Back From a (Really) Long Rest
Lich encounter and an update
Keep reading after the encounter for an update
This encounter tasks the party with defeating one of the scariest creatures in all of D&D—the lich. (pronounced lit-ch)
I do not make many high-level encounters as I find that not a lot of players advance that far in the game. It seems that level 12 is about as high as most people get. But with me returning after such a long time away, an undead creature seemed to be an apt monster for this post.
The lich has so many actions and legendary actions, I can easily see this resulting in a TPK. But all I do is put the encounter together, the players need to figure out how to beat it.
You can get the PDF version of this encounter, along with high-resolution maps, over at DriveThruRPG. Paid subscribers, scroll all the way to the end of this message for the link to get your free PDF and maps.
Broken Slumber…
Hard encounter for five 17th-level characters (33,000 XP)
After months of searching, the party finds their way into the lost tomb of the wizard known as Elder Boreday’g. He was once revered for his knowledge of the arcane times and many would gather to hear him share tales of adventure. But then one day, he was gone. He set out on small quest several months ago and never returned. Legends grew as to what happened to him and many questioned if he would ever return. That question will be answered today.
Place the characters in the passageway to the west.
Environment
Lighting There are no light sources in this area.
Air The air in this cavern is dry. It swirls slowly and carries a cold chill of foreboding.
Wards There are 4 stone wards scattered throughout the chamber. Each has a rune of ancient origin. A DC 18 Arcana check reveals them to be Lightning, Fire, Ash, and Dragon. A DC 15 Investigation of each ward reveals a small compartment just beneath the rune containing an orb with the rune etched onto its surface.
Sarcophagus This stone sarcophagus looks new and is sealed tightly. Across the lid are runes matching those on the wards. They are ordered Dragon, Fire, Ash, and Lightning.
At the center of each rune is a small hole. Any adventurer that had seen the rune orbs will immediately recognize that these holes are the same size.
The lich materializes from the sarcophagus as soon as the party has examined the runes on the lid.
If an orb is placed in the corresponding hole, the rune on the lid will glow.
If an orb is placed on the wrong rune, it will emit a surge of energy that deals 2d6 damage to any living creature within 30 feet of the sarcophagus. The orb then disappears and reappears in the ward.
If all the correct orbs are placed in the runes on the lid, the warding stones will exploded causing any creature within 10 feet of a ward to receive 1d6 bludgeoning damage. The sarcophagus will crack and disintegrate to a pile of rubble. And Elder Boreday’g will collapse to the ground and revert to his living self.
Tactics
Elder Boreday’g The lich has little regard for anyone that disturbs his slumber. Once he awakens, he will immediately attack the first creature he sees.
For the first two rounds, the lich uses paralyzing touch if there is a creature within range. Otherwise, he will cast a ranged attack spell.
Starting with the third round, he will use legendary actions at every opportunity.
He will focus his attacks on any creature holding an orb. If a creature succeeds in placing an orb on the lid, the lich will stop attacking and use its action to remove the orb and destroy it by throwing it to the ground. A new orb will materialize in the ward.
If the lich sees a creature holding an orb, he will pursue that creature and try to use paralyzing touch. If a creature drops an orb, the lich will use his turn to retrieve the orb and destroy it.
If Elder Boreday’g is defeated, he reverts to his living self but the wards and sarcophagus are not destroyed.
🎲Roll initiative!! 🎲
Update
Back at the end of January, I announced that I would be taking a month off to rest and think about where I wanted to go with my D&D content.
Well, one month turned into two…then three…then four…and before I knew it seven months had gone by.
And when I say I was taking a rest, I don’t mean some elvish trance. I was taking a complete rest. I did not create any new content. I did not think about content. I did not go to my channel. I did not look at comments. I completely disconnected from everything.
There were times where I was really happy about not having the burden of pushing out content. I even considered just shutting it all down. But then there were times where I missed creating content. I do love the game after all. And then I started seeing the new D&D 2024 videos from WOTC. I realized I was missing the game.
The real decision point was when I decided to look at some of the comments that had come in over the past few months. Reading the kind words from so many people made me miss what we had. At the end of the day, I really enjoyed engaging with everyone and talking about D&D.
So it is time to get back on the horse.
I am excited to make content again, but I have a few rules for myself that I will try to stick to in the name of keeping my sanity.
Keep it fun This is a hobby. It is what I do in my free time. Whatever I do it will be because I want to do it, not because I am trying to hit a deadline.
No schedule I do not like hunting for topics just to keep to a schedule. It causes stress for me and the content is not as good anyway. I will share content when feel I have something to share. That could range anywhere from a few times a week to once a month.
Newsletter first At my core, I prefer writing over being a YouTuber, so I will be spending more time on this newsletter. Building encounters. Sharing my thoughts about what is happening in the D&D world. Maybe some DM tips and stuff like that. I will still do live streams and recorded content, but not at the pace I was trying to keep before.
Thank you for all your patience and support while I was away. I am looking forward to being more active and engaging with everyone.
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Glad you are back in the saddle and really like the rules you set for yourself. It’s a hobby and we shouldn’t stress over a hobby. Much respect! 😊