Sable Company Elite Marine

Sable Company Elite Marine

CR 6                                                                                                                    XP: 2,400
Male human ranger 6
LG Medium humanoid (human)
Init +3; Senses Perception +10
AC 17, touch 13, flat-footed 14 (+4 armor, +3 Dex)
HP 39 (6d10+6)
Fort +6, Ref +8, Will +3
Speed 30 ft.
Melee mwk longsword +9/+4 (1d8+2/19-20)
Ranged +1 composite shortbow +10/+5 (1d6+3/x3)
Special Attacks favored enemy (humanoid [goblinoid]) +4, favored enemy (humanoid [human]) +2
Spells Prepared (CL 3rd)
  1st-—Magic Fang, Speak With Animals
Before Combat If able, a hippogriff-mounted marine casts magic fang on his mount before engaging in combat.
During Combat A Sable Company elite marine fights from atop his mount when possible, combining his hippogriff attacks with his own shortbow attacks. He focuses on favored enemies first, unless an obviously greater threat presents itself.
Morale When protecting innocents or defending a fallen comrade, a Sable Company marine fights to the death. Otherwise, he withdraws if reduced to less than half his hit points. If a fellow marine goes down, he attempts to pull that marine to safety as soon as possible, as long as other comrades are still up.
Str 14, Dex 16, Con 12, Int 8, Wis 13, Cha 10
Base Atk +6; CMB +8; CMD 21
Feats Endurance, Legendary Tracker, Manyshot, Mounted Archery, Mounted Combat, Rapid Shot, Sable Company Marine, Weapon Focus (shortbow)
Skills Climb +11, Handle Animal +9, Perception +10, Profession (sailor) +10, Ride +14, Swim +11
Languages Common
SQ animal companion (hippogriff), wild empathy +8
Gear potion of cure light wounds (4)
Other Gear +1 composite shortbow (Str +2), 40 arrows, mwk longsword, +1 studded leather armor

Sable Company Riding Hippogriff

CR 3                                                                                                               XP: 800
N Large magical beast (augmented)
Init +3; Senses darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision, scent; Perception +9
AC 19, touch 13, flat-footed 16 (+3 Dex, +1 dodge, +6 natural, -1 size)
HP 42 (5d10+15)
Fort +8, Ref +8, Will +2
Speed 50 ft., fly 100 ft. (average)
Melee bite +8 (1d8+4), 2 claws +8 (1d4+4)
Space 10 ft., Reach 5 ft.
During Combat The riding hippogriff makes swooping attacks, always trying to stay out of reach of groundbased targets.
Tricks A riding hippogriff knows the tricks attack, come, defend, down, guard, heel, seek, and stay.
Morale A riding hippogriff flees if its rider is incapacitated or killed while mounted. If the riding hippogriff has no rider, it fights to defend itself but flees back to Korvosa’s aerie on the Great Tower as soon as possible.
Str 19, Dex 16, Con 16, Int 2, Wis 13, Cha 8
Base Atk +5; CMB +10; CMD 24
Feats Dodge, Wingover
Skills Fly +6, Perception +9
  Racial Modifiers +4 Perception
Environment  temperate hills or plains
Organization solitary, pair, or flight (7-12)
Treasure none
This large, brown, horse-like creature has a hawk's wings, talons, and hooked beak.
The hippogriff bears the wings, forelegs, and head of a great raptor bird and the tail and body of a magnificent horse. As horses are a preferred meal for griffons, sages claim some flesh-warping wizard with an ironic sense of humor long ago created this unfortunate fusion of horse and hawk as a joke.  A hippogriff 's feathers bear coloration similar to those of a hawk or an eagle; however, some breeders have managed to produce specimens with stark white or coal black feathers. A hippogriff 's torso and hind end are most often bay, chestnut, or gray, with some coats bearing pinto or even palomino coloration. Hippogriffs measure 11 feet long and weigh upward of 1,500 pounds.  Territorial, hippogriffs fiercely protect the lands under their domain. Hippogriffs must also watch the skies for other predators, as they are a preferred meal of griffons, wyverns, and young dragons. Hippogriffs nest in sweeping grasslands, rugged hills, and flowing prairies. Exceptionally hardy hippogriffs make their home nestled into niches on canyon walls, from which they comb the rocky deserts for coyotes, deer, and the occasional humanoid. Hippogriffs prefer mammalian prey, yet they graze after every meal of flesh to aid their digestion. Their dietary habits can be dangerous to both ranchers and their livestock, so ranching communities often set bounties on them. Victims of these hunts are often taxidermied, and preserved hippogriffs frequently decorate frontier taverns and remote outposts.  Far easier to train than griffons, yet easily as intelligent as horses, hippogriffs are trained as mounts by some elite companies of mounted soldiers, patrolling the skies and swooping down on unsuspecting enemies. Although they are magical beasts, if captured young, hippogriffs can be trained using Handle Animal as if they were animals. An adult hippogriff is more difficult to train, and attempts to do so follow the normal rules for training magical beasts using the skill. A hippogriff saddle must be specially crafted so as to not impact the movement of the creature's wings-these saddles are always exotic saddles.  Hippogriffs lay eggs rather than birthing live young- as a general rule, a hippogriff nest only contains one egg at a time. A hippogriff 's egg is worth 200 gp, but a healthy young hippogriff is worth 500 gp. A fully trained hippogriff mount can command prices of up to 5,000 gp or more. A hippogriff can carry 198 pounds as a light load, 399 pounds as a medium load, and 600 pounds as a heavy load.

Sable Company Marine

You graduated from the elite hippogriff-riding school of the Endrin Military Academy. Not only can you ride a hippogriff with great skill, but you may also bond with one.
Prerequisite: Ride 6 ranks, ranger level 4th.
Benefit: You gain a hippogriff as your animal companion. You gain a +2 bonus on Ride checks made while riding your hippogriff animal companion. Whenever you are within 20 feet of your hippogriff,
it gains a +2 bonus on saving throws made against fear effects.

Kavan the Grim

Kavan the Grim

CR 7                                                                                                                 XP: 3,200
Male vampire (human barbarian 5
CE Medium undead (augmented humanoid)
Init +8; Senses darkvision 60 ft.; Perception +22
AC 25, touch 15, flat-footed 20 (+6 natural, +4 armor, +4 Dex)
HP 42 (5d12+10); fast healing 5;
Fort +4, Ref +7, Will +5
Immune sunlight; undead immunities; Resist cold 10, electricity 10; +4 turn resistance; Weaknesses vampire aversions, vampire vulnerabilities (except sunlight)
Speed 45 ft., climb 20 ft.
Melee +1 bastard sword +15 (1d10+10/19-20), slam +9 (1d6+9 plus energy drain) or slam +14 (1d6+9 plus energy drain)
Special Attacks blood drain 1d4 Con, gaseous form; Atk Options Combat Reflexes, energy drain, magic strike,rage 5/day (3 rounds)
Before Combat When not raging, Kavan has the following changed statistics: AC 24, touch 14, flat-footed 20 Will +3 Melee +1 bastard sword +13 (1d10+8) and slam +7 (1d6+3 plus energy drain) Grp +12 Special Actions alternate form (doesn’t use), children of the night (doesn’t use), dominate (Will DC 14) Abilities Str 24 Skills Bluff +10, Hide +15, Jump +18, Move Silently +15, Search +10, Sense Motive +10, Survival +10
Str 28, Dex 18, Con -, Int 14, Wis 15, Cha 14
Base Atk +5; CMB +14; CMD 28
Feats Alertness, Combat Reflexes, Dash, Dodge, Exotic Weapon Proficiency (Bastard Sword), Extra Rage, Improved Initiative, Lightning Reflexes
Skills Acrobatics +20, Intimidate +10, Perception +22, Sense Motive +12, Survival +10
Languages Common, Giant
SQ create spawn
Gear potion of resist fire 10
Other Gear masterwork chain shirt, +1 bastard sword, gauntlets of ogre power
Fast Healing (Ex) If reduced to 0 hp in combat, Kavan automatically and immediately assumes gaseous form and makes his way toward an empty crypt in area K84, which he must reach within 2 hours or be utterly destroyed.
Vampire Vulnerabilities (Ex) Kavan suffers no ill effects from sunlight.
Energy Drain (Su) Living creatures hit by Kavan’s slam attack gain two negative levels. At the same time, Kavan gains 10 temporary hit points. If you are using the taint rules in Heroes of Horror, Kavan’s energy drain also increases the target’s depravity score by 2 points or its corruption and depravity scores by 1 point each (because of his Touch of Taint feat).
Magic Strike (Su) If Kavan hits with his slam attack, the attack is treated as magic for the purpose of overcoming damage reduction.
Blood Drain (Ex) If you are using the taint rules in Heroes of Horror, Kavan’s blood drain also increases the target’s corruption score by 2 points (because of his Touch of Taint feat).
Gaseous Form (Su) Kavan’s Armor Class in gaseous form is 14, touch 14, flat-footed 10.
Alternate Form (Su) Although Kavan can change to other forms as any other vampires can, he never does so.
Children of the Night (Su) Kavan revels in his own power and never uses this ability

Count Strahd von Zarovich

Count Strahd von Zarovich

CR 15                                                                                                            XP: 51,200
Male human vampire necromancer 10
LE Medium undead (augmented humanoid)
Init +7; Senses darkvision 60 ft.; Perception +13
AC 14, touch 14, flat-footed 10 (+3 Dex)
HP 65 (10d6+30); fast healing 5
Fort +6, Ref +11, Will +13
DR 10/silver and magic; Immune sunlight; undead immunities; Resist acid 10, cold 10, electricity 10, fire 10, positive energy 10, sonic 10; +4 turn resistance; ring of counterspells (dispel magic), nondetection; Weaknesses vampire vulnerabilities (except sunlight)
Speed 30 ft., climb 20 ft.
Melee 2 slams +9 (1d6+4 plus energy drain)
Special Attacks alternate form, blood drain 1d4 Con, children of the night 1/night, dominate (Will DC 18), gaseous form; Atk Options Combat Reflexes, energy drain, magic strike
Spells Prepared (CL 10th)
  5th-Cloudkill (DC 20), Fell Draining Lightning Bolt (DC 18; creatures that take damage also gain one negative level), Mind Fog (DC 20), Waves of Fatigue
  4th-Dimension Door, Enervation (+8 ranged touch), Fear (DC 19), Enervated Scorching Ray (+8 ranged touch, +50% damage to living creatures, half damage to unliving), Scrying (DC 19)
  3rd-Deep Slumber (DC 18), Fireball (DC 18), Haste, Fell Draining Magic Missile (creatures that take damage also gain one negative level), Ray of Exhaustion (+8 ranged touch, DC 18)
  2nd-Blindness/Deafness (DC 17), False Life, Fog Cloud, Scorching Ray (+8 ranged touch), See Invisibility, Spectral Hand
  1st-Chill Touch (+9 melee touch, DC 16), Expeditious Retreat, Mage Armor (2), Magic Missile, Ray of Enfeeblement (+8 ranged touch), True Strike
  0th-Detect Magic (2), Ghost Sound (DC 15), Message, Touch of Fatigue (+9 melee touch, DC 15)
During Combat When in dire bat form, Strahd has the following changed statistics:
Dire Bat Form CR 15
LE Large undead (augmented humanoid)
AC 26, touch 15, flat-footed 20
Ref +11
Speed 20 ft. (4 squares), fly 40 ft. (good)
Melee bite +7 (1d8+4 plus energy drain)
Grp +12
Abilities Str 17, Dex 22
Skills Disguise +3 (+13 to mimic dire bat), Hide +12, Move Silently +20
When in dire wolf form, Strahd has the following changed statistics:
Dire Wolf Form CR 15
LE Large undead (augmented humanoid)
AC 20, touch 11, flat-footed 18
Ref +7
Speed 50 ft. (10 squares)
Melee bite +11 (1d8+10 plus energy drain)
Grp +16
Atk Options trip +11
Abilities Str 25, Dex 15
Skills Disguise +3 (+13 to mimic dire wolf), Hide +8, Move Silently +16
Trip (Ex) In dire wolf form, Strahd can attempt to trip an opponent he hits with a bite attack.
Str 18, Dex 16, Con -, Int 20, Wis 17, Cha 16
Base Atk +5; CMB +9; CMD 22
Feats Alertness, Combat Casting, Combat Reflexes, Dodge, Enervate Spell, Fell Drain, Improved Energy Drain, Improved Initiative, Lightning Reflexes, Positive Energy Resistance, Scribe Scroll
Skills Bluff +17, Diplomacy +7, Disguise +3, Knowledge (arcana, religion) +18, Linguistics +16, Perception +13, Sense Motive +17, Spellcraft +20, Stealth +13
Languages Common, Draconic, Elven, Giant, Infernal
SQ create spawn, forest sign, mountain sign, swamp sign
Gear bead of force, lesser Silent metamagic rod, ring of counterspells
Other Gear ring of protection +2, cloak of resistance +3
Treasure The Dayheart: This massive crystal, fed by dreadful energies, grants vampires linked to it immunity from the effects of sunlight. The Dayheart occupies the highest part of one of the castle’s spires.
DAYHEART
The Dayheart is a singular in-dungeon feature that grants vampires linked to it immunity to the effects of sunlight.
Description: This item appears as a nearly 10-foot-diameter heart carved of crystal.
When any living creature moves to within 20 feet of it, it flares ruby red, then begins to pulse redly like the last, fluttering beats of a heart spiked with some hellish drug.
The Dayheart possesses a magically enhanced hardness of 30 as long as the hellheart locket remains whole (the hellheart locket is in Khyristrix’s possession) and 200 hit points. If the hellheart locket is destroyed, the Dayheart’s hardness drops to 5.
Activation: The main effect of the Dayheart is always active,
Effect: The Dayheart provides immunity to linked vampires from daylight.
Aura/Caster Level: Strong conjuration. CL 20th.
Construction: Unique.
Weight: Immovable.
Price: Priceless
STRAHD’S SPELLBOOKS
More than simply a treasure to be won by skilled or lucky PCs, Strahd’s spellbooks represent a wealth of additional tactical options for the vampiric genius. The following lists additional spells that Strahd knows in addition to those he has prepared. Feel free to substitute different prepared spells to account for the party’s capabilities and weaknesses. If you have access to sources other than the Player’s Handbook, particularly Spell Compendium, you can substitute spells from those books for others in Strahd’s repertoire.
5th—cone of cold, hold monster, magic jar, prying eyes, teleport, wall of force.
4th—animate dead, arcane eye, bestow curse, confusion, contagion, detect scrying, Otiluke’s resilient sphere, solid fog.
3rd—clairaudience/clairvoyance, gentle repose, hold person, slow, stinking cloud, vampiric touch, wind wall.
2nd—bull’s strength, cat’s grace, command undead, darkness, detect thoughts, glitterdust, gust of wind, Melf’s acid arrow, see invisibility, Tasha’s hideous laughter, touch of idiocy, web.
1st—burning hands, cause fear, charm person, comprehend languages, identify, obscuring mist, shocking grasp, sleep, unseen servant.
0—all except abjuration and illusion.
Fast Healing (Ex) If reduced to 0 hp in combat, Strahd automatically and immediately assumes gaseous form and makes his way toward his crypt (area K86).
Vampire Vulnerabilities (Ex) As long as the Dayheart remains intact, Strahd suffers no ill effects from sunlight.
Energy Drain (Su) Living creatures hit by Strahd’s slam attack gain two negative levels. At the same time, Strahd gains 10 temporary hit points and a +2 bonus on skill checks, ability checks, attack rolls, and saving throws for 1 hour. (This bonus derives from his Improved Energy Drain feat.) Whenever a spellcaster opponent loses a prepared spell due to energy drain, Strahd gains the ability to cast that spell once (as if he had prepared it). The spell’s effect is treated as if the original spellcaster had cast it. The spell remains in Strahd’s mind for up to 1 hour, and he can keep up to three stolen spells at a time. This ability has no effect on spellcasters who don’t prepare spells or on characters who have no spells prepared. (This ability comes from his Spell Drain feat.) If you are using the taint rules in Heroes of Horror, Strahd’s energy drain also increases the target’s depravity score by 2 points or its corruption and depravity scores by 1 point each (because of his Touch of Taint feat).
Magic Strike (Su) If Strahd hits with his slam attack, the attack is treated as magic for the purpose of overcoming damage reduction.
Animal Form (Su) In animal form, Strahd cannot use his equipment or cast spells, nor can he use his dominate ability.
Blood Drain (Ex) If you are using the taint rules in Heroes of Horror, Strahd’s blood drain also increases the target’s corruption score by 2 points (because of his Touch of Taint feat).
Gaseous Form (Su) Strahd’s Armor Class in gaseous form is 15 (19 with mage armor active), touch 15, flat-footed 12
Forest Sign (Su) As a result of his connection to the forests of Barovia, Strahd benefits from a constant nondetection effect on himself and his gear, as the spell (caster level check DC 19). If Strahd’s connection to the Forest Fane is severed, Strahd loses this benefit and his CR is reduced by 1
Strahd calls himself the “first vampire,” but the claim seems unlikely. The details of his story are set down in the Tome of Strahd. Strahd is a tall man, standing just over 6 feet. His body is lean and hard, and his gaunt face has strong features and prominent cheekbones. His eyes are dark and hypnotic, like deep pools with subtle reflections of red light, but when he is enraged they burn like red-hot coals. His skin is usually pale, but it becomes flushed with each feeding and retains that healthy-looking color for several hours. His elongated and thin fingers have long, sharp nails. His fangs are not obvious unless he wants them to be noticed—he can speak and even yawn without revealing his true nature. When he attacks, however, the fangs lengthen to protrude from his mouth.
Strahd prefers to wear black with touches of white and red. His clothing style is the tailored, layered look common to the nobility.
SPECIAL STRENGTHS AND WEAKNESSES
Strahd differs from standard vampires in a few key respects. He enjoys an unnatural connection with the land of Barovia (see below), which has given him three significant defensive abilities: force armor, energy resistance, and a constant nondetection effect. Strahd has no aversion to garlic or mirrors.
Though he can be turned, characters cannot keep him at bay simply by presenting a holy symbol. He can enter any building in Barovia, whether he is invited or not. Finally, the artifact known as the Dayheart (see below) grants Strahd immunity to the destructive effects of sunlight. In addition to the standard alternate forms assumed by vampires, Strahd can take the shape of a batlike humanoid (“werebat” form) and a bestial humanoid with wolfi sh characteristics (feral form). These special forms appear in Strahd’s statistics block for encounters in which he assumes them. The Wilderness Fanes: In the countryside of Barovia stand ancient sites of worship. Strahd appropriated three such wilderness fanes located near his castle—one in the Svalich Woods, one in the swamp to the east, and one high in the mountains. Performing dark rituals at each once-sanctified altar, Strahd bound himself to the land and the land to him, gaining great powers in the bargain. Stripping him of those powers requires visiting each fane and performing specific rituals to sever his connection to the land.