are destroyed.
These creatures are Level 10 Minion Brutes. Their basic attack is claw that does physical damage with no special riders. When destroyed, they disintegrate in a puff of moldy straw, creating a zone in a Close Burst 1 that lasts until the end of the encounter. The zone is a poison cloud: it’s lightly obscured and deals 10 poison damage to anyone who starts their turn inside.
Clearly, shamblers are meant to die en masse and blanket the battlefield in a giant poison cloud. An ignorant wizard might inadvertently help them along by popping an entire group with an area attack. I guess they still act as cameras for their master too.
Scarecrow Guardian
The “baseline” model discussed in the lore section, painstakingly crafted to act as a guardian. They’re Level 13 Soldiers with 107 HP.
Guardians fight with their Claws, which damage and mark on a hit. They also have a couple of gaze attacks: Luring Gaze (at-will) is a ranged attack that deals psychic damage and pulls the target 5 squares; and Horrid Gaze (minor action, encounter) is a Close Blast 3 that deals no damage and immobilizes for a turn. These are tailored to allow the monster to prevent intruders from escaping.
They’re also deceptively hard to kill - the Malleable Straw interrupt kicks in when they’re damaged, and causes them to take half damage from the attack. Since it’s an interrupt, it only works once per round, but still makes them more durable than their HP would indicate.
Scarecrow Haunter
Haunters are created by adding an extra ingredient to the original scarecrow recipe: the heart of someone who was killed by another scarecrow. It gets sewn into the construct’s body, from which it irradiates the fear its former owner felt before dying. The haunter twists this raw emotion into frightening illusions when hunting down intruders.
Haunters are Level 13 Lurkers with 99 HP. They fight with Claws and have several interesting special attacks. The first one we must mention is the Lurking Horror passive trait. It makes it so all of their attacks deal 5 extra damage and have their forced movement increased by 2 squares.
As lurkers, haunters can begin harrassing the party from a distance, while safely hidden. Haunting Echoes an area burst 2 within 10 attack that targets the Will of all enemies inside. A hit slides the target 2 squares and forces them to make a basic attack against a creature of the haunter’s choice as they try to fight the imaginary ghosts conjured within their minds. With Lurking Horror, this slide could be as large as 4 squares.
Once spotted, they can use Terrifying Gaze (recharge 5+) as a minor action to keep the PCs at bay. This is a Close Blast 3 that targets Will, deals light psychic damage, and pushes 2 squares.
Their “hiding” ability is Fluttering Straw, which allows them to seemingly burst into a cloud of rotten straw and rags while teleporting 6 squares and becoming invisible and insubstantial for a turn. They’ll use it to avoid being surrounded and to resume their stealthy “grenading” with Haunting Echoes.
Final Impressions
Quite interesting! Animated scarecrows are always good for a bit of scary fun, and these don’t disappoint. I like the contrast with golems: the creation of a D&D golem is described like a highly technical process that involves trapping elemental spirits. The creation of a scarecrow is the telling of a scary fairy tale, relying on the inherent narrative power of its ingredients.
Unless you choose to make less evil scarecrow recipes a thing in your setting, they’re probably the domain of hags, lamias and other paragon-tier evil fey. A particularly ancient hag is going to have a small army of Guardians and Haunters protecting her territory, and the realization that each of these represents at least one of her previous victims will add to the horror of the situation.
If you want your Heroic-tier players to meet scarecrows without having to trek to the Feywild, I would suggest statting the Shambler as a Level 3 Regular, and knocking the other two down to level 6 or so.
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Let's Read the 4e Monster Manual 3: Rot Grub
This post is part of a series! Click here to see the other.
Rog grubs have been around more or less since the beginning, though they used to be more of a trap than a monster in the past.
The Lore
Rot grubs are voracious parasites with a life cycle so accelerated some scholars think they’re a divine curse sent by Torog to inflict suffering upon the world. They burrow into the bodies of larger creatures, eating their flesh and laying eggs inside. They don’t care if the body in question is alive or dead, either. A living being infested by a swarm of rot grubs will experience indescribable agony as they’re eaten alive, and this lasts until the grubs reach the heart and kill the host.
Rot grub infestations usually happen in underground dungeons, since they like the dark and humidity. Sapient creatures that like the same environments quickly learn to watch out for rot grubs, since an infestation can depopulate their homes in short order. Some, like orcs, just pull up stakes and move elsewhere when they find rot grubs. Others try to find uses for them. Kobolds stick them inside clay pots for use as special sling ammunition. Bugbears use them to enhance pit traps. Gnolls use them as instruments of torture.
These infestations tend to burn themselves out as the rot grubs eat through all available victims in the area and then die from starvation. Only a few hardy individuals remain, possibly in hibernation, waiting for the next unwary victim to approach their corpse host.
There are, however legends of entire oceans of these horrible little things undulating in the depths of the underdark. Supposedly, they sustain themselves by feeding on the flesh of a dead god.
The Numbers
Rot Grubs are Natural Beasts, and a swarm large enough to count as a monster is Medium in size. These swarms have Speed 5 and Darkvision, so they’re far from the stationary hazards of earlier editions. If a swarm notices you, it’s going to pursue.
Rot Grub Swarm
The basic model. After killing their first few victims, they retreat inside the bodies and lay up to ten thousand eggs. These hatch into new swarms after a month or so. This is the classic “trap” scenario from earlier editions.
This swarm is a Level 4 Brute with 63 HP. It has the common traits mentioned above, and the usual Swarm traits: half damage and no forced movement from single-target attacks, vulnerable 10 to area attacks, can occupy the same space as other creatures and squeeze into any space big enough for a single grub.
It’s also a Clumsy Attacker, which means it lacks a basic melee attack. It still has an attack ability, but it’s not considered “basic”. This means the swarm can’t charge or make opportunity attacks.
Its Swarm Aura has a size of 1 and deals 5 damage to any enemy that stars its turn inside. This damage increases by 2 for each extra swarm whose aura overlaps the target.
The swarm attacks with Infesting Bites, which deal no immediate damage but inflict ongoing 5 damage on a hit (save ends). This worsens to 10 after the first failed save, and to 15 after the second. An unlucky level-appropriate adventurer will find themselves dead from this about as fast as a PC from the olden days. Save-boosting powers and items are a wise investment here.
Rot Grub Zombies
Copyright 2010 Wizards of the Coast. Even grub-infested corpses are a little more active than they used to be! This is such a horrible death that it’s not uncommon for the victim to rise as a zombie soon afterwards. These zombies are on the faster side, and some speculate they’re controlled by the swarm inside them, since they are drawn to victims with open wounds that make it easy for the grubs to leap into their bodies.
The zombie is a Level 8 Skirmisher with 86 HP and Speed 6. Its basic attack is a slam, and it can also execute a flailing slam that allows it to shift 1 square before or after the attack. Their special attack is Rot Grub Hunger (recharge 5+), which targets a bloodied enemy and deals slam damage plus 2d6 necrotic damage. Hit or miss, it also exposes the target to rot grub infestation.
When the zombie hits 0 HP, Corpse Collapse kicks in and spawns a rot grub swarm in its space.
Rot Grub Infestation is a level 4 disease with an improve DC of 18 and a Maintain DC of 12. This makes it a slower version of the infestation implied by the basic swarm. Stage 1 eats a healing surge and makes the patient vulnerable 5 to necrotic damage. Stage 2 eats a second healing surge and inflicts a -4 penalty to all skill rolls. Stage 3 kills the victim and immediately turns them into a rot grub zombie.
If you dislike the way D&D 4 implements disease, you could replace the exposure effect and bonus necrotic damage of Rot Grub Hunger with the increasing ongoing damage from the basic swarm.
Awakened Rot Grub Swarm
Maybe this is a swarm that ate something very psionic, maybe it’s a duergar bioweapon run amok… whatever its origins, this is a rot grub swarm that became sapient. Its telepathic hive mind emits constant chatter with affirming phrases such as “Without us, within them, reap their flesh”. Sometimes bits and pieces of its victim’s minds also contribute to the noise.
The awakened swarm is mostly identical to the basic one, but it’s a Level 10 Brute with 123 HP. All the numbers go up, including aura damage and the ongoing damage inflicted by their attack. They also get a couple of extra psychic powers. Psychic Shock is a Close Burst 2 that deals no damage but immobilizes for a turn on a hit. And Telepathic Lure is a ranged attack (minor action, 1/round) that pulls a target 4 squares.
And of course this swarm is sapient, with Int 8, which is plenty to allow it to set up ambushes or even make conscious alliances with other beings it can’t eat.
Final Impressions
Ewwww. Early D&D modules loved using rot grubs as a sort of lethal trap hidden inside corpses found in the dungeon, usually those of previous adventurers. It was not uncommon to also place some enticing loot on these corpses. They can still be used in this role here, and while they’re not as instantly lethal as their older versions, they’re still quite dangerous.
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Let's Read the 4e Monster Manual 3: Ogrémoch
Copyright 2010 Wizards of the Coast. This post is part of a series! Click here to see the other.
Ogrémoch is another of the Princes of Elemental Evil, and first appeared alongside Imix in the Fiend Folio for AD&D 1e. He is the second, but not the last, epic campaign end boss to make an appearance on the MM3.
The Lore
In the beginning there was substance without form, the roiling indistinct mass of the purest Elemental Chaos. From that mass the eldest primordials arose spontaneously, and they in turn used their powers to create others. Eventually this big family decided to get together and create the middle world.
Ogrémoch is one of these eldest Primordials. He witnessed the dawn of time, and the rise and fall of his children as they built the world and warred with the gods. Ogrémoch was among the primordials contacted by the Elder Elemental Eye, and like the other Princes he became convinced the Eye was the very first primordial. Concerned about the gods’ growing influence on the world, he decided to join the Dawn War in concert with the other Princes. Despite their atypical level of teamwork, they lost.
Unlike Imix, Ogrémoch did not escape the gods. He was captured and chained to his own realm by Moradin. Though he cannot leave, he can still influence the world through his many cults. His goals are to free both himself and the Elder Elemental Eye, and to finish what he started during the Dawn War.
His greater age and more stable element make Ogrémoch a more patient and wise Primordial than Imix. Where Imix is a cowardly hothead, Ogrémoch is a cryptic miser. As the Primordial of Earth, he rules over everything that is hidden underground, from metal and gem deposits to caves, ruins, and the treasures buried inside them. Ogrémoch knows many secrets that give one power over the earth and its hidden bounty, but he’s jealous of them and only gives them up reluctantly.
It takes a lot of time and patience for his cultists to earn enough favor to learn those secrets, so earth magic is rarer among them than you would expect. It’s no unusual for a cult leader to have to rely on hired muscle to reinforce the security of their hidden shrines.
There are many independent cults to Ogrémoch spread throughout the world, and though the details of their beliefs and practices may differ, they’re all structured like mystery cults. They thrive on the rustic fringes of “civilized” lands, tricking the innocent and ignorant into believing Ogrémoch is a benevolent power of the earth. By the time these unfortunates learn the truth, it’s too late to escape the cult’s grasp. More rarely, they attract more well-informed people who seek an alternative to the gods. While there are several deities who preside over the same concepts as the primordial, these recruits probably reason that, as the older being, Ogrémoch has more of a claim to these domains.
At the highest levels of initiation, the differences between the many cults fall away, and the existence of the Elder Elemental Eye is revealed. These high-ranking cultists serve Ogrémoch and the Eye in equal measure, and out of all of the elemental cults they’re the most willing to genuinely cooperate in freeing their masters
The Monsters
We’ll start by looking at the cultists, and finish with the stats for Ogrémoch himself.
The various cultist stat blocks represent people of various species that managed to gain power from their worship. As with Imix cultists, there aren’t enough of them to build encounter groups - they’re meant to be added to groups of other humanoids or monsters representing hired muscle or “unpowered” cultists.
Any earth-elemental creature might be associated with a cult of Ogrémoch, including hill and earth giants. Underground dwellers like grimlocks and troglodytes are also frequently drawn to his service, as are “giantish” people like ogres or ettins. And of course, any “generic” humanoid stat block can be lightly reskinned as a cultist as well.
Earth Cultist
These are common servitors, largely ignorant of the deeper mysteries, serving because they know nothing else. They’re Level 8 Minion Controllers wearing leather and wielding warhammers. The scrap of primordial power within then explodes in a Petrifying Font when they drop to 0 HP: it automatically hits every enemy adjacent to the cultist and slows them (save ends). After the first failed save, this worsens to petrified (save ends).
Yikes! These poor souls are unwitting time bombs, and quite dangerous for minions. Evil GMs would mix them in with standard Human minions and make it hard for players to tell them apart at first. Once the cultist’s capabilities have been identified, it’s best to take then out with ranged attacks.
Fist of the Stone Tyrant
Every dwarf culture remembers their period of enslavement to the giants as the Age of Chains. Most of them became resentful of the primordials after attaining their freedom, and turned to worship of the gods. One felt the opposite, turning away from the gods who did not help them and towards the primordials who had proven they would reward their worshippers well. The Fist of the Stone Tyrant is a champion from this culture.
This Fist is a Level 9 Soldier (Leader) with 98 HP and a Speed of 5 (Earth Walk). They have two simultaneous auras with a radius of 1: Rotting Earth slows enemies inside, and Stone Tyrant’s Boon grants allies inside a +2 bonus to AC and Fortitude. Like any other dwarf, the Fist reduces any forced movement inflicted upon it by 1. It also gets an immediate save to avoid being knocked prone.
The Fist’s war pick damages and marks for a turn on a hit, and if any marked enemy leaves its Rotting Earth aura the champion can shift 1 square and make a free attack against that enemy. The attack deals light physical damage, 5 ongoing necrotic damage (save ends) and immobilizes for a turn on a hit.
Stone Thrall
Ogres who live in hill giant territories might end up picking worship of Ogrémoch from them. Some of these ogres get drawn into the cult and infused with earth magic to act as guards and shock troops.
Stone Thralls are Level 15 Brutes with 184 HP. They fight with Mauls whose basic attacks damage and force the target to grant combat advantage for a turn. They can use a Crushing Smash against someone granting them CA to do heavier damage, knock the target prone, and make them both immobilized and unable to stand up (save ends).
They can also make Wild Swings, attacking up to 2 creatures with one action. A hit deals heavy damage and dazes (save ends). This is an encounter power that recharges when the ogre is first bloodied.
Earth Weird
Ogrémoch rarely deigns to notice individual mortals. Sometimes, though, a cultist comes along with such an aptitude for earth magic that the primordial ends up giving them a direct blessing. This turns them into earth weirds.
The one depicted here is an earthsoul genasi, and a Level 16 Controller with 148 HP. It fights with a Morningstar that damages and pushes the target 1 square. It also uses a bunch of different earth-themed spells:
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Quake Bolt is a basic ranged attack that damages and knocks prone.
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Bury targets a prone enemy and does no immediate damage, but it immobilizes the target, prevents them from standing up and inflicts ongoing 10 damage (save ends all). After passing the save, the target is slowed for a turn.
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Stoneburst is a ranged area attack that damages and created a zone of difficult terraint for a turn.
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And finally, Earthshock is a minor action encounter power that does no damage but knocks every enemy touching a solid surface in a Close Burst 1 prone.
The weird wants to knock you down and bury you. It pairs well with other enemies with knockdown abilities.
Chthonic Apostle
Most giants who serve Ogrémoch do so more out of fear than true devotion. This one is an exception, and has been rewarded for it.
The Apostle depicted here is a hill giant, and a Level 24 Soldier with 225 HP. It fights with a giant-sized, Reach 3 greatspear whose basic attacks damage and mark for a turn on a hit. It can also use the spear to impale a marked creature, which deals light physical damage to start with and slides the creature to the apostle’s space as they slide down the length of the weapon. The target is immobilized and takes 10 ongoing damage, automatically moving when the apostle moves. The apostle can keep attacking with the spear, and every time they do so the impaled victim takes another 10 damage and becomes dazed for a turn. When they successfully save against this, they slide to a space adjacent to the apostle as they free themselves.
When the apostle becomes bloodied, their Stone Curse begins to take effect. Their speed drops from the standard giant 8 to a 4, and they rain Resist 10 to all damage. When the apostle drops to 0 HP, they permanently become a stone statue, which counts as blocking terrain. If they have a victim impaled when that happens, the victim becomes restrained instead of immobilized. A save still frees them as above.
Chthonic Stoneshaper
Worship of Ogrémoch is almost as old as mortal life itself. There are profoundly ancient shrines and temples to the primordial in the depths of the Underdark. Those who undertake a prilgrimage to these sites and survive the journey are rewarded with potent magic, and by having much of their troublesome free will taken away.
The Stoneshaper depicted here is a human who has undergone this process. It’s basically a powered-up Earth Weird, with more damaging spells. It’s Level 24 Artillery with 175 HP. They fight with Warhammers, and have several spells. First there’s Stony Embrace (Ranged 10), a basic attack that damages, restrains and inflicts 10 ongoing damage on a hit (save ends). Then there’s Rending Earth (Ranged 20), which targets enemies restrained by Stony Embrace, deals slightly more damage, and stuns then (save ends). Finally there’s Unruly Earth, a close burst 2 that damages, pushes 3 squares, and knocks prone on a hit. This only targets enemies, too, so it can be used safely in a melee.
A “save ends” stun is extremely powerful, and though the targetting condition for Rending Earth is fairly restrictive a focused and lucky stoneshaper might be able to use it every other turn. When fighting an enemy group including a stoneshaper, follow the old Shadowrun adage and geek the mage first. The stoneshaper will make this hard because the ranges involved make it easy for the stoneshaper to stay far away and play hit-and-run.
Ogrémoch
After looking at the cultists, it’s time to look at the Big Rock himself. Ogrémoch’s domain is a flat-topped mountain in the depths of the Elemental Chaos. He’s bound there by chains forged by Moradin from the whipping winds that used to scoured that mountain. Though Ogrémoch is unable to leave his domain, his confinement does not prevent him from affecting the mortal world indirectly, and empowering his cultists.
Unlike the cowardly Imix, Ogrémoch prefers to fight alone. His preferred battlefields are vast rocky plains and enormous caverns where his powers can easily shape the terrain. PCs will mostly likely fight him as a campaign end boss, either in his own domain or in another similar battlefield after he escapes his prison.
Ogrémoch is a Gargantuan Elemental Humanoid with the Earth and Primordial keywords, and a Level 34 Solo Soldier with 1244 HP. He has a ground speed of 8 with Earth Walk, and can also burrow and climb at the same speed. His special senses include Darkvision and Tremorsense 20, and he is immune to poison, sleep and disease. He also has the best version of demon-style Variable Resistance, with a value of 20 switchable 3 times per encounter.
The primordial has three passive traits that explain why he likes stony or earthy battlefields. The first is Jagged Earth is an aura (5) that turns its area into difficult terrain. The first time a creature enters this aura on their turn, they must pass a DC 32 Athletics or Acrobatics check or take 20 damage. Creatures with Earth Walk ignore the aura.
The second trait is Earthbound, which allows Big O to ignore any forced movement or knockdown effects as long as he’s standing on a solid surface. And finally we have Earth Glide, allowing him to pass through earth and stone as if he had phasing.
His attacks of course include a lot of punches and their shockwaves, but before we get to that, let’s look at the parallel minigame he’s got going with his minor actions. Encasing Shards (recharge 5+) is a Close Blast 5 that targets the Fortitude of everyone caught inside. It does no immediate damage, but is one of those very fun gradual petrification effects. On a hit the victims are immobilized (save ends), and this worsens to stunned and finally to petrified as they fail their saves. They can still roll saves to end the petrification, but those have a -5 penalty. Once Ogrémoch is bloodied, he can detonate those stony cocoons with Earthshatter. This ends the petrification and makes a Close Burst 3 attack centered on and including the victim. It deals a good bit of physical damage for a minor action.
Ogrémoch’s basic attack is a Slam that does a big chunk of damage and automatically dazes all of the target’s adjacent targets for a turn. Ogrémoch’s Fury allows the primordial to make two slam attacks with the same action, or three if bloodied. If more than one of these hits the same target, it pushes that target 10 squares and worsens the Encasing Shards condition if they’re currently affected by it.
Earth Smash is a Close Blast 5 attack that does about half the damage of a direct slam hit, but causes targets to fall prone and become dazed (save ends). It does half damage on a miss. And then there’s Tremendous Quake, which is a Close Burst 10 and so is likely to affect every PC. It’s an attack vs. Fortitude that does a amazing damage, slides 4 squares, knocks prone, dazes and prevents the target from getting up (save ends for these last two). Even on a miss it does half damage, slides 1 square and knocks prone.
And he still has triggered actions! Jagged Eruption is a Close Blast 3 attack that happens as a reaction to Ogrémoch getting hit with a melee attack. Eternal Resilience is the similar to Lolth’s ability, allowing him to immediately roll a save when hit by an effect a save can end. This means such effects only have a 25% chance of happening at all.
In summary: good luck keeping your balance or even acting at all when fighting a living earthquake that’s also trying to petrify you. This much action denial on a single monster is usually a design no-no, but we’re talking about a solo endgame boss here, so I feel it’s more than justified.
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