The Druid and the Lich

July 21th, 2010

Welcome again to Masters and Minions, where I attempt to give you interesting NPCs and encounters that can be placed easily into your game. For Fortress Week I have a twist on assaulting the Lich’s tower: this time the lich has to retake his own tower. The locals tell the PCs of how countless living dead have been marching upon a large forest that is relatively close to their town. The forest itself seems to be beating back the undead hoards. The locals also mention that there is a legend of an ancient tower hidden deep within the forest.

A dryad named Sharazelle has become bonded to a large tree near the base of the abandoned tower in the middle of a great forest. She wishes to preserve this mighty forest and protect it from the undead hoard. Unlike other dryads she is unable to form a new bond with another tree.

The lich, Zarco Nirdew, originally constructed this tower centuries ago, and after being away for a few hundred years he has finally returned. He is not exactly happy to find that a forest full of hostile plants has grown up around his tower. Zarco sends out a few of his zombies to acquire various corpses; these he plans to raise as additional zombies to be sent to reclaim his tower. Zarco is fighting hard to retake his tower because his phylactery is hidden in a secret crypt beneath it.

The zombies attacking the forest ignore the PCs as they single-mindedly march upon the trees. All of these zombies fight with various axes: medium zombies use battleaxes and large zombies wield greataxes. The various plant monsters, on the other hand, are quite hostile to anything entering the forest. If the PCs can make it to either the lich or the druid they are asked to join the fight against the other side. If they refuse they are attacked by either the lich or the druid. The lich is very reasonable and explains to the PCs that he constructed the tower centuries ago and he left something very important deep within it. He dodges question about what exactly he left in the tower. The dryad on the other hand is very paranoid and assumes the PCs are with the undead, though she can be reasoned with by bringing her to friendly with a Diplomacy check.

There are usually twice as many undead as there are treants and other plants.

If the PCs fight alongside with the lich they end up having two or more hill giant zombies and four regular zombies accompanying them as they fight their way through the forest. Their undead numbers can be replenished by “saving” other undead from the plants. Guarding the tower is a bullthorn treant.

If the PCs work with the dryad, they are accompanied by a treant and several vegepygmy. The vegepygmy swarm the medium zombies while the treant helps the PCs fight the larger zombies. The lich is accompanied by four hill giant zombies.

You can find stats for the dryad, treant, vegepygmy, and the medium zombies in the pathfinder bestiary.

Zombie Lumberjack (hill giant)

CR 5

XP 1,600
NE Large undead
Init -2; Senses darkvision 60 ft; Perception +0
DEFENSE
AC 19, touch 8, flat-footed 12 (–2 Dex, +12 natural, –1 size)
hp 66 (12d8+12)
Fort +4, Ref +4, Will +8
DR 5/slashing; Immune undead traits
OFFENSE
Speed 30 ft
Melee greataxe +16 (1d12+12/x3) or slam +4 (1d6+4)
STATISTICS
Str 27, Dex 6, Con —, Int —, Wis 10, Cha 10
Base Atk +9; CMB +4; CMD 14
Feats Toughness(B)
Special Qualities staggered
SPECIAL ABILITIES
Staggered (Ex)
Zombies have poor reflexes and can only perform a single move action or standard action each round. A zombie can move up to its speed and attack in the same round as a charge action.

ECOLOGY
Environment any
Organization any
Treasure greataxe

Zarco Nirdew

CR 12

XP 19,200
Human lich necromancer 11
NE Medium undead (augmented humanoid)
Init +2; Senses darkvision 60 ft, life sight*; Perception +24
Aura fear (60-ft radius, DC 18)
DEFENSE
AC 23, touch 14, flat-footed 21 (+4 armor, +2 deflection, +2 Dex, +5 natural)
hp 111 (11d6+55 plus 15 false life)
Fort +6, Ref +7, Will +11
Defensive Abilities channel resistance +4; DR 15/bludgeoning and magic; Immune cold, electricity, undead traits
OFFENSE
Speed 30 ft
Melee touch +5 (1d8+5 plus paralyzing touch)
Special Attacks grave touch* (9/day), paralyzing touch (DC 18), power over undead* (9/day, DC 18)
Spells Prepared (CL 11th)
6th—circle of death (DC 22), globe of invulnerability, maximized fireball (DC 19)
5th—cloudkill (DC 21), cone of cold (DC 21), quickened magic missile, waves of fatigue
4th—dimension door, enervation, fire shield, animate dead (2)
3rd—dispel magic (2), fireball (DC 19), suggestion (DC 19), vampiric touch (2)
2nd—darkness, extended mage armor (already cast), false life (already cast), scorching ray (2), see invisibility, spectral hand
1st—magic missile (3), ray of enfeeblement (2), shield (2)
0—bleed (DC 16), detect magic, ray of frost, read magic
Prohibited Schools illusion, transmutation
*Necromancer power (Pathfinder RPG Core Rulebook, pages 81–82)
STATISTICS
Str 10, Dex 14, Con —, Int 22, Wis 14, Cha 16
Base Atk +5; CMB +5; CMD 25
Feats Craft Wondrous Item, Defensive Combat Training, Extend Spell, Improved Lightning Reflexes, Iron Will, Lightning Reflexes, Maximize Spell, Quicken Spell, Scribe Scroll, Toughness
Skills Craft (alchemy) +20, Intimidate +17, Knowledge (arcana) +20, Knowledge (planes) +20, Linguistics +20, Perception +24, Sense Motive +24, Spellcraft +20, Stealth +24; Racial Modifiers +8 Perception, +8 Sense Motive, +8 Stealth
Languages Abyssal, Aklo, Aquan, Celestial, Common, Draconic, Dwarven, Elven, Giant, Gnome, Goblin, Ignan, Infernal, Orc, Undercommon

ECOLOGY
Environment any
Organization solitary
Treasure NPC gear (boots of levitation, headband of vast intelligence +2 [Perception], ring of protection +2, potion of invisibility, scroll of dominate person [2])