TECHNIC LEAGUE ARCHAEOLOGICAL TEAM

I don’t like the Choking Tower dungeon crawl, though I like the rest of the adventure, the enemies and Furkas Xoud’s obsession with oozes and swarms made for odd monster choices.  I decided to rewrite it (still a work in progress).  The first thing I wanted to do is change Furkas Xoud’s focus to be more air and smoke eliminating the Ooze side entirely and reducing the hive side of things somewhat.  This will allow for a more elemental based Choking Tower.  The added advantage is I can use Xoud’s spell books to introduce the new Princes of the Apocalypse elemental spells.  

I also added a Technic Leage Archological Team who have penetrated the tower via the secret tunnel and are working their way up.  This will give the party a bit of competition.  Here is the team I put together.  First pass at least.  I took inspiration from Maure Castle (specifically Eli and the Seekers).

N.B: Updated 30/04/2015 with more details for some of the goons and a bit of a rewrite for Akradenn for the same reasons I rewrote Beornre.  He was a diabolist before he was a League Captain and his spells (translated into special abilities) reflect this.

AKRADENN, TECHNIC LEAGUE CAPTAIN
Medium humanoid (human), lawful evil 

Armour Class 12 (15 with mage armour + 2d8 [8] cold damage shield)
Hit Points 236 (18d8 + 18)
Speed 30ft.

STR 18 (+4) DEX 14 (+2) CON 12 (+2)
INT 20 (+5) WIS 15 (+2) CHA 16 (+3)

Saving Throws Int +9, Wis +6
Skills Arcana +13, History +13, Cybertheurgy +13
Damage Resistance damage from spells; non magical bludgeoning, piercing, slashing (from stoneskin) and fire (from chill shield)
Senses passive Perception 12
Languages Common, Infernal, Draconic, Gothic, Gnoll and Undercommon.
Challenge 12 (8,400 XP)

Magic Resistance. Akradenn has advantage on saving throws against spells and other magical effects.

Devil Arms.  Akradenn’s bioengineered arms are a rarity and is actually a creature.  The creatures impart powerful abilities to Akradenn. These hands grant two natural attacks for 1d12 points of damage per hand and are considered to be magical weapons, they grant him additional powers as detailed under Actions and Reactions.  Finally if Akradenn is killed the creatures slough off and look like great worms before dieing.

Fire! Akradenn has resistance to fire and the attacker takes 15 fire damage as a rebuke.

Life from Fire.  Whenever Akradenn takes fire damage, he gains 10 temporary hit points.

Spellcasting. Akradenn is an 9th-level spellcaster. His spellcasting ability is Intelligence (spell save DC 16, +8 to hit with spell attacks). He can cast disguise self and invisibility at will and has already activated stoneskin, chill shield and mage armour.  Otherwise is spells are included below as Actions.

LEGENDARY ACTIONS
Akradenn can take 3 legendary actions, choosing from the options below. Only one legendary action option can be used at a time and only at the end of another creature’s turn. The empyrean regains spent legendary actions at the start of its turn.

• Dark Fire. Akradenn casts a bolt of black fire causing at +8 to hit against one target causing 17 (2d10 +7) fire and necrotic damage.
• Hell Blight. Akradenn makes one melee attack and the target is hell blighted.  Whenever the target is healed in anyway, including the spending of HD, they must make a DC 16 Constitution save or the healing has no affect.
• Darkfire Storm (Costs 2 Actions). Akradenn snaps his fingers and a dark storm envelops his enemies.  All other creatures within 60 feet of Akradenn must succeed on a DC 17 Dexterity saving throw or take 13 (2d6 +7) fire and necrotic damage.  On failed save the target takes half damage and also burn with a black fire that does 5 (1d10) fire damage at the end of the targets next turn.  This also reveals invisible creatures and makes hiding of any kind impossible while the creature burns.

ACTIONS
Multiattack. Akradenn can make two attacks per turn from any of the below options.

Devil Arms. Melee Weapon Attack: +12 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target.
Hit: 10 (1d12 + 4) slashing or bludgeoning damage.  If the target is medium size or smaller they must make a DC 17 Strength saving throw or be pushed back 10 feet.  If both hands hit the same target they must make a DC 17 Constitution save or be paralysed from the force of the blow.  Save ends.

Sulphurous Flash. Ranged Spell Attack: +8 to hit, range 120 ft., one target.
Hit: 7 (2d6 +7) fire and necrotic damage and the target must make a DC 16 Constitution or Dexterity save or be blinded for 1 minute.  Save ends.

Timeworn Stun Gun. Ranged Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, range 100/400 ft., one target.
Hit: 13 (1d10 +2) nonlethal damage.  Depletes on 1 or 2 in 20.

REACTIONS
Bio Defence.  Akradenn can use his arms to defend himself swatting blows harmlessly away.  This grants him +4 to AC until the beginning of his next turn.  While bio defence is active he can not make opportunity attacks.

COMBAT 

GEAR
scroll of discharge, scroll of lightning bolt (CL 9th), scrolls of technomancy (4), hemochem (grade III, 2 doses), soft grenades (2), torpinal (3 doses); stun gun, mwk dagger, ring of protection +1, batteries (4), green access card, timeworn brown nanite hypogun, timeworn micro-bead, Technic League badge worth 50 gp

DESCRIPTION   
Akradenn is Male wizard; has a quick temper; focuses on technological melee weaponry and armour and was Furkas Xoud’s former lieutenant.  Akgradenn always found Furkas’ death a bit odd and after many years of sleuth work not only figured out his old master wasn’t dead but also discovered the Choking Tower.  To his surprise Furkas was dead when he finally breached the defences of the tower via the dungeon.  He doesn’t know why and Furkas’ ghost taunts him with the towers secrets but neither helps or hinders him.

In life Furkas liked Akradenn and considered him a friend – as much as anyone can in the Technic League at least – mostly due to Akradenn being the most competent apprentice he ever had.  The ghostly Furkas remembers and does not physically attack the Technic League group.  Though he is happy to play ghostly tricks on them.  Sometimes they do turn out to be lethal.

Akradenn is an unusual Technic League Captain in that he still enjoys field work.  He leads this team directly especially due to the relationship he had with Furkas. Akradenn also enhanced his arm with a biological weapon from the wreckage of the ship (or perhaps the Dominion of the Black?).  The arms and hand look organic and end in retractable claws as hard as steel.

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THE TEAM

Beornre is Akradenn’s Number One and a powerful nano-mage.  Rancis and Aered lead the rest of the Technic League Guard and both report to Beornre.  They are twins and have served with Akradenn since the days before the Technic League when he was a Baatuziologist.  Evet is also a long time member of the team and provides the tyrg’s used Akradenn.  Finally, Akradenn force is rounded out by five riot suppressors and a number of hirelings and tyrgs.