Please Help Design - Level 30 Epic End Campaign Encounter

[Traveon Wyvernspur]

Hail all EnWorlders, I'm wrapping up my campaign with my current group and have decided to bump them up to level 30 for one last and final end all be all encounter. I'll be moving at the end of the month, so that's why we are ending our campaign a bit prematurely.

I'll give some background into the campaign I've been running to give more insight as to what I'm looking for.

Thus far, the PCs have battled their way across a land ravaged by hordes of undead, an evil cult out to get them, and now realize that an ancient lich has been behind it all. They had to recover 4 pieces of an god-made artifact along with the 5th component to "activate" it. They found out the lich has escaped his prison of over 1,000 years and now has the 5th component. If he gets it, along with their 4 pieces, the world will end due to the lich's ancient deity being released from his void prison and the whole world will become nothingness.

So, basically I want to design an encounter in which the players have to defeat this most powerful of liches. The players are smart and very powerful at this point, there are 5 of them and they can easily deal more than 300 damage per round.

I guess what I'd like to see are some ideas on a bad-arse encounter to challenge all or even kill a few of them off in the process (end of campaign sacrifices to save the world are cool to me, even if a bit cliche).

1. What other types of creatures/minions would you put into the encounter to harass or shut down the strikers, nullify the healer, and keep the defender off balance?
2. What kind of terrain would you have the encounter take place on?
3. What kind of special abilities should an ancient god-like lich have so that he isn't focus fired on and destroyed in two rounds?
4. Would you have traps/hazards, if so, what kind?

Any and all ideas would be appreciated, we play again next Tuesday and I'll be taking notes and designing an encounter over the next week to get it fleshed out. I'm planning on a 4-5 hour session, so the encounter can be pretty complex if need be.

Thanks in advance!
Trav

 

[Quickleaf]

My first suggestion is to read AngryDM's 4 part "Boss Fights" article if you haven't already: The D&D Boss Fight (Part 1) | The Angry DM: D&D Advice with Attitude. Totally great advice for making solos and pacing the fight.

Thus far, the PCs have battled their way across a land ravaged by hordes of undead, an evil cult out to get them, and now realize that an ancient lich has been behind it all. They had to recover 4 pieces of an god-made artifact along with the 5th component to "activate" it. They found out the lich has escaped his prison of over 1,000 years and now has the 5th component. If he gets it, along with their 4 pieces, the world will end due to the lich's ancient deity being released from his void prison and the whole world will become nothingness.

Wait, so they've got 4 and the lich has 1, so is this the lich coming after them or them going after the lich? And, you know, handily putting the 4 pieces in his reach?

So, basically I want to design an encounter in which the players have to defeat this most powerful of liches.

I know Vecna (34 controller) might have some ideas but I wasn't that impressed by the mechanics for him. You might look to Bel Shalor, the Shadow in the Flame from Ebberron (same level and role) for better ideas.

The players are smart and very powerful at this point, there are 5 of them and they can easily deal more than 300 damage per round.

What classes are they?

[*]What kind of terrain would you have the encounter take place on?

If this is the lich's turf, I'm envisioning some kind of soul receptacle ossuary, maybe the lich's own Demi-plane, the one place he can be destroyed in the flesh, so to speak.

I'm picturing a floor covered by dry ice type mist, so that if you stand in the same place for three rounds, it begins to freeze/petrify you, or perhaps turn you into undead.

Various alcoves hold the remains of great heroes, king's, and saints; they can be called on for cryptic advice by the PCs, or commanded as wraiths by the lich, or perhaps the lich can create a bone whirlwind or golem from their remains.

Some sort of spectral wall or spectral bridge that can be modified/moved with the right piece of the artifact. Each one might correspond to a different configuration, frex leading to subchambers with guardians keeping hints aboutthe lich.

Some kind of magnetic vortex of corrupting necrotic energy seems appropriate; PCs pulled to the middle emerge as dark versions of their former selves, more vulnerable to the lich's attacks.

A memento from the lich's past - the tomb it was originally buried in, which hints it had some distant connection to one of the PCs (eg. founder of religious order, ancient ancestor, etc).

One of the DMGs has an epic soul gem trap, that could be a good addition too.

[*]What kind of special abilities should an ancient god-like lich have so that he isn't focus fired on and destroyed in two rounds?

What about multiple phylacteries that he can use to instantly restore himself to bloodied (and trigger a power unique to each phylactery)? You could allude to these before they face the lich with paradox type riddles ("the breath of one never alive").

Or what about a 1/round ability to convert damage into conditions (or vice versa)? Or some sort of devastating negative energy field that kicks in when the lich takes 1/4 or more of it's HP in one round? Or what about linked minions or even dominated innocents who the lich can transfer damage to as long as they are within X squares?

Again, I really like the AngryDM article because it provides some limits to how badly the PCs can own a solo monster.

Any and all ideas would be appreciated, we play again next Tuesday and I'll be taking notes and designing an encounter over the next week to get it fleshed out. I'm planning on a 4-5 hour session, so the encounter can be pretty complex if need be.

Thanks in advance!
Trav

It's awesome you've made it all the way to 30th level!

I'll post more ideas when I'm not typing from my iPhone

 

[Traveon Wyvernspur]

oops

 

[Traveon Wyvernspur]

Okay I'll try to answer all your questions and reply back. First off, thanks for getting back to me with so many ideas! Sounds great and I'll definitely take a look at that other post you linked.

• Yes, they have recovered 4 of the pieces which came together into a dark crimson blade which was made by a god, it's a metal that fell from the heavens (basically a star metal from a comet). In order for the blade to be fully restored to power they need to do a ritual which is outlined on the ancient parchment the lich has recovered before they could get to it.
• I think I'm going to have them go after the lich, he'll have some hostages that they love and care about to move them into a weaker position and the lich will have the "home field" advantage.
• I'll look into those other controllers, thanks for that advice. I also designed from the character builder a level 30 controlling/dominating character that I'm going to beef up with a lot of hps, but that may be too time consuming for me to use in the fight looking over all the different powers that a normal level 30 PC has available to them.
• Classes: Paladin, Cleric, Warlord, Rogue, and Ranger (ranger is new character since the previous PC was killed off last week, he was a sniper rogue previously so this should be pretty similar I think).
• Those are some great ideas for terrain and traps, I'll definitely steal some of those from you.
• Well, they shouldn't be 30 yet by RAW, but I'm moving soon so I have bumped them up a few times to get a taste of the different levels and tiers before the campaign concludes next week. We've only been playing for 9 months together and have had a blast. I hope to get a new group together that is just as cool when I get to Las Vegas.

 

[Riastlin]

Just some ideas off the top of my head (in no particular order).

1. Minions. Lots and lots of minions. Perhaps even give the lich an aura 20 or some such that allows any undead in the aura who are below 0 HP to rise with 1 HP. In other words, the hits just keep coming.

2. Additional aura, power. The lich is able to either command the undead to execute extra attacks, or increase their damage, etc. The idea here being that even if the minions keep rising, there's still reason to not ignore them.

3. Give the lich a really good wall power. Allow him to essentially segregate the party for a round or two. Solos should be pretty freakin scary if there's only a couple of PCs able to affect them. Just be careful not to make the wall too permanent, or too much of a hindrance. Doing that is only going to lead to more of a slog.

4. Mini skill challenges. Some sort of pillars or altars that power up the lich. Perhaps each divine pillar gives him resist X or +X to defenses. Make them stack. If the PCs really want to weaken the lich, they need to take out his other defenses first.

5. The freezing fog idea is just too damn cool. Combine it with a power on the lich that allows him to immobilize so that the PCs can get trapped (though make sure they have some chance of escape).

6. If the PCs are coming after the lich, and his piece of the artifact, put the lich's piece of the artifact behind a door that can only be opened with the other 4 pieces. This means that the PCs have to bring those pieces to the fight, which means that the lich can recover them.

7. You don't have a controller in your group, so you may not need to worry about it as much, but make sure that the lich can handle assorted status effects. At the very least allow him a save when the effects are imposed, a save at start of his turn, or to simply remove certain effects at the end of its turn.

8. Make the terrain interactive. Whether its providing places of cover, squares of freezing fog, areas that impose necrotic vulnerabilities, or simply terrain powers (like tipping over a column), you want the PCs to be interacting with/concerned about the terrain. You don't want everyone to just pick a spot and stand there. Perhaps some of the terrain effects (vulnerability or fog frex) are mobile. Maybe they are attracted to the living so that they pursue the PCs around the encounter. Better yet, maybe they're controlled by the lich so that he can more or less force the PCs to get into the position he wants them in.

9. Traps. This goes along with the terrain and skill challenge ideas, but a lich fighting on its home turf is absolutely going to have some tricks up its sleeves.

10. Most importantly, the phylactery (or at least the final one), is somewhere else. Sure, the PCs win the fight and save the day, but that doesn't mean evil has to be defeated for all time. Of course, I also tend to be a rat bastard DM from time to time.

 

[Nullzone]

Just giving the lich hp restoration mechanisms does nothing but make the fight longer; you may as well just add the hp to his base pool. Consider instead using mechanisms that the PCs have to disable in order to get at the BBEG effectively/less likely to cause them to kill themselves. Example:


Lich is in a sacrificial chamber, and casts some kind of ultimate spell, causing 4 ritual circles/phylacteries/macguffins around the room to activate. Each one has a different effect.

Skull of the Unholy: If you spend a healing surge, BBEG receives the amount healed in temp hp (normal temp hp rules apply, prevents stacking up too much and messing w/ bloodied condition effects). Alternately: Healing surges and related effects heal for 1/2 their normal amount.

Echo of Doom: Attacks that hit the BBEG cause the attacker to take 20 necrotic damage (note: ATTACKS, this means per hit on powers like Twin Strike). This damage cannot be reduced in any way. Alternately: Moving willfully causes 5 necrotic damage per square. This damage cannot be reduced in any way.

Lantern of Hollow Darkness: A portal to the shadowfell opens, spawning 2d4 shade minions at the start of every round. Shade minions can occupy the same space as other creatures. Alternately: A gravity well opens and pulls every living creature 4 squares towards it at the start of every round. Creatures pulled into the well are sucked into another plane, causing them to be removed from play until EONT; upon their return, they are thrown 1d6+4 squares in a random direction from the well, suffering 1d12 damage and knocked prone.

Call of Dread Fury: PCs that do not make an attack roll on their turn are slowed until EONT. If they are already slowed, they are immobilized instead. Alternately: If you do not target an unliving creature with a power on your turn, make a saving throw at a -2 penalty. On a failure, you must charge the nearest living creature you can see as a free action and attack with a +5 bonus to attack and damage. This movement is considered forced for the purpose of all movement related rules.


These objects each have 300 hp, average defenses, and are vulnerable 20 to a specific damage type (spread the love among your party's damage capabilities); they may also be disabled via adjacent skill checks, running each one as a complexity 1 skill challenge. The PC can opt to use a Standard or Minor action to make the check once per round; Standard action checks will use DC 30, Minor action checks use DC 35. Failures cause 25 unresistable untyped damage.

The combination of the 4 effects should give your party a few things to focus on each turn besides the lich himself, and cause them to have to make some tough choices, rather than just bash on the boss for the encounter, occasionally stopping to patch up a few wounds.


This is the Big Bad Evil Guy that your party has been chasing for a long time, and your PCs are approaching the equivalent of godhood themselves. If he's their adversary, he'd better be friggin' powerful to even care about the PCs or for the PCs to care about him. Make this guy ruthless and completely capable of turning a small moon to dust. Remember that almost every Epic Destiny includes a way to return from the dead with no effort, and that the PCs should be able to look out for each other in the process, even in the face of something crazy and insurmountable.

 

[Traveon Wyvernspur]

Stealing the idea for the 4 objects as well as the mist, those are just badass. I think I'll do it with a ton of minions that keep popping up and swarming the PC's especially the ranged and healer. Great ideas guys, you are getting my own creative juices flowing and I'll definitely be using quite a few of your suggestions.

 

[Nullzone]

If you use the 4 objects idea, consider scripting your plot device into it such that the BBEG loses a chunk of his health (1/4 or so, perhaps) once all 4 devices are disabled. You're effectively taking a significant chunk of the party out of the fight for at least 4 rounds, make it a little easier to finish him off afterward so it doesn't turn into a slog. It makes for a great cinematic moment too.

 

[Traveon Wyvernspur]

If you use the 4 objects idea, consider scripting your plot device into it such that the BBEG loses a chunk of his health (1/4 or so, perhaps) once all 4 devices are disabled. You're effectively taking a significant chunk of the party out of the fight for at least 4 rounds, make it a little easier to finish him off afterward so it doesn't turn into a slog. It makes for a great cinematic moment too.

Great idea, that's true. I don't want this thing to go on for 5+ hours, I'd like to get it done in under 4 hours if possible (whether it's a TPK or a win for the PCs).

 

[Riastlin]

This is the Big Bad Evil Guy that your party has been chasing for a long time, and your PCs are approaching the equivalent of godhood themselves. If he's their adversary, he'd better be friggin' powerful to even care about the PCs or for the PCs to care about him. Make this guy ruthless and completely capable of turning a small moon to dust. Remember that almost every Epic Destiny includes a way to return from the dead with no effort, and that the PCs should be able to look out for each other in the process, even in the face of something crazy and insurmountable.

Bolding for emphasis. It may seem somewhat ruthless and mean spirited, but lets face it, the PCs won't ever face anything as powerful in their entire career. Quite frankly, if at least one of the PCs doesn't have to use their ED "resurrection" feature, its going to seem somewhat disappointing. While this shouldn't be an automatic tpk of a fight, a tpk should definitely be on the table so to speak.

The stakes are as high as they can be. The entire world is quite literally depending on the PCs (whether the world knows it or not). Heck, I might even consider some sort of a terrain feature that gives the potential of a PC sacrificing himself to save the world. Much like the portal at the end of KotS lead some players to pull Kalarel through it (sacrificing the PC in the process). You'd want to be careful with this approach of course because some PCs will absolutely be true enough believers that they will readily sacrifice themselves to save the world. In other words, don't make the option to do so all that easy (maybe it only comes into play late in the encounter, etc.).

In sum though, this being the end cap of the campaign, it should definitely be a nail biter of an encounter (IMO). You want the players to realize that they could very well all die. Even if one or two do die, the players will still likely consider it a victory if they defeat the lich. If you can, get your players to send you copies of their character sheets. That way you can actually do a test run of the encounter and see how it looks. Depending on how far you had to level them it might be pretty easy to under estimate their abilities. Nothing is worse than seeing what's supposed to be a truly climactic encounter end up playing out like the random orc attack.