As was foretold, we've added advertisements to the forums! If you have questions, or if you encounter any bugs, please visit this thread: https://forums.penny-arcade.com/discussion/240191/forum-advertisement-faq-and-reports-thread/

[DnD 5E Discussion] This is the way 5E ends. Not with a bang but a gnome mindflayer.

1242527293099

Posts

  • SteelhawkSteelhawk Registered User regular
    Steelhawk wrote: »
    Path of the Beast lets you be Vampire Wolverine.

    Whats the Vampire part? I don't get it.

    And its definitely more Sabertooth rather than Wolverine. :)

    You get a bite attack that can heal yourself for CON

    Is it overpowered if you get both the bite and claw options every time you rage?

    Oops. I missed that. I was looking for life drain type ability and missed the details on the bite.

  • XagarXagar Registered User regular
    I almost always use tekeli.li/onomastikon for names. Boo on that man for rejecting a perfectly good one though!

  • GoumindongGoumindong Registered User regular
    XOCHIPILLI if your paladin is into love and flowers

    Itzli If your paladin is into murder (means Obsidian Knife)

    Cihuacoatl If your paladin is into sowing.

    Tlilpotonqui (Feathered in Black)

    wbBv3fj.png
  • TerrendosTerrendos Decorative Monocle Registered User regular
    Goumindong wrote: »
    XOCHIPILLI if your paladin is into love and flowers

    Itzli If your paladin is into murder (means Obsidian Knife)

    Cihuacoatl If your paladin is into sowing.

    Tlilpotonqui (Feathered in Black)

    Where are you getting these?

  • JPantsJPants Registered User regular
    Terrendos wrote: »
    Goumindong wrote: »
    XOCHIPILLI if your paladin is into love and flowers

    Itzli If your paladin is into murder (means Obsidian Knife)

    Cihuacoatl If your paladin is into sowing.

    Tlilpotonqui (Feathered in Black)

    Where are you getting these?

    Quetz the Coatl

  • override367override367 ALL minions Registered User regular
    I got my pin up exandria calendar for my SKT game in exandria, to put up when I host it every other saturday, I didn't realize it was actually full of pin-ups

    the current month has a tasteful nude of Grog Strongjaw, as drawn by Doty the robot in critical role season 1

  • GoumindongGoumindong Registered User regular
    edited January 2020
    Terrendos wrote: »
    Goumindong wrote: »
    XOCHIPILLI if your paladin is into love and flowers

    Itzli If your paladin is into murder (means Obsidian Knife)

    Cihuacoatl If your paladin is into sowing.

    Tlilpotonqui (Feathered in Black)

    Where are you getting these?

    I googled "Aztec Names" and these came up. Note that the X's in Aztec are probably pronounced as a very soft h(in mexican spanish they have a more pronounced hard h sound). Like the H in shop minus the s in front of it.

    For more information on pronunciantion the wiki on Nahuatl has a good amount of info. Including the information that i have been pronouncing Coutl wrong this entire time.

    Goumindong on
    wbBv3fj.png
  • evilthecatevilthecat Registered User regular
    edited January 2020
    "The Cube-lite" report:

    The dungeon had been designed in a way to mix things up, keep pressure applied but give them options.
    The dungeon had the following layout:
    X|X|X|S|4|X|X
    X|X|X|X|S|X|X
    S|S|S|X|S|S|S
    2|X|S|S|X|X|S
    S|S|X|S|3|S|S
    X|S|X|X|S|S|X
    X|S|S|1|X|X|X
    

    first stretch: prime numbers and even numbers. primes signal trapped rooms.
    second stretch: "the cube" twist. It isn't prime numbers on their own that are traps but power of prime numbers.
    third stretch: the correct path had been linear up until this point, here I put in a circular component.
    last stretch: 5 digit numbers on the last two rooms.
    permanent condition: if they go x minutes (i set it at 5, my group's kinda slow) without setting foot in a new room, a construct drops out of the ceiling. Each time it appears it has adapted to the means of its death in the previous iteration. E.g. a successful trip attack into death resulted in the construct having dex save advantage on anything that would cause prone. More ac and hp if killed via brute force. The robot forces them to make decisions, else it will grow into problem.

    How did my group do?
    They had brought 2 cows with them (don't ask). They intermittently used those to test rooms for traps, but the in the first (exits 6, 5 & 7), they opted to do the testing themselves. First trap room (5) resulted in 3 people losing 34 hitpoints each (they're level 8). Second room (7) resulted in 3 people getting hurt but making their saves. They didn't catch onto the prime numbers thing.
    They eventually make it to the 2nd checkpoint, at which point they do figure out the system. As the numbers increase in digit count, one of the players says says he remembers this numbers trick from school: you add up all the single digits together and if those are a prime number then the number itself is a prime number.
    No one corrected him ^^'

    As luck would have it, all the numbers I had selected for the last stretch appeared to have conformed to his insane rule.
    All in all I'm happy with the dungeon, although they kinda messed up 2 stretches of it which wrecked the flow of the thing.

    evilthecat on
    tip.. tip.. TALLY.. HOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!
  • WearingglassesWearingglasses Of the friendly neighborhood variety Registered User regular
    Is it okay to introduce a new dangerous monster to a group by them witnessing a base they plan on infiltrating (which has way too many enemies they can fight) get pounced on by said monster and then see the damage output it can do (killing a mid-level baddie in one stroke), before it leaves (it wants something and it found it), leaving the base with enough enemies that the group can handle afterwards?

    So that when they meet the same monster, and the NPCs coming with them (as well as some enemies) start running away, they run away as well?

  • SteelhawkSteelhawk Registered User regular
    What happens when your party doesn't run away?

    Because chances are they won't run away but will stand and fight.

  • DarkPrimusDarkPrimus Registered User regular
    Is it okay to introduce a new dangerous monster to a group by them witnessing a base they plan on infiltrating (which has way too many enemies they can fight) get pounced on by said monster and then see the damage output it can do (killing a mid-level baddie in one stroke), before it leaves (it wants something and it found it), leaving the base with enough enemies that the group can handle afterwards?

    So that when they meet the same monster, and the NPCs coming with them (as well as some enemies) start running away, they run away as well?

    Have the NPCs demonstrate themselves to be competent, possibly even moreso than the players. Then have a few of them get absolutely annihilated by the monster. This is the best way to put the fear in them.

  • FryFry Registered User regular
    Is it okay to introduce a new dangerous monster to a group by them witnessing a base they plan on infiltrating (which has way too many enemies they can fight) get pounced on by said monster and then see the damage output it can do (killing a mid-level baddie in one stroke), before it leaves (it wants something and it found it), leaving the base with enough enemies that the group can handle afterwards?

    So that when they meet the same monster, and the NPCs coming with them (as well as some enemies) start running away, they run away as well?

    Have you set these baddies up as a Worf?

  • WearingglassesWearingglasses Of the friendly neighborhood variety Registered User regular
    edited January 2020
    That's part of my plan assuming the setup is sound:

    Act 1: Skirmish with a few of the Baddies (Rakdos evil clowns). Establish for the players a gauge of how powerful one Rakdos fighter is (kinda okay, not dangerous as a single enemy). Rest escapes to their lair.

    Act 2: Party arrives at the threshold of the lair, without any short and quick way of running into said lair (Undercity, a bridge 60 or more feet away from a fortress, black swamp water (and more) in between. They can see in the lair that there's like, 50 or 60 of the Rakdos in there. Suddenly, a Horror (or multiple Horrors) arrives and starts killing Rakdos en masse (which was why I was planning to say out loud their damage output, as the party level is 2). After the Horror/s get what they came for, less than twenty Rakdos are left.

    Act 3: Party cleans up the lair and completes their objective.

    I plan on having them encounter just one of the Horrors again next session, with a bunch of Azorius veteran escorts, who promptly shit their pants. The Horror will conveniently pop up away from the party and closer to the NPCs, so they can one-shot one or two guys before the rest of the NPCs do the "Run, we'll try to hold them off!" bit. (Additionally, the Horror's target can be just kidnapping a VIP NPC).

    Barring that, I can also force them to do Int checks upon seeing the monster to instill in them that their PCs know to some extent how little their chances are as they are currently against these things ("Selesnya guy, you've personally seen a creature like this go to town against a company of Selesnyan vets and leave none alive in less than a minute" / "Boros, you've watched an Angel go one-on-one with a spectre like this and win, but immediately limp back to headquarters due to how wounded she was afterward. She still couldn't fly straight up to now").

    EDIT: Also, probably a last ditch effort, one of the players is secretly Dimir, so I could play into the Horrors knowing their own, and leaving the party alone, to their bewilderment.

    Wearingglasses on
  • ElvenshaeElvenshae Registered User regular
    @Terrendos

    Name him Xocoveza.

  • AldoAldo Hippo Hooray Registered User regular
    edited January 2020
    Steelhawk wrote: »
    What happens when your party doesn't run away?

    Because chances are they won't run away but will stand and fight.
    A chance for them to roll a new character?

    I mean, all this can be dealt with by way of talking with your players: our DM made it abundantly clear that some encounters can't be solved by hitting it with an axe. If we still decide to do that then the results really are on us.

    Aldo on
  • override367override367 ALL minions Registered User regular
    edited January 2020
    my players went through the massacre of Tuefeldorf, a riot against the Vistani, who have long been blamed by superstitious fools as being responsible for the Werewolves of the forests.

    My Vistani player left her 5 year old daughter, who is a werewolf, in Tuefeldorf with her parents.

    She found burned parents there, her daughter on the end of a pike (but still alive, and with some impressive rolls the rogue managed to get her back), and an angry mob. The party killed over a dozen peasants, and got backup from soldiers when Strahd himself found out about this. In the ensuing few days, all those who had harmed Vistani and their families had been rounded up, and Strahd had the lot of them put to the sword. He beheaded the impudent Burgermeister personally and assigned the loyal captain of the city's guard as the new one. When the Wizard suggested to Strahd (with all deference) that he spare the children, Strahd flatly stated that they would seek vengeance for their parents, the burdens of leadership come with making unpalatable decisions for the good of your kingdom. The players (in character) broke out into an actual honest to goodness argument about this, I was delighted!

    Nonetheless, the vistani warlock is 100% on team strahd. She sent her exhausted nearly to the point of death child away with a trusted friend, (that's how I'm handling nonmagical weapon immunity, enough blows will kill a lycanthrope from exhaustion) and returned to the camp of her (now fairly depleted) clan. 6 of them beat her down with clubs, spat on her, and called her "mother of monster" and "abomination". It seems like they blame her for the events! She was presented an option: reclaim her status as one of them by doing the right thing and telling them where to find her cursed child so that they can burn the monster and mourn the Vistana, or burn in her daughter's place as a traitor.

    I ended the session there and told her she could take a week to decide. Then I drove her home and she kept going back and forth. I let her know that since, very soon, the whole party will be in equally unpleasant scenarios with no good way out, that when we start the module proper, she can play as her lycanthrope daughter (now an adult) or her current character if that helps her decision, and she said "That just makes it harder! That sounds SO COOL!"

    The next session is going to be misery for the wizard, followed by the royal wedding, to which strahd will be wearing his biggest fedora


    override367 on
  • override367override367 ALL minions Registered User regular
    edited January 2020
    Aldo wrote: »
    Steelhawk wrote: »
    What happens when your party doesn't run away?

    Because chances are they won't run away but will stand and fight.
    A chance for them to roll a new character?

    I mean, all this can be dealt with by way of talking with your players: our DM made it abundantly clear that some encounters can't be solved by hitting it with an axe. If we still decide to do that then the results really are on us.

    DMs should never be afraid to say "your characters' are pretty sure they can't win this fight" if they're putting the player in that situation, everyone will be happier with that than a TPK

    I like the idea of stronger-than-players allies that just get cut down like weeds to show the players its hopeless though

    override367 on
  • AldoAldo Hippo Hooray Registered User regular
    Remind me to make children's rhymes for the main characteristics of common enemies. I can't deal with players who have never memorized anything about enemies in DnD and then forget that their character grew up in a world where goblins and zombies are common occurences.

    So I want to make some dumb songs or rhymes that every child along the Sword Coast would know. Just like we have learned to wait for a red light or where your head, shoulders, knees and toes are. That way I can just go "your character sees the troll and remembers the old nursing rhyme of trolls having a regenerating health feat".

    I dunno, it seems like more fun than arguing about what is and isn't common knowledge.

  • WearingglassesWearingglasses Of the friendly neighborhood variety Registered User regular
    Troll leg, troll arm
    They grow back if they get harmed
    Troll belly, troll head
    Fire or acid kills em dead

  • BrainleechBrainleech 機知に富んだコメントはここにあります Registered User regular
    Troll leg, troll arm
    They grow back if they get harmed
    Troll belly, troll head
    Fire or acid kills em dead

    eytlagesqr0d.jpg

  • GlalGlal AiredaleRegistered User regular
    Aldo wrote: »
    Steelhawk wrote: »
    What happens when your party doesn't run away?

    Because chances are they won't run away but will stand and fight.
    A chance for them to roll a new character?

    I mean, all this can be dealt with by way of talking with your players: our DM made it abundantly clear that some encounters can't be solved by hitting it with an axe. If we still decide to do that then the results really are on us.

    DMs should never be afraid to say "your characters' are pretty sure they can't win this fight" if they're putting the player in that situation, everyone will be happier with that than a TPK
    Yes please. The players are used to facing Seemingly Overwhelming But Actually Balanced odds, it's not exactly easy to tell the difference between a "boss" encounter and a TPK. Whatever you do, make it clear.

  • WACriminalWACriminal Dying Is Easy, Young Man Living Is HarderRegistered User regular
    Aldo wrote: »
    Remind me to make children's rhymes for the main characteristics of common enemies. I can't deal with players who have never memorized anything about enemies in DnD and then forget that their character grew up in a world where goblins and zombies are common occurences.

    So I want to make some dumb songs or rhymes that every child along the Sword Coast would know. Just like we have learned to wait for a red light or where your head, shoulders, knees and toes are. That way I can just go "your character sees the troll and remembers the old nursing rhyme of trolls having a regenerating health feat".

    I dunno, it seems like more fun than arguing about what is and isn't common knowledge.

    Yo this could be an entire sourcebook on the DM's Guild, I bet. "When encountering this creature, roll (Nature/Arcana/Religion/whatever is appropriate). On a DC X success, the character remembers the following children's rhyme: Blah blah blah."

    Just do that for most/all of the Monster Manual.

  • Dizzy DDizzy D NetherlandsRegistered User regular
    Troll leg, troll arm
    They grow back if they get harmed
    Troll belly, troll head
    Fire or acid kills em dead

    Behold the Beholder, a giant eye
    A ball of terror that can fly
    At its sight all wizards pale
    Cause in its gaze all spells fail
    From stalks comes beam of light
    that enchant, petrify, hurt or fright

    Steam/Origin: davydizzy
  • WACriminalWACriminal Dying Is Easy, Young Man Living Is HarderRegistered User regular
    Dizzy D wrote: »
    Troll leg, troll arm
    They grow back if they get harmed
    Troll belly, troll head
    Fire or acid kills em dead

    Behold the Beholder, a giant eye
    A ball of terror that can fly
    At its sight all wizards pale
    Cause in its gaze all spells fail
    From stalks comes beam of light
    that enchant, petrify, hurt or fright

    It's a Tarrasque
    Oh fuck

  • WearingglassesWearingglasses Of the friendly neighborhood variety Registered User regular
    (You can probably recite this to the cadence of a group jump rope)

    Ten adventurers fight the Tarrasque
    Abe the Swordsman SLASH~
    Nothing happens to the Tarrasque
    And afterwards aGULP-gulp-gulp

    Nine adventurers fight the Tarrasque
    Bill the Cleric HAMMERS~
    Nothing happens to the Tarrasque
    And afterwards aGULP-gulp-gulp

    (~and so on and so forth~)

  • see317see317 Registered User regular
    (You can probably recite this to the cadence of a group jump rope)

    Ten adventurers fight the Tarrasque
    Abe the Swordsman SLASH~
    Nothing happens to the Tarrasque
    And afterwards aGULP-gulp-gulp

    Nine adventurers fight the Tarrasque
    Bill the Cleric HAMMERS~
    Nothing happens to the Tarrasque
    And afterwards aGULP-gulp-gulp

    (~and so on and so forth~)

    Eight adventurers face the Tarrasque
    Bob the Wizards spells flare and flash
    Nothing happens to the Tarrasque...

  • Dizzy DDizzy D NetherlandsRegistered User regular
    see317 wrote: »
    (You can probably recite this to the cadence of a group jump rope)

    Ten adventurers fight the Tarrasque
    Abe the Swordsman SLASH~
    Nothing happens to the Tarrasque
    And afterwards aGULP-gulp-gulp

    Nine adventurers fight the Tarrasque
    Bill the Cleric HAMMERS~
    Nothing happens to the Tarrasque
    And afterwards aGULP-gulp-gulp

    (~and so on and so forth~)

    Eight adventurers face the Tarrasque
    Bob the Wizards spells flare and flash
    Nothing happens to the Tarrasque...

    One adventurer faces the Tarrasque
    Ringo the Rogue flees
    Nothing happens to Ringo...

    Steam/Origin: davydizzy
  • AldoAldo Hippo Hooray Registered User regular
    WACriminal wrote: »
    Aldo wrote: »
    Remind me to make children's rhymes for the main characteristics of common enemies. I can't deal with players who have never memorized anything about enemies in DnD and then forget that their character grew up in a world where goblins and zombies are common occurences.

    So I want to make some dumb songs or rhymes that every child along the Sword Coast would know. Just like we have learned to wait for a red light or where your head, shoulders, knees and toes are. That way I can just go "your character sees the troll and remembers the old nursing rhyme of trolls having a regenerating health feat".

    I dunno, it seems like more fun than arguing about what is and isn't common knowledge.

    Yo this could be an entire sourcebook on the DM's Guild, I bet. "When encountering this creature, roll (Nature/Arcana/Religion/whatever is appropriate). On a DC X success, the character remembers the following children's rhyme: Blah blah blah."

    Just do that for most/all of the Monster Manual.

    Yes, but without the rolls. It's just common knowledge, there is no fail condition.

    I shall have to look around for a sensible way to put this together or make it a manageable project.

    Also: a song to remember who has dark vision... Baby Drow says Peek a boo/I see you/In the dark
    Baby Dwarf says...

    Baby Human says/where are you?/I don't see you/in the dark

  • GlalGlal AiredaleRegistered User regular
    edited January 2020
    Fear the Rakshasa,
    the feline and fiend,
    with contracts in paw
    of claws kept well cleaned.

    A maw full of teeth
    guards real threat inside,
    tongue made of silver
    chains soul once you've died.

    But lest you believe
    salvation is close,
    with magic and swords
    you hope to dispose.

    The beast is unharmed,
    mere steel will not do,
    you need the magics
    of studious few.

    Rare weapons that shine
    with magics abound,
    heart with strong virtues
    will keep you around.

    Best tip I suggest,
    before the big brawl,
    is not to deal with
    Rakshasa at all.

    Glal on
  • see317see317 Registered User regular
    Dizzy D wrote: »
    see317 wrote: »
    (You can probably recite this to the cadence of a group jump rope)

    Ten adventurers fight the Tarrasque
    Abe the Swordsman SLASH~
    Nothing happens to the Tarrasque
    And afterwards aGULP-gulp-gulp

    Nine adventurers fight the Tarrasque
    Bill the Cleric HAMMERS~
    Nothing happens to the Tarrasque
    And afterwards aGULP-gulp-gulp

    (~and so on and so forth~)

    Eight adventurers face the Tarrasque
    Bob the Wizard's spells flare and flash
    Nothing happens to the Tarrasque...

    One adventurer faces the Tarrasque
    Ringo the Rogue flees
    Nothing happens to Ringo...

    I was writing up new verses, and that was the way I saw it ending too:
    I had a different name, but Ringo is better.
    "One lone adventurer, fears the Tarrasque
    Ringo the rogue hides, and sneaks away fast.
    Because nothing happens to the Tarrasque..."

    I think we might have been playing with very similar Rogues in our parties.

    Then the others that came to me before sleep did:
    Seven adventures face the Tarrasque
    Warlock Will casts eldritch blast
    Nothing happens to the Tarrasque.

    Six adventures engage the Tarrasque
    Mike the Monk uses palm edge slash
    Nothing happens to the Tarrasque.

    Now five warriors battle the Tarrasque
    Sorcerer Suzy casts her spells so fast
    Nothing happens to the Tarrasque.

    Tried to get a bit of a slant rhyme with Tarrasque going, then realized I'm probably pronouncing Tarrasque wrong any way.

  • Rhesus PositiveRhesus Positive GNU Terry Pratchett Registered User regular
    Baby landshark, doo doo doo doo doo doo

    [Muffled sounds of gorilla violence]
  • DarkPrimusDarkPrimus Registered User regular
    edited January 2020
    Baby landshark, doo doo doo doo doo doo

    My cookies Gary, look look look look look look

    DarkPrimus on
  • evilthecatevilthecat Registered User regular
    there's a german song that does something similar, you need its rhythm for the following:
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tR4vamT51Nw

    10 brave adventurers set out on a quest,
    expectations weren't managed,
    the dragon was not best!

    9 brave adventurers oppose some dirty orcs,
    the orc boss was pretty brutal,
    he wasn't one for talks!

    8 brave adventurers held a fancy ball,
    the fighter got quite tipsy,
    he did not survive the fall.

    7 brave adventurers sailed off for a lark,
    first there was a kraken,
    then a bunch of sharks.

    6 brave adventurers really tempted fate,
    don't flip off the lich,
    he has disintegrate!

    5 brave adventurers, with their daring bard,
    tried to coup the local lord,
    that lord his name was Strahd!

    4 brave adventurers found the ol' Tarrasque,
    3 of them survived the stunt,
    the last one failed the task!

    3 brave adventurers thought theft would more calm,
    the local competition? the shadow thieves of amn!

    2 brave adventurers, with skills so deftly honed,
    went up against a basilisk and one of them got stoned.

    1 brave adventurer, did not like loniliness,
    he quickly made some 9 new friends and set off to the west!



    tip.. tip.. TALLY.. HOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!
  • webguy20webguy20 I spend too much time on the Internet Registered User regular
    Someone needs to be making a google doc of this.

    Steam ID: Webguy20
    Origin ID: Discgolfer27
    Untappd ID: Discgolfer1981
  • AldoAldo Hippo Hooray Registered User regular
    webguy20 wrote: »
    Someone needs to be making a google doc of this.

    On it.

    I'll maek poast later

  • override367override367 ALL minions Registered User regular
    edited January 2020
    youtube, ever spying on me, thinks I need fantasy nursery rhymes and is tossing me the lullaby of woe from the witcher

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JFUsPfuwjpw

    which I really love because it's a song monsters sing to their children, warning them of witchers

    Which leads down this well even further, what kind of rhymes would cambions, goblins, frost giants, or pixies have about adventurers? Think about how terrifying the prospect of an adventuring party is to a kobold. Humans sending armsmen after your clan? that's one thing, that's conflict that is normal, and skirmishes go on and off for years

    A holy priest, assassin, knight of the order, and powerful wizard? Your entire way of life is gone after that one encounter, the whole clan killed or dispersed in an afternoon

    override367 on
  • AldoAldo Hippo Hooray Registered User regular
    Got the Google spreadsheet here:
    https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1dOihmAcaH0OHgh6-KA4cjiFN9_ACSx1VR5Gp1KtrfdI/edit?usp=sharing

    I tried googling for others who had the same idea, but found nothing.

  • Super NamicchiSuper Namicchi Orange County, CARegistered User regular
    edited January 2020
    DarkPrimus wrote: »
    Is it okay to introduce a new dangerous monster to a group by them witnessing a base they plan on infiltrating (which has way too many enemies they can fight) get pounced on by said monster and then see the damage output it can do (killing a mid-level baddie in one stroke), before it leaves (it wants something and it found it), leaving the base with enough enemies that the group can handle afterwards?

    So that when they meet the same monster, and the NPCs coming with them (as well as some enemies) start running away, they run away as well?

    Have the NPCs demonstrate themselves to be competent, possibly even moreso than the players. Then have a few of them get absolutely annihilated by the monster. This is the best way to put the fear in them.

    i have a personal example of this

    a friend of mine lives across the country and at certain times of the year he comes back to visit, and when he does i let him play a walk on role in my game

    one of these walk on roles allowed him to play a paladin who delivered many mighty smites in the dungeon, cementing that the paladin was indeed A Badass

    they got to the last leg of the dungeon at the time wherein was a monster who, while i had "stats" for them, the party was not intended to Combat them to win. it was intended to be a puzzle.

    but because i know players like to Combat things, i accounted for this, and the friend from yonder way just so happened to depart the session just prior to meeting the monster

    and so the Players saw the monster pick up the Paladin and rip him in half, no roll (because the Paladin was an NPC essentially you see, but he was for a time "a player")

    most of the players got the message of course; everyone except the cleric

    and so the cleric said (perfectly in keeping with their character, mind!) they wanted to rescue the paladin

    so they took nearly-lethal damage, no roll, as part of an aura

    and thus the running away happened with great alacrity

    Super Namicchi on
  • Super NamicchiSuper Namicchi Orange County, CARegistered User regular
    edited January 2020
    the moral of the story being don't be afraid to hit players with whammies that don't kill them, but leave them on the brink

    just don't do it often; you have to make it clear that there's some other way to win, otherwise you look like a dick hitting players with Final Fantasy "you have to lose" encounters

    it's all about telegraphs, and you also have to let things fall where they may too

    if you telegraph a Big Whammy with a long windup, and the player wants to brave it anyway

    that is the player telegraphing that they wish a "good death"

    Super Namicchi on
  • WearingglassesWearingglasses Of the friendly neighborhood variety Registered User regular
    Off-topic - how has the Class Feature Variant UA supplement been working out for you guys?

    Also, is there anything from the new Fighting Styles you've made available to the Bard College of Swords?
    * Blind Fighting
    * Interception
    * Thrown Weapon Fighting
    * Unarmed Fighting

This discussion has been closed.