could the group survive?

[Dizzie_Parallax]

so Im going through ideas for my campaign and i had one idea where a magic shop in one of the cities has a demilich hiding in its cluttered shelves, completly unknown by anyone. shortly after the party walks into the shop, the doors seal and one by one people start dying until all 8 uses of its trap the soul are used and then the doors are re-opened. because i plan for there to be more than 8 people in the shop(counting the 4 pcs the and the shopkeep) i dont really think more than one of them will die. but is this fair? I mean i dont plan on doin this until the party is strong enough to deal with a CR 29 enemy but still...

do you think this is unfair? Im not trying to purposely kill everyone, i just want them to have challenging encounters. It will be possible for them to figure out whats going on (i.e the gleaming from the demilich's soul gems if they can pass the spot check, or similar skill checks)

what do you guys think?

Also complete side note, you think it would be hard to make a mike myers esque character?

 

[Senko]

I shouldn't think so, I know I've seen a Jason Vorhee's series of characters in a series of horror/scifi movie themed pdfs someone did at one point.

As for the demi-lich I always take the view while being a super-powerful virtually unbeatable being is nice in a game if you don't run the risk of dying its a lot less fun. Consider the difference between going into a fight knowing you can't die because the GM wont do that to a PC or going into every fight knowing that maybe this time the odds will be gainst you and you'll die fighting the good fight?

 

[Funeris]

I don't know that the demilich would let anyone survive. That doesn't make any sense to me. If it has some need to feed occasionally, wouldn't it dine on 1 or 2 folks sporadically, having the sense to dispose of the bodies intelligently?

Additionally, if folks are going missing occasionally after visiting a shop, maybe there's rumors beginning to circulate and build against the place? It feels too much like an encounter inside a vacuum to me.

Maybe you have some additional info you didn't divulge?

How is it going to choose which souls to attempt to devour? Are you going to make that random or intentional? When the doors lock, are they going to slam shut and perhaps all the lights go out? Not much of a hindrance to the demilich or, hopefully, characters powerful enough to take one on, but perhaps that makes the other patrons easy pickings?? Or, are the doors going to lock unnoticed?

Is the shopkeep an active accomplice in the demilich's plans? Or did the shopkeep accidentally purchase the demilich, not realizing what it was and now finds himself in a very bad situation? Or, maybe he still doesn't realize what he purchased?

I think the general premise has some promise, depending on where you take it and how. I could see it as a very good, suspenseful encounter if done right.

To better gauge the group's survival, we'd need to know more about the group as well as what I've asked above.

 

[Quartz]

Yes, it's horribly unfair. And it could go very wrong. And it's very bad tactics from the demilich. And... a magic shop?

How about this instead: the demilich is a hand, not a skull. It controls a high-level functionary. Maybe the King's Chancellor. Someone for whom an animated hand to do all that pesky writing would be a suitable tool - so much more secure (hehe) than using a scribe. The skeletal hand is inside a bejeweled gauntlet or glove to disguise its undead nature and has magical non-detection beyond that. The hand then selects its victims when they meet its patsy. It then chooses its victims and slays them during the night. If the Chancellor is sending people off on a mission, it kills them afterwards. Especially if it's a sensitive mission, when it will kill them all.

 

[Dizzie_Parallax]

Yes, it's horribly unfair. And it could go very wrong. And it's very bad tactics from the demilich. And... a magic shop?

How about this instead: the demilich is a hand, not a skull. It controls a high-level functionary. Maybe the King's Chancellor. Someone for whom an animated hand to do all that pesky writing would be a suitable tool - so much more secure (hehe) than using a scribe. The skeletal hand is inside a bejeweled gauntlet or glove to disguise its undead nature and has magical non-detection beyond that. The hand then selects its victims when they meet its patsy. It then chooses its victims and slays them during the night. If the Chancellor is sending people off on a mission, it kills them afterwards. Especially if it's a sensitive mission, when it will kill them all.

umm... no. i like my idea thanks. much more than i like yours. but you said it was unfair; how?

 

[Dizzie_Parallax]

i dont think the lich would kill every one. especially sice for this encounter he will only use the trap the sould ability which he can use only 8 times a day, and the victim has to be in sight of him. i agree that a lich would have more sense than to kill like this but this particular lich is different as he hasnt fed in some time, and the lack of souls has slightly driven him insane. is a chaotic lich completly unheard of?

there are rumors about the shop. its supposedly haunted however no substantial evidence has ever been found to back this fact up. some people never go in while others do all the time, ignoring the rumors completly.

the victims will be chosen at random except the shopkeep, who will definetly die. i jadnt really thought about what would happen with the door, but as this isnt exactly the type of establishment you leave the door wide open too, the shopkeep will request the door be pulled closed upon entry. no one will know about the door until someone tries to leave. so yes the door sealing will go unnoticed

the shopkeep is completly oblivious. just a gnome who bought a shiny skull one day and put it in his shop for decoration. but this really has little to do with the encounter. the little guy has forgotten about his fancy trinket and it is collecting dust amoung the scrolls and potions and what have you.

now as for my party
a cleric rogue. currently 4 lvls of each.
a monk lvl 8
a barbarian druid 5 druid 3 barbarian
and a sorc rogue 3 sorc and 5 rogue

keep in mind i dont plan on doin this for some time, although the party does know there is a supposedly haunted shop, they have yet to venture there and probably wont for some time. i figure when they get there theyll be around lvl13 or 14

and YES a magic shop. why is that unbelievable?

 

[DayTripper]

do you think this is unfair?

Yes. Randomly finding a demi-lich in a shop would always be unfair IMHO. Mostly because demi-liches are increadibly rare, uber-tough creatures that should be the focus a whole adventure, if not campaign, rather than a random encounter. I couldn't see how an average 13-14th level party could stand up to a CR29 demi-lich under any circumstances let alone finding it unexpectedly in a shop. The party would get minced.

Different story if there was a plot behind it, like the PCs were looking for the skull and track it down to the shop realising that it could kill lots of innocent people. This might give them other adventures beforehand, like finding some special magic item or ritual that would allow them to defeat the demi-lich.