Destroying undead - vamps, liches, and ghosts.

[Force0]

Liches, vamps and other resistant undead

Seeing that to become a Lich the creature has to be at least a 11th level sorcerer, wizard, or cleric that would mean that the Cleric doing the destroying would have to be minimum of 22nd level.

This is slightly incorrect, as liches have a +4 turn resistance, so, a cleric has to be level 30 (twice the HD) for a level 11 lich to be able to destroy it. (Turn resistance gives +4 to level agaist turning for all effects).

However I agree, Vampires should die, ghosts respawn and lich come back to try to kick your ass (well, try, as a lich level 11 against a 30th cleric has no chance..)

 

[Lord Ben]

My mistake, slight error. But there is always the sun domain to help out.

 

[dthornburg]

I agree absolutely with Force0 on destroying a vampire. Especially as a morale booster for the players.

For my group they destroyed a rather powerful vampire after a long a arduous dungeon crawl. They fought off the vampire (who initially escaped) and his minions then spent an entire game session tracking him down to his coffin and killing him. It was a bog moment for the Cleric and the rest of the group.

dt

 

[KingOfChaos]

Actually..disintegrate is a deadly spell to use against any undead..since undead are treated as an object when it comes to fortitude saves, and most don't have very good fortitude saves because they lack a constitution score.

 

[Celtavian]

Re

I play that they are utterly destroyed. Turning is the channeling of powerful positive divine energy. If you are powerful enough to destroy it, then it is permanently destroyed. Otherwise, why would vampires and undead flee the presence of clerics, or be so fearful of clerics who worship sun gods? The fear comes from the realization that a cleric can destroy them utterly without resorting to the normal means of killing them.

I can also see the lich argument though, but not for vampires or ghosts.

 

[da chicken]

Re: Re

I can also see the lich argument though, but not for vampires or ghosts.

As I stated above, the description for ghosts explicitly states there is only one way to destroy them with certainty: resolve the reason they became ghosts. Any other destruction should simply result in a level/HD check.

If the ghost is powerful enough (15+ level/HD) resolution is the only way to destroy them.

 

[da chicken]

Actually..disintegrate is a deadly spell to use against any undead..since undead are treated as an object when it comes to fortitude saves, and most don't have very good fortitude saves because they lack a constitution score.

Not against incorporeal undead. They have no mass to disintegrate.

 

[Corlon]

whats with all the turning and what happens... For ghosts this could be usefull, and vampires should be attacked with this first, but for liches by the time you're nearly that high, what about SPELLS!!!
Fighters can try and cleave him into tiny pieces, the rouges get the characters into his presence safely and carry off the object that will hurt any nonevil people (use magic device anyone?)

The Clerics, yes they have turning but... flamestrike is a great choice, summon monster is always fun, HOLY WORD, fire storm, miracle, wish for diety intervention, and how about healing the sorcere/wizard while he shoots a whole bunch of explostions and disentigration rays at the lich?

The barbarian can also fly into a rage and kill all the undead or living minions the lich has, as well as trying to bash the lich into oblivion, plaladin smites him, and then the druid morphs into a legendary elephant and tramples the lich.

Unless you're an exorcist with the sun domain, don't worry about turning, there are more fun ways then "MUAHAHA I'M LICH MAN, damn, I died"

 

[Pax]

whats with all the turning and what happens... For ghosts this could be usefull, and vampires should be attacked with this first, but for liches by the time you're nearly that high, what about SPELLS!!!
Fighters can try and cleave him into tiny pieces, the rouges get the characters into his presence safely and carry off the object that will hurt any nonevil people (use magic device anyone?)

The Clerics, yes they have turning but... flamestrike is a great choice, summon monster is always fun, HOLY WORD, fire storm, miracle, wish for diety intervention, and how about healing the sorcere/wizard while he shoots a whole bunch of explostions and disentigration rays at the lich?

The barbarian can also fly into a rage and kill all the undead or living minions the lich has, as well as trying to bash the lich into oblivion, plaladin smites him, and then the druid morphs into a legendary elephant and tramples the lich.

Unless you're an exorcist with the sun domain, don't worry about turning, there are more fun ways then "MUAHAHA I'M LICH MAN, damn, I died"

A critically-well-timed TURN can save the day. Especially with a ranged-weapon-capable party, ora party who can drive the undead into cowering in a corner (-2 to theri AC, unable to attack back IIRC).

Also, a TURNed lich isn't going to be throwing massive explosions BACK at you.

A Lich with Subdual Substitution and undead minions is DEADLY -- KO the party by dropping subdual-only Fireballs alloer the place, 'cause he and his minions are immune, but the PC's by and large won't be.

Or Elemental Substitution (cold), since undead are also immune to cold damage, for the same reason.

The Turn might drop the Lich, or his minions if he has them with, immediately. That means you suck less of the Lich's OWN flaming death magic.