So campaign has started players are now at level 2 and the bbeg which, if all goes to plane they will encounter about level 6 is an aboleth. I have a number of generic encounters set up and a host of NPCs, friend, foe, potential enslaved victims of said aboleth designed to introduce them into the world and the town they are starting in but I also want to put a few encounters designed to help the players gain experience of some of the aspects of fighting an aboleth without actually uncovering that is way they will be fighting. This is something I try and do a lot, both to ensure the players have a chance to use past experiences in game to help shape a plan of attack, but also it helps me ensure I have recent experience of using these different big bad abilities, even if not all together at once, so I can then make the big bad combat exciting and different and have a refresher on how for instance, combat with a flying creature might go if the big bad is a dragon, or an idea as to how casters might behave if the big bad is spell heavy. My ideas so far for the aboleth are.
Some sort of water menace is attacking dock workers, this will give the players experience of limited water based combat, possibly involving some swimming and maybe even full on underwater fighting.
A mimic takes the form of others In town , gives the players a sense that not all might be why it seems and to consider an npc might have a different reason for behavior.
A fight against something that can charm, maybe a fey creature or something, to give the players an idea of fighting against (and maybe being forced to fight with) a creature like that.
combat against something that does damage if you get too close to it. I may homebrew some thing for this.
the plan is to scatter these situations through the early parts of the campaign so when the players realise there is an aboleth to fight they have a sense of the limitations and tactics that might be employed.
Any other ideas for encounters or situations I could put them in to help them when they finally prepare for the big battle?
Be sure to prep the party to go underwater some how for final encounter if that encounter will take place underwater. Potions underwater breathing, appropriate weapons, etc. Look over underwater combat, even though i think it is not much different (to hit and damage are same i do not see how but ugh) So maybe as they search for the Aboleth layer, he could have some kind of guardians, whether sharks, giant crab, Sahuaghin, Merrow, Scrags just something to get the taste of fighting underwater.
A good read is "monsters know what they are doing". This might inspire you to do something with a party member before they even meet the aboleth. As they are on the dock at night, the aboleth lurks underneath and reaches to charm a party member.....
If the entrance to the lair is a cave entrance with many tunnels connecting to pools and such maybe have some ettercaps there.
They probably need to learn that they are SMART.
Good luck and enjoy, aboleths are cool. Best adventuring.
My plan is to not reveal at all they are dealing with an aboleth until very late on. Aboleth is in a mine complex having been found, near the mine is the town the players are starting in so for the first 4-5 levels they will slowly get a sense that things are not right very invasion of the body snatchers as NPCs in important positions in town slowly become enslaved. I think the key will be exposing them to underwater combat before the aboleth just to give the players and myself a reminder and a sense of how things change, I think a giant croc type creature ahead of time that is attacking the dock workers.
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So campaign has started players are now at level 2 and the bbeg which, if all goes to plane they will encounter about level 6 is an aboleth. I have a number of generic encounters set up and a host of NPCs, friend, foe, potential enslaved victims of said aboleth designed to introduce them into the world and the town they are starting in but I also want to put a few encounters designed to help the players gain experience of some of the aspects of fighting an aboleth without actually uncovering that is way they will be fighting. This is something I try and do a lot, both to ensure the players have a chance to use past experiences in game to help shape a plan of attack, but also it helps me ensure I have recent experience of using these different big bad abilities, even if not all together at once, so I can then make the big bad combat exciting and different and have a refresher on how for instance, combat with a flying creature might go if the big bad is a dragon, or an idea as to how casters might behave if the big bad is spell heavy. My ideas so far for the aboleth are.
Some sort of water menace is attacking dock workers, this will give the players experience of limited water based combat, possibly involving some swimming and maybe even full on underwater fighting.
A mimic takes the form of others In town , gives the players a sense that not all might be why it seems and to consider an npc might have a different reason for behavior.
A fight against something that can charm, maybe a fey creature or something, to give the players an idea of fighting against (and maybe being forced to fight with) a creature like that.
combat against something that does damage if you get too close to it. I may homebrew some thing for this.
the plan is to scatter these situations through the early parts of the campaign so when the players realise there is an aboleth to fight they have a sense of the limitations and tactics that might be employed.
Any other ideas for encounters or situations I could put them in to help them when they finally prepare for the big battle?
Be sure to prep the party to go underwater some how for final encounter if that encounter will take place underwater. Potions underwater breathing, appropriate weapons, etc. Look over underwater combat, even though i think it is not much different (to hit and damage are same i do not see how but ugh) So maybe as they search for the Aboleth layer, he could have some kind of guardians, whether sharks, giant crab, Sahuaghin, Merrow, Scrags just something to get the taste of fighting underwater.
A good read is "monsters know what they are doing". This might inspire you to do something with a party member before they even meet the aboleth. As they are on the dock at night, the aboleth lurks underneath and reaches to charm a party member.....
If the entrance to the lair is a cave entrance with many tunnels connecting to pools and such maybe have some ettercaps there.
They probably need to learn that they are SMART.
Good luck and enjoy, aboleths are cool. Best adventuring.
My plan is to not reveal at all they are dealing with an aboleth until very late on. Aboleth is in a mine complex having been found, near the mine is the town the players are starting in so for the first 4-5 levels they will slowly get a sense that things are not right very invasion of the body snatchers as NPCs in important positions in town slowly become enslaved. I think the key will be exposing them to underwater combat before the aboleth just to give the players and myself a reminder and a sense of how things change, I think a giant croc type creature ahead of time that is attacking the dock workers.