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Message: <blockquote data-quote="clearstream" data-source="post: 8392907" data-attributes="member: 71699">The biggest problem you face as I see it as a level 16 party might trivialise the Atropal. So where the party is meant to be on the ropes, they'll be not only fresh but also potentially super-buffed by the trickster gods. One option would be to have him present with the Atropal. Who knows what kinds of divination magic he can access: maybe he knows what's coming! I suspect the two together might be quite a hard fight.I have a party exploring the Tomb at present, and have given some thought to Acererak. Seing as I use Fantasy Grounds VTT, it's easy for me to clone the campaign and test my ideas. Some notes for you<ol> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">I found that the Atropal should just spam its exhaustion effect. Exhausted characters don't have nearly as good a time with Acererak and they (almost certainly) lack time to recover from exhaustion before the fight. Remember it can legendary action this, so it goes right after the first PC meaning it should get at least one cast off.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">Acererak arrives standing in front of a portal. If he needs to, he should back out through it and rethink his approach... and then return!</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">I gave Acererak a contingency of a banishment spell (target self), so that worst case he can bug out and rethink as above.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">I tried having Acererak's first cast be psychic scream (XGE), but found that too powerful. The problem is that if PCs fail, they may not have good enough Int saves to ever succeed and then are just stun-locked forever. Still, it's worth considering...</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">I revised his spell list completely; gods know what the designers were thinking!? He can at-will fireball or hold person, why on Earth would a being as ancient and cunning as Acererak not have that sort of thing? </li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">I decided that Acererak has a pretty good idea that he will be running into a bunch of so-called heroes, who were obviously powerful enough to murder his baby, so he arrives with a plan </li> </ol><h4>Revised spell list</h4>Cantrips (at will): frostbite, mage hand, prestidigitation1st level (at will): absorb elements, shield2nd level (at will): mind spike, misty step3rd level (at will): counterspell, fireball4th level (3 slots): banishment, greater invisibility, mordenkainen's private sanctum5th level (3 slots): bigby's hand, scrying, seeming6th level (3 slots): disintegrate, mass suggestion, scatter7th level (3 slots): etherealness, forcecage, plane shift*8th level (2 slots): abi-dalzim's horrid wilting, dominate monster, mind blank*9th level (2 slots): time stop, wish* precastThe plan is to time stop, greater invis himself if that seems like a good idea, and forcecage whoever he thinks is strong and likely to stay imprisoned by it. I like [USER=83242]@dave2008[/USER]'s version of Acererak, but do believe wish and forcecage are better picks. Note that I kept the same number of spells at each level as he has in the book, but obviously there isn't really a strong reason to do that. I also tried to think about what spells might make sense for him to have in mind most plane-hopping days (with a background idea that somewhere out there he has a simulacrum with all the tedious but useful spells that you really want to cast while staying at home).</blockquote>

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