Drow Aggressor

Drow Aggressor (CR 11)

Lawful Evil - Medium - Humanoid (Fey)

Lore:	Know (Local)
22		37
Basic DC		Full DC

Initiative

24

Perception:
31	+21
Passive	Active

Ambush:

8+

on a d20

Senses:

• Standard Senses
• Darkvision 60 ft.
• Keen Scent 30 ft.

Movement Types:

• Walk 50 ft.

Defense

AC

31

Man Def

30

Monster Health
242	121	19
Hit Points	Bloodied	Hit Dice

Saving Throws
Fort:	+13
Refl:	+9
Will:	+9

Strong Against:

Weak Against:

• (Fey 1) Vulnerable (1.5x damage): Cold Iron

Offense

Size:	Medium
5 ft.		5 ft.
Space		Reach

To-Hit

+19

Man Off

+20

Action

0

Points

• Maneuver Offense Notes: +3 on Cleaves

Standard Attack (Melee):

• 1x Sweeping Sword +19 (3d8+11/19-20 x2)
  as slashing (physical, common)
  plus: Poison

Full Attack (Melee):

• 3x Sweeping Sword +19 (3d8+7/19-20 x2)
  as slashing (physical, common)
  plus: Poison

Standard Attack (Ranged):

• 1x Throwing Knives +18 (3d8+7/19-20 x2)
  as slashing (physical, common)
  (Increment: 30 ft.; Max Range: 150 ft.)
  plus: Poison

Full Attack (Ranged):

• 2x Throwing Knives +18 (3d8+7/19-20 x2)
  as slashing (physical, common)
  (Increment: 30 ft.; Max Range: 150 ft.)
  plus: Poison

Siege Damage: Not siege capable

Statistics

20

STR

18

DEX

18

CON

10

INT

14

WIS

16

CHA

Skills:

• Bailiwick (Spycraft): 18
• Intimidate: 20
• Perception: 21
• Stealth: 18
• All other skills: 13 (no ranks)

Languages: Undercommon, Awnsheghlien

Feats:

• Enforcer (EFFECT: Demoralize (Intimidate) an opponent to inflict Cringing rather than Shaken.)

Special Abilities

Sweeping Parry (Ex) Automatic, 1/Enc, after struck by melee attack

Once per encounter, as a free triggered interrupt, the Drow may make a Sweeping Parry when they are struck by a melee attack. They may roll a free reposition combat maneuver check (1d20+18 vs. a DC of the target's Maneuver Defense) which does not provoke an attack of opportunity. Typically this is used on the first attack when a foe declares a full attack action, and they will attempt to move the foe outside of their reach, although they may, of course, use it in other ways, if they prefer.

Scything Swords (Ex) Full Attack Action 1/Enc

Once per encounter as a full attack action, the Drow may make a single melee attack against all foes in reach. For every enemy they strike, they may take a free 5-foot step. If any new enemies are now in their reach, they may attack all those foes as well, and if they make any additional hits, they may take another 5-foot step for each one. This process continues until the Drow misses all enemies, or there are no new enemies to attack. No enemy may be attacked more than once using this ability. Note that Cleave may be used with this ability but only once, and the Drow may choose when to use it. If their blade currently has poison on it, that poison only works for the first successful strike.

Poison (Ex) Automatic after successful attack

The first successful strike by the drow's sword, and any attacks with the drow's throwing knives, have a chance to inflict the ubiquitous Drow Languishroot poison: Languishroot Poison    (Injury vector; Poisoned intensity) Save: Fort DC 21;     Frequency: 1/round for 3 rounds Effect: 1d4 DEX damage and 3d8+7 points of poison (physical, uncommon) damage per interval Fruition: Victim becomes Drowsy. If the victim is already Drowsy or Sluggish when making any save against Languishroot, the save is made at a -2 penalty. Fruition Duration: 1 hour

Venom Sheath (Ex) Swift Action

As a swift action, the Drow can reapply poison to his weapon. This is done with a practiced economy, as the blade is slid through a slotted cup-like device on his belt, near the sword's sheath. The cup-like device contains 10 doses of Languishroot poison, and can be refilled outside of combat. As with all poisoned weapons, the poison is used up each time a target is struck by the blade, and new poison must be applied. Missed attacks do not use up the poison, however.

Drow Aggressor

Among the Great Houses of the Drow, the quality and ability of their males are a matter of some pride, not to mention a great deal of deadly serious competition. And while Blademasters are wonderfully loyal, and Subjugators are strong and obedient, when dealing with foes like Souterrain, Gargoyles, Troglodytes, Trolls, and Sahauguin, sometimes a cultured, loyal, and obedient male isn't really what the Drow need.

After eons of work, the tall, powerfully muscled Drow Aggressor was perfected, to the delight of the leaders of the Great Houses. Finally, a male with enough sheer brute force to stand up to the neighbors! Unfortunately for the Great Houses that backed the Aggressors, at roughly the same time a competing faction worked out the rituals and unguents needed to create Driders.

Drow Aggressors were obsolete as soon as they were created.

They still exist, however, and so they are given jobs to do that are suited to their strength and aggressiveness.

Plus, to be honest, the Aggressors are much, much nicer to look at than a Drider, never mind how strong the beasts are....

Combat Tactics

Drow Aggressors are dangerous foes, canny and experienced melee combatants and much more dangerous at range than you would believe. In combat, they will try to maneuver into melee as fast as possible using their high speed.

They will strive to set up cleave opportunities and flanks, but they will not risk attacks of opportunity unless they have to. In the second round of combat, once they are solidly engaged, is when they will usually start using their deadly and impressive Scything Swords attack. They will use any five foot steps they gain to work their way deep into their enemies backfield, where they can then start using full attack actions. If any high-damage melee attacker declares a full attack, they will use Sweeping Parry to try and break the attack cycle by repositioning them out of reach, forcing the attacker to burn attacks on five-foot steps, or, they will create openings for them to use five foot steps to get deeper into the enemy's ranks.

Every round, if they manage to get a full attack, they will always try to roll a Demoralize attempt thanks to their Enforcer ability. Once a foe is Cringing, they will switch to another foe to try and do it again.

If there is a high damage spell caster or a healer, at least one and possibly more of them will step back from melee and throw knives at them, to try and take them out with poison. A high damage ranged attacker will get the same treatment, and it is not unusual to see half of them racing into melee while the other half throw poisoned knives from cover.

Aggressors are not amazing tacticians, but they will certainly set up flanks and use cover and ranged attacks to their advantage, and will not suffer ranged attacks without answering. Their best maneuver is to get at least some of their members into melee for scything swords, and then the rest charge in and do it again.

Once combat has begun, Aggressors, unlike many Drow, will not break off combat for any reason.

Out of Combat

Agressors were bred to be the Dark Ladies heavy combatants, their front-line warriors against the worst things imaginable...and then the Driders and the Dragloths were created. A less perfectly-made and loyal clan of warriors might harbor resentment, but the aggressors are too well made for that.

Instead, the Aggressors merely seek other ways to serve the Maidens of Shadow, and have developed into quite capable and dangerous spymasters, despite being a bit more...direct....than that role usually calls for. Nonetheless, Drow Aggressors are very good at the game of shadows, manipulating more sneaky sorts into blunt-edged diplomatic traps for their more clever fellows and of course, the ladies, to exploit.

This works amazingly well, and is something the monstrosities cannot do. This pleases the aggressors greatly, and soothes their wounded pride.

Rewards

XP: 12,800

Treasure: Sellable Goods worth 9,375 gp.

Weight: 110 lbs.     Volume: 4.4 cu. ft.

Optional Treasure Rules: Roll a d20 on Table 1 below once per encounter (NOT per creature). Any items discovered are in addition to the normal treasure for the encounter.

Table 1: Remnant(s) Found
1 - 10	Nothing Found
11 - 14	1 Languid Remnant (tier 1)
15 - 17	1 Pale Remnant (tier 2)
18 - 19	1 Bright Remnant (tier 3)
20	Roll on Table 2
###	Nothing to see here!
###	Or here. Move along.

Table 2: Remnant(s) Found
1 - 5	3 Languid Remnants (tier 1)
6 - 10	3 Pale Remnants (tier 2)
11 - 14	1 Intense Remnant (tier 4)
15 - 17	1 Blazing Remnant (tier 5)
18 - 19	1 Vital Remnant (tier 6)
20	Roll on Table 3
###	Or here. Move along.

Table 3: Remnant(s) Found
1 - 5	3 Bright Remnants (tier 3)
6 - 8	3 Intense Remnants (tier 4)
9 - 11	3 Blazing Remnants (tier 5)
12 - 14	3 Vital Remnants (tier 6)
15 - 17	1 Prime Remnant (tier 7)
18 - 19	1 Mythic Remnant (tier 8)
20	1 Empyrean Remnant (tier 9)