Incursion: How to kill Mordenkainen?

[Alzrius]

Mordenkainen is a Wiz 27, with no real special abilities beyond that (save for the minor artifact he carries, the Silver Key of Portals). That means that magics that affect others could be used on him.

It's not impossible that the githyanki would wait until he was somewhere other than his fortress, and then plane shift to his location, and have one of them use a scroll of imprisonment to seal him away.

Also, make sure, if you want to take out the power-players of Greyhawk, to deal with Rary (Wiz 25), and Iuz (demigod, divine rank 3). Other gods that actually live on Oerth (such as Wastri, a demigod who lives in the Vast Swamp - the same swamp where the Tomb of Horrors is; Fharlanghn, divine rank 14, who wanders the world; Vecna, divine rank 10, who has a hidden citadel somewhere there). In addition, a number of Hero-gods (divine rank 0; though they somehow grant spells) probably still live on Oerth also (see Living Greyhawk Journal no. 3).

The Circle of Eight themselves are, for the most part, non-epic wizards:

Alhamazad the Wise (Wiz 19)
Bigby (Wiz 19)
Drawmij (Wiz 18)
Jallarzi Sallavarian (Wiz 15)
Nystul (Wiz 17)
Otto (Wiz 15/Cleric 3 [Boccob])
Theodain Eriason (Wiz 17)
Warnes Starcoat (Wiz 20)

...so then it's not inconceivable that a high-level group of githyanki (such as the three depicted in Dragon #309 as being Vlaakith's best agents) could take them out, if the circumstances were right.

 

[RangerWickett]

Which was even showcased in one of Piratecat's storyhours. True, it wasn't Githyanki but rather a shadowy creature that drains life essence, but it somehow managed to get itself into their mansion.

These are psionic githyanki, right? How about some powerful psion forced his way into Mordenkainen's dreams and turned the wizard's mind inside out. He cannot awake, and his great magical power is turning his nightmares into reality. Nightmares which the gith' are conveniently able to direct.

 

[Gez]

Who cares about Ol' Mordy? If the PC enquires about him and why he's doing nothing, just let them discover he's fending off another, greater, threat. Like the Ethergaunts or whatever. Just live him alone and you're safe from utter eradication, but don't expect help on this little incursion.

 

[Wolf72]

Tickle him till he pees himself to death?

that's just pure evil ...

 

[Sledge]

I agree that the best thing to do would be to conveniently remove him from the picture for a while via imprisonment or somesuch effect.
(btw did Dragon/Dungeon ever reconcile fitting those ships through gates which were smaller than them?)

 

[cignus_pfaccari]

So I'm going to bring the Githyanki army from last year's Incursion features to Greyhawk. I need to kill off the Circle of Eight and their bald-headed patron to do it. Or get them outta the way, or something. They can't steal the PCs thunder, as they would certainly rise to meet the threat and then what would my players do?

Thoughts?

Githyanki ninja tosses a Mordenkainen's (heh) Disjunction grenade* or two on him while he's sleeping and then CDGs/sneak attacks him until Mordenkainen dies. Then you contract with those epic assassins from ELH to dispose of his corpse so he can't be ressed.

Two Disjunctions should eliminate all the spells on or around Mordenkainen so his contingency doesn't go off. He'll probably keep most of his items, at least to begin with, since he has to have a good Will save. However, he's not going to necessarily know they went off, and so there's a reasonable chance his first chance to notice that someone's trying to assassinate him is when the ninja/assassins are stabbing him in the heart.

Of course, he should have some reasonable defenses against this sort of thing, but that's an exercise for the DM to build and get around.

Brad

* - Item that, when thrown, discharges a Mordenkainen's Disjunction centered on its impact location. Should be somewhere around 9kgp with a 20th-level caster making it, though it's a bit mean for mass production.

 

[Thanee]

You cannot defeat a person, that is so evil, that it has brought Mordenkainen's Disjunction upon us. No way! Your attempt is futile!

And if you really think, that MD could defeat Mordenkainen, the wizard who invented this spell... c'mon... of course, he will have some sort of protection against this incredibly nasty spell, he's a wizard, he invented the spell - the spell, that is the bane for all wizards - he would be stupid, if he ever gave it to anyone else without having a way around it!

Bye
Thanee

 

[dead]

Get Elminster to kill Mordenkainen. Elminster is a 24th level Wizard and 5th level Archmage (not to mention a 1st level Fighter, 2 level Rogue, and 3rd level Cleric) while Mordenkainen is only a poultry 27th level Wizard.

I always thought this strange. Shouldn't Mordenkainen be more powerful than Elminster since Mordy is the grand daddy of D&D Wizards? Where's Elminster's spells in the PHB?

Anyway, Mordy must have got slack somewhere. Alas, it's your own fault, Mordy . . . now your're mince meat!

 

[Thanee]

Where's Elminster's spells in the PHB?

In FRCS / MoF. Elminster really has nothing to do on Oerth.

Bye
Thanee

 

[cignus_pfaccari]

You cannot defeat a person, that is so evil, that it has brought Mordenkainen's Disjunction upon us. No way! Your attempt is futile!

And if you really think, that MD could defeat Mordenkainen, the wizard who invented this spell... c'mon... of course, he will have some sort of protection against this incredibly nasty spell, he's a wizard, he invented the spell - the spell, that is the bane for all wizards - he would be stupid, if he ever gave it to anyone else without having a way around it!

He's so Uber, he's immune to his own spell? Interesting.

Brad