Red Hand of Doom (spoilers) - victory of 8th level party vs. CR 15

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

I have what is probably a dumb question: If you come across a lich's phylactery, and know it, why not destroy it? He'll be too busy getting out of Dodge to come after you until he's constructed a new one, and if you're in the middle of a war, the odds that you'll be left alive at the end for him anyway is pretty slim. And if you survive, you can certainly kick the crap out of him at that point.

I ask because it sounds like no group does this, so I'm obviously missing something key.

 

[Klaus]

I have what is probably a dumb question: If you come across a lich's phylactery, and know it, why not destroy it? He'll be too busy getting out of Dodge to come after you until he's constructed a new one, and if you're in the middle of a war, the odds that you'll be left alive at the end for him anyway is pretty slim. And if you survive, you can certainly kick the crap out of him at that point.

I ask because it sounds like no group does this, so I'm obviously missing something key.

Destory it, and the lich is free to build another one. Keep it, and he's tied to it. Kill the lich, *then* destroy the philactery, and the bastard's gone.

 

[Frostmarrow]

Destory it, and the lich is free to build another one. Keep it, and he's tied to it. Kill the lich, *then* destroy the philactery, and the bastard's gone.

Ghostlord couldn't afford another phylactery at this point. (Judging from his treasue pile and the cost of a phylactery.)

 

[GwydapLlew]

I ask because it sounds like no group does this, so I'm obviously missing something key.

The adventure has clues indicating that it's a bargaining chip. Since the adventure requiers a certain amount of time management, spending twenty minutes negotiating with the lich as opposed to fighting him and then spending a day or two recovering is generally the better option..

Generally.

 

[jollyninja]

My players pushed through the entire lair in one assault, by the time they got to the ghostlord, they aere pretty messed up and low on healing. they pretty much just handed it over to him after he agreed not to aid the red hand in the coming battle.

funny side note, when a fleeing red hand agent dropped out of the mouth trying to flee and inform their superiors that the heroes were about to ruin everything, the dwarven cleric leapt off the side after having cast an anti invisibility spell, the name escapes me, the one that has a 20 ft radius centered on the caster or some such thing. it dropped him to -2hp but exposed the fleeing agent to the party and led to victory without being ratted out to the red hand leadership.