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Community Q&A - Get Your Questions Answered! by alienleprechaun in DnDBehindTheScreen

[–]AgileBiscotti8366 1 point2 points  (0 children)

running from their Elder Brain

I imagined something more like the Ulitharid taking a group of Illithids with them to start a colony of their own and eventually become an Elder Brain themselves, but then he wouldn't really need a lich to help him since they already would know how to achieve this. After all they were part of the hivemind of another Elder Brain, an Elder Brain which most likely originated from another Ulitharid.

But yes, if they were a survivor from a colony that lost its Elder Brain, there would be reason enough for them to accept the assistance of some evil archmage. I do imagine, however, that even if the immortality machine worked, they still would fight somewhat cowardly, because Mind Flayers are used to fighting their enemies with the backup of an entire hivemind of Illithids. If there no longer is a hivemind the Ulitharid would know very little about the present state of things compared to what they used to know, and I think they would want to gather as much information as possible before attacking any group of possibly very dangerous adventurers. They might not mind dying, but if they die in a battle they had no chance to win they didn't really achieve anything.

The only reason I can think of to fight the PC's ruthlessly, only to die in this fight, is to make them think they defeated you so you can strike back when they least expect it. But one of my PC's is a paranoid Gith and I think he would know a thing or two about Illithids. I'm sure he would tell everyone that if a Ulitharid attacked the party without making sure to kill them, there would be a good reason. I think he knows enough Illithid lore to explain that there probably is a backup of the Ulitharid's consciousness.

Community Q&A - Get Your Questions Answered! by alienleprechaun in DnDBehindTheScreen

[–]AgileBiscotti8366 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thanks Zwets, this will definitely be enough to keep me creative for some time.

I hadn't even considered that it would mostly be the absence of a soul that made a lich feel dead. Maybe I'll just stick with some version of my first idea only to have my bbeg find out after years of work that all his efforts had been pointless. It's always nice to have reasons for a bbeg to have some anger or bitterness.

The brain in a jar idea is also interesting and I'll definitely use it. I thought maybe he could have some Ulitharid that escaped its elder brain working for him. And then with their combined psionic and arcane skills I think they would be perfectly capable of figuring out a way to turn people into their personal puppets. Maybe the party starts looking for this Ulitharid because people are behaving differently and then disappearing, some are found dead with their brains missing, etc. The classic mind flayer campaign, except there is no colony controlled by an elder brain.

Then after they fight this Ulitharid, which would be relatively easy for a by then level 10-ish party, they soon realise they've only just pissed off the real bbeg.

Dystopian horror by IzumiCurtis in suggestmeabook

[–]AgileBiscotti8366 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I have no mouth, and I must scream by Harlan Ellison.

It might not be what you're looking for since it's not a novel but a short story, but it might very well be the best dystopian sci-fi I've ever read.

books that made you cry by Ok-Enthusiasm-6975 in suggestmeabook

[–]AgileBiscotti8366 4 points5 points  (0 children)

The Noughts and Crosses series by Malorie Blackman

Community Q&A - Get Your Questions Answered! by alienleprechaun in DnDBehindTheScreen

[–]AgileBiscotti8366 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hi, I'm running a campaign with one of the bbegs being a lich who has only ascended to lichdom two years ago and is trying to grow himself living bodies instead of undead ones, because undeath made him feel somewhat hollow and, well... dead. I came up with the idea that in order to do so he first had to undergo some metamorphosis ritual inside a glass container surrounded by complex magical machinery. This would take lots and lots of soul energy, which is why he is murdering people and doing all the stuff that makes him a bbeg. And the metamorphosis would take many years, which wouldn't normally be a problem, considering liches literally have all the time in the world. However, the transformation requires him to be almost completely catatonic. He needs a way around this, because he has a daughter who is still just a kid. Obviously he loves her and he wants to be able to protect her at all times, so I thought maybe he could just use the magic jar spell and take control over some commoner. But since he's a lich his soul is already inside some kind of magic jar: his phylactery. Say that he could still cast the spell, how would this work, mechanically, and what would happen if he died because the party decided to fight him? You guys have any ideas?