rb@CSvax:Pucc-H:pur-phy.UUCP (09/23/83)
Sorry, but your DM did not dream up the "1st Annual Kill Orcus Contest", unless your DM is Dave Collins, who came up with the idea and ran it at this year's GenCon. The scenario went something like this: ----- You are a member of a party of high levels who have been asked to look into an undead problem. You soon discover that the area's many undead are coming from a hidden gate, and decide to enter the gate to attempt to stem the tide from the source. You do so, and find yourselves on Orcus' home plane. A large palace is visible in the distance. In a remarkable display of poor judgment, you press onward. You are soon beset by many low-level undead. You manage to fight them off, due in no small part to the aid of your cleric. Upon entering the catacombs near the palace, however, disaster strikes. Level draining undead, towering behind whom is Orcus himself. You fight valiantly, but the vampires seem to know to concentrate their attack on the cleric. Soon he is no longer effective at turning the tide, and the party's level drops rapidly. Convinced of the outcome, Orcus turns and leaves through a side passage. But the battle was more evenly matched than the demon judged, and you manage to slay the last wraith on the same melee round that it drains you to level 1. You quaff your last healing potion, and collect the few surviving magic items from your friends, who were less fortunate than yourself. Suddenly you hear heavy footsteps coming from the corridor that Orcus had used. You hide behind the door, and the terrible arch-demon charges in to survey the results. ----- This sets the stage for the 1st Annual Kill Orcus Contest. You are a level 1 <anything from the player's handbook>, with full hit points and max stats in the appropriate areas. You have 5 magic items as descibed in the DMG, and 1 potion. None of these may be an artifact, but you are familiar with them and you may select their abilities as per the DMG. You will have 1 free round of surprise against Orcus, and you will have initiative on the following round. Any weapon you choose will be at least +3. If you choose +3 darts, you will get a set of 20 +3 darts, which will count as one item. If you choose a book of infinite spells, you may specify the spell it is turned to, but none of the following spells. Items may be tailor made to match your abilities, as per the DMG. Be advised that spell failure may apply. Preference is given in the following order: 1) Kill Orcus and survive. 2) Kill Orcus and not survive. 3) Not kill Orcus, but survive. 4) Not kill Orcus, and not survive. Bonus points are awarded for: 1) Using less than 5 items and a potion. 2) Toying with Orcus. (I.e., using your surprise round by saying "Turn, demon, and meet your doom!", and then killing him on the next round.) There is a sure win using 6 items and a potion. The best he could come up with using only 5 was about 95%. Dave Collins also has a scenario for the "Kill Demogorgon Contest", which I may relate at a later time. Ross Bogue pur-ee!pur-phy!rb
bstempleton@watmath.UUCP (Brad Templeton) (09/25/83)
I entered that contest at GenCon. The solution I used was several "Mirrors of Opposition". These items are terribly gross, and essentially will kill any creature at all. They don't have to look into one, just appear before it. I don't think you get your magic resistance on one either, since it is not a spell cast directly at you, but rather one that creates something beside you. Even if you do get your percentage, this item is so powerful that you would think it would take a minimum 30th level MU to make one, thus negating any protection. Two mirrors should finish anybody off. (Of course you need scrolls of protection or a cube of force to stop being killed in the ensuing battle) This includes Orcus, Demogorgon, any god or demon. Thus these mirrors should be artifacts. -- Brad Templeton - Waterloo, Ont. (519) 886-7304
tim@unc.UUCP (Tim Maroney) (09/26/83)
About Brad Templeton's approach to killing Orcus -- the Mirror of
Opposition is a good idea, Brad, but it don't wash against Orcus. The
reason is magic resistance. Yes, I know you said that won't work, but
that's trash. Any magic item effect that you do not wish to affect
you will be subject to magic resistance.
The reason I say this is the explanation of magic resistance in
the beginning of Deities and Demigods. According to it, if a god has
a weapon that never misses, magic resistance can still make it miss.
If this is the case with such an awesome item as a divine, never-
missing weapon, it would be silly not to apply it to other magic
items. Yes, I know the Monster Manual says "spell", but Deities and
Demigods contradicts that. If you wish, just say that the spell
resisted is the Enchant an Item that is keeping the item magical.
If your DM doesn't allow magic resistance against items, the
obvious thing to do is take a Rope of Entaglement.
Another neat approach is to take a Trap The Soul scroll and a
Ring of Wishes. Wish not to fail when casting Trap The Soul, and
put it on an item which you give to Orcus as part of a bargain.
(Or does Trap The Soul require the true name?)
___________
Tim Maroney
duke!unc!tim (USENET)
tim.unc@udel-relay (ARPA)
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hillrene@umcp-cs.UUCP (09/27/83)
If magic resistance applies to magical effects, does that mean your stone-to-mud might not work? What about a dispell magic thrown on a mountain-polymorphed-into-a-pebble tossed at the magic-resistant thing? Or lightening bolts? Insect plague? What happens? - rene
berry@zehntel.UUCP (09/30/83)
#R:watmath:-582600:zinfandel:5200003:000:72 zinfandel!berry Sep 29 13:38:00 1983 Re: using "Trap the Soul" on Orcus: Does Orcus HAVE a soul?? --berry