Trying out epic play tomorrow night. Help Lolth kill the party.

[RangerWickett]

Since I'll be writing 4e adventures that eventually get up to epic level, I've asked my friends to give me some chances to get used to how those levels run. Since we don't have a long-term game anywhere near that level, we're going to try out a few one-shots. To kick things off, they've decided to make 30th level Essentials characters and tackle Lolth.

I'm trying to brainstorm a fun encounter that will provide enough hiding spots and mobility for a long combat, so we can see what kind of lunatic stuff epic PCs are capable of. Because I don't have time to get the PCs invested in a fictional setting, I was thinking that I'll start by saying:

A group of eight evil gods have been trying to conquer Earth and create a new domain for themselves. One god has been tasked to destroy each of the Wonders of the World. You're not quite sure what these wonders are, but you found this list in a mysterious astral text:

• The Great Wall, China
• Petra, Jordan
• Machu Picchu, Peru
• Chichen Itza, Mexico
• The Colosseum, Greece
• The Taj Mahal, India
• The Great Pyramid of Giza, Egypt
• Christ the Redeemer, Brazil

If they destroy all these icons, they'll be able to seal off earth from the rest of the multiverse for a thousand years, long enough to secure their power. You -- a collection of many epic heroes of differing levels -- have to stop them.

In actuality, I'll probably mix up the list as whim strikes me, so I can let the players try different characters at different levels. Like, USA Today named 'The Internet' as a wonder of the world, and I might just have to use that somehow.

For the first session, though, I'm going to say that Lolth has been fomenting the violence going on in Rio de Janeiro, provoking a war between the drug gangs and military police. Now that the chaos is great enough, she can manifest and try to destroy the statue of Christ the Redeemer. This one:

Yes, I am a total dork (and a bit of an apostate). When I visited the statue a couple years back, I couldn't help but think, "Man, this would be a cool location for a battle."

But I could use some suggestions for ways to spice things up, and make the terrain interactive. Aside from letting God Himself chip in by occasionally striking the statue with lightning, maybe Lolth's (otherwise inconsequential) spider allies could mess the place up with webs. Any thoughts?

 

[Jack99]

Colosseum is in Rome. At least the one I visited...

As for the fight, it sounds like a cool location, but I have no great ideas

 

[Colmarr]

Looking at the first photo, I don't think it gives you terribly much to play with. You either need to change the location, or introduce other terrain elements.

Wispy strands of web floating in the breeze that threaten to grab flying PCs. Hordes of spiders that count as difficult terrain. Sheer surfaces for spider climb. Stuff like that.

 

[Klaus]

A few tidbits that might help:

The statue is hollow, and you can walk up inside it until you reach Christ's heart, which is engraved on the wall. Make it more than an engraving. Plus, the statue is officially "holy ground".

The statue is outfitted with lightning rods on the hands and, forming a tiny "crown", on the head. Make those lightning-charged.

Use winds to slide creatures around, including Lolth (who'd be secured by her webbings).

 

[Mentat55]

I would have Lolth scaling the statue, moving around it to gain cover and target specific PCs. That would basically place the PCs at the base of the statue. Then I would have thousands of spiders crawling up the mountain, so attacking the PCs from the edge, effectively surrounding them the entire battle. Just wave after wave of spider minions, to constantly threaten the back line and keep them pressed. This is the Spider Queen, after all.

I would also soup up Lolth. She seems pretty lightweight to me, particularly her damage output and her reliance on poison damage and ongoing damage. I'd look to the Monster Vault dragons for one newer take on solo design.

 

[Wik]

If you run lloth, she better not be by herself, or she'll get stunlocked into nothingness.

Instead, run her with a few standards and maybe an elite. Remember that, if this is a solo encounter (ie, it is the first and last encounter of the day) the PCs will have HUGE resources to draw upon. You might be better off making this third or fourth fight of the day. Epic PCs are extraordinarily tough, so don't be afraid to throw two or three encounters at once at the group and see how they fare. I've done it, and my group has survived... and they're only level 17 right now!

A good way to avoid seeing lloth stunlocked is to have the other monsters try for goals that are important for the PCs to avoid. That drider is trying to open a gate to summon more baddies or blow up Christ's head. Better stop him! (Actually, knowing my group, they'd think either "free xp" or "that sounds reasonable" - but they're a bunch of greedy, soulless athiests).

As for the terrain itself. It's a one-shot adventure, and one-shots are usually rather silly. So why not have the option to animate the statue? And then, of course, have it go on a rampage through brazil, Godzilla-style? Imagine having Christ trying to swat off the PCs riding him. I'd also possibly include eye-laser-beams. Because if you're going to go this route, you need to go all the way.

Basically, that'd be my finale scene - with earlier scenes involving brazilian street gangs that have been enhanced by Llloth's power that like to ride racing motorcycles and throw molotov cocktails, demon-possessed brazilian death squads that now have access to necrotic magic, secretive devils battling the PC on half-sinking river barges, and some sort of giant animal swarm in the jungle. Spiders, most likely.

My two cents.

 

[the Jester]

as for the terrain itself. It's a one-shot adventure, and one-shots are usually rather silly. So why not have the option to animate the statue? And then, of course, have it go on a rampage through brazil, godzilla-style? Imagine having christ trying to swat off the pcs riding him. I'd also possibly include eye-laser-beams. Because if you're going to go this route, you need to go all the way.

hell yeahz

 

[RangerWickett]

Wik, excellent ideas. I will, however, take this moment to dispel a common misunderstanding of Brazil. There are no rivers in Rio. Yes, the sailors who discovered the bay the city is built around thought it was the outlet of a river, but they were mistaken.

Also, some people are especially mistaken in thinking that the Amazon River flows through Rio. The Simpsons episode that takes place in Brazil even has kidnappers take Homer from Rio to the Amazon, which would be like someone getting abducted in New York, and then having the kidnappers hole up in the Grand Canyon.

It turns out I'll be running this Monday night, but I figure I'll only be able to fit in 2, possibly 3 encounters in our 4 hour session, and that's assuming I can get all the players to make characters in advance. I'm thinking the earlier encounters could involve other members of the drow pantheon up to various nefarious activities.

Chaos in the Streets
The first encounter starts at nightfall, as the PCs gate into Rio and discover that Vhaeraun and Selvetarm are leading the opposing sides of the gangs and police. They're battling in a hillside favela, and the place is strewn with tanks and discarded firearms, which the PCs can pick up and use if they're in the mood.

I'm thinking of treating the humans as clusters of difficult terrain, which you can kill by dealing 1 hp to each square. If you start your turn within sight of one of these groups, you take 5 damage from gunfire (this represents a barrage of bullets, of which only a few even graze the epic PCs). The PCs have to navigate a warzone with endless numbers of people shooting at them if they stick their head out, while trying to catch and kill the two gods so as to weaken Lolth herself.

Selvetarm can send phalanxes of riot-police at the PCs (each group counts as a huge minion), and he'll manifest his avatar by merging with a tank, transforming it into a metal spider. Vhaeraun is just kitted out in drug lord gear -- gold-plated dual sub-machine guns, tons of knives -- and has drow allies with the usual dual swords, poison crossbows, and, y'know, rocket propelled grenades. What fun's an RPG without RPGs?


Undead, Slime?
The second encounter would involve Kiaransalee and Ghaunadaur. I'm not quite sure what to do with it yet. Any ideas?


Lolth
I'm thinking that each round, as Lolth fights the party, the statue gets wrapped higher and higher in spider-silk. The statue's 100 ft. tall, so say 10 rounds. If she manages to cocoon this icon of Christ, she can begin sucking its life out, making her effectively invincible.

Inside the statue, though, you can climb up to Jesus's heart, and if you pour your life force into it, you can animate the statue to fight back. Basically you keep your normal hit points, but get to use new powers. I'm, um, not totally comfortable with having Christ the Redeemer firing disintegration beams from his eyes, but I'll figure something out.

 

[the Jester]

I'm, um, not totally comfortable with having Christ the Redeemer firing disintegration beams from his eyes, but I'll figure something out.

In that case I recommend that you rewrite this whole scenario to use the Statue of Liberty instead.

With laser beams from her eyes.

 

[Almacov]

I'm, um, not totally comfortable with having Christ the Redeemer firing disintegration beams from his eyes, but I'll figure something out.

I've got to admit, the first thing that leapt to mind when you used the term Redeemer was Unreal Tournament...