Monsters for the Party

[ChudoJogurt]

Hi

We're running Red Hand of Doom. I'm the DM, and I'm not exactly great at 5e. I usually know enough to get by, and I can lookup relevant rules before the games, but I need some quite serious mechanical aptitude, because my players have done something the book had not prepared me for.

Yesterday we finished Part III of the story: The players have met the Ghostlord: a powerful druid-lich, whom the bad guys (the Fane of Tiamat) have been blackmailing to help them. They have returned his phylactery, and the book suggested that would have been enough to make the lich neutral in the conflict.
However, the party good guy (he plays an Eldritch Knight, though he roleplays it much more like a paladin), wanted the Lich to help them, not just sit that one out, and so, after some negotiations and some really good Persuasion check, they have reached an agreement:
The Lich will give them his most powerful weapons, and in return, once the campaign is over, three party members will return to serve him for ninety-nine years and one day.
They're elves, so they have that kind of time.

The problem is -- I have no idea what to give the party.
They're all eight's level. We have the Druid (Dream), Eldritch Knight and Warlock/Sorc hybrid who have agreed to serve the Lich.
In addition we have the Bear Barbarian Dwarf and a Monster-Hunter Ranger.
In the next part of campaign they will be figthing dragons, hill giants, massess and masses of hobgoblins.
I need something, probably powerful creatures that could serve them, or barring that -- powerful artefacts, but either way -- something worth of the sacrifice that characters have made, that while being of a very significant help in combat would not overshadow the party entirely.
And of course it has to be Druid Necromancer-themed.

Ideas?

[Unoriginal]

A Lich's greatest weapons are their knowledge, their long unlife, and their magical might. For a Druid, it is their connection to nature and its spirits.

What if the Lich has been targeted because he knew something on the BBEG that shouldn't be known, like the Phane of Tiamat's true name?

The Lich knows a stone circle in another plane which, if the corect ritual is perfomerd, becomes trapped under a dome of force that is impossible to leave until you kill your opponents. He offers the PCs to go there with them, perform the ritual, then cast a Gate spell to trap the PCs and the BBEG -alone and unprepared- for a fight to the death.

'Course killing the BBEG doesn't solve the adventure: there is still their whole faction, an underling taking over or a new leader being chosen, etc. But that way they can significantly wreck plans and anihilate one threat, if they manage.

[MaxWilson]

And of course it has to be Druid Necromancer-themed.

Ideas?

Maybe he gives them each a zombie tyrannosaurus mount named Sue?

[JackPhoenix]

Doesn't he have a bunch of ghost lions? Perhaps he would be willing to let PCs play with them for a while.

[Ventruenox]

An Ex-ex-parrot familiar. It has no longer ceased to be, nor is it just resting.

[DrKerosene]

Could the Ghost Lord provide an infection of Were-Lionism? Immunity to non-magic weapons would make only the War Wizards, Dragons, and a few of the Bosses able to hurt the Party. Just bringing out one living werelion would be a huge game changer.

Perhaps you can modify a Feather Token Tree to be some instant bone-barricade or instant bone-watchtower.

Perhaps the GhostLord could provide the schematics for constructing a Cannon (siege equipment that does 8d10 damage on a hit). Or maybe a bone-wagon with a mounted rotting meat cannon. Maybe it shoots entagle spells at a rediculous range, or some other Druid spell, if you don’t want to give the PCs a cannon.

A couple copies of a magic item that will auto-trigger an Absorb Elements spell, but it’s otherwise like a Ring Of Evason for charges or whatever.

“New” Ioun Stones, when attuned they provide knowledge of a spell (adding a spell or cantrip known to the attuner, preferably one that is not on their normal spell list).

Armor made of IronOak, SteelMossMail, ObsidianPlate, etc. Just reflavored Adamantine or Mithril armors, but Druid friendly.

[Kyutaru]

Give them his Hand, his Eye, and his Sword. If you want something for all them, also give them his Heart and his Foot.

[GreyBlack]

I mean... why doesn't he offer the party the curse of lycanthropy?

Think about it. We're talking about a druid who's not above using unnatural methods to preserve nature. Why wouldn't he offer the players an appropriate curse like this? They still take the alignment hit and they might not be able to control it, but he can change what triggers the transformation (e.g. instead of every full moon, it's every time the players become bloodied).

[DrKerosene]

We're talking about a druid who's not above using unnatural methods to preserve nature.

Someone has clearly never heard the phrase “Reduce, Recycle, Reuse.” being chanted as a Druid Necromancer raises his farmhands.

But I do support the general lycanthropy thing.

Maybe he can just provide the Party with a few injury based poisons/disease that have a super hgh DC, or force disadvantageon the save, and can used on a Boss NPC Dragon or whatever.

[GreyBlack]

Someone has clearly never heard the phrase “Reduce, Recycle, Reuse.” being chanted as a Druid Necromancer raises his farmhands.

But I do support the general lycanthropy thing.

Maybe he can just provide the Party with a few injury based poisons/disease that have a super hgh DC, or force disadvantageon the save, and can used on a Boss NPC Dragon or whatever.

And now I have a new character concept. Thank you.

[Vogie]

Maybe he gives them each a zombie tyrannosaurus mount named Sue?

POLKA WILL NEVER DIE


Someone has clearly never heard the phrase “Reduce, Recycle, Reuse.” being chanted as a Druid Necromancer raises his farmhands.
But I do support the general lycanthropy thing.
Maybe he can just provide the Party with a few injury based poisons/disease that have a super hgh DC, or force disadvantageon the save, and can used on a Boss NPC Dragon or whatever.

You can look at the Golgari from the Ravnica setting book, who also have this idea.

Other things could include weapons that deal necrotic damage, armor that provides regeneration, Objects that transform into (or summon) giant insects, and blight-ish spells like Ray of Sickness, False life, Blindness, Contagion, Plant Growth, et cetera.

As it's a Lich, You could also create body horror items - An eyeball that casts the Sickened portion of Eyebite... but requires you to replace your eye with it.