How would you fight this creature with a bad touch cleric.
https://www.d20pfsrd.com/bestiary/monster-listings/undead/demilich/
The domain powers I have won't do anything since Spell resistance does apply to them. We fought one today and will be fighting one again the GM said. A knowledge check of 49 (rolled a 20) revealed everything about the character by the GM. How can I prepare myself for this baddie.
Linkified
Repeatedly cast Shatter?
Buff yourself and/or someone else until DR 20/- isn't a big problem, and don't forget to cast death ward.
What are you expecting Death Ward to do in this case? It's always been a bit ambiguous what it works on...
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
The two negative levels that you get on a successful save vs. Devour Soul? Death ward is pretty explicit that it stops negative levels.
Good idea, I need to prepare that.
Walk away. A Demilich will never chase after you.
Ohh didn't know that. It is pricey though Scott and we are trapped in this mega dungeon. My domains are Madness and Chaos.
I noticed the construction requirements say Death Ward, which is right in line with what avr said.
CONSTRUCTION REQUIREMENTS
Craft Wondrous Item, death ward, spell resistance; Cost 19,000 gp
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Great thing about being a prepared caster is that while you might specialize in one role (bad touch) all you need to do to perform quite well at another is prepare different spells. As others said, focusing on buffing would be pretty good.
Summoning might be useful as well.
Walk away. A Demilich will never chase after you.
Well, I think we might need some more information first. You are correct- the BEST option for dealing with a demilich is "don't". Just fill the place with cement, and try to encourage everyone to avoid it/build around it.
But I am going to assume that you don't get the BEST option, because of plot.
So, the lucky thing is that the demilich is built in with mechanical 'off' buttons. Under the assumption that you have protection from the wail of the banshee, that attack is actually a really useful 'you are failing at stealth' warning. Run away, and the demilich just doesn't care.
Of course... I might be misinterpreting the demilich. It still technically has an intelligence score- it just lacks much impulse to care. So it might retain enough sanity to decide 'no, I am going to kill you now' after it catches you the 5th time (that, and the lich's spirit might be just wandering, and you are setting off sooo many alarm spells... which can lead to an awakened lich).
...and that is why they give the demilich the 'devour soul' ability. It MAKES you rush, since you are trying to save a party member from permadeath.
I was more referring to this sentence:
Fortunately for intruders, demiliches never pursue those wise enough flee.
I was more referring to this sentence:
Fortunately for intruders, demiliches never pursue those wise enough flee.
Yeah, but after the 5th time the annoying adventurers come in that day, it might skip the pleasantries and go straight to spamming devour souls.
Even if it has an video game style aggro range, it still has over 20 mental stats across the board. It isn't stupid. No one sticks around the lair of a demilich unless they HAVE to steal something from in there. Heck, practically nothing even survives the 'warning signal' (wail of the banshee) unless they are specifically prepared to deal with the demilich (spells) or they are powerful enough to be a threat (high baseline saves, which usually means high level/cr/vague idea of powerful creatures in setting).
The first time, it might just be some idiots that wandered into the lair- the demilich can ignore that once they run in terror- they learned their lesson after experiencing the terror of facing a highly powerful undead. But if they keep on coming back... then they are obvious threats.
Lots of Shatter and Dispel Evil, over and over. Bring holy water to make sure it stays dead.
What level is your Cleric?
A knowledge check of 49 (rolled a 20)Sounds like a high-level Cleric.
Devour Soul has a Range of 300 feet. If your Cleric were 10th level, Holy Smite would have a Range of 200 Feet. If you took the Extend Spell Feat, it would have a Range of 400 Feat. 400 is bigger than 300. The Demilich has a Base Move of 30. If yours is 30 or higher, you could just keep your distance and cast Extended Holy Smites, and the Demilich would never reach you!
He's a level 12 Cleric of Sivanah.
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Unless you are fighting this thing in a Monty Python field of infinite distance, you aren't going to be able to use the longer range of extended holy smite. What dungeon ever allows you to be out of range of the bad guy's main weapon? Why would it stay in a place where it has no advantage?
Chances are that someone is probably going to end up as demilich jewelry, and the party should prepare for whatever method of reincarnating the soul out of the gem when the demilich is dead.
I die to this creature if I roll a 1 on my Fort save, anything else I survive. Same thing for Will saves. As avr mentioned Death Ward will prove quite valuable here, I could I guess repeatedly cast shatter while my barbarian ally who also has high for saves slowly chops through that DR 20? However he or I die on a natural 1. Would magic circle against evil or anything give us a reroll against this thing?
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Scroll of Nine Lives?
Unless you are fighting this thing in a Monty Python field of infinite distance, you aren't going to be able to use the longer range of extended holy smite. What dungeon ever allows you to be out of range of the bad guy's main weapon? Why would it stay in a place where it has no advantage?
Chances are that someone is probably going to end up as demilich jewelry, and the party should prepare for whatever method of reincarnating the soul out of the gem when the demilich is dead.
The only answer I can think of- the demilich has been there so long that the orignal location has long eroded/rotted away, leaving it exposed.
That is still highly unlikely. Demiliches form when a lich either leaves its body unattended to explore as a spirit, or when the lich coops itself up for too long. In either situation, the lich would likely choose a location for the long term. So a cave is the most natural choice.
Even if erosion is an issue, it would probably only collapse the lair in, which closes it off more. You need a fairly specific scenario for the lich to be exposed (maybe an underground water source burst out through the back of the cave and washed everything away? And a natural disaster doesn't get around the rules of Torpor?).
But those are vague hypotheticals that most GMs would not bother with. In reality, you are right- if the GM is planning to use a demilich, you are either going to have to steal a macguffin or save someone's soul- or save someone's soul after your first attempt to get the mcguffin failed.
| 2 people marked this as a favorite. |
Have you tried just talking your problems out? Try complimenting the demilich. Maybe buy it some flowers.
Demiliches love flowers.
one issue remains though, I tried casting Death watch as we traversed the dungeon, and the necromantic aura just dissipated. I tried casting another necromancy spell (Magic Jar) and it also failed, I had to roll a Will save or else I would have been sucked into the dungeon walls. So I may not be able to cast Deathward in this dungeon. Which is a problem.
That should mean the demilich is unable to use its Wail of the banshee ability as well. Test this theory by sending a summoned critter to fight it and see what happens.
ya he's never used the wail of the banshee, only casts greater bestow curse (spell like ability) and uses devour soul
Hmm, Bestow curse is also necromancy but that is not affected? The demilich can only store 10 souls at a time and can devour one after 24 hours. Summon a bunch of critters with holy smite as spell like ability or high damage attacks and after it has drained 10 souls you are safe to kill it yourselves. If it can not drain souls from summoned critters all the better, they are completely safe. Well, except form telekinesis but who cares about that.
That is what the creature is using so far,does not mean that it isnt getting ready to do worse things :)
Ya he said it was a unique demilich, he's able to use his SLA bestow curse and follows it up (after -8 to attack/saves) with devour souls.
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
The obvious choice is bumrush him, Leroy Jenkins style. Get someone up in his face, hopefully someone capable of chipping away at/past that damage reduction.
Cast Shatter until he is dead. Then use Dispel Evil to grant him true death.
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Always remember that we're talking about a flying skull that should only be active if disturbed (unless Torpor was removed/modified by the GM). Scoop it into a bag of holding and poke the bag if you have to.
Hmm ya I was thinking Leroy Jenkins style also. My cleric has been slain by an Umbral Dragon which my allies managed to slay I was the sacrifice. Now back to the demilich issue. My man avr has constructed a new character for me who shall bypass the DR of this demilich like a knife through butter. The only way I don't hit it is if I roll a 1. If i can pounce it, it is dead in round 1.
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
That is what the creature is using so far,does not mean that it isnt getting ready to do worse things :)
So Necromancy effects work fine for the demilich but do not work for anyone else?
Scroll of antimagic field, tiny familiar UMDs it and then sits on a raging barbarians shoulder, or in his pocket. Barbarian whacks the thing to death.
Always remember that we're talking about a flying skull that should only be active if disturbed (unless Torpor was removed/modified by the GM). Scoop it into a bag of holding and poke the bag if you have to.
That was actually what my players did in the original Tomb of Horrors! They scooped Acerak up (don't remember how exactly), tossed him in the bag and threw the bag in the Green Demon mouth. Fun times.
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
So, Atalius, how did the fight go?
| 2 people marked this as a favorite. |
So, Atalius, how did the fight go?
Well, we haven't head from him in 8 days, or eight 24 hour periods. As such, I can only assume it went poorly. Who is going to crack out the miracle/wish so we can ask him what happened?
Lol. Well my character the Cleric died vs an Umbral Dragon's breath weapon on the way to fight the demilich. So I had to remake, I ended up making a multiclass unchainedmonk/cavedruid and destroyed the demilich in one round like it was nothing. Cut through the DR like Moses through the red sea. As for killing it for good that was also taken care of. Holy water was poured over its remains within the area of a hallow spell and then dispel evil was cast via a scroll. My GM was utterly speechless how this multiclass just obliterated his baddie in 1 round.
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Carnivorous Crystal Dojo is no joke.
Carnivorous Crystal Dojo is no joke.
Absolutely blahpers I cannot stress that enough. This was damage on an epic scale. We are talking one rounding a Balor would be easily do-able.