I am pleasantly surprised how viable this Swordmage|Vampire test build is turning out to be. Defender-level defenses, plenty of opportunities for damage, and a fair bit of control.
It does, however, require the investment of 3-4 mandatory feats.
and unfortunately has that anime smell that may not wash off easily :P
I am pleasantly surprised how viable this Swordmage|Vampire test build is turning out to be. Defender-level defenses, plenty of opportunities for damage, and a fair bit of control.
It does, however, require the investment of 3-4 mandatory feats.
and unfortunately has that anime smell that may not wash off easily :P
I am pleasantly surprised how viable this Swordmage|Vampire test build is turning out to be. Defender-level defenses, plenty of opportunities for damage, and a fair bit of control.
It does, however, require the investment of 3-4 mandatory feats.
and unfortunately has that anime smell that may not wash off easily :P
...How is that build anime-related?
Because it's a Swordmage Vampire
Jack Hobbes on
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AnialosCollies are love, Collies are life!Shadowbrook ColliesRegistered Userregular
I am pleasantly surprised how viable this Swordmage|Vampire test build is turning out to be. Defender-level defenses, plenty of opportunities for damage, and a fair bit of control.
It does, however, require the investment of 3-4 mandatory feats.
and unfortunately has that anime smell that may not wash off easily :P
...How is that build anime-related?
First image in a GIS for vampire swordsman...read the file name and weap.
I am pleasantly surprised how viable this Swordmage|Vampire test build is turning out to be. Defender-level defenses, plenty of opportunities for damage, and a fair bit of control.
It does, however, require the investment of 3-4 mandatory feats.
and unfortunately has that anime smell that may not wash off easily :P
...How is that build anime-related?
First image in a GIS for vampire swordsman...read the file name and weap.
He's wielding a dapper hat in his offhand, doesn't count.
Manga has done a lot to revitalize fantasy and to provide new archetypes for Western fantasy to explore.
Actually that reminds me. Record of Lodoss War was pretty sweet in parts. I remember there was this thing where they were fighting a giant slug. I was totally into that.
Speaking of spectacular player suicides/kills, the other night I was running the second to last encounter of the adventure that comes with Gamma World. For those who don't know, this encounter consists of a room with a somewhat slippery floor that slopes down to the center, where a laser grid awaits to carve up the players. At some point during or after the encounter at least one player has to make it through the lasers to the other side of the room (where two rocket-bots and two crossbow-wielding rabbit-men wait) to turn off the grid.
One of my players had gotten an alpha card which basically let him self destruct, doing some ridiculous amount of damage (something like 7d8) in a burst 5, but essentially removing him from the rest of the fight. So he runs down the floor to the center, making an acrobatics check to keep his footing every square. His skill is so high he literally cannot fail, but I have him roll it anyway. He makes it through the lasers, and takes his first step up the slope on the other side.
And rolls a 1. Doesn't fail his acrobatics, but triggers an alpha flux and replaces his exploding power with one slightly less useful. Now he's alone on the wrong side of the lasers with creatures which are no longer going boom all at once. Needless to say, he was down within a round. The Exploder in the party manages to get across and uses a slightly less impressive power, but still manages to take out the two rabbits in one round. Two more party members make it all the way across, and between them and the two people still at the entrance using their ranged attacks take down the two remaining robots.
At this point I considered declaring the encounter won and just fast forward everyone getting across. Two people are still at the entrance, and 3 science checks need to be made at the console at the exit to disable the lasers, but it's an easy check, failing your acrobatics just means you fall down and slide one square towards the center, and even taking a hit people can pretty easily get through the lasers. But I decided it would be more fun to stay in initiative and play out getting the rest of the party across.
First person up successfully makes the first science check. I tell him he's managed to exit Minesweeper. Second person succeeds at science. He's managed to find the correct screen. Then it comes to one of the remaining people at the entrance. He decides he doesn't want to wait, makes his way across the room, and fails to keep his footing one square from the lasers, sliding in, taking a hit, and falling unconscious while still in the laser grid.
The Exploder declares he's not doing anything on his turn since his science sucks. Another party member objects saying, and I quote, "What's the worst that could happen?" So the Exploder makes his check, and of course rolls horribly. The next thing they hear is "Lasers activated." and they watch as their party member gets sliced up. He had an alpha card which made him large sized, and I told him that he was now normal sized again. "Because the alpha card wears off when you're dead?" "No, that's still in effect. There are now several normal-sized chunks of you."
He should have ridden into the chasm on the falling monkey's back. That would have been so bad ass.
Plus it would have broken his fall, right?
This is like Adventurer's Logic 101.
And his legs.
But bonus XP for awesomeness would have softened the blow a bit, I think.
By that point the monkey was basically just a pile of meat in a roughly ape-shaped fur suit anyway. He'd been so badly battered that it would have been akin to riding a bloody waterbed mattress down into the darkness.
He should have ridden into the chasm on the falling monkey's back. That would have been so bad ass.
Plus it would have broken his fall, right?
This is like Adventurer's Logic 101.
And his legs.
But bonus XP for awesomeness would have softened the blow a bit, I think.
By that point the monkey was basically just a pile of meat in a roughly ape-shaped fur suit anyway. He'd been so badly battered that it would have been akin to riding a bloody waterbed mattress down into the darkness.
And I think we all know how that ends.
Well it's the Best Idea Ever so it should work, right?
He should have ridden into the chasm on the falling monkey's back. That would have been so bad ass.
Plus it would have broken his fall, right?
This is like Adventurer's Logic 101.
And his legs.
But bonus XP for awesomeness would have softened the blow a bit, I think.
By that point the monkey was basically just a pile of meat in a roughly ape-shaped fur suit anyway. He'd been so badly battered that it would have been akin to riding a bloody waterbed mattress down into the darkness.
And I think we all know how that ends.
Well it's the Best Idea Ever so it should work, right?
In fairness, it did work.
The falling damage he took allowed them to fairly accurately gauge the depth of the shaft.
He should have ridden into the chasm on the falling monkey's back. That would have been so bad ass.
Plus it would have broken his fall, right?
This is like Adventurer's Logic 101.
And his legs.
But bonus XP for awesomeness would have softened the blow a bit, I think.
By that point the monkey was basically just a pile of meat in a roughly ape-shaped fur suit anyway. He'd been so badly battered that it would have been akin to riding a bloody waterbed mattress down into the darkness.
And I think we all know how that ends.
Well it's the Best Idea Ever so it should work, right?
In fairness, it did work.
The falling damage he took allowed them to fairly accurately gauge the depth of the shaft.
Yay, they use Fortiguard at my new client site and Orokos was blocked for me. (horrible)
It was coming up Adult Materials but apparently I can pretty easily get those ratings reviewed. Fortiguard has updated it to the requested Games category.
If Orokos is blocked for you, send the filter name / update request URL / whatever my way so I can adjust it if it is incorrectly filtered.
"THIS SITE HAS BEEN BLOCKED UNDER ORGANIZATION POLICY ON USAGE OF THE INTERNET, OR TO PREVENT EXCESSIVE DEMAND
CONFLICTING WITH CORE BUSINESS ACTIVITIES.
So, I've got an encounter prepared that involves closing a demongate that Orcus has opened in the Elemental Chaos (thanks to Aegeri), and I just -know- if my party (All level 23, should get to 25 before I let them do this) will want to go and kill Orcus after they stop his army, and kill him. He has been popping in and out of the campaign since we started over a year ago, and while he isn't the main villain for my epic tier game (A primordial is) I want to give my party a chance to fight him.
They have a group of Drow (30) and my Dragonborn Fighter, who has used nothing but different greataxes, has a group of mercenaries he formed in between epic and paragon tier called the Axemen (tm, 49 left out of 50). They also have a spunky Eladrin mage, a Drow pirate, and teamed up with a Lich they were fighting in paragon tier on their side. Also, they have a Chaos Ship.
What I was thinking was letting them use their Chaos Ship to attack a demonic Fortress, with them deciding how they would divide their forces (With only the party facing Orcus himself of course), setting it up as some huge battle. Now, I'd love some ideas on how to go about doing this, and also, is it possible for this party to defeat Orcus? They are a little low level, but I heard that ORcus is kind of a pushover.
All level 25, Changling Monk, Dragonborn Fighter, Half-Elf Shaman/Ranger, Tiefling Warlock, Drow Invoker (he is kind of Iffy, he misses the most games, I'd replace him with one of their stronger NPC allies if he was a no show). He has a ton of HP, and his damage looks.. well, really low. Is there a remade version of him that is less tedious perhaps? Or I could just use his bloodied value HP and double his attacks.
Yay, they use Fortiguard at my new client site and Orokos was blocked for me. (horrible)
It was coming up Adult Materials but apparently I can pretty easily get those ratings reviewed. Fortiguard has updated it to the requested Games category.
If Orokos is blocked for you, send the filter name / update request URL / whatever my way so I can adjust it if it is incorrectly filtered.
"THIS SITE HAS BEEN BLOCKED UNDER ORGANIZATION POLICY ON USAGE OF THE INTERNET, OR TO PREVENT EXCESSIVE DEMAND
CONFLICTING WITH CORE BUSINESS ACTIVITIES.
Try 4e.orokos.com... it's funny how subdomains sometimes don't get filtered by inept software practices or employees. For me, www.wizards.com is blocked at work but community.wizards.com is not.
SkyCaptain on
The RPG Bestiary - Dangerous foes and legendary monsters for D&D 4th Edition
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Mr_Rose83 Blue Ridge Protects the HolyRegistered Userregular
All level 25, Changling Monk, Dragonborn Fighter, Half-Elf Shaman/Ranger, Tiefling Warlock, Drow Invoker (he is kind of Iffy, he misses the most games, I'd replace him with one of their stronger NPC allies if he was a no show). He has a ton of HP, and his damage looks.. well, really low. Is there a remade version of him that is less tedious perhaps? Or I could just use his bloodied value HP and double his attacks.
Toxin, are you using the MM1 Orcus?
Because there's another version that uses the updated damage/HP math in one of the E adventures. In the compendium too, under "Orcus Empowered" at Lv34, instead of 33.
Yay, they use Fortiguard at my new client site and Orokos was blocked for me. (horrible)
It was coming up Adult Materials but apparently I can pretty easily get those ratings reviewed. Fortiguard has updated it to the requested Games category.
If Orokos is blocked for you, send the filter name / update request URL / whatever my way so I can adjust it if it is incorrectly filtered.
"THIS SITE HAS BEEN BLOCKED UNDER ORGANIZATION POLICY ON USAGE OF THE INTERNET, OR TO PREVENT EXCESSIVE DEMAND
CONFLICTING WITH CORE BUSINESS ACTIVITIES.
Try 4e.orokos.com... it's funny how subdomains sometimes don't get filtered by inept software practices or employees. For me, www.wizards.com is blocked at work but community.wizards.com is not.
All level 25, Changling Monk, Dragonborn Fighter, Half-Elf Shaman/Ranger, Tiefling Warlock, Drow Invoker (he is kind of Iffy, he misses the most games, I'd replace him with one of their stronger NPC allies if he was a no show). He has a ton of HP, and his damage looks.. well, really low. Is there a remade version of him that is less tedious perhaps? Or I could just use his bloodied value HP and double his attacks.
Toxin, are you using the MM1 Orcus?
Because there's another version that uses the updated damage/HP math in one of the E adventures. In the compendium too, under "Orcus Empowered" at Lv34, instead of 33.
I was, yeah. Is the Empowered Orcus a better fight?
AegisFear My DanceOvershot Toronto, Landed in OttawaRegistered Userregular
edited June 2011
Ehh, that Orcs Empowered may have updated math (I'll have to look at it more closely, on first glance it doesn't even appear he has that) but it doesn't look like they did any work on him beyond that and epic solos (or really, paragon or higher) need various things added to them to make them not suck.
For instance:
* Orcus Empowered has no way of shedding dazed/stunned/dominate conditions.
* He has no minor action attacks. Paragon monsters nowadays are starting to consistently gain minor action attacks.
* He technically still has variable resistance (they just replaced the actual power with 3 separate resistance 20s) which should be replaced by the new Demon Variable Resistance Replacement Options.
* He lacks a multi-attack.
* His riders are especially bland and basic (he weakens with one attack, knocks prone on another, and stuns with a third) for a high-epic creature. No powers have any Failed Saving Throw conditions (then again, only his MBA has a Save Ends rider on it to begin with).
* For a leader he has all of 1 power that does anything to benefit his allies and that's a Recharge 6 AOE 20 hit point heal. At level 34.
He'd need a lot of work. If you have access to the compendium, I'd suggest comparing him to Oublivae, Lloth, Pazuzu, Imix, Ogremoch, Torog, Allabar, or just any MM3+ solo.
All level 25, Changling Monk, Dragonborn Fighter, Half-Elf Shaman/Ranger, Tiefling Warlock, Drow Invoker (he is kind of Iffy, he misses the most games, I'd replace him with one of their stronger NPC allies if he was a no show). He has a ton of HP, and his damage looks.. well, really low. Is there a remade version of him that is less tedious perhaps? Or I could just use his bloodied value HP and double his attacks.
Toxin, are you using the MM1 Orcus?
Because there's another version that uses the updated damage/HP math in one of the E adventures. In the compendium too, under "Orcus Empowered" at Lv34, instead of 33.
I was, yeah. Is the Empowered Orcus a better fight?
Here are a few choice differences between them:
Orcus Empowered
* The Dead Rise aura transforms dead creatures into abyssal madness ghouls, whereas the MM version of Orcus transforms them into abyssal ghoul myrmidons
* Level increased from 33 to 34
* Resist 20 variable is replaced with resist 20 acid, 20 cold, 20 radiant
* Wand of Orcus deals an additional 1d12 damage
* Adds sweeping blow as an at-will close blast attack
* Tail lash is an immediate reaction, whereas the MM version of Orcus is an immediate interrupt
Orcus Empowered is better, but he still needs some work.
I made a similar post on RPGnet not too long ago, but whatevs. Solos really need three things to be effective.
1. They need a way to reliably threaten the entire party. A large damaging aura, an area burst or blast with a short recharge timer, minion summoning, whatever. Since there's only one guy on the field, he needs to feel dangerous to everyone all the time and not just whoever is marking them. Orcus hits like a truck, but he only has one close burst power, and while it's a doozy, it's just not enough.
2. They need mobillity. A teleport speed, the ability to shift a large number of squares, a fly speed, an ability that pushes nearby targets away, etc. Otherwise, they just get locked down by the defender and the fight becomes a tank and spank. Orcus has a fly speed (which is nice), but by this time so do most PCs, so again, it isn't enough.
3. They need a way to mitigate status effects without being immune. Since they're the only thing on the field, status effects hurt solos significantly more, especially attack/defense penalties, daze, stun, and dominate. It's a delicate line they have to walk, since it must be worth it for the PCs to go out of their way to inflict these statuses without it them totally crippling the solo. And no, the saving throw bonus they already have is not enough. I've found counting daze as slow, counting stun / dominate as daze, and halving all attack/defense penalties (rounding up) works well as far as making them both still threatening and making those conditions worthwhile to try and inflict.
Yay, Orokos is accessible for me this morning. :^:
Infidel on
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AegisFear My DanceOvershot Toronto, Landed in OttawaRegistered Userregular
edited June 2011
Oh wow, I missed that Orcus is a Brute. Okay, he's nowhere near being up to the correct damage levels and really he hits like a wet noodle. Orcus Empowered (34 Solo Brute Leader) is doing 3d12+12 single target MBA or 2d12+12 AOE. By comparison:
* Hamanu the Sorcerer King (27 Solo Soldier) deals: 6d6+14 on his MBA (which targets up to 3 people) ; Three varied AOEs: 4d10+9 or 3d12+6+Ongoing as a Zone or 3d10+9+Ongoing vs 5 targets; Minor action single target for 6d10+15 that stuns and recharges when he bloodies someone.
* The iconic Balor (27 Elite Brute) deals: 6d10+11 (3d10+71 on a crit) & 2d10+10+Ongoing as single target that is uses once each (since it has a multi-attack); or it can AOE twice per encounter (recharges when bloodied) for 5d12+14 that crits on a 15-20 for 3d12+74.
These are creatures 7 levels lower than Orcus (and probably more in line with your intended party level of 25 so they'd likely be facing something like this anyway) and the Balor isn't even a Solo.
Here are some of my suggestions for a new version of Orcus (using Orcus Empowered as a base):
* Give him the Action Recovery trait used by dragons in Monster Vault.
* Amend Aura of Death so that it nullifies necrotic resistance, inflicts enemies with a penalty to saving throws against ongoing necrotic damage (increase the penalty once Orcus is bloodied), and heals allies.
* Change The Dead Rise so that it automatically recharges Touch of Death whenever it raises a creature as an undead
* Replace the "weakened (save ends)" effect of Wand of Orcus with ongoing necrotic damage that increases with each failed save.
* Change Sweeping Blow from close blast 4 to close burst 4.
Also, Toxin01, it might be better for your players to face something closer to their own level. As a suggestion, take the Balor from Monster Vault, change some of its powers to be more like those of Orcus, and call it an Aspect of Orcus.
When I'm converting a MM1 Brute, I double the damage output and take the base hit points times 1.5, then add +2 to all attack modifiers.
They still typically lack tricks, so solos and elites will probably need looked at to get them their various protection and extra attack stuff, but the damage output upgrade is the big thing.
Brutes should be fricking scary. There should be a legitimate chance of a non-Con, non-Defender going down in a turn if there's a brute on the table.
Posts
and unfortunately has that anime smell that may not wash off easily :P
now
somewhere
someone is furiously writing houserules
what have you done
...How is that build anime-related?
Currently DMing: None
Characters
[5e] Dural Melairkyn - AC 18 | HP 40 | Melee +5/1d8+3 | Spell +4/DC 12
First image in a GIS for vampire swordsman...read the file name and weap.
Plus it would have broken his fall, right?
This is like Adventurer's Logic 101.
And what's wrong with anime-related?
Manga has done a lot to revitalize fantasy and to provide new archetypes for Western fantasy to explore.
He's wielding a dapper hat in his offhand, doesn't count.
Currently DMing: None
Characters
[5e] Dural Melairkyn - AC 18 | HP 40 | Melee +5/1d8+3 | Spell +4/DC 12
Actually that reminds me. Record of Lodoss War was pretty sweet in parts. I remember there was this thing where they were fighting a giant slug. I was totally into that.
One of my players had gotten an alpha card which basically let him self destruct, doing some ridiculous amount of damage (something like 7d8) in a burst 5, but essentially removing him from the rest of the fight. So he runs down the floor to the center, making an acrobatics check to keep his footing every square. His skill is so high he literally cannot fail, but I have him roll it anyway. He makes it through the lasers, and takes his first step up the slope on the other side.
And rolls a 1. Doesn't fail his acrobatics, but triggers an alpha flux and replaces his exploding power with one slightly less useful. Now he's alone on the wrong side of the lasers with creatures which are no longer going boom all at once. Needless to say, he was down within a round. The Exploder in the party manages to get across and uses a slightly less impressive power, but still manages to take out the two rabbits in one round. Two more party members make it all the way across, and between them and the two people still at the entrance using their ranged attacks take down the two remaining robots.
At this point I considered declaring the encounter won and just fast forward everyone getting across. Two people are still at the entrance, and 3 science checks need to be made at the console at the exit to disable the lasers, but it's an easy check, failing your acrobatics just means you fall down and slide one square towards the center, and even taking a hit people can pretty easily get through the lasers. But I decided it would be more fun to stay in initiative and play out getting the rest of the party across.
First person up successfully makes the first science check. I tell him he's managed to exit Minesweeper. Second person succeeds at science. He's managed to find the correct screen. Then it comes to one of the remaining people at the entrance. He decides he doesn't want to wait, makes his way across the room, and fails to keep his footing one square from the lasers, sliding in, taking a hit, and falling unconscious while still in the laser grid.
The Exploder declares he's not doing anything on his turn since his science sucks. Another party member objects saying, and I quote, "What's the worst that could happen?" So the Exploder makes his check, and of course rolls horribly. The next thing they hear is "Lasers activated." and they watch as their party member gets sliced up. He had an alpha card which made him large sized, and I told him that he was now normal sized again. "Because the alpha card wears off when you're dead?" "No, that's still in effect. There are now several normal-sized chunks of you."
But bonus XP for awesomeness would have softened the blow a bit, I think.
By that point the monkey was basically just a pile of meat in a roughly ape-shaped fur suit anyway. He'd been so badly battered that it would have been akin to riding a bloody waterbed mattress down into the darkness.
And I think we all know how that ends.
They tried to bury us. They didn't know that we were seeds. 2018 Midterms. Get your shit together.
Well it's the Best Idea Ever so it should work, right?
The falling damage he took allowed them to fairly accurately gauge the depth of the shaft.
They tried to bury us. They didn't know that we were seeds. 2018 Midterms. Get your shit together.
I love adventurer logic so much.
"THIS SITE HAS BEEN BLOCKED UNDER ORGANIZATION POLICY ON USAGE OF THE INTERNET, OR TO PREVENT EXCESSIVE DEMAND
CONFLICTING WITH CORE BUSINESS ACTIVITIES.
INTERNET USAGE IS MONITORED AND LOGGED.
The URL is: http://www.orokos.com/
The Category of this URL is: none"
They have a group of Drow (30) and my Dragonborn Fighter, who has used nothing but different greataxes, has a group of mercenaries he formed in between epic and paragon tier called the Axemen (tm, 49 left out of 50). They also have a spunky Eladrin mage, a Drow pirate, and teamed up with a Lich they were fighting in paragon tier on their side. Also, they have a Chaos Ship.
What I was thinking was letting them use their Chaos Ship to attack a demonic Fortress, with them deciding how they would divide their forces (With only the party facing Orcus himself of course), setting it up as some huge battle. Now, I'd love some ideas on how to go about doing this, and also, is it possible for this party to defeat Orcus? They are a little low level, but I heard that ORcus is kind of a pushover.
All level 25, Changling Monk, Dragonborn Fighter, Half-Elf Shaman/Ranger, Tiefling Warlock, Drow Invoker (he is kind of Iffy, he misses the most games, I'd replace him with one of their stronger NPC allies if he was a no show). He has a ton of HP, and his damage looks.. well, really low. Is there a remade version of him that is less tedious perhaps? Or I could just use his bloodied value HP and double his attacks.
GM: Rusty Chains (DH Ongoing)
Try 4e.orokos.com... it's funny how subdomains sometimes don't get filtered by inept software practices or employees. For me, www.wizards.com is blocked at work but community.wizards.com is not.
Because there's another version that uses the updated damage/HP math in one of the E adventures. In the compendium too, under "Orcus Empowered" at Lv34, instead of 33.
Nintendo Network ID: AzraelRose
DropBox invite link - get 500MB extra free.
Oooh, that DOES work! Good thinking!
I was, yeah. Is the Empowered Orcus a better fight?
GM: Rusty Chains (DH Ongoing)
For instance:
* Orcus Empowered has no way of shedding dazed/stunned/dominate conditions.
* He has no minor action attacks. Paragon monsters nowadays are starting to consistently gain minor action attacks.
* He technically still has variable resistance (they just replaced the actual power with 3 separate resistance 20s) which should be replaced by the new Demon Variable Resistance Replacement Options.
* He lacks a multi-attack.
* His riders are especially bland and basic (he weakens with one attack, knocks prone on another, and stuns with a third) for a high-epic creature. No powers have any Failed Saving Throw conditions (then again, only his MBA has a Save Ends rider on it to begin with).
* For a leader he has all of 1 power that does anything to benefit his allies and that's a Recharge 6 AOE 20 hit point heal. At level 34.
He'd need a lot of work. If you have access to the compendium, I'd suggest comparing him to Oublivae, Lloth, Pazuzu, Imix, Ogremoch, Torog, Allabar, or just any MM3+ solo.
Currently DMing: None
Characters
[5e] Dural Melairkyn - AC 18 | HP 40 | Melee +5/1d8+3 | Spell +4/DC 12
Here are a few choice differences between them:
Orcus Empowered
* The Dead Rise aura transforms dead creatures into abyssal madness ghouls, whereas the MM version of Orcus transforms them into abyssal ghoul myrmidons
* Level increased from 33 to 34
* Resist 20 variable is replaced with resist 20 acid, 20 cold, 20 radiant
* Wand of Orcus deals an additional 1d12 damage
* Adds sweeping blow as an at-will close blast attack
* Tail lash is an immediate reaction, whereas the MM version of Orcus is an immediate interrupt
Orcus Empowered is better, but he still needs some work.
Gotta love ineptitude.
1. They need a way to reliably threaten the entire party. A large damaging aura, an area burst or blast with a short recharge timer, minion summoning, whatever. Since there's only one guy on the field, he needs to feel dangerous to everyone all the time and not just whoever is marking them. Orcus hits like a truck, but he only has one close burst power, and while it's a doozy, it's just not enough.
2. They need mobillity. A teleport speed, the ability to shift a large number of squares, a fly speed, an ability that pushes nearby targets away, etc. Otherwise, they just get locked down by the defender and the fight becomes a tank and spank. Orcus has a fly speed (which is nice), but by this time so do most PCs, so again, it isn't enough.
3. They need a way to mitigate status effects without being immune. Since they're the only thing on the field, status effects hurt solos significantly more, especially attack/defense penalties, daze, stun, and dominate. It's a delicate line they have to walk, since it must be worth it for the PCs to go out of their way to inflict these statuses without it them totally crippling the solo. And no, the saving throw bonus they already have is not enough. I've found counting daze as slow, counting stun / dominate as daze, and halving all attack/defense penalties (rounding up) works well as far as making them both still threatening and making those conditions worthwhile to try and inflict.
* Hamanu the Sorcerer King (27 Solo Soldier) deals: 6d6+14 on his MBA (which targets up to 3 people) ; Three varied AOEs: 4d10+9 or 3d12+6+Ongoing as a Zone or 3d10+9+Ongoing vs 5 targets; Minor action single target for 6d10+15 that stuns and recharges when he bloodies someone.
* The iconic Balor (27 Elite Brute) deals: 6d10+11 (3d10+71 on a crit) & 2d10+10+Ongoing as single target that is uses once each (since it has a multi-attack); or it can AOE twice per encounter (recharges when bloodied) for 5d12+14 that crits on a 15-20 for 3d12+74.
These are creatures 7 levels lower than Orcus (and probably more in line with your intended party level of 25 so they'd likely be facing something like this anyway) and the Balor isn't even a Solo.
Currently DMing: None
Characters
[5e] Dural Melairkyn - AC 18 | HP 40 | Melee +5/1d8+3 | Spell +4/DC 12
* Give him the Action Recovery trait used by dragons in Monster Vault.
* Amend Aura of Death so that it nullifies necrotic resistance, inflicts enemies with a penalty to saving throws against ongoing necrotic damage (increase the penalty once Orcus is bloodied), and heals allies.
* Change The Dead Rise so that it automatically recharges Touch of Death whenever it raises a creature as an undead
* Replace the "weakened (save ends)" effect of Wand of Orcus with ongoing necrotic damage that increases with each failed save.
* Change Sweeping Blow from close blast 4 to close burst 4.
They still typically lack tricks, so solos and elites will probably need looked at to get them their various protection and extra attack stuff, but the damage output upgrade is the big thing.
Brutes should be fricking scary. There should be a legitimate chance of a non-Con, non-Defender going down in a turn if there's a brute on the table.
They tried to bury us. They didn't know that we were seeds. 2018 Midterms. Get your shit together.
My very first ever combat roll on Orokos, just now, rolled a 1 for both hit and damage.
Inquisitor77: Rius, you are Sisyphus and melee Wizard is your boulder
Tube: This must be what it felt like to be an Iraqi when Saddam was killed
Bookish Stickers - Mrs. Rius' Etsy shop with bumper stickers and vinyl decals.
Currently DMing: None
Characters
[5e] Dural Melairkyn - AC 18 | HP 40 | Melee +5/1d8+3 | Spell +4/DC 12
3DS FCode: 1993-7512-8991
The internet gods decided we were getting a little uppity.
They tried to bury us. They didn't know that we were seeds. 2018 Midterms. Get your shit together.
It's a sliding scale, just keep inserting money until you are satisfied.
Kay doesn't roll d12s very often, and apparently for good reason.
That's what she said.
3DS FCode: 1993-7512-8991