Thirty-Headed Tarrasque (CR 40)

(From Wizards)

This creature speaks for itself. The multiheaded template allows it to exist, but it's still just plain wrong. The multiheaded template says this guy should have a CR 29, but I used the added Hit Dice to recalculate the CR instead. It seemed more realistic, and it's still a TPK machine. I thought about adding the half-fiend template to it, but then it becomes an instant-kill machine (as if it isn't already) because its blasphemy caster level is 106. This is probably the most powerful creature I can come up with, but I may surprise myself some day and outdo it.

In melee, it uses Power Attack for 50, leaving it +70 melee on all its attacks. It has ninety head-based attacks in 1 round, thirty of which can be instant-kill attacks (since making a DC 80 Fort save is probably impossible to most everyone it would face).

I adjusted its spell resistance in an ad-hoc manner. One suggestion is to use 11 + CR as its spell resistance, but I compared the old spell resistance and what someone would have to roll to overcome it to get the new value.


N Colossal magical beast
Init +16
Senses darkvision 90 ft., low-light vision, scent; Listen +94, Spot +94
Aura frightful presence

AC 69, touch 10, flat-footed 61; Dodge, Mobility
(-8 size, +8 Dex, +59 natural)
hp 4,947 (106 HD); regeneration 40; DR 15/epic
Immune: ability damage, disease, energy drain, fire, poison
Resist: acid 10, cold 10, fire 10, electricity 10; SR 52
Fort +100, Ref +67, Will +43

Speed: 20 ft. (4 squares); rush
Melee: 30 bites +121 (4d8+20/18-20/x3 plus 2d6 on crit plus Fort save DC 80 or die on crit) and
60 horns +120 (1d10+10) and
2 claws +120 (1d12+10) and
tail slap +120 (3d8+10)
Space 30 ft.; Reach 20 ft.
Base Atk +106; Grp +142
Atk Options Awesome Blow, Dire Charge, Great Cleave, Improved Bull Rush, Improved Combat Reflexes, Large and In Charge, Power Attack, Prone Attack, improved grab, rush, swallow whole

Abilities Str 50, Dex 26, Con 93, Int 3, Wis 14, Cha 14
SQ augmented critical, carapace
Feats Alertness, Awesome Blow, Blind-Fight, Cleave, Combat Reflexes[B], Devastating Critical (bite, Fort DC 80), Dire Charge, Dodge, Elusive Target, Epic Fortitude, Epic Prowess (2), Epic Reflexes, Epic Will, Eyes in the Back of Your Head, Great Cleave, Great Strength, Hold the Line, Improved Bull Rush, Improved Combat Reflexes, Improved Initiative[B], Improved Multiattack[B], Iron Will, Large and In Charge, Mobility, Overwhelming Critical (bite), Power Attack, Prone Attack, Spellcasting Harrier (+53 to foe's Concentration check DC to cast in its threatened area), Superior Initiative, Toughness (6), Weapon Focus (bite)
Skills Hide -8, Jump +14, Listen +94, Search +84, Spot +94, Survival +33 (+37 following tracks)

Improved Grab (Ex) To use this ability, the thirty-headed tarrasque must hit a Huge or smaller opponent with its bite attack. It can then attempt to start a grapple as a free action without provoking an attack of opportunity. If it wins the grapple check, it establishes a hold and can try to swallow the foe the following round.

Swallow Whole (Ex) The thirty-headed tarrasque can try to swallow a grabbed opponent of Huge or smaller size by making a successful grapple check. Once inside, the opponent takes 2d8+8 points of crushing damage plus 2d8+6 points of acid damage per round from the tarrasque's digestive juices. A swallowed creature can cut its way out by dealing 50 points of damage to the tarrasque's digestive tract (AC 54). Once the creature exits, muscular action closes the hole; another swallowed opponent must cut its own way out. The tarrasque's gullet can hold 2 Huge, 8 Large, 32 Medium, 128 Small, or 512 Tiny or smaller creatures.

Rush (Ex) Once per minute, the normally slow-moving tarrasque can move at a speed of 150 feet.

Carapace (Su) The thirty-headed tarrasque's armorlike carapace is exceptionally tough and highly reflective, deflecting all rays, lines, cones, and even magic missile spells. There is a 30% chance of reflecting any such effect back at the caster; otherwise, it is merely negated. Check for reflection before rolling to overcome the creature's spell resistance.

Frightful Presence (Su) The thirty-headed tarrasque can inspire terror by charging or attacking. Affected creatures must succeed on a DC 65 Will save or become shaken, remaining in that condition as long as they remain with 60 feet of the tarrasque. The save DC is Charisma-based.

Regeneration (Ex) No form of attack deals lethal damage to the thirty-headed tarrasque. The tarrasque regenerates even if it fails a saving throw against a disintegrate spell or a death effect. If the tarrasque fails its save against a spell or effect that would kill it instantly (such as those mentioned above), the spell or effect instead deals nonlethal damage equal to the creature's full normal hit points +10. The tarrasque is immune to effects that produce incurable or bleeding wounds, such as mummy rot, a sword with the wounding special ability, or a clay golem's cursed wound ability. The tarrasque can be slain only by raising its nonlethal damage total to its full normal hit points +10 (or 4,957 hit points) and using a wish or miracle spell to keep it dead. If the tarrasque loses a limb or body part, the lost portion regrows in 1d6 minutes (the detached piece dies and decays normally). The creature can reattach the severed member instantly by holding it to the stump.

Race for the Sword

Setting: Urban marketplace, city square, etc. - open area with a central locational feature such as a statue, bridge, pool of water, etc.

PC's either are in possession of, or are on the trail of a magical sword. Might be good in combat, might be needed for other needs, whatever. If they are in possession of the sword, maybe they are taking it to whoever requires it. If they are seeking it, perhaps they are just about to confront whoever has it.

A rogue/invisible stalker grabs the sword, and up above, an accomplice uses an air elemental or telekinesis spell to grab the sword and lift it through the air (across the entire marketplace) towards them.

Someone (possibly the PC's, or if they don't react in time, yet ANOTHER group out to seize the sword) disrupts the sword's transport, making it fall...right into/onto the central location feature.

The theft, which so far has been subtle and low key, erupts as the party and the thieving group(s) break cover and race to get the sword, fighting each other, struggling with the crowd of people who are now bustling about trying to get away, and dealing with the central obstacle itself, ie climbing the towering statue.

Notes: Obviously, the item doesn't have to be a sword. It doesn't even have to be a weapon, but making it a weapon makes the desire to get it twofold, since it is required for X purpose AND it will help or even outright end the current fight.

Nation of Tomatoes

Highlights of last weekend's game, in which we introduced a new player to the world of D&D:

Shaun played King Bob, a dwarf fighter. He actually was just the Prince, but he called himself the King, and wore a 2'-3' crown made of tin. He was the Prince of Flharnaghan, a nation with some kind of bizarre obsession with tomatos - tomatos were their mascot, their national flower, the symbol on their flag and crests, etc.

Jamie played a warforged barbarian that was King Bob's bodyguard.

The new guy (Corey) played a javelin-throwing halfling ranger with a wolf companion. Which is fine...but apparently he was also the court jester...and entertained people by ballroom dancing with the wolf.

And the wolf's name was Googleflartz.

For some reason before the adventure Jamie decided he wanted a keg of liquidified tomatos. This would come into play many times as the night went on.

The adventure started when Brom, the king's elderly human advisor, told the three that the king was missing. He informs them that they are the only ones available, because the palace guards are busy quelling a riot. When asked what the riot is about, the party learns that it is because someone destroyed/stole all the tomatos and people are panicking. The party decides to go after the king.

They followed tracks to a cliff with a rope ladder, and they forced Brom to descend first. He was about halfway down when Jamie decided to leap off and grab Brom as he fell, slamming Brom into the ground. I really do not know why, especially because Brom had just mentioned how he would accompany them to provide valuable healing for the group, since they lacked a cleric.

Corey and Shaun then had the dilemma of how to get Googleflartz down the cliff. They decided to hogtie him, and tie him to Shaun's back, and Shaun would carry them both down the ladder. Of course, the rope snapped, and they fell. Jamie "cushioned" their fall with Brom's limp body. Corey managed the climb down without incident.

They found the band of orcs that had kidnapped the king, and proceeded to whup them pretty good. However, at one point Brom was left facing an angry, charging orc, and Brom was ALSO the one carrying their "torch" - a giant bundle of wood and planks tied together and lit on fire. He hurled it at the orc and lit the orc on fire, but then they were without light, and only Shaun had darkvision.

They stumble into the main room, where the majority of the orcs await. Jamie drinks a potion of Enlarge Person, and the battle pretty much ends there. He flops on and crushes a few orcs, but one escapes, and he/it spend a round rolling after & dodging each other. The orc digs something out of his pouch before Jamie crushes him, and it was a Necklace of Fireballs globe, which detonates, blowing (for flavor's sake) a giant hole in Jamie.

Shaun meanwhile is enjoying the Bull Rush fighter variant from Dungeonscape, and is ramming people into the walls over and over. One orc manages to defeat him in the Bull Rush not once, but TWICE...but is then smushed by a charging Jamie.

Brom is left alone to take care of a single orc, and to everyone's surprise, he grapples with it, dominates it, and snaps its neck. He also hurls a white fire burst into the middle of the room, which continues burning, illuminating the cave.

They subdue/kill all the orcs, and reconvene on the far side of the room, where two orcs were trying to escape down a trapdoor with the king. Googleflartz is also seriously injured, so Brom heals him before taking the dead orc whose neck he snapped, and throwing him in the fire. Brom then says he is going to go and see if there is any sign of the orc that fled.

There is also one orc who surrendered, who vows to serve King Bob. His name is Vide. The others take off the potato tomato sack covering the body...and it's Brom, unconscious. They turn and discover Brom fleeing. They chase, and discover that he wasn't fleeing but rather regrouping with the orcs that had gotten away previously.

(This went perfectly. Nearing the end of the battle, I decided to have Brom be a fake. When he announced he was leaving to go look for the other orc, it made PERFECT sense in-game to both the party, and to fake-Brom. When the party discovered that the guy in the sack was the real Brom, there was a moment of shock, and they turned to confront fake-Brom...who of course by this point had fled successfully. The only thing that went wrong was that the next fight was too easy and not dramatic enough for such a great twist. What I should have done was cause a landslide, and force the party to somehow use the evil altar...Dark Prince, anyone? And then resurface, but tainted with evil, or something, and confront Brom, who has now seized control. Much more satisfying that way.)

During the fight, Shaun realizes once that they keep forgetting to declare what Vide is doing. Then the next round he says they forgot again, so they ask about him, and realize that Vide has slipped away from the fight and has grabbed the unconscious Brom, and escaped down the trap door.

They finish off the orcs (including Jamie crushing Brom to a bloody smear) and chase Vide. They find the real Brom, awake and having knocked out Vide (because the fake Brom had only healed him 2 hp). Farther down the tunnel they find some evil, unholy altar with 3 red knives. Without hesitation they throw Vide on the altar and Jamie stabs him once with each dagger. Vide's blood slowly seeps down into the ground, then everything goes dark, and then when they can see again Vide (and all the blood) is gone.

They go back up to the cave, and Brom asks if they even looked for the king in the palace. Answer...no. They go back to the palace and find the king there happy as can be.

We wrapped it up there. Corey enjoyed the session, but was a little bored with his halfling ranger (which really isn't a very optimal build.) We discussed over classes and potential characters and he definitely seemed excited for more gaming.