Challenging an Undead group.

[MrGhee]

So last week I decided to get creative and start a Drow/Undead campaign. I have three Drow Vampires (One master, two that are under her control) and a Lich. I have got them going on within the house politics between the different factions (none chose to be a Drow priestess) but I'm at a bit of an impass as of yet on how best to challenge them within the city currently.

Group make-up is:
Rogue 7th Drow Vampire
Mage 7th Drow Vampire
Sorcerer 7th Drow Vampire (New to gaming in general)
Priest of Selvetarm 7th Half fiend/Drow Lich (speical condition I Allowed for a lich under 11th lv)

There condition (Undead) is not known currently to anyone outside of there houses, there house assignment is to build a Trading company and make it prosper.

I want to throw them into some combat to get there feet wet before they leave the city but I'm having trouble coming up with something challenging that fits.

Besides a random priestess with her body guards does anyone have any ideas that might be more memorable?

[Silva Stormrage]

Um wow thats a lot of level adjustment... just getting that out of the way...

Beholders are always scary. Maybe the perfect trade post has a nearby beholder's den that needs to be taken out? Lords of Madness also has a ton of creepy monsters for the party to fight.

Just as a note as well. You are going to need some way of threatening the party... Every one of them can resurrect at will after they died. The vampires just need to be within 1 mile of their coffins and they will be fine and the lich revives at the phylactery.

[Addi]

A drow priestess that accidently rebukes or controls one of the PCs while performing a standard ritual?
That would reveal their condition and may turn one(or more) of them against the group or at least under the control of the priestess.

[Ksheep]

Just have a water elemental surround the vampires. They cannot hit it, because it would make the elemental mad, and vampires cannot cross running water.

*rimshot*

Seriously, though, I'd say have a Drow priestess order them around, telling them to do something menial and far below them. If they refuse, she strikes them… and she'll realize that whoever she strikes is not writhing in agony. This raises suspicions, and she raises an alarm. Guards try to capture them and bring them before the ruling council.

[Arundel]

A rift opens to the positive energy plane.

[Ksheep]

A rift opens to the positive energy plane.

And absolutely nothing happens to them. Positive energy plane just gives them fast healing (which doesn't harm them), not magical healing (which WOULD harm them).

[Dublock]

You could always do a paranoid Paladin who thinks everyone is an undead but this time he is right and tries to take them on by himself/with a few people who believe him, but the town doesn't because they all think he is crazy.

[Arundel]

And absolutely nothing happens to them. Positive energy plane just gives them fast healing (which doesn't harm them), not magical healing (which WOULD harm them).

You're right. I wonder what edition/setting I am remembering here.

[Diarmuid]

Thematicly, there's not a lot you should be throwing at them inside the city besides other Drow. You could certainly have some other Drow and their slaves/bound servants/etc and those could be various outsiders or other summoned creatures.

As for challenge...you have to determine what the ECL of the party really is and then build appropriately leveled encounters.

Technically, you're looking at a bunch of ~15th ECL characters. In the grand scheme of the world, there really arent going to be that many "every day" occurences that "should" be threatening them outside of some rival house's weapons masters, or other very high ranking officials.

The lack of class levels is probably going to make any CR15 bad guys a bit much to take on...so sounds like you have some finagling to do.

[MrGhee]

For some more details because I thought about them but they did not reach my fingers for typing earlier.

City they are starting in is Menzo (Forgotten Realms).--Quick details Female priestesses controll via Houses where Males are considered lower. Evil drow city where vampires would not be anything too drastic other than as a possible threat.

Beholder besides as a trader (which might work). The city will not have any of these floating around. Thought about an Illithid as well but not sure how threatening they are going to be vs. undead drow in there own city..

So a wandering paladin is really not going to be a viable threat inside there city. Once traveling there is a slew of different encounters that I plan on sending there way.

Drow priestess looks like the only option right now as a threat beyond the fight, (getting found out will leak there powers to other houses)

[Diarmuid]

Within Menzo, really your only options for threats are going to be other Drow. Of those, only the fightery types and castery types are going to be any problem for your group. Roguey types are just going to cry when they realise they cant SA your party....but, while you the DM know that, the rest of the city doesnt and if another house was going to be looking to get rid of this group, they would likely send some sneaksters likely along with some magical backup.

A better question rather that "what can I make the fight" is why does whatever wants to fight them...want to fight them? From there, you should determine what kind of strategy that foe would employ.

There just arent that many "random encounters" within Menzo.

Edit - While Drow Priestesses may seem like the only real challenge you can throw at them...why would a Drow priestess or even moreso, a group of them be going after this group? Without prior knowlegde of their "special" nature, I doubt a group of priestesses is going to really be worried about a few middling Drows, mostly males at that.

[MrGhee]

Well they will be traveling between two houses (they were Allied, but now are tied more closely together).

My general plan was an encounter between their house travels so that the new person gets there first combat in, I can try and judge how tough of CL i should be throwing at them. (ECL is 15+ but I'm not sure they could handle that.)

With an over zealous priestess with her Personal guards, they are going to decide that the players are worth destroying because she is in a bad mood and her house is higher ranking than theirs. (Easy enough reason) and a good way to cause more house drama between them one way or the other. Unless they are really good and can kill them/escape without causing too much death or being found out.

[Randomguy]

Elves hate drow, and drow are normally evil. A random elvish crusade (full of paladins, clerics and the occasional wizard) like the one from start of darkness wouldn't be too out of place.

[The Glyphstone]

You're right. I wonder what edition/setting I am remembering here.

You're probably just remembering common sense, in a world where the Positive Energy Plane is not the best place for a lich to make his home and store his phylactery behind walls of minions with millions of temporary HP.

[Drachasor]

You're probably just remembering common sense, in a world where the Positive Energy Plane is not the best place for a lich to make his home and store his phylactery behind walls of minions with millions of temporary HP.

Pretty sure in 2nd Edition undead were slaughtered by the Positive Energy Plane.