Bit of a long one...
Right now the party is right outside of the door of my Drider lich sorcerer. The lich has been watching their every move since they came inside. He "knows" or has prepared for when they enter his final Chamber. My problem is, I don't know if he might be a little too prepared. He has been "watching" them since they came in, and the party should know this.
This is suppose to be a very hard battle for the party, but the strategy the lich employees I fear might be too much for the party because of a golden rule I use to hear about stealth encounters can wipe entire parties, even if the monster in question is 5 levels under them. Something about a level 10 whisper gnome being able to solo an entire level 15 party without ever taking a hit.
So there are 7 heroes, 3 of which are treating their Animal Companions as level 7 druid AnCos. One character is a summoner, but his summon was dropped to 0 in a previous fight. If I would assume APL, would be about level 10.
The party has already faced 3 encounters already, but still have plenty of heals and spells to go around. "2 sub caster classes"(level 20 gives 6th level spells aka like a bard) "3 Full base attack classes" (Two of which give 4th level divine spells at level 20 aka like a Paladin)
One werid class that the player told me he wanted to kill of his character so he could make a new character since it just wasn't working at all,(technically on the same spell power abilities of a Bard) and a rogue. All the characters are using elite array stats.
The Lich is about a CR 12-13. He has 5 levels of sorcerer, which I assume would treat him as a level 11 sorcerer for purposes of spells. I'm just going to treat it as if he was a 11 levels of sorcerer. He also has the Infernal Bloodline.
Since he knows they are coming, he was going to buff himself with expeditious retreat, and Eagle’s Splendor, giving him a 22 in charisma, and greater invisibility.
Using one trait to lower the metamagic cost of an Empower Rainbow Pattern, he will split the party of 36 "does that work like that, if not 24 would do fine" over a trap door, which is not apparent to them do to an illusion. If the players do not act to prevent 4-6 of their party to stop following the pretty lights.
The second phase would be that he would then "quicken charm person/ Normal Charm Monster" on two other players, and tell them that this is a "joyous occasion" and since he has been watching them, he would pick the two most likely to not have high will saves. He will then, while invisible, convince them to start hugging "grappling" their friends and don't let go for any reason. Since they are not dealing damage, I don't think that would count as a "hostile action" since he has still not attacked them at this point. At which case he might tell them to "pick them up and move them" somewhere else. Since at this point the voice with a +6 charisma is the best friend in the world, and he has yet to do any "perceivable" hostile action.
He would then Dominate person on a third character, possible the rogue, to do his bidding, and another swift action for another spell.
On the third turn he would then open fire with fireballs, and some swift action grease, and stealthing around and doing things like vampiric touch, and another trait on magic missile so he can do Toppling magic missle as a swift action. While climbing on the walls, rafters and support beams like a spider-man should.
I haven't decided yet if I would but one or two skeleton mages with wands fireball, and Toppling magic missle which the players are more then welcome to loot, or they could be "helping him" cast his spells and up the DC by a certain ammounts. As well as some random skeleton warrior minions.
So, too much? Too little? 7 level 6 heroes with animal companions.
I have issue with this because the party has no way of detecting invisible creatures outside of detect magic/detect evil/ track evil. No bags of flowers, no glitter dust, and when it comes stealth checks, I think the party is going to have a very hard time even hearing them, especially if they decide to cast "area silence" in hopes of making him stop casting spells, as they have done in the past.
and no, this boss was not made to counter the party, I've actually ran this campaign before, just at a lower levels, and the party always destroyed the supposed boss, but he has the same spells he always had, just now he has more of them since the pathfinder modifications I made.
At least half your PCs are dead. I hope they have the sense to run away as soon as the charm spells start flying out of nowhere. Even having animal companions (who can smell undead, invisible or not) isn't going to help unless said animal companions A) have a climb speed and B) don't belong to the guys who get charmed. Charming an animal companion's master gives the lich a free twofer.
If the players know that this guy is A) a genius, B) a ninja and C) an enchanter, and they go in anyway and die, that's heroic death. But if they don't know this is coming, you can expect to get a lot of sour faces or even lost players over this one. Certain tools in a GM's toolbox are like Batman's little Kryptonite stash - you don't flash them around until things are really bad. I mean, a drider lich? I hope you kissed them first!
Well, there is a 9th level ninja just outside of the Dungeon they are in that they saved, but couldn't join them. Should he join if/once things start getting out of hand?
If the party knows they're up against a lich and don't have magic circle against evil up on a party member or two, they've... missing the obvious. There should be an invisibility purge and a dimensional anchor laying around too.
If not, the party has "kill me" written all over them.
If they don't know what's coming, I'd say it's over-the-top.
You're ignoring that his most powerful ability is to rainbow pattern and then... walk up to people while invisible and touch them to permanently paralyze. The touch will break their fascinate-- in return for killing their character. It won't break other's fascinates-- well, unless they think something invisible nearby is a threat. Check out the rules for invisibility. DC 20 Perception to know there's someone invisible within 30 feet of you. So, they can use that to get a "feeling" he's nearby.
Also him talking makes it pretty easy for them to pinpoint where he is. I'm one of the weird people who thinks you don't get the +20/+40 to stealth when you're playing a brass instrument while invisible, though.
Drider is CR 7. Spell role. 5 levels of Sorc make him CR 12. Lich gives him +2 CR for CR 14.
After adding class levels and doing the rules for class levels, adding the +4/+4/+2/+2/+0/-2 to stats, +1 from 12HD he looks something like
Str 15, Dex 17, Con --, Int 22, Wis 20, Cha 22
hp (14d8)
So his permanent paralyzation touch is DC 10+7+6 for DC23. Right about in-line with his CR, at CR 15.
Of course he "knows" who has bad Fort, so he goes for people with bad Fort first.
I would say he could easily TPK any 10th level party.
EDIT: Eagle's Splendor would buff it up to 26 for a DC 25. Is this a module, or home-grown creature? I find that adding the stat modifiers is one thing not a lot of people do-- check out page 297 of the Bestiary, under "adding class levels." (Either that, or you did it, and a sorcer, chose not to up his charisma because you as the DM did not think Charisma is an important statistic for sorcerers and would not, as the rules say, "enhance his class abilities.")
You're ignoring that his most powerful ability is to rainbow pattern and then... walk up to people while invisible and touch them to permanently paralyze. The touch will break their fascinate-- in return for killing their character. It won't break other's fascinates-- well, unless they think something invisible nearby is a threat. Check out the rules for invisibility. DC 20 Perception to know there's someone invisible within 30 feet of you. So, they can use that to get a "feeling" he's nearby.Also him talking makes it pretty easy for them to pinpoint where he is. I'm one of the weird people who thinks you don't get the +20/+40 to stealth when you're playing a brass instrument while invisible, though.
Drider is CR 7. Spell role. 5 levels of Sorc make him CR 12. Lich gives him +2 CR for CR 14.
After adding class levels and doing the rules for class levels, adding the +4/+4/+2/+2/+0/-2 to stats, +1 from 12HD he looks something like
Str 15, Dex 17, Con --, Int 22, Wis 20, Cha 22
hp (14d8)So his permanent paralyzation touch is DC 10+7+6 for DC23. Right about in-line with his CR, at CR 15.
Of course he "knows" who has bad Fort, so he goes for people with bad Fort first.
I would say he could easily TPK any 10th level party.
EDIT: Eagle's Splendor would buff it up to 26 for a DC 25. Is this a module, or home-grown creature? I find that adding the stat modifiers is one thing not a lot of people do-- check out page 297 of the Bestiary, under "adding class levels." (Either that, or you did it, and a sorcer, chose not to up his charisma because you as the DM did not think Charisma is an important statistic for sorcerers and would not, as the rules say, "enhance his class abilities.")
I got it out of a pre made adventure made for 3.5. The only thing I changed on the Lich was that I thought I had to boost him up a few levels.
Ok, so Maybe I could just make him just a Drow Lich.
The party is well known of the mind control, since the ninja they saved was under mind control, and they have fought nothing but undead since they got here, and then ninja told them it was a Lich Mage of some sort.
... Maybe they could stumble on some old abandon pantry... or find some scrolls of see invisible? Its been kind of established that he likes to mind control people though.
If you want to eschew adding stats and have him use his tactics, that's fine. Someone will make their save, someone should have see invisibility, someone should have magic circle against evil. If they don't, then, well, things become harder and harder... but honestly, it should be fine.
I am not sure if NPCs do get traits after all, but they can´t take magical lineage twice.
Encounter seems pretty deadly, of course a lich is sopposed to be.
The "hugging" could work, but once the person they are hugging tells them to stop, they would do so.
|
Bit of a long one...
Sounds fine to me. Seriously, there are 7 of. 10 with animal companions.
If by 7th level you can't deal with invisibility, fail party.
Your three rounds of set up represent 30 rounds of actions for the party. You are assuming the players aren't doing things themselves to kill the lich right back.
They have spent as much time making their characters and figuring out what they can do as you have setting up this fight. With that many players you should be fine.
I am setting up a bit, and they do have a lot of time.
Also, I am intending of killing 3 of them. "2 animal companions, and one player. The player actually told me he wanted to die so he could switch his character, I am using this encounter as a opportune moment to slay him, and I told him he was going to die next session, so he is completely ok with it."
One of the animal companion I was going to kill so that later on, ether this session or next session he could be "remade" into a cyborg t-rex. Using the iron skin template, at level 7. Not to mention that an AnCo getting killed shouldn't really be a big deal. Although I'm sure the player won't be happy when he dies.
The third AnCo I'm just letting the encounter play out to see if it does die or not. If the player can stop it.
Another player has a GM special AnCo called "Guardian Angel", where I let him give up 2 feats to get an Angel instead of a horse "I asked him, and since everyone complains that the horse is pretty much useless anyway unless you force it or cheese it". The angel uses the same stats of the horses physical stats, "I'm not sure what to give her mental stats. " and is never allowed to talk or interfere unless the paladin commands it so.
I might give the angel "true sight at will" so that at least the angel can see the lich, but she cant say where the lich is aside from pointing or moving adjacent to the lich. The angel also has fly, but I toned down many of the angel traits. She still has dark vision, but she certainly does not have any immunity or Protective Aura, and is basically an Aasimar with wings, 10 fire Electric res, 5 acid cold, proficient with simple, martial weapons and Medium armor. (currently using a greatsword) Has good on Ref and Will saves, and gets a full base attack per HD, but the HD is still an 8. Her mental stats are (int 10,16,16) Aside from grunts she isn't allowed to actually speak or talk to anyone. "Verbally" She also always have protection from evil on, being an angel and all.
At the cost of 2 of the paladin feats. Considering the leadership feat and AnCo as a base, and that he would be getting some for of companion at level 5, I thought that was a fair trade. I could be greatly wrong, please inform me otherwise. Thought it would be fun for the summers Eldion to have a friend helping him in the air.
I thought out a few abilities, like, she might be allowed to get her Spell Like Abilities at later levels, or uses the paladin lay on hand charges to use her SpLiAb.
The party also pass by an old pantry "Its literally right behind them" that they didn't search for. It was suppose to have 2,000 gold of random loot. Next time they do a search check, should they find this pantry filled with spoiled bags of flour?
With 7 characters, they really should be prepared for most common types of encounters... If they can't figure out invisibility by now, then I say let a few of them die. It isn't to be harsh, it is to make the game world slightly more real. The threat of death, especially with a BBEG, should be serious.
The lich would certainly plan to kill folks, the question is, why would he plan on killing 2 animal companions??? Kill the angel? absolutely. The paladin if he gets a chance? SURE THING! The puppy? ... what? Especially when he knows they are being controlled, and the moment the master dies, the AC loses its magical bonuses and becomes a normal creature of its type once again. Target party members (the guy the wants to die first if you wish), and if the fight is completely lopsided, kill off 1 or 2 more before the lich locks the whole party down and takes off with a corpse (lets say the death-wish guy) to feast/cast spells/etc. The party can then figure out an escape (semi easy perception checks?) limp away badly injured and low in spirit, but with another shot at killing the lich once recovered, and be much better prepared.
To keep them interested, have the dead players run new characters, but have the old "dead" PCs appear in visions of the rest of the party calling out to them for help. The "dead" PCs can provide knowledge and assistance as far as tactics go if the group just isn't getting it, or even inter vein in a couple of the lich's spells next encounter (as he goes to touch a living PC, the ghost of dead PC Bob materializes between them in a last ditch effort to help, taking the touch attack, and is blasted out of existence. That ol schtick.
Its more like Kingkong and Godzilla, then a puppy. :p
[paraderain]Spell-like abilitys and sorcerer lavels do not stack. So He would have all the abilitys of a drider, and a 5 level sorcerer, but not an 11th level sorcerer.[/paraderain]
[paraderain]Spell-like abilitys and sorcerer lavels do not stack. So He would have all the abilitys of a drider, and a 5 level sorcerer, but not an 11th level sorcerer.[/paraderain]
ah, kk, then I will just make him a level 11 drow lich. That should make things a tad easier...
Or maybe I should just have 2 level 9 sorcerer liches? A master and apprentice?
Maybe one at level 9, and another at level 7 viva leadership? The module I based this off of had him about that level. For the same level, and not 10 people.
No Lincoln, none of that has happened, since I have yet to run it. :p