Building The Witch King

[Pentachoron]

So I'm letting my players work on the storyline for the campaign I'm running because it takes work off my shoulders. They have decided that the penultimate BBG they want to fight should pretty well be the Witch King of Angmar.

I am at a loss as how to build this character, and I was quite surprised with a google search to find the only actual hit I got was just the other thread on here about a character with the same name.

I figure Gish would be the best approach as far as archetype. I figure some sort of sorcadin build (I don't want to get too optimized, the players aren't optimizing much and I'd like them to be able to have a chance.)

The main area I'm having trouble is deciding exactly what type of undead to make him, and settling on the final build, figured the playground should be able to help.

All sources are open, ECL 20 Gestalt.

[Yora]

He barely appears in the books and in the movies he never does any magic. But I think we're informed that he was a great sorcerer as a man.

Personally, I would go with a lich blackguard of some sort.
Fighter 8/Blackguard 10//Sorcerer 18

Or maybe make it warlock.
Fighter 8/Blackguard 10//Warlock 18

[Skaven]

Yeah, some kind of undead blackguard dual wielding a flaming sword and a goodbane morning star.

[OneCalledBlue]

Wraith. Thats exactly what he is after all.

Fullplate (or heavier from Races of stone) woth Ghost touch.
Morning star with ghost touch and a longsword with ghost touch.

I'd Go Human Paladin/Blackguard/Sorcerer - (armored casting ACF)/Mystic Theurge. As he used to be a good guy, but then fell from the taint with the ring. Add the Wraith onto that.
Depends on how many levels you want him to have and how high the CR is going to be.

The other option is Death Knight for a template, but that isnt quite the same.

I'd also say he serves somethign evil enough to get the Elder Evil bonus feats. Give him a bunch of evil combat Vile feats.

There is even a master/slave ring in the BoVD you could use to make it serious. lol. Combine a slave rin with a cursed ring of corruption (changes alignment) and the most awesome ring of wizardry ever.

[Thurbane]

For a moment, I thought you might be talking about one of my favorite novels from when I was younger:

http://i56.tinypic.com/254y25k.jpg

[herrhauptmann]

He barely appears in the books and in the movies he never does any magic. But I think we're informed that he was a great sorcerer as a man.


I think it's stated that several of the ring wraiths were old Kings of Numenor. You know, Aragorns ancestors.
I'd say avoid the incorporeal wraith with ghosttouch/strike weapons. Yes, he was a wraith, but D&D uses that term differently than Tolkien did. The wraiths had no difficulty making contact people, and people didn't need special weapons to hit them. Though special weapons like the Noldor daggers from the barrow worked much better.

[sonofzeal]

Psion Uncarnate might be a good fit here. Wraithly, Magely, classy... could be fun!

[OneCalledBlue]

I think it's stated that several of the ring wraiths were old Kings of Numenor. You know, Aragorns ancestors.
I'd say avoid the incorporeal wraith with ghosttouch/strike weapons. Yes, he was a wraith, but D&D uses that term differently than Tolkien did. The wraiths had no difficulty making contact people, and people didn't need special weapons to hit them. Though special weapons like the Noldor daggers from the barrow worked much better.

Actually the wraiths in Lord of the Rings had no form unless wearing thier robes or armor. They could not make contact unless they were wearing gauntlets, gloves or wielding a sword.

That is why I think it works out fine.
Strictly not the same as a ring wraith. But very close in many aspects.

The biggest difference is that lord of the ring wraiths dont have a whole lot of problem in sunlight, they just find it uncomfortable.

Also people dont need special weapons to hit a wraith either, just to hurt it, which is exactly like the ring wraiths.

[herrhauptmann]

Actually the wraiths in Lord of the Rings had no form unless wearing thier robes or armor. They could not make contact unless they were wearing gauntlets, gloves or wielding a sword.

That is why I think it works out fine.
Strictly not the same as a ring wraith. But very close in many aspects.

The biggest difference is that lord of the ring wraiths dont have a whole lot of problem in sunlight, they just find it uncomfortable.

Also people dont need special weapons to hit a wraith either, just to hurt it, which is exactly like the ring wraiths.

Forgot about what happened when Elrond hit them with the water in his valley. Point in your favor.
Eowyn managed to kill the Witch king with a regular sword. She may have had prophecy in her favor, but it was still a normal sword to the best of my knowledge. Then on the hill, Aragorn drove a few off with a standard sword and a torch. I can't remember if the narrative said that he uncloaked his soul, letting his power as a man of Numenor shine forth in that instance.

A D&D wraith can't be hit with a regular weapon, period. Even standard magic weapons have a chance of not affecting them. It's gotta be something special (holy, ghost touch/strike, force, etc) to hurt one. Which is different from the Tolkien wraiths.

[OneCalledBlue]

Aragorn's sword was magical, though not as good as the sword of the king, and yes Eowyn had the power of PLOT on her side. lol.

But hey, the D&D wraith is a little tougher. That works fine.
The OP isnt trying to perfectly duplicate the Witch King of Angmar. Just make something that looks and acts a lot like him.

[herrhauptmann]

Are you sure his initial sword was magical? It's been a while since I read the books, and my copy of LotR got stolen a few years back, so can't even go to doublecheck it easily.

[Telonius]

Ghostwalk might be helpful here. If you stat up the Witch King as a ghost, and assume that Merry's sword was Ghost Touch with "Forced Manifestation" on it, it would make the final fight comprehensible. (It was specifically stated that the sword was made for combat against the Witch-King, so it seems kind of sensible that some sort of enchantment might well be on it, even if nobody knew how it worked anymore).

[OneCalledBlue]

Are you sure his initial sword was magical? It's been a while since I read the books, and my copy of LotR got stolen a few years back, so can't even go to doublecheck it easily.

His sword was named in the books but not overtly called as magical.
But it was mentioned as being magical in the Silmarillion.

[Eldariel]

Aragorn's sword was magical, though not as good as the sword of the king, and yes Eowyn had the power of PLOT on her side. lol.

No, Eowyn was able to kill it thanks to Merri striking it with Dagger of Witch King Slaying; that's really what made the whole creature slayable. Could be modelled as making it treated as corporeal and negating its DR or something.

[OneCalledBlue]

No, Eowyn was able to kill it thanks to Merri striking it with Dagger of Witch King Slaying; that's really what made the whole creature slayable. Could be modelled as making it treated as corporeal and negating its DR or something.

Very true. But regardless that means you still need special magic weapons to be able to hurt the damn thing.

[Draz74]

Not trying to model the literary character too closely ... I don't see what's wrong with just putting a standard Sorcadin build (with Paladin of Tyranny) on a Necropolitan.

Well, except I guess Sacred Exorcist (a popular dip for Sorcadins) doesn't work with Evil alignment. But you can either go without having Turn Undead, or take 4 levels of Paladin instead of 2. With Abjurant Champion and so forth, it could still be pretty good.

Knight Phantom ... hmmm. He is normally mounted, whether on a horse or a Fell Beast.