Acererak (contains spoilers for Tomb of horrors)

[TheDoctorIsMyDM]

So I was looking at the Tomb description and the king how someone might actually beat it. BELOW THERE ARE SPOILERS FOR tomb of horrors and annihilation DON'T READ IT IF YOU DONT WANT THEM.

So the description in the crypt is "If any character is so foolish as to touch the skull of the demilich, a terrible thing occurs. Acererak rises into the air upon the touch, and it slowly scans the party prior to attacking".

So what happens if the players just blast the skull with spells from a distance? They aren't touching it. Seems like they could, based on this, just fry the thing without setting off Acererak at all. I mean sure, how would they know to do that. But just out of curiosity, how would you handle it? Still just have the big A show up and kick ass?

[Bahamut7]

So I was looking at the Tomb description and the king how someone might actually beat it. BELOW THERE ARE SPOILERS FOR tomb of horrors and annihilation DON'T READ IT IF YOU DONT WANT THEM.

So the description in the crypt is "If any character is so foolish as to touch the skull of the demilich, a terrible thing occurs. Acererak rises into the air upon the touch, and it slowly scans the party prior to attacking".

So what happens if the players just blast the skull with spells from a distance? They aren't touching it. Seems like they could, based on this, just fry the thing without setting off Acererak at all. I mean sure, how would they know to do that. But just out of curiosity, how would you handle it? Still just have the big A show up and kick ass?

Well, unless I left a hefty clue prior or they found some history to tell them this...I would allow them to nuke that jewel encrusted skull. MY version of Acererak isn't a skull.

Aside from the fact I will be rebuilding the ToH for my group different enough to be refreshing, I would not allow such meta gaming in my group. They would blow a Nova on an object.

If for some reason, my players argued that I was plot armoring or something, I would easily counter argue that why would an all powerful being on par with gods...bind his soul to a jewel encrusted skull and not some ordinary object hidden in a cupboard or hidden behind a wall.

[Malifice]

So I was looking at the Tomb description and the king how someone might actually beat it. BELOW THERE ARE SPOILERS FOR tomb of horrors and annihilation DON'T READ IT IF YOU DONT WANT THEM.

So the description in the crypt is "If any character is so foolish as to touch the skull of the demilich, a terrible thing occurs. Acererak rises into the air upon the touch, and it slowly scans the party prior to attacking".

So what happens if the players just blast the skull with spells from a distance? They aren't touching it. Seems like they could, based on this, just fry the thing without setting off Acererak at all. I mean sure, how would they know to do that. But just out of curiosity, how would you handle it? Still just have the big A show up and kick ass?

Dude.

If touching the skull or the treasure sets Acerak off, I'm damn certain that attacking him with a sword, spell or ability also sets him off.

I mean come on. Really?

[Blacky the Blackball]

Well, unless I left a hefty clue prior or they found some history to tell them this...I would allow them to nuke that jewel encrusted skull. MY version of Acererak isn't a skull.

This is an important point.

When the adventure was written, there wasn't such a thing as a demilich in the game, so the players have no reason to think that the bejewelled skull is a monster. It's either treasure or a magic item - and either way it's loot to be grabbed rather than a threat to be shot at. When Acererak's skull rises into the air and starts sucking souls it's supposed to come as a total surprise.

These days, now that there have been demiliches in the game for nearly forty years, and unless the players are completely inexperienced (in which case why are they doing the Tomb of Horrors?) everyone knows not to go near skulls with gems for teeth.

So I wouldn't get too hung up over the wording and whether it just means physically touching or includes spells. The intent is that the skull looks innocuous - but then if someone disturbs it, it surprises them by activating. To keep that intent you should really be making Acererak a new and unique monster rather than making him a demilich. Maybe he's gone one stage further than demilichdom and there's no skull at all, just his remaining lifeforce in a gem. When that gem is disturbed, it surprises the party be coming to life. Or maybe he's been in his tomb so long that his spirit has merged with it, and the whole tomb comes to life and attacks.

[Bahamut7]

This is an important point.

When the adventure was written, there wasn't such a thing as a demilich in the game, so the players have no reason to think that the bejewelled skull is a monster. It's either treasure or a magic item - and either way it's loot to be grabbed rather than a threat to be shot at. When Acererak's skull rises into the air and starts sucking souls it's supposed to come as a total surprise.

These days, now that there have been demiliches in the game for nearly forty years, and unless the players are completely inexperienced (in which case why are they doing the Tomb of Horrors?) everyone knows not to go near skulls with gems for teeth.

So I wouldn't get too hung up over the wording and whether it just means physically touching or includes spells. The intent is that the skull looks innocuous - but then if someone disturbs it, it surprises them by activating. To keep that intent you should really be making Acererak a new and unique monster rather than making him a demilich. Maybe he's gone one stage further than demilichdom and there's no skull at all, just his remaining lifeforce in a gem. When that gem is disturbed, it surprises the party be coming to life. Or maybe he's been in his tomb so long that his spirit has merged with it, and the whole tomb comes to life and attacks.

Yea, that was essentially my plan. I was considering making him like the Lich from Adventure Time, but while there would be a jewel encrusted skull, it would not be the actual lich. I know my players...too many of them would nuke the thing in fear of what they know from the original version. That's why, they end up nuking an heirloom from days past where Acererak realized the Skull that screams "pick me up" was a bad idea.

Then again, this is the planned end of the campaign for me. I wanted to make my own version of Tomb of Horrors that was new and refreshing. If the players survive and want to keep going, there is indeed another plot they have learned of that they can pursue if they wish.

The point of the OP's question was what to do with metagaming (essentially). This is what. Change it and let them metagame only to discover it's not what they assumed. Hell, you can even add some info somewhere saying that Acererak was attacked before and got smarter about intruders.

[Snails]

Obviously you do not want the players to simply win with metainformation.

I would suggest putting a jeweled skull in every single room. If Big A were on this plane, he could potentially look through the eyes of any one skull, at will. AND I would make it potential treasure. So there are benefits to simply destroying every skull and there are long term costs (assuming the heroes win). But destroying skulls hardly matters to Big A -- he has other means of hunting you down and killing you while you are in his tomb complex if he really wants to.

BTW, if going meta is the concern, consider putting a shriveled burnt mummified hand in the final room. It does not have to be anything. Just because it might get a reaction. (It could be something, if it floats your boat.)

[Ganymede]

So the description in the crypt is "If any character is so foolish as to touch the skull of the demilich, a terrible thing occurs. Acererak rises into the air upon the touch, and it slowly scans the party prior to attacking".

So what happens if the players just blast the skull with spells from a distance? They aren't touching it. Seems like they could, based on this, just fry the thing without setting off Acererak at all. I mean sure, how would they know to do that. But just out of curiosity, how would you handle it? Still just have the big A show up and kick ass?

That line is just play guidance for the Demilich. You still have to run Acererak as if he was any other monster in the game. At the bottom of the previous page, the text makes clear that Acererak is aware of the PCs at this point and is ready to confront them, so it seems pretty silly that you'd let the Demilich sit there as it is destroyed.