Does Charname really accomplish anything fighting Kangaxx & other liches?

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My post about Liches reminded me of something. When you fight the various liches in the game, you never bother to seek out and destroy their phylacteries. As such, what's to stop Kanagaxx or the others from reforming overnight while the PC rests, secure in their victory and then seeking revenge?

I can't believe I never thought about this oversite on the part of the game's creators. It could have been a great quest or addon quest for Throne of Bhaal. An angry lich you defeated seeking revenge. Especially Kangaxx, who is still a challenge even for early to mid ToB characters (unless you have a cleric, but if they made him immune to turning for anything but a level 40 cleric, he'd be a challenge)

 

No, not really. And even if this sort of oversight hadn't happened and the "destroy the phylactery" bit had been pursued, the protagonist and friends still wouldn't have accomplished a whole heck of a lot in the grand scheme of things. Those liches were pretty much just there to be fought by anyone with a big enough set to think they stood a chance of winning.

 

Liches reform over 1d10 days when destroyed iirc, and when destroyed they have to start fresh. No minions, no carefully laden traps, all their loot taken away by the PC. Since they know that directly attacking the PC at this point would be suicide, they'll be forced to plot and scheme. Unfortunately, as they do that Mr. PC is also on a distinguished road to godhood.
Basically given these prospects, if I were one of those liches I'd cut my losses and build my army somewhere else. Kangaax would be the one exception, though we never really know what happens to him after you slay him. Kangaax's situation is unique because he was purposely sealed away - for all we know his phylactery may have already been depowered (possible through powerful Divination magic) or destroyed, except Kangaax himself was so powerful the mages were unable to destroy him (destroying a lich's phylactery only prevents a lich from coming back to life, the act does not actually kill the lich).

 

The majority would just spring back, liches rarely only have one hold. Yet you would have to have massive clues to track down where a phylactery is hidden which in pnp can form a largish adventure in itself.

You don't kill all the vampires either, in fact there are many quests where you only ever touch the surface of the real issue to be honest. It's not like BG1 where yoppu are ferretting out the hidden and obscure to save the coast. This is an unwelcoming land where you need to mount a rescue.

I think if the game featured a couple of bhaalspawn antagonists there would be more in depth in each of the quests but as it stands it's pretty much a case of scratching the surface to ease the region into a temporary peace to get your journey going.

 

Say for instance a pair of twins from Suldenesselar named Bhodi and Jonaleth?

 

Shame neither Bodhi nor Irenicus are Bhaalspawn...

 

Bhaalspawn antagonists didn't help ToB in giving more depth to the story. Not much anyway.

 

ToB was also admittedly rushed with a fair bit of cut down from original plans. There was an interview detailing that but can't remember if it was even on this site to be honest.

Also no, not more depth to the story - but more depth to the quests, you furrowed out the roots of problems more than scratching the surface.

Also I don't believe Jonaleth and Bodhi were twins, just siblings. Also obviously not bhaalspawn.

 

Genuine question as I don't know, does Charname know this? The first time I can remember hearing about phylacteries is OOTS, I don't remember it in BG but that's not to say it wasn't. Is this kind of knowledge necessarily common?

 

It would probably depend on the subject's lore.

 

It's not common, like information on lycanthropy isn't either, and so on and so on really.

Players are privvy to the information characters aren't.

Also the protagonist grew up in a library of rare books which depending on their interests could include information on such.

Also phylacteries are mentioned in the Underdark by Jarlaxle, I believe. When he sends you after Dierex the Lich. Don't remember if you can ask about what they are, it seems to be assumed knowledge.