Serpentine Sage - RSP Encounter

In this encounter, the PCs come across the hydra wizard, Chalos. Chalos can either serve simply as an (unusual) enemy or as a dangerous font of information.

A battered wooden sign stands proudly here, staked into the squelching mud. Messily daubed in bright white chalk are the words “Chalos the Sage”. All around, stones and trees bear mysterious spiraling symbols.

Area Features

The area has several features of note: Bogs: It costs 2 squares of movement to enter a square with a shallow bog, and the DC of Acrobatics checks in such a square increases by 2. Bogs increase the DC of Stealth checks by 2.
Deep Bogs: A square that is part of a deep bog has roughly 4 feet of standing water. It costs Medium or larger creatures 4 squares of movement to move into a square with a deep bog, or characters can swim if they wish. Small or smaller creatures must swim to move through a deep bog. Tumbling is impossible in a deep bog.
The water in a deep bog provides cover (+4 AC, +2 Reflex save) for Medium or larger creatures. Smaller creatures gain improved cover (+8 AC, +4 Reflex). Medium or larger creatures can crouch as a move action to gain this improved cover. Creatures with this improved cover take a –10 penalty on attacks against creatures that aren't underwater. Deep bogs increase the DC of Stealth checks by 2.
Arcane Markings: A successful DC 15 Knowledge (arcana) or Spellcraft check reveals that the spiral markings on the area’s tree and rocks have no arcane significance. These are actually just Chalos’ talon-carved doodles from his frequent bouts of boredom, inspired by some of the arcane writings in Narkba Thol’s spellbook.
Treasure: Chalos conceals his spellbook in a dry hollow masked by a fallen tree. A DC 20 Perception check reveals the hollow that also contains 243 gp in a muddy sack.
When not out hunting for food, Chalos waits in his shallow swamp-home approximately 400 feet from the sign. Chalos prefers to talk to visitors for a while (his other heads are not exactly conversationalists) before sizing them up for a meal. Chalos’ swamp consists of a large, roughly circular deep bog measuring 200 ft. across.
Chalos begins the encounter friendly and the PCs can use Diplomacy to improve his attitude. The notes below list the DC to alter his mood. For every minute the PCs converse with Chalos, the Diplomacy DC increases by 5 as his appetite wars against his desire for conversation. However, if the PCs render him helpful, he does not attack them while the conversation continues.

Development

• Hostile (DC 28): Chalos attacks the PCs, and tries to eat them. His main head continually urges its instinctive brethren to attack.
• Unfriendly (DC 23): Chalos hisses at the PCs, and his heads lash forward menacingly. Chalos will not answer questions and commands the PCs to leave.
• Indifferent (DC 18): Chalos begins to tire of talking to the PCs and demands payment of 100 gp for his trouble. Failure to pay inflicts a -5 penalty on future checks.
• Friendly (DC 13): Chalos happily converses with the PCs and provides free information in his fields of expertise. If he doesn’t know an answer, he lies and makes one up (Bluff +3).
• Helpful (DC 3): As friendly, except Chalos doesn’t lie when he doesn’t know an answer. PCs joking at his lack of knowledge immediately render him indifferent.

Intimidation works normally on Chalos to force him to answer questions. Chalos is a proud creature, and if the PCs correct Chalos on a point of fact, his attitude immediately falls one step. If the PCs render him helpful (before leaving) and subsequently return, he remembers them. They gain a +5 circumstance bonus on subsequent Diplomacy checks until his attitude becomes indifferent (or worse) toward them.


CHALOS

Chalos sees himself as an all-knowing oracle of knowledge. Background: Two years ago, Chalos was an ordinary hydra, stalking the swamp in search of food. During one such foray, he came upon and defeated an adventuring band, The Lonely Skulls, and promptly devoured their remains. During the feast, the magical headband of Narkba Thol, the group’s wizard, tangled around Chalo’s central head and activated, granting the hydra sentience.
From that moment on, he became obsessed with magic and vigorously studied the dead wizard’s spellbook eventually becoming a wizard.
Personality: Chalos is an insufferable know-it-all who enjoys pontificating to “lesser” intellects. Fascinated by how things work, he enjoys studying and taking things apart (messily, with his teeth). His other heads often frustrate him, making it difficult to concentrate – something that irritates him immensely. Chalos suffers from a perverse bombastic verbosity, mimicking a faux erudite nature. Chalos is really only the central head of the hydra; the remaining heads retaining their animallike instincts, much to Chalo’s chagrin.
Although he appears as a hydra, he is not intrinsically evil – although those speaking with him may assume otherwise. While he enjoys the fear his appearance often conjures, he finds it annoying, as it is hard to prove yourself intellectually superior while your conversation partner is fleeing for its life!
Mannerisms: Chalo’s four other heads snake menacingly around their leader, occasionally moving to bite anyone engaging in conversation with the hydra. Chalos frequently has to momentarily suspend conversations to nip and shout at these unruly heads to keep them in line.
Distinguishing Features: Chalos is covered in dark scales ranging from deep green at his heads to a sickly purple on his flanks. He is never without his headband of intellect – an ornate golden band (normally worn at a rakish angle).


Tactics

In battle, Chalos is a straightforward foe, pouncing on the closest enemy and tearing them to pieces. If reduced to less than 10 hp, he casts obscuring mist and retreats into the deepest part of the swamp to allow his fast healing to take effect. Once healed, Chalos returns to the fray.
If Chalo’s central head is severed, he loses his enhanced intelligence, plunging his Int score back to 2. At this point, Chalos may not cast spells and fights to the death


Scaling the Encounter

To modify this encounter, apply the following changes: EL 5 (XP 1,200): Chalos has permanently lost two heads in the battle with Narkba Thol and The Lonely Skulls. Remove two of Chalos’ bite attacks. He has charred stumps where these heads once grew. EL 7 (XP 1,600): Apply the giant creature template to Chalos (+2 on all Str- and Con-based rolls, -1 on all Dex-based rolls; hp 84.)