Githyanki Lich Queen Vlaaktih (Dragon+ preview)

[Envyus]

Also from the same Dragon+ that brought us Moloch we got the stats of the Githyanki Lich Queen Vlaakith. Showing off her old 3.5 stats and how she was updated to 5e.

Vlaakith 5e http://media.wizards.com/2018/dnd/dragon/19/DRA19_LichQueen2.pdf

[Unoriginal]

Well this is no lady to mess with

[Naanomi]

And she is someone who will always have an absolute massive ton of beefy minions around

[prototype00]

None over level 16 though!

[furby076]

good luck beating her with a no magic item campaign. immunity to non magical weapons...dag

[Naanomi]

None over level 16 though!
Well, excepting the flight of red dragons

[JoeJ]

good luck beating her with a no magic item campaign. immunity to non magical weapons...dag

Beating her doesn't necessarily require killing her, or even directly fighting her. I could definitely see an adventure about stopping some major plan of hers, for a party that wouldn't have a prayer of taking her in a fight.

[Unoriginal]

good luck beating her with a no magic item campaign. immunity to non magical weapons...dag

She wouldn't show up in a no magic item campaign, though. Githyanki love dem Silver Swords.

She's of the "have you minions carry the things that can hurt you" school of evil overlording.

[Rickety Stick]

Jeez why is her spell save dc 25? Most characters are basically screwed without a paladin in their party or rare protection magic items.

[Unoriginal]

Jeez why is her spell save dc 25? Most characters are basically screwed without a paladin in their party or rare protection magic items.

Her spell save DC is 25 BECAUSE most characters are basically screwed if they fight her.

She's been a tyranical dictator for untold eons, and most of the cosmos would be happy to see her gone and take her stuff, she kinda need that to justify her still being around.

[Envyus]

She wouldn't show up in a no magic item campaign, though. Githyanki love dem Silver Swords.

She's of the "have you minions carry the things that can hurt you" school of evil overlording.

Thats why she kills any Githyanki that gets strong enough for her to feel they could be a threat in the future.

[Naanomi]

Thats why she kills any Githyanki that gets strong enough for her to feel they could be a threat in the future.
Yeah she is one of those forces in the Lore that the only credible threat to them is Divine (if Anubis got sick of their squatting for example) or pure GM fiat

[Unoriginal]

Yeah she is one of those forces in the Lore that the only credible threat to them is Divine (if Anubis got sick of their squatting for example) or pure GM fiat

Or if the Githyanki decide to over-extend their reach and end up weakening themselves.

[Naanomi]

Or if the Githyanki decide to over-extend their reach and end up weakening themselves.
Even if every living Githyanki and Dragon in her service abandoned her on her little God-Rock, her Undead legions place her at pretty unassailable by conventional means (by military or adventuring party)

[Unoriginal]

Even if every living Githyanki and Dragon in her service abandoned her on her little God-Rock, her Undead legions place her at pretty unassailable by conventional means (by military or adventuring party)

Well, yes, but "safely stay in your fortress, surrounded by legions" hardly qualifies as "overextending".

[Envyus]

There is also the fact that the stat block this is related to comes from the Lich Queens Beloved. An adventure that involves punching her in the face. (You are helped by Githyanki rebels in order to do so.)

[Pex]

If she does always stay safely in her fortress, it's really her prison. If she wants to be there because of her paranoia, all the better. There's no reason for anyone else to do anything about it. Her followers are a lot easier to pick off to stop any shenanigans she wants done that's too uppity.

[strangebloke]

fricking terrifying.

Except for her low HP, that is. and the usual caster problems. She's pretty much immune to everything else except damage. You can't grapple-prone her, in a silence spell either because she can just misty step with no components.

[DeTess]

She's going to need a lot of minions to be a proper fight though.

Her low HP and lack of constitution saving throw proficiency also makes her very vulnerable to a nova party with a monk. I think my current level 14 party (Paladin, monk, hexblade and Rogue) could take her if she was alone, or if her minions weren't too much of a roadblock, though whether or not she wins imitative would be an important factor.

[JakOfAllTirades]

None over level 16 though!

Are they keeping the old lore of "Lich queen murders any githyanki who reaches level 17"?

This could make playing a high-level Githyanki a real pain, depending on the DM's interpretation. On the one hand, with some DMs it could be an awesome high-level campaign hook; on the other hand, I've had a DM who flat out told me, "If you play this character, I'm just gonna rip up the character sheet when you get past level 16." I simply don't have the words for that kind of fun-killing stupidity....

[prototype00]

Are they keeping the old lore of "Lich queen murders any githyanki who reaches level 17"?

This could make playing a high-level Githyanki a real pain, depending on the DM's interpretation. On the one hand, with some DMs it could be an awesome high-level campaign hook; on the other hand, I've had a DM who flat out told me, "If you play this character, I'm just gonna rip up the character sheet when you get past level 16." I simply don't have the words for that kind of fun-killing stupidity....

Well you’ll just have to tell the DM that you’ll be a rebel Githyanki. Sure you’ll be chased to the ends of the great wheel by the rest of your race for all eternity, but at least you’ll be higher level than the buggers who come after you.

[JakOfAllTirades]

Well you’ll just have to tell the DM that you’ll be a rebel Githyanki. Sure you’ll be chased to the ends of the great wheel by the rest of your race for all eternity, but at least you’ll be higher level than the buggers who come after you.

Yeah, I'd be okay with that. They're normally a Chaotic Evil race (I think) so most PC Githyanki will most likely be rebels of some sort.

[Envyus]

Yeah, I'd be okay with that. They're normally a Chaotic Evil race (I think) so most PC Githyanki will most likely be rebels of some sort.

Lawful Evil. I would assume they would be rebels as pcs however.

[JoeJ]

She's going to need a lot of minions to be a proper fight though.

Her low HP and lack of constitution saving throw proficiency also makes her very vulnerable to a nova party with a monk. I think my current level 14 party (Paladin, monk, hexblade and Rogue) could take her if she was alone, or if her minions weren't too much of a roadblock, though whether or not she wins imitative would be an important factor.

Perhaps, but she's got superhuman intelligence, centuries of experience, and the resources of a kingdom to draw on. Unless your party goes to truly extraordinary lengths to stay hidden (and how they would reach her while doing that I don't know), she'll know the abilities and typical tactics of every one of you long before you get to her. It would be like fighting Batman. If she chooses to face you at all, she'll have prepared the battlefield, chosen her spells, and planned out tactics specifically to counter you. Basically, to play her properly, the DM should be looking at your character sheets while planning the encounter.

[Naanomi]

Well, yes, but "safely stay in your fortress, surrounded by legions" hardly qualifies as "overextending".

If she does always stay safely in her fortress, it's really her prison. If she wants to be there because of her paranoia, all the better. There's no reason for anyone else to do anything about it. Her followers are a lot easier to pick off to stop any shenanigans she wants done that's too uppity.
She isn’t a ‘lead from the front’ type of villain... her sprawling Githyanki race does what she wants almost unquestioningly, her goals don’t really require her personal presence (indeed, some require her to stay in Tu'narath specifically; to continue trying to leech power from The One in the Void). Which isn’t to say she couldn’t still meaningfully ‘overextend’... a push that eliminates large numbers of her Githyanki (or dragon allies) would be a setback even if she was personally safe in her Undead protected lair

Not exposing yourself to wandering adventurers isn’t exactly a bad idea, she has witnessed plenty of more innately powerful beings in history get struck down for just such stupidity

[Unoriginal]

Not exposing yourself to wandering adventurers isn’t exactly a bad idea, she has witnessed plenty of more innately powerful beings in history get struck down for just such stupidity

Oh, sure. It'd take something exceptional for her to move away from safety. Because she's smart.

[furby076]

Beating her doesn't necessarily require killing her, or even directly fighting her. I could definitely see an adventure about stopping some major plan of hers, for a party that wouldn't have a prayer of taking her in a fight.

yea, pretty sure she is not the "lets walk around her and hope she doesnt see us" plot hook. You throw that into a game, and it's the DM saying "bring it PCs, cause I'm gonna open up a can of whoop a$$"

[Tetrasodium]

good luck beating her with a no magic item campaign. immunity to non magical weapons...dag


Flametouched iron is not magical and should bypass that depending on implementation. destroying her doesn't really accomplish much if you can't find her phylactery to destroy it.

[mephnick]

She's going to need a lot of minions to be a proper fight though.

To be fair, she has the highest INT possible in the system. If she isn't impressively defended at all times the DM shouldn't be running high level DND.

[Envyus]

The encounter in her place in the adventure she is faced in has her normal guards be 4 Highly Elite Githyanki and 2 Fiendish Adult Red Dragons, and she can summon an Old Red Dragon. (Probably an adult in 5e.) Using her crown in emergencies. Because of a carefully worded Wish Spell if she is defeated all of her gear is teleported to her phylactery to regenerate from. And there are lots more super dangerous creatures in her palace other then her guards including more red dragons one is a 2 headed one. The large amount of stuff in the castle can possibly kill the party before they can find it.

[JoeJ]

yea, pretty sure she is not the "lets walk around her and hope she doesnt see us" plot hook. You throw that into a game, and it's the DM saying "bring it PCs, cause I'm gonna open up a can of whoop a$$"

I'd say she's about perfect for the role of powerful recurring villain that the PCs absolutely should not try to fight.

[Malifice]

Jeez why is her spell save dc 25? Most characters are basically screwed without a paladin in their party or rare protection magic items.

Having DMD a campaign to high-level PCs can and do hit save DCs of 25 at high levels.

A combination of the bards bardic inspiration, the resilient feat or other class features that add in extra saves, The Bless spell, Magic items, and of course our party paladin.

I also house rule a natural one fails a saving throw and a natural 20 always passes.

[beargryllz]

Jeez why is her spell save dc 25? Most characters are basically screwed without a paladin in their party or rare protection magic items.

Yes, if you find yourself in a fight with the God-Queen of the Githyanki, you're probably definitely screwed

[Sigreid]

These comments don't even take into account that she will have any and all items of power that a DM decides she would want, such as a staff of the magi, etc.

Now for why a party would have a go at her, with that int she probably has the int boosting book in her library. As well as all wizard spells.

[JoeJ]

These comments don't even take into account that she will have any and all items of power that a DM decides she would want, such as a staff of the magi, etc.

Now for why a party would have a go at her, with that int she probably has the int boosting book in her library. As well as all wizard spells.

Given her intelligence and the centuries of time she's had, she probably researched/created a bunch of unique spells as well. (If I were her, variations on Clone and Simulacrum that work on undead would be high on my list of priorities.)