Help me defend an artifact!
- Thread starter Morrus
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Greatwyrm
Been here a while...
Here's a couple of thoughts.
For the prison section, there are no walls. You can see through the entire complex with normal vision. The place is divided by a network of invisible walls that have the same properties of an anti-life shell. Only unliving things, like say undead, or someone bearing a special talisman can pass through the walls unhindered. The PCs can try to make their way through this invisible maze, but they have no idea if the traps they can see (pits, wards on the floor, big monsters) are actually in their path or not.
For the altar, have it made completely of bone. When the PCs begin their climb to the top, it animates. The whole thing. All 100' of it. Arms lash out trying to slash and grapple. Skulls bite at climbing or grappled targets. Even flying close enough to the top to grab the dagger puts you in danger of being grabbed by skeletal Giant arms, which until animated form decorative arches, at the top of the altar mound. Clerics which can command undead are, of course, not subject to these attacks.
For the prison section, there are no walls. You can see through the entire complex with normal vision. The place is divided by a network of invisible walls that have the same properties of an anti-life shell. Only unliving things, like say undead, or someone bearing a special talisman can pass through the walls unhindered. The PCs can try to make their way through this invisible maze, but they have no idea if the traps they can see (pits, wards on the floor, big monsters) are actually in their path or not.
For the altar, have it made completely of bone. When the PCs begin their climb to the top, it animates. The whole thing. All 100' of it. Arms lash out trying to slash and grapple. Skulls bite at climbing or grappled targets. Even flying close enough to the top to grab the dagger puts you in danger of being grabbed by skeletal Giant arms, which until animated form decorative arches, at the top of the altar mound. Clerics which can command undead are, of course, not subject to these attacks.
Greatwyrm
Been here a while...
I just thought of something else ridiculously bad to do with the anti-life walls. Draw out the room on a piece of graph paper, but only the outer edges. Grab a blank overhead transparency sheet and draw your walls on that. Some of the magical traps on the floor scramble the walls when triggered. Every time the group hits one, rotate the transparency or flip it over or both. Watch the poor guy trying to map go nuts.
If liches aren't your cup of tea, how about a mummy lord? The one in the SRD is CR 15 and a level 10 cleric. You could drop a level or two off and still make him an appropriate challenge. Now you've got an undead priest to an undead god. Maybe give him mummy servants and perhaps an elite mummy as his "head guard" (essentially give the mummy 5-6 levels of fighter). Maybe some kind of rotting weapon each strike could inflict the mummy rot.
Dakkareth
First Post
Mmhh, I especially like the 'ground covered by lots and lots of bones' and 'bad stuff happens, when blood is spilled' suggestions. Now to combine them ...
Thirsty Bones
I'd propose, that the area the altar stands in (wherever you place it as by other suggestions) is covered with bones, the implication being centuries of sacrifices. There's one safe way to reach the altar, which the cultists would normally take and which the PCs probably will take, too - when they arrive. Unfortunately while the PC to take the dagger is performing the necessary rites and the sacrifice of his own flesh in order to pick it up without falling victim to Orcus' powers, the head cultists arrive blocking the safe way out and the novices approach from the other sides (spot check to notice they're moving slowly and very carefully).
I'd have the picking-up last several rounds, so there's time for some bloodshed - on the bones of course. Most likely the PCs will try to avoid the cult's elite fighters and flee across the unsafe bone area with most unfortunate results ... the broken and jutted bones function as caltrops, hampering movement and inflicting small wounds. Some of them are poisoned or infectious. Some of the lower level cultists engage the PCs on the bones being mostly slaughtered - and thus fueling the altar's defense. Every drop of blood spilled on the bones makes them come to unlive, the bleached surfaces covering in places with rotten muscles and sinews. Hands, claws, things everywhere, grasping the PC's legs, scratching and clawing. Entangle the Orcus way! For extra shock value have one skull turn into the undead face of some NPC the characters knew at some point, moaning and crying for help. These impediments require strength checks to get past or attacks to destroy them. Each grasping hand or other appendage has as many HP as blood was spilled (damage dealt to a cultist while within the bone area).
Also for every mook that dies one 'blood skeleton' or somesuch rises from the ground with as many HP as the killing strike did damage. While not especially challenging on their own, they try to grapple the PCs and block their way. Even the fighter probably can't cleave them all. Depending on how mean you want to be, these blood skeletons could also contract diseases. Finally if a PC dies within the area, the bone floor convulses as the hungry bones swarm the corpse as would piranhas, stripping the bones bare and adding the poor soul to their ranks.
-----
The idea is to make the players panic - they may have had tough challenges getting to the altar already, but now that they have the artifact, they can't get way! Combined with the grisly image of the grasping bones around them feeding off the blood of the killed they should be happy to get away, when they finally manage it. Also note the dilemma - the PCs need to get the cult novices out of the way, but killing them strengthens the thirsty bones! Bullrushing and knockdown might avoid this outright, but the caltrop-like ground doesn't make it a very viable option. For additional vileness one of the higher ranking cultists could use telekinesis to slam a (some) novice(s) face down into the bones triggering the rising of blood skeletons and empowering the impeding hands.
Thirsty Bones
I'd propose, that the area the altar stands in (wherever you place it as by other suggestions) is covered with bones, the implication being centuries of sacrifices. There's one safe way to reach the altar, which the cultists would normally take and which the PCs probably will take, too - when they arrive. Unfortunately while the PC to take the dagger is performing the necessary rites and the sacrifice of his own flesh in order to pick it up without falling victim to Orcus' powers, the head cultists arrive blocking the safe way out and the novices approach from the other sides (spot check to notice they're moving slowly and very carefully).
I'd have the picking-up last several rounds, so there's time for some bloodshed - on the bones of course. Most likely the PCs will try to avoid the cult's elite fighters and flee across the unsafe bone area with most unfortunate results ... the broken and jutted bones function as caltrops, hampering movement and inflicting small wounds. Some of them are poisoned or infectious. Some of the lower level cultists engage the PCs on the bones being mostly slaughtered - and thus fueling the altar's defense. Every drop of blood spilled on the bones makes them come to unlive, the bleached surfaces covering in places with rotten muscles and sinews. Hands, claws, things everywhere, grasping the PC's legs, scratching and clawing. Entangle the Orcus way! For extra shock value have one skull turn into the undead face of some NPC the characters knew at some point, moaning and crying for help. These impediments require strength checks to get past or attacks to destroy them. Each grasping hand or other appendage has as many HP as blood was spilled (damage dealt to a cultist while within the bone area).
Also for every mook that dies one 'blood skeleton' or somesuch rises from the ground with as many HP as the killing strike did damage. While not especially challenging on their own, they try to grapple the PCs and block their way. Even the fighter probably can't cleave them all. Depending on how mean you want to be, these blood skeletons could also contract diseases. Finally if a PC dies within the area, the bone floor convulses as the hungry bones swarm the corpse as would piranhas, stripping the bones bare and adding the poor soul to their ranks.
-----
The idea is to make the players panic - they may have had tough challenges getting to the altar already, but now that they have the artifact, they can't get way! Combined with the grisly image of the grasping bones around them feeding off the blood of the killed they should be happy to get away, when they finally manage it. Also note the dilemma - the PCs need to get the cult novices out of the way, but killing them strengthens the thirsty bones! Bullrushing and knockdown might avoid this outright, but the caltrop-like ground doesn't make it a very viable option. For additional vileness one of the higher ranking cultists could use telekinesis to slam a (some) novice(s) face down into the bones triggering the rising of blood skeletons and empowering the impeding hands.
Last edited:
Tessarael
Adventurer
Morrus said:
Careful with this. I've been in several campaigns where we would then proceed to cut up the walls, transport them out, and sell them. Adamantite has a very high price.
I'd be more inclined to go with the walls having been reinforced with a high level spell that mimics Adamantite properties ala Glassteel. The party would be able to take that down for several rounds with a Dispel Magic, which gives them limited use of Earth Elementals and Umber Hulk abilities, but they won't be able to get far before having to burn more Dispel Magic spells.
Just my thoughts ...
ironmani
First Post
Just thought of one more thing. Have the dagger radiate an anti magic shell. Let the PCs get the dagger with a minimum of effort, then when they got teleport out, oopps sorry, antimagic shell. Have the gem in the pommel be the source of the effect. Now they have no magic AND they have to keep the dagger.
It's a temple, dammit...
To all folks with cool trap ideas:
This area is a temple. It should be accessible to all who believe in Orcus without obstructions. And since most of believers are likely to be mortals, the temple should not penalize the living, merely inconvenience them.
Examples:
Regards,
Ruemere
To all folks with cool trap ideas:
This area is a temple. It should be accessible to all who believe in Orcus without obstructions. And since most of believers are likely to be mortals, the temple should not penalize the living, merely inconvenience them.
Examples:
- Forbiddance around altar.
- Glyphs producing Exhaustion and Fatigue effects.
- A few former clerics turned into Spectres (resting within altar).
- A few worshippers turned into Shadows (lurking just below ceiling).
- Two pillars capable of animating and flagellating (Large Animated Objects).
- One Dread Wraith entombed below altar (their life sense ability will be handy).
- Ooze Catapult capable of hurling pots with Medium Oozes (manned by acolytes, located on a balcony).
- Angry mob of brainwashed commoners, keen on serving Orcus.
- Hundreds of disfigured cattle, herded by acolytes.
Regards,
Ruemere
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