Dodkong minions

[Cleon]

So if the above damage tweaks are OK by you, are we done with the Actions and Legendary Actions?

Let's see, what other mechanics gubbins do we need to add.

Its Reactions need standard issue giant Rock Catching and that Dread Counterspell ability, although the latter might need some polishing.

Updating the Dodkong Working Draft.

That just leaves Dread Counterspell.

The last D&D Beyond draft I saw of that was:

Dread Counterspell. The dodkong utters a dread word to interrupt a creature he can see that is casting a spell. If the spell is 4th level or lower, it fails and has no effect. If the spell is 5th level or higher, the dodkong makes an Intelligence check (DC 10 + the spell's level). On a success, the spell fails and has no effect. Whatever the spell's level, the caster takes 10 (3d6) psychic damage if the spell fails.​

Compared to the spell counterspell that's a level higher and does a bit of damage, but is otherwise pretty much the same apart from not having a range. Not having a range is a serious oversight.

I'm thinking this ability might benefit from being a Recharge ability rather than at-will, compensated for by an increase in damage. It would increase the PCs uncertainty if they weren't sure whether the Dodkong could counter their spell or not. If it could just spam it every round the sense of risk would vanish.

How about one of the following:

Dread Counterspell #1 (Recharge 4-6)? If a creature within 100 feet of the dodkong is in the process of casting a spell, the dodkong can attempt to interrupt that spellcaster with a psychic assault. The spellcasting creature must make a DC 22 save using their spellcasting ability or take 21 (6d6) psychic damage. If the creature survives and is casting a spell of 4th level or lower, its spell fails and has no effect. If the spell is 5th level or higher, the dodkong makes an Intelligence check (DC 10 + the spell's level). On a success, the spell fails and has no effect.​

​

Dread Counterspell #2 (Recharge 4-6?)? If a creature within 100 feet of the dodkong is in the process of casting a spell, the dodkong can attempt to interrupt that spellcaster with a psychic assault. The spellcasting creature must make a DC 22 save using their spellcasting ability, taking 21 (6d6) psychic damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one. If the creature survives and is casting a spell of 4th level or lower, its spell fails and has no effect. If the spell is 5th level or higher, the dodkong makes an Intelligence check (DC 10 + the spell's level). On a success, the spell fails and has no effect.​

We could also give it a Legendary Action that recharges its Counterspell like, say:

Countermagic (Costs 2 Actions). The dodkong recharges its Dread Counterspell.​

Hmm, I like that idea!

 

[Casimir Liber]

If we use the above Rock proposal, that does 42 damage (4d10+6 bludgeoning plus 4d6 necrotic).

So how about having the Phantom Boulder do 39 (6d10 + 6) psychic damage and the Freezing Death do 21 (6d6) cold plus 14 (4d6) necrotic?

yep/agreed

 

[Casimir Liber]

​

Dread Counterspell #2 (Recharge 4-6?)? If a creature within 100 feet of the dodkong is in the process of casting a spell, the dodkong can attempt to interrupt that spellcaster with a psychic assault. The spellcasting creature must make a DC 22 save using their spellcasting ability, taking 21 (6d6) psychic damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one. If the creature survives and is casting a spell of 4th level or lower, its spell fails and has no effect. If the spell is 5th level or higher, the dodkong makes an Intelligence check (DC 10 + the spell's level). On a success, the spell fails and has no effect.​

We could also give it a Legendary Action that recharges its Counterspell like, say:

Countermagic (Costs 2 Actions). The dodkong recharges its Dread Counterspell.​

Hmm, I like that idea!

#2 and yes/agreed

 

[Cleon]

yep/agreed

#2 and yes/agreed

Updating the Dodkong Working Draft.

Okay, I think we're done apart from the Description and possibly the crown of Obadai.

Shall I blue up the mechanics block?

 

[Casimir Liber]

Yeah - not sure what to do about the crown really...

Re description - I guess pondering whether to call him a lich as such. And whether he is made system-neutral (i.e. out of Forgotten Realms)

"The dodkong is an ancient undead stone giant spellcaster (lich) who gained his power via the famed Crown of Obadai. He dwells in stone giant settlement deep under the earth known as Cairnheim."

 

[Cleon]

Yeah - not sure what to do about the crown really...

Maybe just have a Description paragraph saying it's a mysterious artifact only usable by stone giants that can create undead giants like cairn wights and the dodkong?

Re description - I guess pondering whether to call him a lich as such. And whether he is made system-neutral (i.e. out of Forgotten Realms)

I'd lean towards at least some reference to Liches but as to how campaign-agnostic to make the description, I'd leave that to you.

Ponder away!

"The dodkong is an ancient undead stone giant spellcaster (lich) who gained his power via the famed Crown of Obadai. He dwells in stone giant settlement deep under the earth known as Cairnheim."

Is Cairnheim deep under the earth?

I remember it having an entry in a Forgotten Realm book, but not as an Underdark complex. Got the impression it was a "surface settlement" in Stone Giant terms, implying a bunch of caves & tunnels with some connection to the open air.

 

[Casimir Liber]

Cairnheim is Nedeheim - see here

 

[Cleon]

Cairnheim is Nedeheim - see here

That's more-or-less what I remembered. It reads as a near the surface underground settlement to me, not "deep under the earth" like in the suggested Description.

Cairnheim is "within a high mountain cavern" and has hill giants, hobgoblins, humans and orcs as tributary holdings. All of those creatures are surface dwellers who wouldn't be within Cairnheim's zone of influence if it was deep in the Underdark.

The kingdom's deepest parts are at a depth of half a mile, which is shallower than a lot of real-world mines.

It also says Nedeheim originally "controlled the Giant's Run Mountains and carved great roads and stairs through its peaks, as well as tremendous halls beneath its peaks" which sounds like it was more on the surface before the Giant War conflict, after which the population retreated underground (the war reduced Nedeheim's "to scattered clanholds, whose remaining inhabitants fled into the Upperdark").

Which is all academic as I don't think we need to include much of that in a Description.

Anyhow, let's give this a go…

Description

The dodkong is an undead stone giant spellcaster of great power resembling a giant-sized lich. It appears much as it did when alive: a gaunt and elderly giant with skin resembling weathered granite and black deep-set eyes.
 Subterranean Monarchy. The dodkong rules an underground kingdom of giants, both living and undead. Its citizens are mostly stone giants and hill giants. While most of these giants are alive, its leaders are mostly undead. The dodkong has a policy of transforming its most powerful and loyal followers into intelligent undead as a reward for their service. These undead giants join the dodkong's council of Dodforerir (Giant for "Death Chiefs"). All dodforerir are cairns, a class of undead stone giant, and most are cairn wights. Traitors and incompetents are punished by becoming mindless undead such as zombies or skeletons.
 The dodkong's kingdom includes humanoids such as orcs and troglodytes as second-class residents and forces nearby humanoid settlements, including human ones, to become tributary communities.

 The Crown of Obadai. The dodkong became undead due to the crown of Obadai, an ancient stone giant artefact. Only a stone giant can use the crown, which has vast necromantic powers. The most prominent power is it grants its owner the ability to cast ritual spells that create many kinds of undead, including all manner of cairns. Careless use risks transforming its owner into an undead, and this is said to be how the dodkong became a lich-like entity.
 The dodkong is obsessively possessive of the crown and would tear the world apart to recover the item should it be stolen. It is rumored that if the crown of Obadai is destroyed this also destroys every undead it has created, including the dodkong Even if this is not the case, the dodkong can only create new cairn undead with this artefact so would be unable to add new Dodforerir to its council. Without the crown it cannot even produce a cairn zombie slave.​

How's that?

 

[Casimir Liber]

Anyhow, let's give this a go…

Description​

​

The dodkong is an undead stone giant spellcaster of great power resembling a giant-sized lich. It appears much as it did when alive: a gaunt and elderly giant with skin resembling weathered granite and black deep-set eyes.​

 Subterranean Monarchy. The dodkong rules an underground kingdom of giants, both living and undead. Its citizens are mostly stone giants and hill giants. While most of these giants are alive, its leaders are mostly undead. The dodkong has a policy of transforming its most powerful and loyal followers into intelligent undead as a reward for their service. These undead giants join the dodkong's council of Dodforerir (Giant for "Death Chiefs"). All dodforerir are cairns, a class of undead stone giant, and most are cairn wights. Traitors and incompetents are punished by becoming mindless undead such as zombies or skeletons.​

 The dodkong's kingdom includes humanoids such as orcs and troglodytes as second-class residents and forces nearby humanoid settlements, including human ones, to become tributary communities.​

How's that?

Looks good - would it be better as Subterranean Monarch - as mostly headers are descriptors of the critters?

 

[Cleon]

Looks good - would it be better as Subterranean Monarch - as mostly headers are descriptors of the critters?

Changing to Monarch is fine by me.

I'm also going to change "While most of these giants are alive, its leaders are mostly undead" to "The majority of the kingdom's leaders are undead created by the dodkong."

Updating the Dodkong Working Draft.