Challenging my high-lvl group (NPCs and monsters; my players shouldn't read this!)

I was thinking allong the lines of psionic canable halflings, and crazy undead assasins and I came up with something that I definitly think one of the players (Galthia) would definitly hate. Basically, he's a githyanki, right. Limbo Monk. And as everyone knows, githyanki HATE githzeri. But githzeria have a problem, because at 15th level, thier queen kills them off. Which is sort of an anti-powergaming thing, and isnt really backed up well RP wise, but work with me a little.

So how exactly would this level cap work? My idea is that the queen has some sort of artifact that keeps tabs on all powerful githzeri, where they are, and how powerful they are. The "tracking device" would probably be some sort of hereditary magic that goes into every githzeri born, or something like that.

Anyway, some githzeri, probably an evil adventuring party who know they are near the queens hitlist decide to bend the rules. They go to the white kindom and ask to be ghoulized, thus dying and dropping below the queens powerlevel radar, in exchange for, say, 20 years of service. Now this happened a while ago, so the party is WELL beyond 15th.

AND they are all psions/psychic warriors, and they get to keep all their stats (including con), getting special DM treatment for being evil NPCs.

That way, they look like normal ghouls, but are secretly insanely powerful. The perfect assasin. Just have them blend in with a group of grunts in some big/small skirmish, until they get close to teh party and bust out insane power combos. They are undead, they shouldnt technically exist, they already gave up thier lives, so they have nothing to lose. AND since they arnt subject to mind influnecing effects, they arnt subject to any of the party's nastier psionics.

The funny part is, once the queen found out that the party had taken care of, or not taken care of, possible rivals, she would probably be grateful, and her people probably wouldnt. So by defending themselves, the party would set of an interplanar incident. And Galthia would definitly fight them anyway, racial rivalries and all.

But it could also set of a sudden realization of how unfair the queen is being to her people, and how the aritifact must be destroyed. But then what to do with all the now free Githzeria?Sort of an Emancipation dillema. But a good subject for an planar adventure.

And maybe that alreay killed undead archer lady would make a good precurser to the rest of the undead party. Yah, maybe they could be out for revenge, and gold/power.

This may be crazy, it might not, but I'm posting it none the less. If you like it, PC, I have a bunch more ideas for the individual party members...
 
Last edited:

log in or register to remove this ad

Grim said:
I came up with something that I definitly think one of the players (Galthia) would definitly hate. Basically, he's a githyanki, right. Limbo Monk. And as everyone knows, githyanki HATE githzeri. But githzeria have a problem, because at 15th level, thier queen kills them off.

It's the Githyanki who follow the Lich Queen and die at 16th level. Galthia is a Githzerai.

Your concept still works, in theory, but I'd have to wonder why a Lich (i.e., undead) Queen wouldn't notice undead giths.
 
Last edited:

ooops... just switch the two in my post...

umm... crud. now that doesnt really work. Unless the lich queen is an ally of the white kingdom... or something, and has a special crack team of undead... or something... it can still work.... it can still work...
 

Githyanki Task Force

Mayhap the Lich Queen kills them and resurrects the most nastily powerful ones for her own personal use, thus she would have a powerful army who are all under her direct control in every possible way.

EDIT: Oh! I almost forgot. Since she's a Lich herself, she's agreed to lend some of her little babies to the White Kingdom.
 
Last edited:


First time I've swung by here.

That ... dragon. I'm DM'ing the next campaign, and I actually have to say -- I couldn't do that to them.

Sweet. Lord.
 

Yes you could, Jon. I trust you.

Kaodi, you've just saved my bacon! I wanted something creepy and unexpected for the central chamber of the dwarven vault. While I probably won't use the template, the earth wierd is exactly what I'm looking for. Gotta go write prophecies!

The other good stuff I'll ponder on later. Grim, there's got to be a way to tie in the githyanki; I just don't know what it is yet. Bill, I'm nabbing the spellstitched idea. Oddly enough, someone (WotC?) released a "spellstitched" monster that is nothing like the MM2 template! Anyone seen that? It's like a negative energy version of the Hunter of the Dead.

Spatz, where's the shadow mind from? Mind's Eye?

Thank you again, everyone, for making this thread so much fun. I wonder if illithids brainstorm, too?
 

Greetings all, especially you Piratecat for creating a story hour good enough to satisfy my reading 'lusts' till a Feast of Crows is released by G.R.R.M. ;)
As the forum topic states you're looking for monster/npc's to challenge you're pc's.
After scouring through some notes from my campaign I found a reference to a template WotC posted about multiheaded creatures (link). Their example of a multiheaded gorgon instantly drew my attention. Problem is it's DC 31 breathweapon which it can use multiple times. But seeing how the Defenders where able to handle themselves against Oathenor they should be able to handle this one. For increased evilness :rolleyes: you could add the true ghoul template, at the same time making it easier to handle for the 'holy' part of the Defenders. Since the mystery leader of the Ghouls already proved himself someone with reasonable magical powers and resources creating such an abomination shouldn't prove too difficult. Hope this helps.
Keep up the great work :D
 
Last edited:


Allanon said:
Since the mystery leader of the Ghouls already proved himself someone with reasonable magical powers and resources creating such an abomination shouldn't prove to difficult.
Are you kidding? after that necropede, I wouldn't put anything past those ghouls. Some things he might even do for cruel amusement, such as sticking red and gold dragon heads on the same body and watching them fight for hours :D

"I smell humans, I'll enjoy crunching their bones"

"Don't you dare, they may be able to help us"

"Who asked you, Goldihocks?"

"Well, if I left it up to you we'd never be rid of each other"

"I didn't ask for this you yellow snake. If it wouldn't kill me, I'd tear your head off of this body and eat its eyeballs"

"I'd like to see you try it"

"Oh YEA?!" *thud* *crash* *wallop*

"Why you!" *punt* *honk* *skreeech*

And the defenders just sit outside the door and stare dumbfounded at each other.
 

Remove ads

Top