Help me defend an artifact!

[Morrus]

Hi folks! I could use some help preparing the next session of my game (due Monday night).

My players intend to retrieve an artifact (a dagger) from an evil temple to Orcus. The temple is located underground, deep within a dungeon/cave complex. They cleaned out many of the upper levels of the dungeon some months ago.

They have divined the exact location of the artifact, and will no doubt plan a quick scry-teleport-grab-teleport plan to grab the dagger quickly. Their scrying attempts have revealed a couple of clerics in the temple going about normal clerical stuff, but not much more beyond about 10 feet of the artifact itself, which rests on the altar.

The bad guys do not know that the players are coming. However, the dagger must be well protected, as it's the only thing which can defeat their plans.

I want this to be a challenge which will tax the party. It is the first task in a sequence of three which they have to accomplish within three days, so they won't get any downtime in between objectives other than a night's rest. However, this task is the only one which matters for the moment (coming soon is the 'rescue' of a little girl from the tower of an evil death knight general; followed by the sacrifice of said little girl [she's not really a little girl - don't worry!] using the dagger in a certain location at a certain time in order to save the world). These three things are the culmination of a 9-month campaign.

So, back to the subject at hand -- I need to design the temple, guards, priests, protections, traps and so forth. Remember, all the players know about is that there's an altar with the dagger on it. The temple is underground, but the party will be teleporting as close to their objective as they possibly can - I envisage them arriving maybe a hundred yards away from the temple and making their way through the caves to their objective (some anti-teleport measures will be needed to ensure this).

The most important thing is this: this is the first of three very important encounters. I want them to be very memorable set-pieces, with cool, original stuff going on. I want the players to talk about all three of these tasks for years to come!

Here's the party:

• Paladin 11
• Wizard 12
• Fighter (Archer) 12
• Fighter (Melee) 10
• Cleric 8 (Cohort)
• Rogue 8 (Cohort)
• Wizard 9 (Cohort - will probably be left behind)

Thanks for your help, folks! Let's make this the first of three very memorable events in my campaign!

 

[BSF]

The first thing I would suggest is a Forbiddance. It will make ti very difficult to try the teleport plan.

Oh! And of course an Unhallow on the area. Major Temple and all that.

Both are options that all major temples, and some minor temples, would consider to protect an item. And, since they have such long durations, it won't take anything out of the NPC spellslots.

 

[Piratecat]

Okay, first things first: let's subvert the scry-teleport-yoink plan. There is a psionic ability to detect and divert teleports. When my PCs tried something similar recently, they were diverted into an anti-magic cage/pit. . . and then attacked.

 

[RangerWickett]

Got any more backstory you can share? Things the party likes/hates? Flavor of the villains?

The dagger on the altar is an artifact, but it's not the right artifact. The dagger they want is imbedded inside the altar, and the dagger that can be seen is actually cursed.

The room with the altar is filled with invisible monsters. Something freaky and demonic, no doubt, since this is Orcus we're talking about.

How about a section of cave where a bit of the prophetic memory of a dead god exists. Anyone who goes in there sees images of the world collapsing into flaming rubble, or whatever is appropriate for your setting. Only people who want to see this prophecy fulfilled can pass through this point without being rended and ripped apart by prophecies made manifest.

 

[Morrus]

Consider the teleport plan nixed!

OK, so I'm going to start as PC suggests. They teleport in and find themselves in an anti-magic prison and attacked. They'll have to get out of there and then make their way towards the artifact.

Any ideas on a cool setup for the prison? We need this to make them say "Oh... crap!", but to have them able to defeat their attacker(s) and escape with a little difficulty - then they can make their way towards the main temple area and face some greater challenges or traps.

 

[Morrus]

The dagger on the altar is an artifact, but it's not the right artifact. The dagger they want is imbedded inside the altar, and the dagger that can be seen is actually cursed.

Excellent! I'll be using that!

The room with the altar is filled with invisible monsters. Something freaky and demonic, no doubt, since this is Orcus we're talking about.

The party isn't really bothered by invisibility, unfortunately.

How about a section of cave where a bit of the prophetic memory of a dead god exists. Anyone who goes in there sees images of the world collapsing into flaming rubble, or whatever is appropriate for your setting. Only people who want to see this prophecy fulfilled can pass through this point without being rended and ripped apart by prophecies made manifest.

So... uhh... they can't get through! What then? Not too sure about this one.

One other thing they tend to do a LOT is summon earth elementals or transform into umber hulks in order to circumvent the natural boundaries created by cave walls, especially when teleportation/dimension door type magic isn't feasible. I'd really like to nip that in the bud and force them to make their way through a short section of dungeon.

 

[Planesdragon]

One other thing they tend to do a LOT is summon earth elementals or transform into umber hulks in order to circumvent the natural boundaries created by cave walls, especially when teleportation/dimension door type magic isn't feasible. I'd really like to nip that in the bud and force them to make their way through a short section of dungeon.

It's an underground temple, right?

Let some of the walls be natural adamantine. It explains why this is such a good location for a temple, and nips your PC's trick in the bud.

Should you want to be especially evil, add in a cleric with a bestow curse spell that locks a polymoprhed creature's mind into that of their current form. If one of the PCs suddenly thinks they're an umber hulk, the battle gets tougher and you'll see some roleplaying from it to boot.

Oh, and since this is a temple to Orcus, the high priests are probably liches--and they might just have a permanent cloudkill effect around the dagger itself.

And a few skeletal umber hulks (or trolls) might give the party a good run for their money. (use the 3.5 template--from the SRD if you haven't otherwise converted.)

 

[Kareyev]

I'd stay away from forbiddance. What self-respecting god of undead is going to lock out support from the ethereal plane? Assuming they have the resources I'd go with the Unhallow and the teleport redirect PK suggested. I believe the Book of Eldritch Might had a nice arcance teleport redirect spell in it. If the scrying just has to stop you could always put down a Mo's Private Sanctum, but that seems a waste in this case. If I were Orcus I would make a spell to let teleporters in, but bar them from leaving that way. That would make the altar a bit of a roach motel for those meddling kids! I would also lay the illusions on thickly. Undead would be immune to them so they shouldn't impact the home team much. Sure the party cleric might have true site, but that will only last a few minutes! Add some level drainers and there will be no quick trips home.

And to add my own twist have the altar covered in a Sheet Phantom (from Fiend Folio) which will cover the first party member who comes for the dagger. I always loved those guys. So easy to kill, but you have to hit your own party members to do it. (oh, sorry Bob. Did that hurt? I better hit you again to make sure it is dead. Stand still....)

 

[RangerWickett]

How about this, then? The dagger chamber is warded somehow, and in order to get in, they have to get the MacGuffin item that can only be accessed in the pocket dimension the priests have locked away elsewhere in the same temple. This pocket dimension isn't stone, so those old tricks won't work.

 

[Spatula]

One other thing they tend to do a LOT is summon earth elementals or transform into umber hulks in order to circumvent the natural boundaries created by cave walls, especially when teleportation/dimension door type magic isn't feasible. I'd really like to nip that in the bud and force them to make their way through a short section of dungeon.

Clerics with the Earth domain can seize control of earth elementals. Thought that may not work out if Orcus doesn't have Earth as one of his domains.

There could be some sort of effect in place that corrupts summoned creatures, like in RttToEE.

The bad guys could have used Planar Ally/Binding spells to summon earth elementals of their own, that wait inside the floors and walls to stop that sort of thing from happening. Or there could be permanent walls of force reinforcing the walls of their temple.