Help Me Design My Campaign's Big Bad

[BenjCano]

My Pathfinder group is at low levels, and I've got them working for a mysterious benefactor who, surprise, is using them to retrieve an artifact from a temple she cannot access herself. The campaign will have a thrilling climax when the group discovers that their patron is a manipulating them to bring about the overthrow of the kingdom, go on a quest to recover her phylactery, and kill her once and for all.

I want some help at this high level NPC design so I can properly give my group a memorable final boss encounter. The only restrictions are that she has to be a LE female elven lich wizard. Aside from that, I want a really difficult challenge for the PCs, so I'm thinking a CR between 20 and 22 (given that I plan for them to be about 18th level before facing off with her)

As an incentive for helping me, I will name the lich's melee enforcer after the forumite whose character I end up using and giving him a memorable scene of your request. Also, I will give you all the Internet money.

Thanks for the help.

[Ithandor]

I've always liked the idea of a BBEG focusing on specialised use of Enervation, and it seems quite fitting for a Lich wizard. It creates a nice feeling of wasting away, without the instantaneous "you-lose" of death magic. However, Death Ward is a problem.

I suggest maybe something like the following (this could be viable provided the party (or a lot of them) rely Death Ward for protection, and not Soulfire or the like):

Grey Elf Lich Wizard 20 (or lower, 17 or higher can achieve this tactic)

Important feats: Split Ray, Arcane Thesis (Enervation), Maximise Spell, Empower Spell, Metamagic School Focus (Necromancy), Sudden Maximise, Chain Spell.

Optional but recommended: Craft Contingent Spell, Twin Spell.

Ensure that you have a Contingency in place, stating "When I cast Nerveskitter, cast Celerity". A Third Eye Clarity to negate Daze would be good too. This should ensure you always get the first strike, as Nerveskitter can explicitly be cast whilst flat-footed.

In Celerity, cast Sudden-Maximised Time Stop, Reverse Gravity, and several Otiluke's Greater Dispelling Screens stacked above/through the party. Finish with a solid defense spell - this must stop you getting one-shotted!

Once you begin attacking directly, use (MM School Focus) Arcane Thesised Split Ray Chained Maximised Empowered Enervations (8th level slots - EDIT, I can't math. Get rid of Empower, or use 9th level slots). Throw in some Necromantic Skull Bombs too. Assuming you have managed to neutralise negative energy protections, that should put the fear of god into them while giving them a chance to fight back, albeit in a drastically weakened state.

[ArcturusV]

Is it wrong that the first thing that popped into my head is "... how have the players NOT figured out they are working for a walking corpse held together by pure evil magics"? :smallbiggrin: Probably. But that's how my mind goes.

Spellcasters are always tricky for me to design as Main Villains. Mostly because if they are played ruthlessly (As most villains are supposed to be) and intelligently (As any Wizard rocking some Int 30 should be)... it gets ugly. Real, real fast. As in turn one, half your party is out of the fight/dead, best case scenario.

I haven't mucked around too much with Pathfinder, just played one campaign that someone else was running. So I can't say Pathfinder specific stuff, or particular "Builds". But I will give you my general thoughts as they come up because... hey... lets be helpful!

I guess the weird thing to consider first is why the Villain became a Lich. Might not be important to you. But Lichdom always seemed like kind of an extreme idea to just casually have there. There's a lot less, well... permanently evil with high vulnerability stuff out there for a wizard who REALLY just wanted to avoid suffering in Hell. Clones, Reincarnations, researching spells to stop aging, Soul Trapping and Replacement into a new body, etc. So if you became a Lich... there was a reason beyond "want to live forever". You don't get into the Lich game for that. You do things like Wish Reincarnations or Clones, etc. You get into the Lich game because there is a REASON you need the powers undeath gives you. It's not even something you do on the fly since it requires a long drawn out ritual to research and enact.

I can't say for sure not knowing the particulars. But it's something to think about that can give your Lich a little depth other than "She's a lich because that's typically an iconic evil spellcaster enemy".

Since it's an elf... I want to suggest a lot of area control effects for the spell selection of the lich. But mostly "Quasi-natural" stuff. Stinking Clouds, yes. Solid Fogs, yes. Have something like Wall of Fire, Wall of Wood, Wall of Brambles, yes. Less random "Stupid Blaster" Wizard selection like most villains who just chuck fireballs, lightning bolts, and meteor swarms. Enchantments and Illusions would also be very fun (And probably necessary to enact your schemes anyway). Most players I've seen don't run into well done Illusions or Enchantments all that often, and don't really know how to interact with them. I mean they're used to wizards who cast something like Wind Wall or Grease, or a Stat-Lowering spell. They're used to Fireballs and Lightning Bolts, etc. They're less used to someone where you're never really certain if what you are seeing is true or not, audio falsehoods, how to deal with Weirds, etc, and subtle enchantments.

[Krobar]

Fimbulwinter, Burst of Glacial Wrath, Iceberg, Frostfell..if they're not specifically planning for cold they could get hurt.

A lot of players, when it comes to undead, seem to forget about cold. They always worry about negative energy, mental attacks, summoned stuff, more undead... occasionally they need to be reminded how much it hurts when an iceberg falls on your head.

[Deaxsa]

Fimbulwinter, Burst of Glacial Wrath, Iceberg, Frostfell..if they're not specifically planning for cold they could get hurt.

A lot of players, when it comes to undead, seem to forget about cold. They always worry about negative energy, mental attacks, summoned stuff, more undead... occasionally they need to be reminded how much it hurts when an iceberg falls on your head.

ah, Fimbulwinter... is it only me, or does this spell A) remind you of that scene in LoTR where Saruman is making those storms, and B) this spell needs to be SERIOUSLY buffed to be as awesome as the name?

in response to the OP, however, i think it really depends on how your party ends up at those levels, and if there are any restrictions you want in place (for instance, if she has any banned schools). you are going to wait quite a while before her combat stats are actually relevant, and since she's a wizard, almost any arcane spells are ON the table at this point.

[BenjCano]

Is it wrong that the first thing that popped into my head is "... how have the players NOT figured out they are working for a walking corpse held together by pure evil magics"? :smallbiggrin: Probably. But that's how my mind

Easy enough there. Any time she needs a face to face, she hijacks a flesh puppet through magic jar and sits back behind undetectable alignment.

[Deaxsa]

Easy enough there. Any time she needs a face to face, she hijacks a flesh puppet through magic jar and sits back behind undetectable alignment.

or alter self/disguise..? otherwise she'd need the same flesh puppet over and over and over and over again.

[ArcturusV]

Well Alter Self is "assume the shape of something the same type". So you'd still be Undead as that's the type. But yeah. I know there are ways around it. Just always think it's funny when a powerful X villain is personally dealing with mere hirelings like that instead of a middle manager type. Or even that Melee Enforcer mentioned.

[Razanir]

http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showpost.php?p=14751030&postcount=29

Baron Corm's Generic Class 2.0 (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=251994). I made a SAD full gish (Cha). I'd recommend giving them wands and/or brilliant energy weapons, because magic and touch armor are his only weaknesses. I'll return later with a stat block.