I've got 2 questions:
- at the end of "the spirit blessing" (Shoanti ritual) the PC wins an "infused soul" which allow them to not be killed if they fail an saving throw against a death effect. But in this book, which spell or ability can kill in one roll the PC ?
- Bishop Zev Ravenka has a special ability with "trap the soul". Don't you find it a little much powerful? I mean, it can use it each round against the PC and the DC=24 is a little high, don't you think ? Even if it's the case, is there no way to save the trapped soul other than using resurrection or something like that ? In breaking the gem, with some little consequence, some constitution point in minus ? I don't like the idea to be able to kill my party on a roll, each round whereas they have spend so many night with me ;-D
I've got 2 questions:
- at the end of "the spirit blessing" (Shoanti ritual) the PC wins an "infused soul" which allow them to not be killed if they fail an saving throw against a death effect. But in this book, which spell or ability can kill in one roll the PC ?
A castle full of undead is bound to have something like that. And if not, Crown of Fangs has at least one such situation.
The bonus lasts to the end of the Adventure Path.
- Bishop Zev Ravenka has a special ability with "trap the soul". Don't you find it a little much powerful?
That's the demilich, right? Then, yeah, it's powerful. Demiliches are bad news.
If I remember correctly, they don't have to fight that enemy. Let the players know that they might be in over their head in that one. Give them a little bit of warning before you wipe the floor with them.
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Actually, you have to fight the Demilich. He is a potential TPK, if you want to avoid that, give the players some foreshadowing and rule out that death ward protects from soul trap ability (it doesn't per rules, but most folks houserule so it does).
Oh, and if there's a PF Paladin in the party, the fight will be rather shot, if not... DR 20/vorpal is brutal :)
DR 20/vorpal is brutal :)
Actually, I didn't read the statblock before you wrote that. OK! It's TOO powerful !!! I'm sad for my party. I'm going to think in a way to avoid them to meet it :-D
For the "blessing spirit", in fact, I'm no sure to know with spell (other than the trap soul) can kill in one roll. A lot of them make loose some constitution points bu not enough to kill the party in a single roll.
Actually, you have to fight the Demilich. He is a potential TPK, if you want to avoid that, give the players some foreshadowing and rule out that death ward protects from soul trap ability (it doesn't per rules, but most folks houserule so it does).
Oh, and if there's a PF Paladin in the party, the fight will be rather shot, if not... DR 20/vorpal is brutal :)
demi-liches are pretty iconic though, and most veteran roleplayers will at least realise what they have just encounterd.
Book of Nine Swords characters will be less worried as well, as long as they have acess to Stone Mountain strikes^^ Or feel lucky with some others.
Just remember that the AP's individual chapters were written by different authors within a frameset of "this is needed, this must happen". I guess chapter 4's author had an idea that the heroes would go to deadly Scarwall next^^
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Just remember that the AP's individual chapters were written by different authors within a frameset of "this is needed, this must happen". I guess chapter 4's author had an idea that the heroes would go to deadly Scarwall next^^
Maybe it's James Jacobs who asked them to add that in.
What I suggest is to foreshadow the appearance of the demi-lich through the Harrow deck. Also, if someone in the group is good in Knowledge: Religion or Bardic Knowledge, they might have a good idea about the monster's strengths and weaknesses.
I guess my group , if they reach that particular room hale and hearty, will actually go pale, slam the door, and put in a long planning hiatus, since three of the players have actually encountered a demi-lich in "Tomb of Horrors" while we were still teens^^ The characters died hard, the memory die harder..... at times my kid brother still cries in his sleep over it, too *grin*
The deadliness of the setup should be really clear with that gem-studded skull sitting smack on the altar and in plain view to catch the light and twinkle evilly, much like a very obvious and scary trap. And interaction with it is just _not_ required to recover the desired "effects" from the room, is it ? Tread softly in the Leviathan's presence, lest you awaken... 'nuff said !
And if something should go wrong, the spirit blessing will provide some intangible insurance against the "trap the soul" (as recommended by the editor in the "GM-Tips" box right next to the encounter) and "wail of the banshee", and right due to the fuzziness of the description, besides giving a lenient GM some McGuffin to adjust the results of a failed save....
e.g. scare the shXt out of the group over a failed save, and then at the last moment, see the ghostly protective spirit getting entrapped instead of their own cherished lifeforce, providing escape by the narrowest of felt margins.