Why Not Bring the Necromancer's Charm to his Lair Full of Undead

[DiscipleofBob]

So the PC's in my 4E game are approaching the final boss for this particular adventure, a necromancer with several powerful undead minions. They just finished wiping the floor with the beginnings of his zombie horde and are now heading into his inner sanctum.

The PC's also just got finished executing the necromancer's girlfriend, dismembered her corpse as much as possible so she couldn't come back, and of course looted her. Among her possessions was an amulet crafted by the necromancer. Now, I haven't decided exactly what the amulet should do. I wanted it to have it boost undead within so many feet, but I'm not sure what I should do. The fight will already be difficult enough, with the necromancer himself using the stats for the final boss from Shadowfell Keep, two undead berserkers, a deathlock wight, and some weird shadow lurker type thing. On top of all this, the necromancer will have rechargeable encounter powers to summon numerous undead should the PC's vanquish his current minions or get too close.

How could I make the charm bolster the undead in a way that 1) doesn't completely screw over the PC's, or 2) makes the boost to the undead so apparent that the PC's will immediately start trying to figure out what's causing it? Mind you the party consists of 5 level 2 PC's with one level 4 DMPC cleric to support them.

[Adlan]

When it activates, have it make all the affect undead take on an unearthly glow, and have the Charm glow as well.

Make them Roll Spot checks, or something like that, to see if they notice.

[Human Paragon 3]

That sounds good. I'd have the glowing zombies deal an extra d6 damage or so. Seems reasonable. Describe the necrotic glow as doing the extra damage, and also after a round or two, try moving a zombie or two out of range and describe the glowing stop.


Alternately, the glowing zombies could reanimate a turn later with 1/4 HP instead of dealing extra damage.

[SadisticFishing]

Depends how powerful (cinematically) you want the amulet to be. What I'd do, if they have any good way of removing it from the fight, is have the amulet glow (in their bag) an unearthly green, and have the undead seem mesmerized - then have them start to grow body parts. Add something that starts irrelevant, then quickly escalates, forcing the group to get rid of the amulet, but in a way that doesn't kill them.

For example: The amulet glows. The bad guys start growing extra arms. Add 1 strength the first round, two the next, three the next... Or 1 a round, depending on how long you want to give the team for getting rid of it.

Actually, a better, easier way to do it would be to have the bad guys do 1 extra necrotic damage - a round. So within 3-4 rounds, every undead is doing 4 extra damage a turn. Just make sure that the bad guy looks confused/angry while it's happening, so they know it's not him. Especially if he doesn't know she's dead.

[Krrth]

Well......you depending on how paranoid and or observent your players are, an dhow much time before the fight, you could drop hints. Small creatures suddenly dropping dead, then reanimating. (zombie squirrels!) The defeated zombies re-animating. The ghost of the slain girlfriend (who is bound to the amulet perhaps), invading the dreams of the party.

[DiscipleofBob]

Well......you depending on how paranoid and or observent your players are, an dhow much time before the fight, you could drop hints. Small creatures suddenly dropping dead, then reanimating. (zombie squirrels!) The defeated zombies re-animating. The ghost of the slain girlfriend (who is bound to the amulet perhaps), invading the dreams of the party.

The problem with that is the party is literally right outside the necromancer's inner sanctum. Next session will start out with the boss fight.

I do like the idea of scaling necrotic damage, especially with some near obvious green glow thing. The best part is that currently the tiefling warlock is holding on to the charm, adding a bit more confusion to the mix.

[Krrth]

The problem with that is the party is literally right outside the necromancer's inner sanctum. Next session will start out with the boss fight.

I do like the idea of scaling necrotic damage, especially with some near obvious green glow thing. The best part is that currently the tiefling warlock is holding on to the charm, adding a bit more confusion to the mix.

That does make it a little more difficult to use my suggestion. If they are taking a short rest (I'm assuming they are), maybe the one holding the amulet starts seeing the souls of those enslaved by it? It might be creepy to see soul, and then notice the former body.

[Sstoopidtallkid]

How about, instead of a rechargeable encounter power to re-animate his minions if the PCs kill too many of them, the amulet is what's doing it, and because it was "forged from his blood" it shatters on his death.

[Storm Bringer]

The problem with that is the party is literally right outside the necromancer's inner sanctum. Next session will start out with the boss fight.

I do like the idea of scaling necrotic damage, especially with some near obvious green glow thing. The best part is that currently the tiefling warlock is holding on to the charm, adding a bit more confusion to the mix.

If your really worried about it, then make it's charm power something that the user can activate/deactivate at will, and have revert of 'off' when not worn/removed form it's wearer. that way, it's still a creepy artifact, but it will only kick in if they stumble over the activation order.

failing that, have a undead nasty explictly bypass the warlock to move to attack the main group, in such a way that make it clear the monster is either ingoring the PC, or, even better, activly trying to protect it form the rest of the party (for example, shifting her away form the main group and then interposing itself betwen her and them, facing the main group.) because if I were making a charm like this for my g/f, I'd make sure that my undead minions would not just not attack her, but protecter her if in danger.


If nothing else, it will freak the warlock out no end.

[Adonis1x23]

I concur with Storm Bringer, for the undead ignoring the wearer. It seems to make more sense, the gf wasn't the necromancer so why would she have something that would bolster undead; where as protection from mindless undead would be almost necessary if you're dating a guy that has brain eating zombies about all the time.

[Storm Bringer]

well, I'm not agianst the Charm having undead bolstering powers. I just think that they should be something the user must consiously choose to use, rather than all it's powers being always on. But the invisablity/mark as 'protect with your unlife' trick should be enough to bring home the artifacts powers.

if all else fails, the Charm can simply make it user aware of it's effects when it kicks in (i.e. the warlock gets close enough to the undead, and suddenly just knows that the Charm he is wearing is starting to bolster them. how?)

[Vexxation]

I concur with Storm Bringer, for the undead ignoring the wearer. It seems to make more sense, the gf wasn't the necromancer so why would she have something that would bolster undead; where as protection from mindless undead would be almost necessary if you're dating a guy that has brain eating zombies about all the time.

I concur.

Also, the PCs dismember her to stop her from animating? That's pretty sick.
But wouldn't a greater purpose, irony, be served if the resurrected her as their zombie slave? Imagine what that would've been like... using her as a meat shield against the necro...

What might have been, eh?

[DiscipleofBob]

Well, to be specific, it was a Force Orb to the face for the killing blow, and regardless of how many precautions they take, I plan for both the necromancer and the gf to come back as a lich and vampire respectively, but that won't happen for awhile.