Mistwell
Crusty Old Meatwad
Hey all, I could use some advice. Also, this thread can serve to discuss the Legendary rules (both for the creature, and the legendary lair rules).
My party of 6 adventurers (2 x Fighter, Ranger, Cleric, Rogue, Wizard), who will all be 5th level when facing this encounter, will soon be facing the Big Bad Villain of the dungeon they've been playing in for the past year.
I want this to be a challenging encounter. They will go in knowing it's the lair of the bad guy, fully rested, with tactics ready as best they can.
There is no Lich in the BASIC document, and besides, this Lich is unusual as it's adapted for this particular dungeon. He's a mad king trapped in his prior mountain lair. His spirit has been travelling through the walls of the dungeon luring creatures to horrible acts. He's spoken with the party several times, though they did not know who he was at the time, tricking them into killing things they could have negotiated with and otherwise causing them trouble. It's possessed some small animals as well.
He's also in an unusual lair - an elemental trap laid down centuries ago to cage him in this dungeon. It has sections of earth, air, fire, and water surrounding his platform. The mad king has used his influence to attempt to control these elements which otherwise help serve to magically trap him here, and so I have adapted elemental attacks into his Legendary Lair attacks.
Here is my write-up so far, and I'd like opinions on it. I've taken almost all his abilities from other creatures in the BASIC document, sort of a hodge-podge of stuff that I thought would fit.
Is he too hard for six 5th level PCs on their final encounter? Too easy? Not dynamic enough? Not enough in the spirit of a Lich? Things I should add or subtract or alter? Let me know, and thank you in advance for your thoughts.
Lich (Mad King)
Legendary Medium undead, lawful evil
Armor Class 18
Hit Points 127 (17d8 + 51)
Speed 40 ft.
STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA
10 (+0) 15 (+2) 16 (+3) 16 (+3) 13 (+1) 15 (+2)
Skills Deception +6, Insight +5, Perception +5, Stealth +6
Senses Darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 14
Damage Resistances bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing from nonmagical weapons.
Magic Resistance advantage on saving throws against spells and other magical effects.
Damage Immunities cold, necrotic, poison
Condition Immunities exhaustion, poisoned
Languages Common
Challenge 7 (3,900 XP)
Detect Life. The Lich can magically sense the presence of living creatures up to 5 miles away. It knows the general direction they’re in but not their exact locations.
Rejuvenation. If the Lich is destroyed, it regains all its hit points in 24 hour unless it's phylactery is destroyed. It is a sealed metal box containing strips of parchment on which magical phrases have been transcribed. A dispel magic or remove curse spell must be cast on the phylactery to destroy it.
MultiAttack: The Lich can cast one spell, and use one of Life Drain or Dreadful Glare, each turn.
Spellcasting. The Lich is a 5th-level spellcaster. Its spellcasting ability is Intelligence (spell save DC 14, +7 to hit with spell attacks). It requires no somatic or material components to cast its spells. The Lich has the following wizard spells prepared:
Cantrip (at will): mage hand
1st level (3 slots): magic missile, shield
2nd level (2 slots): blur, flaming sphere
3rd level (1 slot): fireball
(I may need to tweak this spell list)
Life Drain. Melee Weapon Attack: +7 to hit, reach 5 ft., one creature. Hit: 11 (2d6 + 4) necrotic damage. The target must succeed on a DC 14 Constitution saving throw or its hit point maximum is reduced by an amount equal to the damage taken. This reduction lasts until the target finishes a long rest. The target dies if this effect reduces its hit point maximum to 0. A humanoid slain by this attack rises 24 hours later as a wight under the lich’s control, unless the humanoid is restored to life or its body is destroyed.
Dreadful Glare. The lich targets one creature it can see within 60 feet of it. If the target can see the lich, it must succeed on a DC 14 Wisdom saving throw against this magic or become frightened until the end of the lich's next turn. If the target fails the saving throw by 5 or more, it is also paralyzed for the same duration. A target that succeeds on the saving throw is immune to the Dreadful Glare for the next 24 hours.
(might need more of a ranged attack that does some sort of damage)
Legendary Actions
The Lich can take 3 legendary actions, choosing from the options below. Only one legendary action option can be used at a time and only at the end of another creature’s turn. The Lich regains spent legendary actions at the start of its turn.
Life Drain (as above)
Dreadful Glare (as above)
Possession (Costs x2 legendary actions). One humanoid that the lich can see within 5 feet of it must succeed on a DC 14 Charisma saving throw or be possessed by the lich; the lich body then collapses, and the target is incapacitated and loses control of its body. The lich now controls the body but doesn’t deprive the target of awareness. The lich retains its alignment, Intelligence, Wisdom, Charisma, resistances, and immunities. It otherwise uses the possessed target’s statistics, but doesn’t gain access to the target’s knowledge, class features, or proficiencies. The possession lasts until the body drops to 0 hit points, the Lich ends it as a bonus action, or the lich is turned or forced out by an effect like the dispel evil and good spell. When the possession ends, the Lich reappears in an unoccupied space within 5 feet of it's skeleton. The target is immune to this Lich's Possession for 24 hours after succeeding on the saving throw or after the possession ends.
Lair Actions
On initiative count 20 (losing initiative ties), the Lich takes a lair action to cause one of the following effects; the Lich can’t use the same effect two rounds in a row:
• Magma erupts from a fire square on the ground the Lich can see within 120 feet of it, creating a 20-foot-high, 5-foot-radius geyser. Each creature in the geyser’s area must make a DC 14 Dexterity saving throw, taking 14 (4d6) fire damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one.
• A tremor shakes an earth square in a 10-foot radius around a point on an earth square the Lich can see within 120 feet of it. Each creature other than the Lich on the ground in that area must succeed on a DC 14 Dexterity saving throw or be knocked prone.
• Volcanic gases form a cloud in a 20-foot-radius sphere centered on an air square the Lich can see within 120 feet of it. The sphere spreads around corners, and its area is lightly obscured. It lasts until initiative count 20 on the next round. Each creature that starts its turn in the cloud must succeed on a DC 14 Constitution saving throw or be poisoned until the end of its turn. While poisoned in this way, a creature is restrained.
• A 10' wide wave rises in a water square the Lich can see within 120 feet of it. The wave moves 30' in one direction across water squares. Each creature in the waves path must make a DC 14 Dexterity saving throw, taking 11 (3d6) slamming damage on a failed save and is knocked prone, or half as much damage on a successful one.
The Lair:
My party of 6 adventurers (2 x Fighter, Ranger, Cleric, Rogue, Wizard), who will all be 5th level when facing this encounter, will soon be facing the Big Bad Villain of the dungeon they've been playing in for the past year.
I want this to be a challenging encounter. They will go in knowing it's the lair of the bad guy, fully rested, with tactics ready as best they can.
There is no Lich in the BASIC document, and besides, this Lich is unusual as it's adapted for this particular dungeon. He's a mad king trapped in his prior mountain lair. His spirit has been travelling through the walls of the dungeon luring creatures to horrible acts. He's spoken with the party several times, though they did not know who he was at the time, tricking them into killing things they could have negotiated with and otherwise causing them trouble. It's possessed some small animals as well.
He's also in an unusual lair - an elemental trap laid down centuries ago to cage him in this dungeon. It has sections of earth, air, fire, and water surrounding his platform. The mad king has used his influence to attempt to control these elements which otherwise help serve to magically trap him here, and so I have adapted elemental attacks into his Legendary Lair attacks.
Here is my write-up so far, and I'd like opinions on it. I've taken almost all his abilities from other creatures in the BASIC document, sort of a hodge-podge of stuff that I thought would fit.
Is he too hard for six 5th level PCs on their final encounter? Too easy? Not dynamic enough? Not enough in the spirit of a Lich? Things I should add or subtract or alter? Let me know, and thank you in advance for your thoughts.
Lich (Mad King)
Legendary Medium undead, lawful evil
Armor Class 18
Hit Points 127 (17d8 + 51)
Speed 40 ft.
STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA
10 (+0) 15 (+2) 16 (+3) 16 (+3) 13 (+1) 15 (+2)
Skills Deception +6, Insight +5, Perception +5, Stealth +6
Senses Darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 14
Damage Resistances bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing from nonmagical weapons.
Magic Resistance advantage on saving throws against spells and other magical effects.
Damage Immunities cold, necrotic, poison
Condition Immunities exhaustion, poisoned
Languages Common
Challenge 7 (3,900 XP)
Detect Life. The Lich can magically sense the presence of living creatures up to 5 miles away. It knows the general direction they’re in but not their exact locations.
Rejuvenation. If the Lich is destroyed, it regains all its hit points in 24 hour unless it's phylactery is destroyed. It is a sealed metal box containing strips of parchment on which magical phrases have been transcribed. A dispel magic or remove curse spell must be cast on the phylactery to destroy it.
MultiAttack: The Lich can cast one spell, and use one of Life Drain or Dreadful Glare, each turn.
Spellcasting. The Lich is a 5th-level spellcaster. Its spellcasting ability is Intelligence (spell save DC 14, +7 to hit with spell attacks). It requires no somatic or material components to cast its spells. The Lich has the following wizard spells prepared:
Cantrip (at will): mage hand
1st level (3 slots): magic missile, shield
2nd level (2 slots): blur, flaming sphere
3rd level (1 slot): fireball
(I may need to tweak this spell list)
Life Drain. Melee Weapon Attack: +7 to hit, reach 5 ft., one creature. Hit: 11 (2d6 + 4) necrotic damage. The target must succeed on a DC 14 Constitution saving throw or its hit point maximum is reduced by an amount equal to the damage taken. This reduction lasts until the target finishes a long rest. The target dies if this effect reduces its hit point maximum to 0. A humanoid slain by this attack rises 24 hours later as a wight under the lich’s control, unless the humanoid is restored to life or its body is destroyed.
Dreadful Glare. The lich targets one creature it can see within 60 feet of it. If the target can see the lich, it must succeed on a DC 14 Wisdom saving throw against this magic or become frightened until the end of the lich's next turn. If the target fails the saving throw by 5 or more, it is also paralyzed for the same duration. A target that succeeds on the saving throw is immune to the Dreadful Glare for the next 24 hours.
(might need more of a ranged attack that does some sort of damage)
Legendary Actions
The Lich can take 3 legendary actions, choosing from the options below. Only one legendary action option can be used at a time and only at the end of another creature’s turn. The Lich regains spent legendary actions at the start of its turn.
Life Drain (as above)
Dreadful Glare (as above)
Possession (Costs x2 legendary actions). One humanoid that the lich can see within 5 feet of it must succeed on a DC 14 Charisma saving throw or be possessed by the lich; the lich body then collapses, and the target is incapacitated and loses control of its body. The lich now controls the body but doesn’t deprive the target of awareness. The lich retains its alignment, Intelligence, Wisdom, Charisma, resistances, and immunities. It otherwise uses the possessed target’s statistics, but doesn’t gain access to the target’s knowledge, class features, or proficiencies. The possession lasts until the body drops to 0 hit points, the Lich ends it as a bonus action, or the lich is turned or forced out by an effect like the dispel evil and good spell. When the possession ends, the Lich reappears in an unoccupied space within 5 feet of it's skeleton. The target is immune to this Lich's Possession for 24 hours after succeeding on the saving throw or after the possession ends.
Lair Actions
On initiative count 20 (losing initiative ties), the Lich takes a lair action to cause one of the following effects; the Lich can’t use the same effect two rounds in a row:
• Magma erupts from a fire square on the ground the Lich can see within 120 feet of it, creating a 20-foot-high, 5-foot-radius geyser. Each creature in the geyser’s area must make a DC 14 Dexterity saving throw, taking 14 (4d6) fire damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one.
• A tremor shakes an earth square in a 10-foot radius around a point on an earth square the Lich can see within 120 feet of it. Each creature other than the Lich on the ground in that area must succeed on a DC 14 Dexterity saving throw or be knocked prone.
• Volcanic gases form a cloud in a 20-foot-radius sphere centered on an air square the Lich can see within 120 feet of it. The sphere spreads around corners, and its area is lightly obscured. It lasts until initiative count 20 on the next round. Each creature that starts its turn in the cloud must succeed on a DC 14 Constitution saving throw or be poisoned until the end of its turn. While poisoned in this way, a creature is restrained.
• A 10' wide wave rises in a water square the Lich can see within 120 feet of it. The wave moves 30' in one direction across water squares. Each creature in the waves path must make a DC 14 Dexterity saving throw, taking 11 (3d6) slamming damage on a failed save and is knocked prone, or half as much damage on a successful one.
The Lair:
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