He appears in the original Tomb of Horrors adventure by Gary Gygax as the main adversary, and later as the guardian of the Copper Key, during the quest for Halliday's Egg. [22] At its height, Skull City was home to nearly 500, and around 1,000 undead servants, and various other creatures.[23]. I believe this module revealed that the demi-lich in the previous module wasn't the "real" Acererak...and the real one was on his own demi-plane trying to achieve godhood. (. According to the 3rd edition Tome of Magic, Acererak, following his destruction by adventurers completing the Tomb of Horrors, passes on to become a vestige - an ineffable, amoral entity which can be summoned and bound by characters known as Binders. It has been with us since 1st edition and is still possibly the most lethal thing you can send a group of adventurers through. This plan worked for years, until the simulacrum had nearly completed his ascension. If my math is right, he's coming in at a medium challenge. The only problem? Robilar and Tenser (characters of Gygax's players Rob Kuntz and Ernie Gygax) once faced the demilich Acererak after making it through the Tomb of Horrors, sacrificing many orc minions in the attempt. Melee Weapon Attack: +11 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. The original Tomb is at level 17, but it's now a ruin with much less of the original deadliness. $34.00 + shipping . Masquerading as his creator, the simulacrum manipulated undead and living cultists, and used them to spread rumors to lure adventurers to the Sundered Tower, in order to harvest their souls. I created the "Dust of Acererak" in order to duplicate events that take place in the Tomb. Acererak appears prominently in Return to the Tomb of Horrors (1998). Such a campaign deserves an equally deadly final boss. He's basically absent the whole campaign and his only role is to finish the PCs off with his ridiculous OP abilities after they already gave everything against the Atropal, which happen to be the actual boss of the game. The Tomb of Horrors (S1) is possibly the most well-known of modules for the original Dungeons and Dragons. Acererak's body turns to dust when he drops to 0 hit points, and his equipment is left behind. An inscription upon a black obelisk in the Black Academy reads "Acererak Walks Among Us". One is merely a conversion of the old tomb. Acererak created a simulacrum to take over for him at the Sundered Tower. Acererak. He has destroyed countless adventurers, knows all their tricks, and uses his spells in diabolical combinations to render his enemies into potentially useful corpses. Bestiary: Demilich. Through means unknown, Acererak survived with his phylactery intact, and whether he re-created his phylactery or it was never truly destroyed is unknown. Acererak was presumed gone forever, with only a faint vestige of his former form accessible to esoteric users of pact magic.[8]. Acererak has a habit of leaving clues and hints to those attempting to survive his dungeons or foil his attempts, for the sole purpose of heightening the glory of his eventual victory. However, instead of battling the user's avatar, Acererak challenged them to a best-out-of-three match of the arcade game Joust. https://dungeonsdragons.fandom.com/wiki/Acererak?oldid=25982. He is also mentioned in the Monster Manual (5e) (2014), p.49, as an example of a notable demilich. Zack: As much as you have pointed out that Acererak is a jerk, we're still just barely touching the surface of the nightmare hell of Tomb of Horrors. Although having had the power and opportunities to ascend to godhood, Acererak had no interest in being worshiped, despite having his share of followers whose suffering he enjoyed watching. Roll for stats. My group wants to run Tomb of Horrors. Acererak is a powerful demilich and creator of the Tomb of Horrors.He was defeated by the Challengers of the Unspeakable in 2959, who took his soul gems with them to help fight the Far Realm. He’s got spells through 9th level, bonus spell slots, awesome legendary actions, magic items, nice saves and skills, good attacks, and 285 hp. Acererak plotted his revenge for many years afterwards.[17]. He believes that "The scorn of Man birthed the rage of the Devourer".[14]. Pages on this Service may include affiliate links to Amazon and its affiliate sites on which the owner of this Service, Blueshift Nine, LLC, will make a referral commission. [20], Acererak intentionally allowed rumors of the location of his original tomb to spread, resulting in a wave of brave adventurers attempting to brave the deadly Tomb of Horrors. Acererak's life force once again survived, but he was not able to recreate his phylactery quickly. Artus Cimber, Ranger - Tomb of Annihilation #22 D&D Archer Miniature. He is revered by a group of wizards known as the Covenenticle of Acererak. As a lich, Acererak cannot be permanently slain without also destroying his phylactery. This adventure builds upon Return to the Tomb of Horrors, explaining how Acererak survived the previous events as a vestige.This adventure is broken into four parts, for characters level 10, 14, 17, and 22. One is merely a conversion of the old tomb. Acererak discovered the remnants of a stillborn godling, an atropal, in the Negative Plane and carried it to Chult, where he placed it in the Tomb of the Nine Gods. He also has a “pet project” that requires a ton of souls. Talisman of the Sphere (Costs 2 Actions). Without them, 3rd level castings of ray of sickness are probably the best use of his legendary actions at range, or paralyzing touch if in melee. The original "bust your ass and then hand it to you on a silver plate" dungeon itself, the Tomb of Horrors is an adventure module for Advanced Dungeons & Dragons that proved to be a legendary source of considerable rage. His more ordinary mastery of necromancy allows him to detect undead, hide from undead, and speak with dead.[8]. Thinking about other classes? Acererak traveled through the multiverse in search of artifacts, which he liked to lock away in trap-ridden dungeons to watch adventurers suffer and die. Now in 5th edition, he needs that constant supply of souls to keep himself from degrading into a demilich. Acererak has advantage on saving throws against any effect that turns undead. $3.99 + $2.59 shipping . How would you improve Acererak to take on a party of 6 players, all 20th level? Roll for stats. Acererak has the maximum number of hit points for his Hit Dice. His undead form allows him the typical abilities of a lich, including immunity to cold and electricity, and a paralyzing touch. Decades after his destruction, the true Acererak managed to return through sheer force of will.[9]. If you don’t harbor the spirits, you’re in trouble. 3rd level (at will): animate dead, counterspell. Among them are the medusa Isafel, who he imprisoned in The City That Waits.[11]. Acererak Lich Tomb of Annihilation D&D Miniature Dungeons and Dragons Mini dnd. Trap Soul. [21], Over the next twenty years, Acererak's tomb attracted a cult-like following, establishing a settlement called Skull City, populated by mad worshipers and necromancers, including a school of necromancy known as the Black Academy. Upon its completion, Acererak had all of his slaves killed. Acererak wants souls, and what better way to get them than to have them come to you. [5], As a demilich, Acererak appears to be a human skull inlaid with precious gemstones. [26], Acererak abandoned his tantrum, but not before inventing a plan to take his revenge on the adventurers' descendents.[27]. Acererak regains spent legendary actions at the start of its turn. Need a New Dice Set? [9] Among the individuals captured for this purpose was the powerful wizard Desatysso. To maintain the tomb, he employed armies of ethereal demons to replace slain monsters, reset disabled traps and restore missing treasure, to varying degrees of accuracy. At other wikis However, at the start of the original Tomb of Horrors it's explicitly stated that information about the tomb and Acererak is exceedingly difficult and obscure, even for spells such as Legend Lore. If Acererak is to penetrate the 50 temporary hit points to reach PC's actual hit points and get any PC in any for of life threat, Acererak must use his Staff of the Forgotten One to Invoke Curse to make a PC unable to heal. Check out our giant list of D&D 5e Tools and Tips here. Tomb of Horrors is a module released for the original Dungeons & Dragons, written by the game's creator, Gary Gygax.In it, a group of adventurers travel to the titular tomb to fight the demilich Acererak and recover any loot found along the way. Acererak is an old foe in the DnD Universe. The githyanki necro… According to mad prophet Danele, the Devourer's phylactery holds the souls of the lost, who will be damned eternally. Unfortunately, and despite having a sphere of annihilation at his command, Acererak was once again defeated by a small band of powerful adventurers. Acererak is intelligent too, so he won’t be blindly firing off his spells. Acererak is an absolute monster. Retreating to within his tomb, Acererak willingly failed to maintain the soul energy necessary to retain his physical state, and degraded to a pile of lich dust and a single gem-encrusted skull. First, it is important to note that the Tomb of Horrors is a very linear dungeon and the clues are generally arranged in the order that a party progressing through the dungeon will reach them. Staff (+3 Quarterstaff). Neutral evil Encounter 33: Dust of Acererak While 4e has provided a stat block for the original demi-lich, Acererak, there are elements in this final encounter that have escaped the rules. This was the Tomb of Horrors, where folk say Acererak dwells still in undeath. Acererak was once again destroyed. He wears flowing robes and carries a twisted staff topped with a glowing skull. Acererak uses his. Gary Gygax authored this inspired by Alan Lucien's sketched-out "Tomb of Ra-Hotep", and set it before a tournament 25-7 July 1975.. The original "bust your ass and then hand it to you on a silver plate" dungeon itself, the Tomb of Horrors is an adventure module for Advanced Dungeons & Dragons that proved to be a legendary source of considerable rage. Acererak entered the service of the demon prince Orcus, taking advantage of his authority in that being's cult to order the construction of vast crypts, including at the site which would later become the Tomb of Horrors. He is capable of pursuing ascension to divinity if that were to interest him. This new form still allowed him to project his spirit throughout the multiverse, where he carried on a epic campaign of exploring multiple worlds, establishing deadly dungeons and acquiring artifacts. Firstappearance Acererak is an old foe in the DnD Universe. All the loot, horror and PC death of the most famous Dungeons & Dragons module of all time—Module S1, "Tomb of Horrors," written by Gary Gygax—in one cartoon walkthrough map! Race Fourth, leaving the dungeon and returning or months-long projects are verboten. Acererak is a powerful demilich and creator of the Tomb of Horrors.He was defeated by the Challengers of the Unspeakable in 2959, who took his soul gems with them to help fight the Far Realm. Aliases Tomb of Horrors is set in the World of Greyhawk, a D&D campaign setting. 1 1/2 inches thick, hardness 5, 15 hp, stuck DC (16), locked DC (18) Traps:All pit traps (unless otherwise stated) are hidden by a counterweighted trap door that swings open as soon as at least 5 lb. Recently, Acererak is believed to have regained his original form as a lich. On the other hand ToA Acererak is a total badass. Male Tomb of Horrors is a module released for the original Dungeons & Dragons, written by the game's creator, Gary Gygax. The spells readily available to him include time stop, power word kill, teleport, finger of death, and disintegrate. Tomb of Horrors is a module released for the original Dungeons & Dragons, written by the game's creator, Gary Gygax. Home Acererak intended to steal away the great souls of any individuals powerful enough to defeat his dungeons, and use these to empower a ritual allowing him to merge his consciousness with the entire negative energy plane, giving him the ability to take control of every single undead in the multiverse. Melee Spell Attack: +15 to hit, reach 5 ft., one creature. This guy actually feels like a true boss and will make my players respect the tomb of horrors as a truly horrifying tomb. He then enjoyed trapping their souls in his phylactery, whose location was unknown. Acererak is utterly evil, and cares not for other beings. And waits. [16], As Acererak began to aspire for lichdom, he came into conflict with a paladin named Sir Pentival, and was forced to retreat before the paladin's might. The Tomb of Horrors is an adventurer trap, a shining challenge filled with treasure and glory for the true heroes willing to brave its depths. S1 Tomb of Horrors (1e) (1978) According to a diary left by Acererak to lure adventurers to the Tomb of Horrors, he suffered from hideous deformity.[8]. 4th level (3 slots): blight, ice storm, phantasmal killer. [12], Numerous liches follow Acererak. This was the Tomb of Horrors, where folk say Acererak dwells still in undeath. This affiliate disclosure details the affiliate relationships of Blueshift Nine, LLC with other companies and products. Class Each creature within 20 feet of Acererak must make a DC 20 Constitution saving throw against this magic, taking 42 (12d6) necrotic damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one. Acererak can take 3 legendary actions, choosing from the options below. Some exist within their own demiplanes, many of which he created himself. The only problem? However, the adventure cheats a bit, and the PCs are expected to harbor the “trickster spirits” acquired earlier in the tomb, with these guys pumping out 50 temporary hit points each turn, Acererak is going to have serious trouble even putting a dent in the PCs. In life, he was the enemy of a paladin of Pelornamed Pentivel, and the wizard-architect who designs his tomb is called Morghadam. If PCs remain cursed for more than a round or so, they’ll start dropping like flies. Jorphdan 86,061 views. Demiliches transcend even that deathless state by splitting their soul between several “soul gems” (think Voldemort) that they implant into their body, usually replacing their eyes and teeth with them. He wears a talisman of the sphere and can control a sphere of annihilation, which he also possesses, having previously built one into his Tomb of Horrors. He appears as a skeletal figure wearing a tall, pointed, crownlike helmet with long horns which could be either part of the helmet or his original body. But by far the biggest threat will be his invoke curse ability that shuts down healing and inflicts vulnerability to necrotic damage, which he has in spades. No fewer than 14 liches and perhaps over 30 trust Acererak with their phylacteries, who keeps them in the Tomb of the Nine Gods, Acererak's enemies include the Skullbreakers, a group of heroes dedicated to defeating his plans.[13]. You see, the entire TOMB OF HORRORS is the first step in Acererak's ridiculously convoluted plan to harness the power of sheer assholery and ascend to semi-Godhood. Acererak has from time to time replaced his demilich skull with a near-identical construct, a unique golem crafted from bone and inlaid with gemstones only one tenth as valuable as the real things.[7]. Tomb of Annihilation Part 26 - Cradle of the Death God | Acererak Showdown DND 5E ... 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