Need help designing this lich BBEG!

Suggested cohorts:

A were-wolverine
A succubus with sorceress levels
A half-iron golem
A sauhaugin (sp)
A cyclops
An ettin

Full points for anyone who can name them without looking them up :)
 

log in or register to remove this ad


Here's how I laid the Evil Warriors out:

Skeletal-looking Iron Golem (Trap Jaw) (but half-golem works better)
Sahuagin Prince Druid (Mer Man)
Bugbear Ranger (Beast Man)
Vampire Fighter/Sorceror (Evil Lyn)
 


Heh... I did debate on having more MOTU characters pop up somehow, but I really wasn't going for the Eternia D&D angle (completely).

The aquatic race that Thesek created, the Marikos, would have a passing resemblance to Mer-Man (with a bit of the Creature from the Black Lagoon thrown in).

I did intend on having the PCs encounter a few interesting foes that were MOTU/Thundercats inspired. For example:

  • A lizardfolk barbarian armed with a halberd. He'd serve as the leader for a group of (somewhat) humanoid mercenaries, & has a penchat for thrashing with both his halberd & his tail. (Basically a mix between MOTU's Whiplash & the Mutant leader S-Slithe from Thundercats).
  • A sort of ape-like humanoid with pale orange fur armed with a unique magical light flail--its chain could expand out, allowing him to use the flail as a grappling hook & line, a reach weapon, etc. (Basically a mix between MOTU's Beast-Man and Monkian from Thundercats)
  • A gnoll barbarian (loosely based on the Mutant Jakalman from Thundercats--though I may just use a jackalwere)
  • A halfbreed yuan-ti with obvious cobra traits (ala Kobra Khan)
  • A wererat who dual-wields a pair of large daggers/short swords (ala Ratar-O)

However, I decided not to use most of these guys after all, though there'll be a veiled reference to the characters (Thesek's link with the yuan-ti, his creation of the ettins & marikos, a wererat assassin, a lizardfolk chieftain armed with a halberd, etc.).

However, one of the lich's often-employed (& highly valued) agents is based off of another iconic toy from the '80's--Warduke (nice & neatly written up in Dungeon). I'll just modify his backstory to fit the campaign, giving the Evil Fighter ties to Thesek instead of the Horned Society.

As I was working on Thesek & several ideas cropped up from the generous contributors here, I developed a nifty (& possibly player-frustrating) idea for one of this BBEG's agents:

Essentially, a mortal sorcerer (or perhaps a wizard, cleric, or battle sorcerer from UA) who poses as Thesek--a key magic item for him is a white skull mask (from Magic of Faerun), that grants him some nifty bonuses & makes his head actually look like a skull when worn. He'd be a potent spellcaster in his own right (18th-20th level), but no where near as powerful (or tough) as the real deal.

Essentially, this lackey goes out & does a lot of legwork/dirty work/public appearances for Thesek, especially if it means that he'd have to be far away from Thesek's base of operations. He receives direct orders from the lich, and is often coached on how to deal with potential allies. This lackey would have a fair amount of clout in the lich's organization, but wouldn't be second-in-command--one of the things I was plannig to do in game (as a hint to the PCs) is have them witness this false-Thesek argue with some of his supposed lackeys, and have really potent agents such as Warduke actually intimidate & boss around this supposed "lich."

And, of course, I can't wait to see the players' reactions after they battle the false-Thesek, only to discover that (A) this guy is a mere mortal, and (B) he's actually just a lackey for the real Thesek. :D
 

I really like your decoy/lackey angle! You could actually have more than one lackey with a white skull mask, and have the villain pop up misteriously after being seemingly vanquished by the PCs! Maybe add "clairvoyance/clairaudience and mindlink" powers to the masks, allowing Thesek to see and hear through the skull when he wishes, and allowing the wearer to mentally contact Thesek once per night (which is a sure way to go mad, with Thesek being undead and all).
 

Have you considered going Blackguard with him? The pic just screams Blackguard to me... And Smite Good would be a nice addition as well...
 

Remove ads

Top