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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Neil the Knight" data-source="post: 7011845" data-attributes="member: 6801269">Lets jump ahead a bit here and look at the climax of the campaign. The clash with Devron. His back story goes:"Centuries ago, a race of humans built an elaborate underground city the leaf the Duskmoon Hills called Barakus. They were a magic loving people, and for hundreds of years they dwelled peacefully in their subterranean home, delving into the arcane arts. Eventually, however one of their number, a necromancer named Devron, rose to great power and transformed into a lich. The Wizards of Barakus banded together, and after a great struggle banished him to a prison far below the city. Before his banishment, however, different forged the Helm of power, would you could use to restore him to the power at some future point."A few months ago I read this article by sly flourish <a href="http://slyflourish.com/deadly_lich.html" target="_blank">http://slyflourish.com/deadly_lich.html</a> and that got the wheels turning for me on how I should run this encounter. The party makeup will be of four to five 9th lv characters. By this point in the adventure the party has amassed a pretty good hoard of magic items including a few fairly powerful anti undead items. Though this probably still won't be enough to face a fully powered lich the book gives two separate stats for Devron. One in a weakened state In which he is an 8th lv spell caster, but because I have increased the recommended party level by 3, i will also bump him to an 11th lv caster. The second set of stats is in his restored state, if he was to get his hands on the helm of power, which makes him an 14th lv spell caster. In his restored state i would probably give him the stats of the MM lich which makes him an 18th lv caster. As I mentioned that would be pretty far above the capabilities of the party but it adds a grave consequence to loosing the helm and a vary real sense of deadliness to the encounter.For Items Devron is given a ring of protection +2, wand of lightning, 2 scrolls of magic missile, scroll of hold portal and a scroll of Invisibility. I will change the ring of protection to +1, give him a staff of power instead of the wand of lightning and scrolls of magic missile,  finally he will also have a set of winged boots for mobility.The book mentions that the ancient Arthemin who imprisoned Devron down here placed powerful wards on the prison so that certain spells do not function. A few listed are clairvoyance, dimension door, teleport and transmute rock. To quote the book " in short, all spells that would allow one to teleport, phase through other wise bypass or view beyond walls do not function". Though this is great in ensuring Devron does not escape it also works as a double edged sword limiting the parties mobility. In most of my posts about big set piece encounters i have talked about the importance of phases <a href="http://theangrygm.com/return-of-the-son-of-the-dd-boss-fight-now-in-5e/" target="_blank">http://theangrygm.com/return-of-the-son-of-the-dd-boss-fight-now-in-5e/</a> and though I will not be using the paragon system for this fight I really do believe that the easiest way to create some of the most memorable and epic fights is with the phase system. Much like in the classic video games that inspired this system, I'm going to choose to have three phases for this fight.The first phase will presumably take place in Devron's chamber, which is most likely accessed by a 60ft L shape hallway filled with nauseating gas (full obscurement and save or causes poisoned condition). As the party exits the gas they find themselves in a roughly 20ft high, 50ft by 20ft oval chamber. Devron is almost absolutely going to know that the party is coming so will have mirror image cast, be using his winged boots to float 10ft in the air and attempting to catch the party unaware coming out of the gas before they can find their feet. This phase will be defined by the two protective rune rocks that will be placed around his chamber. They must be destroyed before Devron can be damaged. To tip the party off about this I was thinking that each time some one tried to damage him the runes would glow brightly. If the party still doesn't get it Devron may begin mocking them. Another tool I was planning on making use of in this phase was the lich's layer actions. I may not use them every round but they I think will help temper the fact that Devron will be out numbered four or five to one. After the rune rocks are destroyed the first phase is complete.The second phase begins with Devron using his scroll of Invisibility to make his way down a 10ft passage out a secret door (on which he would probably use his hold portal scroll) and into a 120 high, approximately 105ft by 60 ft distorted circle cavern. Roughly in the middle of the cavern is a small island of rock surrounded by a 25ft deep pool which spills out away from the island and has a fast moving current. The island itself does not have a single smooth surface on it. Consisting of jagged slippery rocks causing those who try to scale it to move at 1/4 speed or risk slipping. Devron will set him self up floating roughly 60 ft above the island with a Globe of Invulnerability around him.With the secret door shut behind him the players also get an opportunity to heal and prepare themselves finally for the fight ahead.I once designed a monster for a buddy of mine running an Egyptian themed campaign. She was an evil priestess and had the ability to turn her arms into snakes. One a constructor and the other a cobra. Essentially she could cast spells, constrict opponents, bite and spit poison. She was the package deal and evidently the encounter went great so I was thinking of taking elements of that fight and incorporating it into this one.Once the party has managed to opened the sealed door or found their way around to one of the possible two other entrances to the cavern they will fond that Devron has conjured a couple of towering pseudopods, made of a shadowy dark energy. The pseudopods will be wet to the touch and as they move across the ground they leave pools of water (no detrimental effects just some fluff). I was thinking of using a single purple worm stats for both pseudopods. They would both go on the same initiative, I would split the HP evenly between the two and Give one the bite attack and the other the stinger attack. So wile Devron floats above the jagged island, casting spells, surrounded by the fast flowing water and a globe of invulnerability, the pseudopods would try and keep the parties heavy hitters at bay. This phase would end when Devron has lost roughly 2/3 of his hit points.For the third and final phase I pictured, like many finales in old school video games, having Devron go into an over charge mode as he would gathers every morsel of power he has left. All his robes burn off and blinding light begins to crack open and shine through his gaunt skin  leaking pure arcane power. In an explosion of power the entire cavern would be effected by a reverse gravity spell as the very laws of physics are bent. Every thing in the chamber gets flipped so it's essentially a new battle map where your fighting amongst a field of stalagmites (or are they still stalactites cause relative to the outside world they are still hanging down from the celling......that's a brain teaser eh?). By this point I would guess most of his control spells would be used up and he would be resorting mainly to his attack spells In a last ditch effort to take as many of the party down as possible. Amongst the  stalagmites I may have dark vaguely humanoid figures appear, made of the same shadowy energy as the psudopods. These would have the stats of Sap Demons (ToB) who would go around trying to use their soul sap ability (Dominate beast) on the party to try and turn them against one another.I would love to hear other peoples successes and fails when running a lich.</blockquote>

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