Adam White’s recent post detailing the new player character race the Weregoat inspired a villainous idea. Here he is, in all his statted-out glory: the black sheep of the Weregoat family: Kardas, the Hell’s Ram.
"Kardas", by Rob Torno
"Kardas", by Rob Torno
Kardas the Hell’s Ram
A dark and shaggy bulk clothed in overlapping red and silver cords drops down from roofs above. His hooves clatter on the pavement, his long horns seem cracked with fire and as he brings down his giant club upon the earth ash and fire sweep up, curving in an arch that burns the buildings ahead of him.
Background
Many years ago a young weregoat came down from a mountainside with dreams of glory. Club in hand, he sought the traditional things in life: copious amounts of alcohol, entertaining liaisons with new companions and the righting of great wrongs. It was on such a quest to right such a wrong that he found himself wrestling with a minor prince of Hell.
At the end of the battle his companions lay dead on the floor; his own horns and body broken. Having possessed a village child for several months, the prince saw opportunity in the weregoat’s strange body so he offered the dying Kardas a deal: the prince would rule Kardas’s body for nine years and then it would be restored to him, stronger than before. Kardas agreed, thinking someday he’d have his vengeance on the devil.
He never did. The first thing the prince did in his body was return to Kardas’s village. Trapped inside his own body, Kardas witnessed the prince set fire to the farms and slaughter his family. It broke Kardas’s mind and over the ensuing years the creature Kardas became was one entirely the prince’s creation
.
Motivations & Goals
Kardas wants what his master wants, but beyond the lowly devil prince’s plans for advancement, Kardas enjoys watching the world burn from within. Often unsubtle, he indulges in blackmail, relishing the sensation of putting others through the pain of committing evil acts until it warps them. Kardas carries a special hatred for other weregoats.
Adventure Hooks
- The PCs have been engaged in a recent battle, foiling Kardas’s master’s plot. As a result he is set upon their trail and decides to ambush them.
- If the PCs have been foiled repeatedly by a local bureaucrat or representative of authority, it comes to light, possibly by that representative coming to the party for help, that the representative has been blackmailed. Kardas has been using the bureaucrat as a tool for his own master’s ends.
- The PCs encounter rumors of a strange demon stalking through the forests around sparsely populated villages and kidnapping children. Kardas is keeping the children in a cave, forcing them to fight for survival. He hopes to create corrupt servitors, raising them to serve his prince.
Combat Tactics
Kardas is very straightforward in his combat – he cracks apart the earth using Shudder the Earth to give himself a greater advantage on the terrain and then sets about charging as often as he can. He uses his Slam and Club attacks carefully to achieve the greatest results. He always targets weregoats in the party above all others; if he fails to find any, he targets the least armored to exclusion of the rest.
Kardas the Hell’s Ram (Level 14 Solo Brute)
Large Natural Humanoid (Fire) XP 5,000
Initiative +9
Senses: Perception +12
HP 483; Bloodied 242
AC 28; Fortitude 28; Reflex 23; Will 26
Saving Throws +5
Speed 7 (Moves normally through difficult terrain)
Action Points 2
Traits
Hell Ram’s Fury ♦ Aura 2
Requirement: Kardas must be in Hell’s Ram form.
Enemies beginning their turns in the aura treat the area as difficult terrain and take 3 damage.
Goat’s Footing
When an effect pulls, pushes or slides Kardas, Kardas moves 4 squares less than the effect specifies and can make a saving throw to avoid falling prone.
Ram’s Charge
When charging, Kardas’s speed increases by 2. Targets hit by his charge attacks grant combat advantage until the end of his next turn.
Standard Actions
[MBA] Club (weapon) ♦ At-Will
(Reach 2) +17 vs AC; 1d10 +8 damage and the target is knocked prone.
[MBA] Slam ♦ At-Will
+17 vs AC; 1d10 +8 damage and he pushes the target 2 squares.
[MBA] Headbutt ♦ At-Will
Requirement: Kardas must be in Hell’s Ram form.
+17 vs. AC; 4d6 +5 damage and the target is knocked prone. On a critical hit, the target is also dazed.
[M] Slamming About ♦ At-Will
Effect: Kardas makes two Slam attacks against one or two adjacent targets.
[C] Shudder the Earth (weapon, fire) ♦ Recharge 5, 6
Close blast 5; +15 vs Fortitude; Hit: 3d10 +6 damage, and the blast area becomes difficult terrain until the end of Kardas’s next turn (sustain minor).
Miss: Half damage.
Triggered Actions
Hell’s Ram Transformation (fire) ♦ Beast Form
Trigger: The first time Kardas becomes bloodied in an encounter.
Effect: Kardas assumes the shape of a large flaming ram, the Hell’s Ram. While in Hell’s Ram form, he gains regeneration 3, resist 10 fire and may not use powers with the weapon descriptor.
Flaming Gore (fire) ♦ Encounter
Trigger: When Kardas hits with a charge attack, he may make this attack as an immediate reaction.
Hit: 2d6 +3 damage, and the target is dazed until the beginning of Kardas’s next turn.
Alignment evil
Languages Common, Abyssal
Skills Athletics +19, Nature +17
Str 24 (+14) Dex 15 (+9) Wis 20 (+12)
Con 14 (+6) Int 10 (+7) Cha 13 (+8)
Edited by Charles Dickey
Great NPC. Very Kratos-esq, but more goatly. I like the creature as well, but considering he is a solo, I think you need to give him more answers to the PCs. At this point, he just seems to be a brick house of Hit Points with not a lot of fun to be had facing him.
You might consider dropping him down to an elite and having him summon some demons when he fights. That would make him abour right, and would allow him to act as a Solo encounter, without having the solo hit points. Another option you have is to simply make his Slam attack a minor and let him do his charge every round. A wild charging goat, that randomly charges around the battlefield beating on everything in his path seems like a fairly interesting encounter to me.
O, also, if you aren’t going to give him some type of ranged attack, you might want to make his charge a teleport (might fit with the demonic flavor) so he can scare the daylights out of the wizard at the back of the party shooting magic missiles at him.
I really like this NPC actually. I think I will be using him in my setting since Ramfolk are powerful there.
From your comment I’ve been thinking a lot about the changes I’d make to him. I really love the idea of transforming his charges into teleports. What do you think of these changes to some of his powers.
I’d like to keep him solo, but I definitely want to make combat with him more exciting and give him more answers to the PC’s. Bear with me as I’m headed to bed and just typed these up, but I think they get the right effects across.
Ram’s Charge
When charging, Kardas teleports his speed plus 2. He may only teleport to the square nearest his target.Targets hit by his charge attacks grant combat advantage until the end of his next turn.
Hell’s Ram Transformation (fire) ♦ Beast Form
Trigger: The first time Kardas becomes bloodied in an encounter.
Effect: Kardas assumes the shape of a large flaming ram, the Hell’s Ram, and all negative status effects end.
While in Hell’s Ram form, he gains regeneration 3, resist 10 fire and may not use powers with the weapon descriptor.
Flaming Gore (fire) ♦
Trigger: When Kardas hits with a charge attack, is dazed or stunned he may make this attack as an immediate reaction.
Hit: 2d6 +3 damage, and the target is dazed until the beginning of Kardas’s next turn.