Drow Strategist

Drow Strategist (Leader; CR 14)

Lawful Evil - Medium - Fey

Lore:	Know (Nature)
29		46
Basic DC		Full DC

Initiative

26

Perception:
34	+24
Passive	Active

Ambush:

10+

on a d20

Senses:

• Standard Senses

Movement Types:

Defense

AC

35

Man Def

34

Monster Health
764	382	27
Hit Points	Bloodied	Hit Dice

Saving Throws
Fort:	+11
Refl:	+13
Will:	+16

Strong Against:

• (Leader Role) Immunity (partial 1): Leaders are immune to the first condition applied to them during an encounter. If a second condition is applied to a leader, it is resolved normally. A 'condition' is defined as any non-instantaneous harmful effect applied to the monster, other than damage, but is most commonly one of the defined Status Conditions (but it doesn't have to be). Statuses related to damage (such as injured, bloodied, staggered, dying, or dead) are not 'conditions', and cannot be negated or avoided with this ability.

Weak Against:

Offense

Size:	Medium
5 ft.		5 ft.
Space		Reach

To-Hit

+21

Man Off

+24

Action

2

Points

• Maneuver Offense Notes: +2 on Bull Rush

Standard Attack (Melee):

• 1x Leader's Baton +21 (3d8+13/19-20 x2)
  as bludgeoning (physical, common)
  plus: Bull Rush

Full Attack (Melee):

• 3x Leader's Baton +21 (3d8+13/19-20 x2)
  as bludgeoning (physical, common)
  plus: Bull Rush

Standard Attack (Ranged):

Full Attack (Ranged):

Siege Damage: Not siege capable

Statistics

12

STR

18

DEX

20

CON

16

INT

22

WIS

20

CHA

Skills:

• Bailiwick (Warfare): 25
• Bluff: 23
• Diplomacy: 23
• Perception: 24
• Sense Motive: 24
• All other skills: 18 (no ranks)

Languages: Common, Undercommon, Awnsheghlien

Feats:

Special Abilities

Commanding Presence (Ex, Aura)

All allies of a Drow Strategist are inspired by her cool head, sensible commands, and utterly unflappable demeanor. All allies that are within 100 feet of the Drow Strategist receive +2 to all to-hit rolls and +2 to all damage rolls for each five hit dice they possess, round up, to reflect her cool and devastating leadership. As if that is not enough, once per round as an immediate action, she may grant one of her allies within 100 feet a single standard action. This is resolved as an interrupt, and the ally may use this standard action for any use they wish, such as lowering it to a move action and running out of range of already declared attacks. Creatures with the Leader role are a pain in the neck.

Graceful Repose (Sp)

Concentration: 1d20 + 21 vs. a DC of 29 (8 needed on the die) As a standard action, the Strategist may heal herself and all adjacent allies for 3d10+21 hit points.

Terrible Rebuke (Sp)

Concentration: 1d20 + 21 vs. a DC of 29 (8 needed on the die) As a standard action, the Strategist may cast Terrible Rebuke. This affects all creatures in a 30-foot diameter (6x6 squares) area of effect within a range of 300 feet. Terrible Rebuke affects all creatures who are working in opposition to the Strategist's will, and thus usually only affects enemies, although given the byzantine nature of Drow society, damage to 'allies' is not impossible. Terrible Rebuke inflicts 3d8+13 points of psychic (energy, uncommon) damage to all affected creatures, and inflicts the Afflicted status condition until the beginning of the Drow Strategist's next turn. Creatures in the area of effect are allowed a Will save versus a DC of 24 to take half damage and negate the Afflicted condition.

Darkfire (Sp)

Concentration: 1d20 + 21 vs. a DC of 29 (8 needed on the die) As a standard action, the consort may hurl Darkfire at a creature within 100 feet. This is treated like a ray attack. She must succeed on a ranged touch attack at 1d20 + 25 vs. AC (always hits on a 17+ on the die). If she hits, the target takes 3d8+13 points of Darkfire (energy, rare) damage. Special: If the target of her Darkfire is undead, the Strategist may instead use Darkfire to heal that creature.

Shouted Command (Ex; Leader Role) Free Action 1/Rnd

Once per round as a free action, a Leader may grant any one ally within the sound of their voice (30 feet) a free standard action to be used immediately. This ability can normally only be used once per round, but the leader may spend an action point to activate it a second time if they wish.

Inspirational Leadership (Ex; Leader Role) Always On

Leaders give all allies a +3 morale bonus to all of their attack, damage, skill rolls, combat maneuver checks, combat maneuver damage, and any Save DC's their allies have for special abilities that allow a saving throw. This buff ends immediately when the leader is killed. This buff does not affect the leader, though if another leader is present, the leader gains this buff from the other leader. Morale bonuses do not stack; instead only the highest available bonus may be used. Note that minions treat this as a buff, gaining their own benefit instead of the listed benefit.

Keep Your Friends Close (Ex; Leader Role) Immediate Action

Once per round as an immediate action, the leader may apply all of the damage of a single attack just made against them to a single ally within 30 feet of their space, instead. The leader takes no damage from the attack, and any secondary effects of the attack (such as status conditions) are resolved against the allied creature instead. This ability may never be used more than once per round. If the leader has no allies within 30 feet, they cannot use this ability.

Drow Strategist

This creature possesses the Leader role, and therefore counts as 2 monsters for purposes of encounter size, XP award, and treasure.

Only rarely are outsiders ever graced with the honor of meeting a Drow Strategist. These smiling and delicate creatures are the driving will behind the utterly murderous Drow style of warfare. Meeting a Drow Strategist is a rare thing, and she will inevitably be escorted by a powerful personal guard, usually composed of Drow males, Driders, or powerful undead she has made herself.

Instead, Drow Strategists will be shadowy figures, never seen directly, only hinted at in coded messages and vicious orders written in a firm but beautiful script. Drow Strategists are in charge of huge amounts of martial power, and spend the large majority of their time in councils of war, plotting and planning attacks, feints, advances, strategic withdrawals, and all manners of maneuver.

It is rare for a Drow Strategist to be on the actual field of battle. She will usually have a Consort assigned to her to serve as her 'eyes in the field' and direct affairs in her name.

To say that a Strategist is ruthless is understating things. She will consider all assets she can control as expendable, and will seek only to use them up in a way that best advances the goals of herself and her House. Some smaller Houses may even be headed by a Strategist, although such things are rare, and such weak Drow Houses are usually soon absorbed by or allied with a Matriarch, as they should be.

In the rare instances when a Strategist is forced into combat, they are terrible foes in their own right, but the real threat is her escort, who will be driven to insanely suicidal heights of effort to destroy her attackers and get her to safety.

Bearding a Drow Strategist in her lair is a very, very dangerous task, but if you can end her ruthless leadership, it is a tremendous victory for the entire world.

Combat Tactics

If a Drow Strategist is drawn into combat, she will assess it. In almost all cases, against a party of player characters, a Drow Strategist will immediately move to sacrifice her minions in as painful a way as possible and flee as fast as she can. Nobody wants to face down a party of player characters, and Drow Strategists are no fools.

If a party manages to run down and corner a Drow Strategist, they are facing a Leader Role monster: HANDLE WITH CARE.

First, a Drow Strategist will get her allies in front of her. She will carefully pick and choose whom to gift her free standard action each round, looking to first disrupt spellcasters and ranged attackers, and then to interfere with the movement of melee characters. She will use her ranged attacks to drive away or into hiding any spellcasters, and if she can land a Terrible Rebuke upon multiple spellcasters, she will.

If she is forced into melee, she will seek to knock back her attackers with her free Bull Rush ability, and work to give her allies as many flanks and attacks of opportunity as she can without exposing herself to more risk. In all cases, the Drow Strategist will treat herself as the most valuable and dangerous asset in the battle, because usually, she is.

NOTE TO REFEREES: Leader monsters are dangerous, and optional. If your players are not capable combatants, think carefully before using a Leader role monster, as they are designed to challenge even the most powerful parties.

Out of Combat

Rewards

XP: 76,800 (Leader role included.)

Treasure: Sellable Goods worth 47,250 gp.

Weight: 280 lbs.     Volume: 11.2 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 - 8	Nothing Found
9 - 12	1 Languid Remnant (tier 1)
13 - 15	1 Pale Remnant (tier 2)
16 - 18	1 Bright Remnant (tier 3)
19 - 20	Roll on Table 2
###	Nothing to see here!
###	Or here. Move along.

Table 2: Remnant(s) Found
1 - 3	4 Languid Remnants (tier 1)
4 - 7	4 Pale Remnants (tier 2)
8 - 11	1 Intense Remnant (tier 4)
12 - 15	1 Blazing Remnant (tier 5)
16 - 18	1 Vital Remnant (tier 6)
19 - 20	Roll on Table 3
###	Or here. Move along.

Table 3: Remnant(s) Found
1 - 3	4 Bright Remnants (tier 3)
4 - 5	4 Intense Remnants (tier 4)
6 - 8	4 Blazing Remnants (tier 5)
9 - 11	4 Vital Remnants (tier 6)
12 - 15	1 Prime Remnant (tier 7)
16 - 18	1 Mythic Remnant (tier 8)
19 - 20	1 Empyrean Remnant (tier 9)