Calling All D&D Players

Hello folks.

So, I have a D&D campaign that I've been running for the last few years. It's the Star Jammer universe if any of you are familiar with it.

Anywho, I'm putting the party up against a Dragon Lich this weekend and I'd love to get some input on the best countermeasures to a Dragon Lich so that I can make sure it gives them a run for their money.

Any thoughts?

reply to post by tothetenthpower


Wish I could help but I always created my own boss fights and basically my own world. This way it was easier for new players (which is what I had) to get down the mechanics. Have you tried searching on Google for different counters?

-SAP-

Don't put the phylactery in the main lair. Put it off behind the secret room in the library, or in the kitchen (no one ever looks there).

Also, depends on the dragon, what it was in real life, its goals, why it wanted eternal life. If it's red, then it is a dead head, if it is metallic, then I don't think they would want to become a lich to begin with.

More info needed.

Have you consulted a draconomicon, in conjunction with a monstrous manual and DMG? I think Wizards put out a write up on the dracolich, but it would be so much better for it to have a personality like that of the characters and not a bland NPC.

reply to post by tothetenthpower


I've never used a dragon lich in my campaigns, but I've read books about them.... One of the RA Salvatore Drizzt books, him and the gang fight a red dragon turned lich. It seemed to have strong psychic powers and spells that could put characters in trances and turn them against their allies.

Wiki

I would recommend some strong, maybe epic level magic weapons. The dragon lich will have great magic defenses so mele and diversion might be the best way to go. Countermeasures? RUN before the party dies! Lol

For Sh!*s and G!ggles I looked up a few things, and came across this link.

In there, he changes the game up a bit, I think you should read it all, but the important thing that stuck me was this:

In my campaign I've changed the Dracolich so it'll be more effective as an undead reuccuring villain. I've done away with the whole "Once a dracolich's physical body is demolished, its phylactery is also shattered and the beast is gone for good." and replaced it with a rule that once the PCs vanquish it it will respawn next to it's phylactery after 1d12 days (With a minimum of 3 days I just reroll if I get lower than 3).

Wonderful idea, since the real power is in the phylactery and the only true way to destroy a lich is to destroy its phylactery.

reply to post by Skada


Yeah no I built it from scratch.

25th Level Dragon Lich, it was a Red Dragon.

But this is star jammer so the phylactery is actually on a different planet all together lol.

Basically it turned itself in order to create an army of undead to pillage around the universe with. It's in cahoots with some illithid hive mind that's the main villain of the story at the moment.

I used the DMG and the MM for the stats and some flavor, a special school of magic I came up with.

reply to post by Skada


Yeah I always had the rule, you had to find the thing that was still part of the original person and destroy it or the lich would just come back after a few days.

reply to post by tothetenthpower


A couple of things here to do depending on your parties level.

Lich template.
link

Applying templates.
link

There are some templates in various of the books. Like feindish and axiomatic
link

Look at the srd
srd

Templates!
click here.


I'd go with Pseudonatural Creature template.

AC

Pseudonatural creatures gain a +35 natural armor bonus. If the creature already has an armor bonus, use whichever is better.
Attack/Full Attack

A pseudonatural creature substitutes tentacle rake attacks for its melee attacks while in pseudonatural form. These tentacle attacks always use the creature’s best attack bonus. It also gains additional tentacle rake attacks (also at its best attack bonus) as noted on the table below.
Damage
Tentacle rakes from a pseudonatural creature deal damage equal to 2d8 + Str modifier.

Special Attacks
A pseudonatural creature retains all the special attacks of the base creature and also gains the following.

Constant Insight (Su)
The creature makes all its attacks with a +15 insight bonus. The creature is not affected by the miss chance that applies to attacks against a concealed target.

Improved Grab (Ex)
If the creature hits an opponent smaller than it with a tentacle, it deals normal damage and attempts to start a grapple as a free action without provoking an attack of opportunity.

Rotting Constriction (Ex)
Once the creature has hold of an opponent, each successful grapple check it makes during subsequent rounds permanently drains 2d4 points of Constitution. At the same time, the creature regains 10 lost hit points.

This is just ugly. 2d4 con a round!
Pseudonatural DracoLitch.
You might get a TPK if they don't bring their A game.

reply to post by tothetenthpower


You're making me very envious.

I haven't had my gaming group together in months.

In another thread I tried to get a ATS group going with some interest. But once the emails started rolling people fell out. We were using script based play and I think people lost interest.

Either way best of luck! Sounds like you make a great DM, tenth.

reply to post by grey580


Yikes.

Yeah average party level is like 12th right now I think...

But they are way overpowered, they have this AWESOME thing.

Each of them received a piece of plinth, which was part of the most powerful magical item every created by a master artificier named Cicero who is a 50th Level Elemental Prince

I'm not sure if you guys know what "helms" are in the realm of star jammer, but he made a planetary helm that was meant to absorb ALL of the inherent magic in the world ( they were basically testing their world to see how it would react to 0 magic)

So when the illithid came and pulled it out of the ground, they ended up with each a piece of it, which they then implanted into various items and they are evolving as they level, I give them a new ability or perk every 2 or 3 levels.

reply to post by W3RLIED2


I'm have 3 campaigns on the go right now.

WE alternate every week.

One modern d20 Fallout campaign.

One Starjammer ( this one)

The other is just a standard 3.5, really low level cause we have some new players that wanted to learn.

Originally posted by tothetenthpower
reply to post by grey580

 

Yikes.

Yeah average party level is like 12th right now I think...

But they are way overpowered, they have this AWESOME thing.

Each of them received a piece of plinth, which was part of the most powerful magical item every created by a master artificier named Cicero who is a 50th Level Elemental Prince

I'm not sure if you guys know what "helms" are in the realm of star jammer, but he made a planetary helm that was meant to absorb ALL of the inherent magic in the world ( they were basically testing their world to see how it would react to 0 magic)

So when the illithid came and pulled it out of the ground, they ended up with each a piece of it, which they then implanted into various items and they are evolving as they level, I give them a new ability or perk every 2 or 3 levels.

I'm not familiar with the setting but the pieces of plinth sound like a great plot adjuster!

So you have a party of twinkled level 12s eventually going to run into a 25th level dracolich....

I still recommend running....

reply to post by W3RLIED2


It's funny cause they think it's just a lich, they have idea about the dragon part.

They did manage to convince an entire church of Paladins and Clerics of Helm to help them out though right, so I expect them to be successfull.

The loot table is ridiculous though lol

Lol I knew I aws saying that wrong.

Spell Jammer!

en.wikipedia.org...

reply to post by tothetenthpower


12th level.
The dracolitch will be plenty.

It's already got a nasty parylization touch attack.

I loved playing the d20 Fallout so much it made me buy an Xbox a couple years ago, specifically for fallout 3. Now I have Fallout New Vegas, and just installed thirty levels worth of campaign expansion.

So awesome, dude!

I had two core groups that I used to play with, one as a party member, and one as a DM. I enjoyed DMing, but not nearly as much as I enjoy playing when the group has a great DM. My cousin was one of the finest DMs to ever roll the dice, unfortunately he's now overseas.

reply to post by W3RLIED2


Yeah I'm thinking of starting another campaign virtually with Skype...

3 or 4 players in 3.5 or fallout.

Your right though fallout is amazing. Our current campaign is 15th level, we are a reincarnation of the A team I dont' DM that one though, way too much fun to play.

We've basically taken over Canada and all it's vaults

Originally posted by grey580
reply to post by tothetenthpower

 

12th level.
The dracolitch will be plenty.

It's already got a nasty parylization touch attack.

You'd be surprised.

I ran them through a dungeon crawl at 5th level and they one shotted a Rhemoraz...

Which was CR 10...had 400 HP and a AC of 30.

reply to post by tothetenthpower


Ooooo

That'll chap your ass.

reply to post by W3RLIED2


It was my fault technically, they had a barrell of oil that the Ogre had been carrying around, to which they fooled the Rhemoraz into eating.

Then the archer shot it with a flamming arrow, I rolled a 1 on the barrel's hardness AC, so it ignited, it did 201 damage to the thing and I rolled it's fort save, it rolled a 1.

Oh the luck of the dice.