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Thread: Atomic bomb as a Phylactery
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2014-09-18, 08:55 PM (ISO 8601)
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- Feb 2005
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- Santa Barbara, CA
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Re: Atomic bomb as a Phylactery
put it down a mine. if it is more than a couple hundred yards deep (even horizontally) you'd be pretty much fine. Rock absorbs a huge amount of energy.
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2014-09-18, 09:16 PM (ISO 8601)
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- Sep 2007
Re: Atomic bomb as a Phylactery
Hm, that's tricky.
Maybe they could call on one of the demi-gods for help? I mean, if they made it, then presumably they know how to unmake them. Find a god who doesn't want the area the bomb is in to get exploded. After all, unstable nuclear-grade devices are bad even without a lich involved. If it's as unstable as you say, even a good storm might be enough to set it off. Which would obviously be bad.
Or they could try and lure the lich into range of the blast, keep him from leaving somehow, then threaten to detonate the bomb (which would both kill him and destroy the phylactery in one go) unless he either disarmed the bomb, made it not-a-phylactery, or disposed of it somewhere safely (Teleport it a billion miles straight up should do it).
If it's made of metal, you might be able to get a Rust Monster or druid or something to deal with it.
It is a bomb meant to corrupt the area around the destructive blast. Controlled explosion may be possible but would still cause a lot of damage because of the "evil magic radiation" right?
It's honestly pretty hard to convince a nuke to explode, even before you factor in that they usually have safety systems because nobody wants a nuke going off before it's supposed to.
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2014-09-19, 10:37 AM (ISO 8601)
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- Aug 2013
Re: Atomic bomb as a Phylactery
So, to recap the situation:
- You want a phylactery that will explode with the effect of a nuclear bomb
- You want it to be non-defusable
- You have powerful black magic in your world
If you ask me, you're not doing yourself a favor with the whole nuclear-bomb-approach. As others have mentioned, it's actually quite hard to get a nuclear bomb to detonate, since they are designed that way... nobody wants one of them to explode by accident after all. You have the means to simply create a magic macguffin that will behave in exactly the way you describe and there is no need to actually make it a nuclear bomb! By doing that, you add nothing to the story (as far as I can see) and invite this entire line of argument which your players are likely to come up with as well. All this will do is cause frustration if they come up with ideas that you don't want to work.
Just make it an instable source of black magic (maybe the source of black magic that will contaminate the entire realm of destroyed) that they can't defuse and be done with it. Save yourself (and your players) the trouble of that argument if it isn't really necessary.Inuit avatar withcherrybanana on top by Yanisa
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2014-09-19, 03:55 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Sep 2008
Re: Atomic bomb as a Phylactery
Indeed, I was about to make it a similar point. If you have some Phlebotinum based MacGuffin of Doomy Doom, making it something that actually exists is going to make some players, especially the more knowledgeable ones, expect it to act like that thing. On the other hand, if you make it something fictional, you can tailor those fictional properties to the scenario you want without pulling people out of the world and story when you make a mistake.
And atomic bombs (as opposed to thermonuclear devices) have (comparatively) low limits on their yield because they are made of sub-critical pieces of fissionable material. They'd take out a whole, large, by quasi-medieval, low magic standards, city, (the largest was 500 kilotons), but an 'area'? Doubtful.
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2014-09-19, 04:20 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Oct 2012
Re: Atomic bomb as a Phylactery
Kill the Lich with a Thinaun weapon (CW). Then use one of the available methods to destroy the soul (BoVD has a few iirc). Problem solved.
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2014-09-21, 11:14 AM (ISO 8601)
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- Feb 2014
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Re: Atomic bomb as a Phylactery
I guess the atomic bomb analogy was a bad one since my knowledge on the subject is limited to "A big thing that goes boom" luckily my players are also that limited and they did not brought mechanical and technical arguments to the table.
The teleport it somewhere else and detonate it was also the idea and they asked a High priest to that. Now that religion is the oficial one and next session they will have to fight a horde of Mutant zombie demons with radioactive and corrupting powers. (Who said teleport it to hell and detonate would be consequence free?)
The moon is not a object. And a bomb is nothing but a big box:
Spoiler: BOMB
One reason: Magic!
The idea of corrupting magical radiation floating in the space near our planet does not sound like a good idea to me.
Good idea but since I'm evil i whould just make the corrupting magical energy create radioative golems made of stone and gems.
I guess I should have said they were MAD Demi-gods trying to kill each other. If the whole world burns in the process they simply do not care.
Wow... I'm speechless. I feel so dumb. I guess I should have used "Mass destruction artifact created by mad demi-god that corrupts all around its explosion radius" instead of "Atomic bomb like artifact".Last edited by S@tanicoaldo; 2014-09-21 at 11:28 AM.
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2014-09-21, 11:26 AM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Dec 2010
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- right behind you
Re: Atomic bomb as a Phylactery
Teleport it to the tomb of horrors. Noone will be able to notice any change if it goes off there.
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2014-09-21, 05:15 PM (ISO 8601)
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- Aug 2011
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- Sharangar's Revenge
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Re: Atomic bomb as a Phylactery
Nah, it'd never get through the planet's magnetosphere. Plus, the solar wind would push it out into interstellar space before it could do any harm.
I suppose it depends on what cosmology you're using. If you're using something like real world cosmology, there's nothing up there to corrupt. And the "background" cosmic radiation is worse than anything a nuclear weapon can unleash. If you're using spelljammer-esque cosmology, detonating the device three-quarters of the way to the crystal sphere directly below the sun's "south pole" would put it in such a location that, even assuming the cloud of corruption was the size of the entire earth, the odds of anything ever going through it are infinitesimal. All the traffic, and thus all the activity of space denizens that prey on that traffic, occurs near the ecliptic, which is where all the planets are. Of course, depending on the DM, Probability has been known to service Drama on occasion.
Still, it sounds like things turned out more or less according to plan. Well, your plan, anyway.Last edited by Lord Torath; 2014-09-21 at 05:33 PM.
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2014-09-22, 01:03 PM (ISO 8601)
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- Feb 2014
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Re: Atomic bomb as a Phylactery
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2014-09-22, 04:57 PM (ISO 8601)
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- Jul 2005
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- SW England
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Re: Atomic bomb as a Phylactery
No, what you want to do is incapacitate the lich and strap him to the phylactery-bomb, then gate/portal/teleport them into the Abyss, and detonate it. While making an appropriately cheesy one-liner, like "You're fired!"
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2014-09-23, 06:13 AM (ISO 8601)
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- Jul 2008
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- Sweden
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Re: Atomic bomb as a Phylactery
I'd just get one of those to deal with it, the archmages and high priests seem far less dangerous than the lich. The black mages and demi-gods are probably dangerous even to approach though
It's unclear that the archmages actually could replicate the bomb if they had it in their possession, though they might be able to defuse it and use its parts for lesser artifacts.
The priests making their religion the official religion? I don't see the problem, unless it's some kind of malicious religion.
From what you say it seems that even fiddling with the bomb might set it off, so it might actually be worse to try to stop the bomb than to let the Lich roam free. That's why I'd contact someone who's actually capable of handling the situation.
You've basically taken a very tricky situation and given it to PCs not remotely equipped to deal with it.Black text is for sarcasm, also sincerity. You'll just have to read between the lines and infer from context like an animal
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2014-09-23, 08:28 AM (ISO 8601)
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- Oct 2010
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Re: Atomic bomb as a Phylactery
Here's a thought - what if the realm being terrorized simply agrees that this is an acceptable sacrifice to remove such a vile immortal being from power for good?
Obviously the heroes would try to evacuate the area as much as possible and take the bomb-lactery to the most deserted area they can, but if you truly make the casualties unavoidable they cease to be evil.Plague Doctor by Crimmy
Ext. Sig (Handbooks/Creations)
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2014-09-23, 08:46 AM (ISO 8601)
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- Jul 2008
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Re: Atomic bomb as a Phylactery
Black text is for sarcasm, also sincerity. You'll just have to read between the lines and infer from context like an animal
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2014-09-23, 08:53 AM (ISO 8601)
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Re: Atomic bomb as a Phylactery
Plague Doctor by Crimmy
Ext. Sig (Handbooks/Creations)
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2014-09-24, 06:10 AM (ISO 8601)
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- Jul 2008
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Re: Atomic bomb as a Phylactery
Assuming they could keep the lich contained. The lich is an emperor after all. The PCs wouldn't just be going up against an immensely powerful spell caster, they'd also be going up against the armed forces of the realm. Unless the PCs are on par with the lich in terms of individual power and social influence, the task of defeating the lich is insurmountable.
Black text is for sarcasm, also sincerity. You'll just have to read between the lines and infer from context like an animal
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2014-09-24, 06:16 AM (ISO 8601)
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- Feb 2014
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Re: Atomic bomb as a Phylactery
Well it is kind of a Dark fantasy(I don't really like that world because everybody have been abusing of it latter) So yeah all the gods are at best neutral and all the priests are evil. They use religion to get money from the followers and the gods give them powers cause the more followers they have the more faith energy(that they need to feed on to survive) they will acquire.
So yeah the High priest they choose is a fat greedy bastard who distorts the writings of the Goddess of healing to gain power, money and influence. And he just got more of it.
But it is true both the High priests and the archmages (who are insane because of magic that is also corrupted and kind of evil) are safer choices.
I know and that is why it is fun. And they are the ones responsible for putting themselves in that situation.
Because the place is not that large and a big chuck of the continent is already a wasteland because of the demi god war in the north so where are you planning to put all thathuman wasterefugees?
Imagine in real life, a entire population of a country. All of them losing home, job and rights. Having to live as a favor in another place where they will be discriminated and segregated. There will not be jobs for everybody and the jobs available will be very bad. So many will turn to crime. Who in their right mind would accept the refugees to live in their realm?
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2014-09-24, 08:14 AM (ISO 8601)
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Re: Atomic bomb as a Phylactery
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2014-09-24, 11:56 AM (ISO 8601)
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- Oct 2010
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Re: Atomic bomb as a Phylactery
Well if they can't win against the lich himself anyway, isn't the question of dealing with its phylactery purely academic then?
It's like worrying about trying to find space on your wall to mount a dire lion's head when you're a level 1 commoner armed with a twig.
Without getting into real-world politics - when has "they might not want us there" ever deterred refugees fleeing a significant disaster?
Even assuming the fallout from this thing is indeed so bad that the entire population has to move, and that they know that ahead of time - if the alternative is dying anyway at the angry lich's hands, many will roll the dice on freedom.Plague Doctor by Crimmy
Ext. Sig (Handbooks/Creations)
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2014-09-24, 04:37 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- May 2012
Re: Atomic bomb as a Phylactery
On a side note, this lich is freakin' stupid. Like, intelligence 8 post-template. Sorcerers these days…
When you decide to exist indefinitely, respawning no matter what and having nothing to fear from any kind of opposition that isn't either extremely high-level or optimised, with a single caveat of all of it going away if you fail to keep a single little item intact, you do not, i repeat, YOU DO NOT bet on assumptions like "every being that ever arises in this world or the next will be aware of the bomb's destructive potential and absolutely unwilling to risk it". I'm not talking about all the ways to avoid countryside blowing up which were discussed in this thread; i'm talking about the fact that world is rife with madmen, deities, evil races and evil individuals, kenders, elves, trolls, fanatics willing to crush some eggs in order to get rid of you, avengers who won't care how many beings you hold hostage, people with pool impulse control, people with poor memory and/or poor attention to whom the connection between "boom" and "big red button" won't occur until they press it… The list goes on and on, and assuming none of those will ever happen to be amongst your enemies is highly dumb.
And you do not, under any circumstances, decide that "item that provides me with eternal immortality and near-inkillability for as long as it is not destroyed" and "item that self-destructs during proper execution of its main designated function, which is easy to trigger, easily recognisable and widely known" combine well. You know, i retract my statement about intelligence 8; int 4 post-template sounds a bit more like it.
All that being said, leading the world to mistakenly believe the bomb is your phylactery can lead to a good laugh.
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2014-09-25, 01:29 AM (ISO 8601)
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- Jul 2008
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Re: Atomic bomb as a Phylactery
Yes exactly. That's what I'm saying. The DM has set up a situation where the only ones who are able to deal with the BBEG is a few evil gandalf NPCs. The PCs roles isn't to deal with the emperor but to choose which NPC becomes the new emperor, possibly gaining favor.
Or just go on a suicide mission to destroy the phylactery and become an even bigger villain than the emperor.Black text is for sarcasm, also sincerity. You'll just have to read between the lines and infer from context like an animal
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2014-09-25, 05:23 PM (ISO 8601)
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- Aug 2014
Re: Atomic bomb as a Phylactery
Set the rules for the bomb. What amount of tampering makes it go off. Build a way for PCs to get at these rules (adventure time!). Then let them figure it out. Thats what you want anyway.