D&D 5E Beefing up Acererak for 16th level PCs?

[doctorbadwolf]

Another option I'd think would be to give him a dracolich mount. Something threatening enough to draw some of the fire from him.

An undead wyvern would be pretty threatening, tbh, without requiring the DM to run two hyperintelligent spellcasters.

 

[dave2008]

Glad you like! The main thing for solo fights is to give more action economy to the solo enemy.

Some things I did recently with a fight against a beefed up Warforged Titan (called an Arcane Titan)
It had absorb elements, heat metal on it's weapons, and it exploded when destroyed
It had an arcane energy shield that it could regenerate by spending charges, basically like the artillerist's THP cannon.
It also absorbed part of any spell with a level that was used on it, gaining charges as if it were a magic item. (in story, the cult that made it had mixed creature magic and magic item magic. Next version they face will also have place magic, and thus lair actions!)
It had a bonus action arcane cannon, as the artificer's eldritch cannon, and two emplacements for snipers to sit and have half cover.
Each of it's major systems was a creature with it's own hit points and AC and 1 action per round independent of it's turn. These systems were each arm, the legs and lower torso, the upper torso and head, and the cannon up top.

Cool idea, I dig creatures-in-parts. One question, based on your description I am wandering why did you start with a Warforged Titan instead of a Colossus?

Now, obviously a lot of that doesn't translate, but you've got a powerful lich mixed with an elder god of darkness. Absorbing the PC's magical attacks and using the power to hit them back is pretty on-brand, as is giving it both legendary and lair actions, and a couple turns per round, and separate HP pools for each head, tail, etc.

I sent him a link to my Dendar which is a creature-in-3-parts, so he has something to start with.

 

[dave2008]

An undead wyvern would be pretty threatening, tbh, without requiring the DM to run two hyperintelligent spellcasters.

IDK, I don't think zombie or skeleton wyverns or dragons have to be intelligent.

 

[doctorbadwolf]

Cool idea, I dig creatures-in-parts. One question, based on your description I am wandering why did you start with a Warforged Titan instead of a Colossus?

Colossus is way too big for the scene I'd set up. It had to fit inside what is basically an illegal garage/warehouse facility inside a tower in Sharn, so a huge construct worked best. Also, it was meant to be a single fight, not like, a whole adventure scaling this colossal terrain-creature.

As it is, they are now primed to be really worried when they see that first misty glimpse of the outline of a torso and head leaning back against a tower, when they venture to Metrol to try to reverse the Mourning, which is one of thebig arcs they're working on right now.

I sent him a link to my Dendar which is a creature-in-3-parts, so he has something to start with.

Rad!

 

[doctorbadwolf]

IDK, I don't think zombie or skeleton wyverns or dragons have to be intelligent.

imo a dumb undead dragon is a bit of a waste, though. And definitely not a dracolich.

 

[Ralif Redhammer]

The wyvern would still increase his mobility, enabling him to hang out above the lava, out of melee reach. Or alternately, just take up enough of the space on the balcony with him that no one can safely close to melee.

But a dracolich also is a deadly threat, one that is much more likely to split their damage output. Also, the adult blue dracolich of the MM is not a spellcaster - which, yeah, considering how much prep time I spent on Acererak's spells and strategies with them, I wouldn't have wanted to do for an additional foe in that fight!

An undead wyvern would be pretty threatening, tbh, without requiring the DM to run two hyperintelligent spellcasters.

 

[doctorbadwolf]

The wyvern would still increase his mobility, enabling him to hang out above the lava, out of melee reach. Or alternately, just take up enough of the space on the balcony with him that no one can safely close to melee.

But a dracolich also is a deadly threat, one that is much more likely to split their damage output. Also, the adult blue dracolich of the MM is not a spellcaster - which, yeah, considering how much prep time I spent on Acererak's spells and strategies with them, I wouldn't have wanted to do for an additional foe in that fight!

I guess I just can't imagine playing any intelligent blue dragon without spellcasting, but especially a blue dracolich, which is by definition a powerful arcane spellcaster, in order to become a dracolich in the first place...

 

[Uni-the-Unicorn!]

I guess I just can't imagine playing any intelligent blue dragon without spellcasting, but especially a blue dracolich, which is by definition a powerful arcane spellcaster, in order to become a dracolich in the first place...

Clearly your definition and the MM definition differ!

 

[Uni-the-Unicorn!]

imo a dumb undead dragon is a bit of a waste, though. And definitely not a dracolich.

In Dave’s defense, you said “undead wyvern” which is definitely not a dracolich

 

[Ralif Redhammer]

I suspect that the good doctor, like me, spent many years with older dragons all being powerful spellcasters. 2e-3e it was more or less a given that most dragons encountered would be able to cast spells, in addition to all the other nasty stuff they could do.

Heck, I think there was a dragon even that had multiple magic wands at its disposal, too.

I guess I just can't imagine playing any intelligent blue dragon without spellcasting, but especially a blue dracolich, which is by definition a powerful arcane spellcaster, in order to become a dracolich in the first place...

Clearly your definition and the MM definition differ!