DragonBaneDM
2016-02-26, 12:53 PM
Yo, if your name is Lorigan, Bellbottom, Darjeeling, or Osradiir get the heck outta here.
Hey guys.
I'm trying to make a climactic finish to this Korranberg Library dungeon I designed, and here's what I have:
The Level 5 party accidentally unearths the lich of the library's founder and unknowingly finding his phylactery along the way. The gnomish government (The Trust) has been hesitant to engage the lich in straight combat until now, and has been watching the party closely, waiting for an opportunity to strike. Meanwhile, the rogue's new friend/romantic interest reveals himself as a traitor, leading to a dramatic rooftop duel, which will effectively take them down to a three person team.
So the fight is going to be party* vs. The Trust vs. a leveled down lich (his ritual isn't fully complete). They have the option of joining forces against the lich, but one of my challenges is that I want to make this doable either way. The Trust is almost entirely focused with bringing down the lich, but I think some of the Agents wouldn't hesitate to push a PC away from them or even attack.
For the lich, I heavily modified a CR 8 Mind Flayer Arcanist (with a variant of Mind Blast cause I feel it fits). I really only gave him two spells to start with, but might expand. This encounter has a couple moving parts, I want my players to feel engaged. Totaled his damage from two Icy Bolts, a Cloudkill hit, and his Drain Life power hitting 4 people, and it does indeed come out to a CR 8 monster when I plugged that damage into the calculator, so as planned he looks like this:
Dorius Korran CR 8
Medium undead gnome, lawful evil
Armor Class 15
Hit Points 71 (Must be reduced to 35 and shown his phylactery to surrender)
Speed 30ft. Fly 30 ft.
Initiative: +1
STR 11 (+0) DEX 12 (+1) CON 12 (+1)INT 19 (+4) WIS 17 (+3) CHA 17 (+3)
Saving Throws lnt +7, Wis +6, Cha +6
Skills Arcana +7, Deception +6, Insight +6, Perception +6,
Persuasion +6, Stealth +4
Senses darkvision 120ft., passive Perception 16
Damage Immunities: poison, necrotic
Damage Resistances: slashing, piercing, and bludgeoning from nonmagical weapons.
Languages Common, Gnomish, Draconic
Challenge 8 (3,900 XP)
Magic Resistance. Dorius has advantage on saving throws against spells and other magical effects.
Spellcasting: Dorius’s spellcasting ability is Intelligence (spell save DC 15).
ACTIONS
Corrupting Touch: Melee Weapon Attack: +7 to hit, reach 5 ft., one creature. Hit: 15 (2d10 + 4) necrotic damage and the target must succeed on a DC 15 Constitution check or be poisoned for one minute. A creature poisoned this way can repeat the save at the end of each of their turns.
Icy Bolts: Targets one, two, or three creatures within range 10. +7 vs AC: 1d10 cold damage and the target’s speed becomes 2 until the end of its next turn.
Cloudkill: Concentration, recharges when a Cloudkill is not on the field. 20 foot radius sphere. Moves 10 feet away from Dorius at the start of each of his turn. Creatures entering the area or starting there for the first time must make a DC 15 Constitution save or take 5d8 poison damage. They talk half damage on a successful save. Area within the fog is heavily obscured.
Knowledge Overload (Recharge 5-6). Dorius magically emits psychic energy in a 60-foot cone. Each creature in that area must succeed on a DC 15 Intelligence saving throw or take 22 (4d8 + 4) psychic damage and be stunned for 1 minute. A creature can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on itself on a success.
LEGENDARY ACTIONS: (3 points)
Icy Bolts: 1 point. The lich casts Icy Bolts.
Corrupting Touch: 2 points. The lich uses its Corrupting Touch.
Frightening Gaze: 2 points. The lich fixes its gaze on one creature it can see within 10 feet of it. The target must succeed on a DC 15 Wisdom saving throw against this magic or become frightened for 1 minute. The frightened target can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on itself on a success. If a target's saving throw is successful or the effect ends for it, the target is immune to the lich's gaze for the next 24 hours. Kitty has advantage on this saving throw.
Disrupt Life: 3 points. Each living creature within 20 feet of the lich must make a DC 15 Constitution saving throw against this magic, taking 9(3d6) necrotic damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one.
The Trust agents are going to be CR 1, and led by a CR 4 lieutenant with some manipulative psionic abilities, namely she's going to be pushing the PCs around the battlefield and forcing them to attack the lich, fitting for being part of a manipulative organization who's been using the party this entire time. I don't have them statted yet, wanted to post this first.
But my biggest challenge is this: How do I keep my players engaged with so much going on? I've done other boss battles with multi-stage enemies and mechanics just for that boss fight before. What would you guys do if you wanted to have a big, multi faction fight that moves quick enough that your PCs still have fun?
Hey guys.
I'm trying to make a climactic finish to this Korranberg Library dungeon I designed, and here's what I have:
The Level 5 party accidentally unearths the lich of the library's founder and unknowingly finding his phylactery along the way. The gnomish government (The Trust) has been hesitant to engage the lich in straight combat until now, and has been watching the party closely, waiting for an opportunity to strike. Meanwhile, the rogue's new friend/romantic interest reveals himself as a traitor, leading to a dramatic rooftop duel, which will effectively take them down to a three person team.
So the fight is going to be party* vs. The Trust vs. a leveled down lich (his ritual isn't fully complete). They have the option of joining forces against the lich, but one of my challenges is that I want to make this doable either way. The Trust is almost entirely focused with bringing down the lich, but I think some of the Agents wouldn't hesitate to push a PC away from them or even attack.
For the lich, I heavily modified a CR 8 Mind Flayer Arcanist (with a variant of Mind Blast cause I feel it fits). I really only gave him two spells to start with, but might expand. This encounter has a couple moving parts, I want my players to feel engaged. Totaled his damage from two Icy Bolts, a Cloudkill hit, and his Drain Life power hitting 4 people, and it does indeed come out to a CR 8 monster when I plugged that damage into the calculator, so as planned he looks like this:
Dorius Korran CR 8
Medium undead gnome, lawful evil
Armor Class 15
Hit Points 71 (Must be reduced to 35 and shown his phylactery to surrender)
Speed 30ft. Fly 30 ft.
Initiative: +1
STR 11 (+0) DEX 12 (+1) CON 12 (+1)INT 19 (+4) WIS 17 (+3) CHA 17 (+3)
Saving Throws lnt +7, Wis +6, Cha +6
Skills Arcana +7, Deception +6, Insight +6, Perception +6,
Persuasion +6, Stealth +4
Senses darkvision 120ft., passive Perception 16
Damage Immunities: poison, necrotic
Damage Resistances: slashing, piercing, and bludgeoning from nonmagical weapons.
Languages Common, Gnomish, Draconic
Challenge 8 (3,900 XP)
Magic Resistance. Dorius has advantage on saving throws against spells and other magical effects.
Spellcasting: Dorius’s spellcasting ability is Intelligence (spell save DC 15).
ACTIONS
Corrupting Touch: Melee Weapon Attack: +7 to hit, reach 5 ft., one creature. Hit: 15 (2d10 + 4) necrotic damage and the target must succeed on a DC 15 Constitution check or be poisoned for one minute. A creature poisoned this way can repeat the save at the end of each of their turns.
Icy Bolts: Targets one, two, or three creatures within range 10. +7 vs AC: 1d10 cold damage and the target’s speed becomes 2 until the end of its next turn.
Cloudkill: Concentration, recharges when a Cloudkill is not on the field. 20 foot radius sphere. Moves 10 feet away from Dorius at the start of each of his turn. Creatures entering the area or starting there for the first time must make a DC 15 Constitution save or take 5d8 poison damage. They talk half damage on a successful save. Area within the fog is heavily obscured.
Knowledge Overload (Recharge 5-6). Dorius magically emits psychic energy in a 60-foot cone. Each creature in that area must succeed on a DC 15 Intelligence saving throw or take 22 (4d8 + 4) psychic damage and be stunned for 1 minute. A creature can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on itself on a success.
LEGENDARY ACTIONS: (3 points)
Icy Bolts: 1 point. The lich casts Icy Bolts.
Corrupting Touch: 2 points. The lich uses its Corrupting Touch.
Frightening Gaze: 2 points. The lich fixes its gaze on one creature it can see within 10 feet of it. The target must succeed on a DC 15 Wisdom saving throw against this magic or become frightened for 1 minute. The frightened target can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on itself on a success. If a target's saving throw is successful or the effect ends for it, the target is immune to the lich's gaze for the next 24 hours. Kitty has advantage on this saving throw.
Disrupt Life: 3 points. Each living creature within 20 feet of the lich must make a DC 15 Constitution saving throw against this magic, taking 9(3d6) necrotic damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one.
The Trust agents are going to be CR 1, and led by a CR 4 lieutenant with some manipulative psionic abilities, namely she's going to be pushing the PCs around the battlefield and forcing them to attack the lich, fitting for being part of a manipulative organization who's been using the party this entire time. I don't have them statted yet, wanted to post this first.
But my biggest challenge is this: How do I keep my players engaged with so much going on? I've done other boss battles with multi-stage enemies and mechanics just for that boss fight before. What would you guys do if you wanted to have a big, multi faction fight that moves quick enough that your PCs still have fun?