Why, that's a Quizacoatl!

The final comments are in from last week's "Weekly What the Heck". The result is the quizacoatl, the gameshow hosts of the astral plane.

I'd like to thank jermwar and benpop (with special thanks to jermwar for the name) for their ideas, all of which have been mashed together to create:

Quizacoatl

A quizacoatl is a manifestation of the universal concept of the Riddle extending into the Astral Plane.

Level 12 Skirmisher

Quizacoatl Contestant

XP 700

Medium immortal magical beast

Initiative +12 Senses Perception +12; darkvision
HP 121; Bloodied 60
AC 26; Fortitude 23, Reflex 23, Will 25
Speed 6, fly 8 (clumsy)

mBite (standard; at-will)

+17 vs. AC; 2d6 + 4 damage.

RThe Joker's Wild (standard; recharge 5 6) * Teleportation

Ranged sight; +15 vs. Will; the target teleports to swap spaces with the quizacoatl.

RThe Price Is Right (minor; recharge 6)

Ranged 5; +14 vs. Will; the next melee attack made against the target gains a +5 power bonus to the attack roll and, if it hits, it is automatically a critical hit.

Lightning Round (move; encounter)

The quizacoatl contestant shifts up to 6 squares.

Jeopardy!

The quizacoatl contestant deals an extra 2d6 damage on attacks against any target it has combat advantage against.

Let's Make a Deal

The quizacoatl poses a riddle out of combat (see the sphinx sidebar in the Monster Manual). If the challenged creatures refuse to answer or fail to answer correctly, the quizacoatl gains the following benefits: use of the joker's wild as a free action as soon as initiative is rolled with an immediate recharge on its turn, and a +4 bonus to all defenses until the end of the encounter.

Alignment Unaligned Languages Common, Supernal
Skills Arcana +15, History +15, Insight +17
Str 19 (+10) Dex 19 (+10) Wis 22 (+12)
Con 17 (+9) Int 19 (+10) Cha 22 (+12)

Quizacoatl Contestant Tactics

A quizacoatl contestant poses a riddle with its let's make a deal before combat begins. Once combat begins, it tries to get in an advantageous position for its jeopardy! ability.

Level 15 Controller

Quizacoatl Host

XP 1,200

Large immortal magical beast

Initiative +11 Senses Perception +13; darkvision
HP 146; Bloodied 73
AC 29; Fortitude 27, Reflex 27, Will 28
Speed 6, fly 8 (clumsy)

mBite (standard; at-will)

+20 vs. AC; 2d8 + 5 damage.

RWheel of Fortune (standard; at-will)

Ranged 5; +19 vs. Will; the next melee attack made against the target gains a +2 power bonus to the attack roll and, if it hits, it is a critical hit on a natural 18 or higher. Miss: the target gains a +2 power bonus to its next melee attack roll.

RThe Price Is Right (minor; recharge 6)

Ranged 5; +19 vs. Will; the next melee attack made against the target gains a +5 power bonus to the attack roll and, if it hits, it is automatically a critical hit.

AThe Joker's Wild (standard; recharge 5 6) * Teleportation

Area burst 1 within sight; up to 4 Medium or smaller adjacent targets; +19 vs. Will; the targets teleport to swap spaces with the quizacoatl.

Double Dare (free, when first bloodied; encounter)

A bucket of green goo appears over the creature whose attack bloodied the quizacoatl and drops on it. +19 vs. Reflex; the target is blinded (save ends).

Let's Make a Deal

The quizacoatl poses a riddle out of combat (see the sphinx sidebar in the Monster Manual). If the challenged creatures refuse to answer or fail to answer correctly, the quizacoatl gains the following benefits: use of the joker's wild as a free action as soon as initiative is rolled with an immediate recharge on its turn, and a +4 bonus to all defenses until the end of the encounter.

Alignment Unaligned Languages Common, Supernal
Skills Arcana +18, History +18, Insight +19
Str 20 (+12) Dex 18 (+11) Wis 23 (+13)
Con 18 (+11) Int 20 (+12) Cha 23 (+13)

Quizacoatl Host Tactics

A quizacoatl host poses a riddle with its let's make a deal before combat begins. Once combat begins, it prefers to stay out of melee, using its ranged powers to help its allies hit. If pressed it will try to use the joker's wild to teleport away.

Quizacoatl Lore

A character knows the following information with a successful Religion check.
DC 20: Travelers who encounter a quizacoatl are asked a riddle. Answered correctly, the quizacoatl will provide a minor boon or other beneficial assistance. Answered incorrectly, the Quizacoatl will instead cause a minor embarrassment (summoning a bucket to pour green goop over the traveler's head) or curse of bad luck.
DC 25: Some ancient quizacoatls have access to ancient riddles otherwise lost. Because of this, rituals for summoning a quizacoatl are detailed in ancient tomes such as Loremaster's Bargain. The summoning can be hazardous, at least to one's pride, but the reward may be great if the summoner piques the Quizacoatl's fancy and cleverly solves their riddle.

Encounter Groups

Quizacoatls are usually encountered with immortal or construct allies who can (like them) survive the passage of long centuries.
Level 11 Encounter (XP 3,100)
* 1 quizacoatl contestant (level 12 skirmisher)
* 3 helmed horrors (level 13 soldier)
Level 15 Encounter (XP 6,400)
* 1 quizacoatl host (level 15 controller)
* 1 angel of battle (level 15 skirmisher)
* 4 angels of protection (level 14 soldier)

I wasn't sure where to work the First Riddle into a 4e stat block...