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View Full Version : AD&D 2nd edition -Advice on an lich-flavored adventure



Moonlitdreams
2009-12-06, 07:50 PM
Disclaimer: I am new to the DMing side of the table, so I chose to revert to an older edition rather than deal with the increased possibility of power gaming in the newer additions.

The issue: The party consists of a fighter, rogue, cleric and ranger. They have been commissioned by the town of Clearton to investigate the recent disappearances of the townspeople. Slowly but surely, the townspeople are being picked off whenever they venture into the surrounding forest and very rarely seen again; when they are, they are insane and unable to speak intelligently. The PCs picked up the hint that the isolated wizard that lives in a tower several miles away may be involved, and have set off to investigate that.

Now, the plot I have planned is, simply put, that the wizard in the tower is the real pawn, being manipulated by his own "apprentice" and a trusted fighter to kidnap the townspeople methodically and infect them with lycanthrophy by summoning several natural lycanthropes and having them bitten by the beasts. Ultimate intention is to create a small army of lycanthropes and guerrilla warfare the nation that the "apprentice" believes has potential but is using it all wrong, eventually taking it over.

Now. Based on all of the above, my questions for the people of the Playground are as follows:

The "apprentice" is actually a 16th level lich wizard under the effects of Polymorph Self and several other spells. Thematically, half-Deep Dragon and half-human is most appropriate for his heritage, but 2nd edition has no rules (that I am aware of) for creating half dragons. Advice on this? How would you stat a half-dragon in this edition? Or would you suggest a different race altogther? If so, what and why?
Would the spell Contingency be able to be applied to an item (the lich's phylactery)?
What flaws are there to the logic of this plot, and how can I attempt to correct them? What common player tricks should I be on the lookout for?


Oh, and by the way, the lich recently killed the other wizard's apprentice and took his place. That is why the wizard considers him his "apprentice".

hamlet
2009-12-06, 08:40 PM
Disclaimer: I am new to the DMing side of the table, so I chose to revert to an older edition rather than deal with the increased possibility of power gaming in the newer additions.

The issue: The party consists of a fighter, rogue, cleric and ranger. They have been commissioned by the town of Clearton to investigate the recent disappearances of the townspeople. Slowly but surely, the townspeople are being picked off whenever they venture into the surrounding forest and very rarely seen again; when they are, they are insane and unable to speak intelligently. The PCs picked up the hint that the isolated wizard that lives in a tower several miles away may be involved, and have set off to investigate that.

Now, the plot I have planned is, simply put, that the wizard in the tower is the real pawn, being manipulated by his own "apprentice" and a trusted fighter to kidnap the townspeople methodically and infect them with lycanthrophy by summoning several natural lycanthropes and having them bitten by the beasts. Ultimate intention is to create a small army of lycanthropes and guerrilla warfare the nation that the "apprentice" believes has potential but is using it all wrong, eventually taking it over.

Now. Based on all of the above, my questions for the people of the Playground are as follows:

The "apprentice" is actually a 16th level lich wizard under the effects of Polymorph Self and several other spells. Thematically, half-Deep Dragon and half-human is most appropriate for his heritage, but 2nd edition has no rules (that I am aware of) for creating half dragons. Advice on this? How would you stat a half-dragon in this edition? Or would you suggest a different race altogther? If so, what and why?
Would the spell Contingency be able to be applied to an item (the lich's phylactery)?
What flaws are there to the logic of this plot, and how can I attempt to correct them? What common player tricks should I be on the lookout for?


Oh, and by the way, the lich recently killed the other wizard's apprentice and took his place. That is why the wizard considers him his "apprentice".


There are rules in 2nd edition for creating half dragons. You can find them in the Council of Wyrms box set, though you will not find rules on Half Deep Dragons there. I would recommend thinking simply when it comes to 2nd edition. There aren't really any templates that you just slap on and change the monster and adding more and more mechanically just ends up being a headache for you. Plus, unless you're going to start the players at a high level, it'll take them years to get to 16th level. Or even 7th level. Remember, the key to AD&D is really that of simplicity. Keep it simple and you'll have a better time IMO.

I don't have the exact text open, but yes, I think Contingency can apply to items. Even if the book says otherwise, there's nothing stopping you from saying it can, or that this particular lich has a special "Contingency on Item" type spell.

Nothing terrible about your intended plot other than, you know, the fact that it's a plot. Plus, you have to figure a way for the evil person in question to control the lycanthropes. Plus, how is he infecting them? With what type? How will the players handle potentially having the power to control armies of lycanthropes?

Moonlitdreams
2009-12-06, 09:01 PM
There are rules in 2nd edition for creating half dragons. You can find them in the Council of Wyrms box set, though you will not find rules on Half Deep Dragons there. I would recommend thinking simply when it comes to 2nd edition. There aren't really any templates that you just slap on and change the monster and adding more and more mechanically just ends up being a headache for you. Plus, unless you're going to start the players at a high level, it'll take them years to get to 16th level. Or even 7th level. Remember, the key to AD&D is really that of simplicity. Keep it simple and you'll have a better time IMO.

I don't have the exact text open, but yes, I think Contingency can apply to items. Even if the book says otherwise, there's nothing stopping you from saying it can, or that this particular lich has a special "Contingency on Item" type spell.

Nothing terrible about your intended plot other than, you know, the fact that it's a plot. Plus, you have to figure a way for the evil person in question to control the lycanthropes. Plus, how is he infecting them? With what type? How will the players handle potentially having the power to control armies of lycanthropes?

Thanks for the tip on the Council of Wyrms set, I will have to look that up.

This is a single adventure rather than an entire campaign, and the characters range from level 10 to 15. Should I have had them start at a higher level? I specifically wanted them to have to rely on strategy rather than brute force to defeat the lich, which was my reasoning for having the levels as they are.

The evil person in question has a Ring of the Master, a created magic item that grants the wearer immunity to all types of infections and diseases (including Contagion spells, lycanthropy, and mummy rot) and access to coercion spells all the way from Suggestion to Mass Domination. Which are much more effective in 2nd edition with the Will save being nonexistent and all.

He is infecting the townspeople with lycanthropy by summoning natural wererats and having them bite the people after they are captured from the woods. Keep in mind that this has only started recently, so the "army of lycanthropes" the baddie is creating is not near complete yet. I would say 20 max.

erikun
2009-12-06, 09:12 PM
Well, liches have a dry, musty flavor. I wouldn't recommend pairing them with anything sweet, as the taste always ends up a bit off. Nutmeg can be a good addition to any lich, and cayenne pepper gives it a spicy kick. Lich can also add a hint of arcane flavoring to any strong tea.

.....

I'm beginning to think I misinterpreted the topic.

On topic, though, what happens to the town once a month on the full moon? I think the uninfected townsfolk would certainly notice something is up by then...

Moonlitdreams
2009-12-06, 09:20 PM
On topic, though, what happens to the town once a month on the full moon? I think the uninfected townsfolk would certainly notice something is up by then...

I interpret that to mean that you assume the newly infected wererats are placed back in the city. They are not, and are in fact not seen again at all around the town. If I have misunderstood your question, what is it that you mean?

LibraryOgre
2009-12-06, 09:54 PM
The "apprentice" is actually a 16th level lich wizard under the effects of Polymorph Self and several other spells. Thematically, half-Deep Dragon and half-human is most appropriate for his heritage, but 2nd edition has no rules (that I am aware of) for creating half dragons. Advice on this? How would you stat a half-dragon in this edition? Or would you suggest a different race altogther? If so, what and why?

As mentioned, half-dragons are covered in Council of Wyrms. However, there's a Dragon article from 1995 that covers a number of other half-dragons (including deep dragons), so take a look here (http://elvis.rowan.edu/~klassen/gaming/races/halfdrag.html).


Would the spell Contingency be able to be applied to an item (the lich's phylactery)?

BTB, no; contingency has a range of 0. However, I don't see much of a reason that a spell of 7th level couldn't be researched (i.e. possessed by fiat), that is essentially "Contingency with a range of touch"


What flaws are there to the logic of this plot, and how can I attempt to correct them? What common player tricks should I be on the lookout for?


The first problem I see is control of the lycanthropic army. While there are spells to control lycanthropes, few work on the "army" level. What if, instead of kidnapping townsfolk for soldiers, he's got an army of bandits, or a subverted cult of hunters or lycanthropy, and is using them as his army. His natural lycanthropes are helping to infect the army, but he's kidnapping townsfolk as a food supply.

Moonlitdreams
2009-12-06, 10:00 PM
Thank you! :smallsmile: Those are some very good ideas.

@Mark Hall: Since you reference the "first problem", what are the others?

LibraryOgre
2009-12-06, 10:10 PM
Aside from the control issue? I think it's the same issue of the underpants gnomes... how does one get from a guerrilla army of CE creatures (assuming he's using werewolves... Wererats would be better, as they're LE)... most of whom are only available 4 days out of 28... to ruling a nation? Especially one that is seen to have potential, and thus long-term combat with an internal enemy may destroy that potential? Right now, the plan we see is:

1) Create a lycanthropic army.
2) ???
3) Profit! (or rule a kingdom).

He'd be better off using undead (creating a wight army), which can be more easily controlled.

Moonlitdreams
2009-12-06, 10:17 PM
As noted earlier, yes he is using Wererats.

Admittedly the details of the plan are a little sketchy at this stage, but that is the reason I am looking for advice. I would be willing to consider the wight army instead if it were not for the already established connection of the kidnapped townspeople.

rayne_dragon
2009-12-07, 12:31 AM
I'd suggest that if you want a half-dragon lich, you may want to just take a look at the Dracolich and alter any features as nescessary to suit your taste.

I think the fact that he's using wererats makes him more interesting than the typical army of undead thing. If you look at the description of lycanthropes in the 2nd Edition Monstrous Manual you'll notice it mentions lycanthropes, in addition to the shift form at will true lycanthropes and the turn under full moon cursed lycanthropes, there are induced lycanthropes that are created by magic items. So the wizard could actually be using magic items to transform the villagers into lycanthropes (of as many types as you want). The magic item would of course be cursed so it can't be removed and include features that allow the lich to control them (such as allowing the lich to scry on them or read their thoughts at will plus being able to shock them - or any other magical effect - whenever he wants). This also adds an interesting twist in that you can pretend to make infection rolls for the PCs and maybe have them try to hunt down a cure only to realize that they were never at risk because the lycanthropes can't really infect them. You could also throw in some real lycanthropes as the commanders for the lich's army.

This way gives you an army of lycanthropes that can function any time (since the magic is permanent or controls the change), possibly be disguised as normal people, and is under excellent control. It can also create a moral dilema for the players, as the monsters are in all probability people who don't want to be doing what they are and could potentionally be rescued. It would also explain why the lich pretends to be the wizard's apprentice rather than doing all the work himself. Who wants to be stuck making magic items when they can get some shmuck to do it for them?

hamishspence
2009-12-07, 07:03 AM
Half dragons do qualify for the dracolich template- so it is an option.

That was in 3.5 though- does that apply in 2nd ed?

hamlet
2009-12-07, 08:57 AM
As it was mentioned above, the Undead are really just easier to manage from the DM's perspective. They're easier to control, they're just easier to herd for that matter, and you can really shake up the players somewhat. Zomebies are slow, stupid, and relentless, and would likely make up the bulk of such an army. They players, being high level, could conceivably blast away at them with turning very easily, but if there are thousands of them, they'll be overwhelmed soon enough. Then, when the players hunker down and the sun is set, you can hammer them with wights for added terror as the players watch their precious levels go away.

The issue is that at 10th plus level, there really isn't going to be a challenge in the form of monsters any more in AD&D. At that level, the challenges should be shifting away from fighting monsters and stealing their treasures to other things.

I do think that your Therianthrope idea has merit, but you have to shift away from the concept of "army" IMO. Trying to get any kind of Therianthrop to march in step is like herding cats. It's just going to go badly for the guy in charge.

HOWEVER. If you have a ring of control (or whatever we're calling the Maguffin of the day here), a lich would be far cleverer and realize that fighting big open battles to conquer the world is, frankly, outright stupid. Heroes are going to show up and just spoil the day, and they'll do it while smashing in your teeth since they'll be drawing a lot of attention to the lich himself, which poses a great risk to his primary concern of continuing to exist.

I think a better plan would be for him to control smaller numbers of theriantrhopes and to use them more cleverly. Wererats are sneaky and clever. They don't do well in the soldiering professions. Instead, why not use them as plants in major positions of power? The king, unbeknownst to any, is actually a natural wererat, having inherited the disease from his mother, also a wererat who was planted as a bride by your lich 30 years ago with the previous king. Guild masters (including and maybe especially the thieve's guild) are also being quietly replaced by wererats under the control of the lich who is quietly forming a power structure that answers to him behind the scenes.

In the meantime, to draw attention outward, he uses a group of werewolves to create the impression of a ravening tribe of the beasts lurking in the wilderness which will draw would be heroes out into the wilderness and away from the wererats that actually have information about what's going on in the cities. The players will busy themselves killing of werewolves and have a great time doing it, probably at the behest of the wererat infected leadership of the human realms all the while.

Once the lich has agents in power throughout the area, he can begin to exert more and more control, and bring everything under consolidation.


EDIT: And yes, I do think that starting characters at 10th+ level is a bit wonky. Part of what AD&D is is starting at level 1 and scrabbling your way up from there. But that's just my opinion and I'm certainly biased there.

Matthew
2009-12-20, 10:05 PM
My main concern here is with the set up being that a 16th level half dragon lich is messing about on the edge of a town secretly building a were rat army from townsfolk. As plans go, it is not really a good one, discovery is almost guaranteed. Given that you want to keep the premise of the adventure, I think that you should consider thinking up a secondary motive for his being in the town.