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View Full Version : Encounter Idea [My players stay out, Torgoth, Demon, Etc.]



shadow_archmagi
2010-01-15, 10:12 PM
Party encounters arrogant, bare-chested thug so self-centered he has his own cheerleading squad. Opens encounter by screaming "MAGGOT" at them, sending them all flying backwards. Uses various other nigh-anime supernatural attacks, despite not apparently being anything other than human. It turns out that 'cheerleaders' are actually helping him out using Invisible Spell. Note that this isn't about buffing him, it's about using environment/offense spells to hurt the PCs and then let him take credit for it.


Thread exists for three reasons:

1. Confirm that this is clever yes no?
2. Show off
3. Get advice.

I still need to answer a few basic questions for myself, such as

A. Is this one of those "You have to lose this fight early on, so that later in the story you can figure out how to win?' fights?

B. That option doesn't seem too great. On the other hand, if the PC's win, they're liable to kill him without uncovering the trick. (I suppose if enough nigh-identical ones showed up, they'd realize that the *fighters* were ordinary...). So if they can't win *or* lose, what causes the fight to terminate in a draw?

C. How precisely are the players supposed to figure this out?

D. What spell would be best for the shouting trick? Invisible and Explosive metamagic combo, but that still has to apply to something. Web, maybe? Not only knock them back, but tie them up as well.. have it be lampshaded off as "paralyzed with fear." maybe. Or is there a damage requirement on Explosive? Hmph.

E. Besides that one trick, what else would be good for the fight? What spells are not only useful and fun to fight against, but will also fit the theme of "things that are supposed to just be the fighter being awesome rather than other people casting spells."

gallagher
2010-01-15, 10:18 PM
Party encounters arrogant, bare-chested thug so self-centered he has his own cheerleading squad. Opens encounter by screaming "MAGGOT" at them, sending them all flying backwards. Uses various other nigh-anime supernatural attacks, despite not apparently being anything other than human. It turns out that 'cheerleaders' are actually helping him out using Invisible Spell. Note that this isn't about buffing him, it's about using environment/offense spells to hurt the PCs and then let him take credit for it.


Thread exists for three reasons:

1. Confirm that this is clever yes no?
2. Show off
3. Get advice.

I still need to answer a few basic questions for myself, such as

A. Is this one of those "You have to lose this fight early on, so that later in the story you can figure out how to win?' fights?

B. That option doesn't seem too great. On the other hand, if the PC's win, they're liable to kill him without uncovering the trick. (I suppose if enough nigh-identical ones showed up, they'd realize that the *fighters* were ordinary...). So if they can't win *or* lose, what causes the fight to terminate in a draw?

C. How precisely are the players supposed to figure this out?

D. What spell would be best for the shouting trick? Invisible and Explosive metamagic combo, but that still has to apply to something. Web, maybe? Not only knock them back, but tie them up as well.. have it be lampshaded off as "paralyzed with fear." maybe. Or is there a damage requirement on Explosive? Hmph.

E. Besides that one trick, what else would be good for the fight? What spells are not only useful and fun to fight against, but will also fit the theme of "things that are supposed to just be the fighter being awesome rather than other people casting spells."

great idea. by the way. i have a few ideas...
one is have one of the cheerleaders be a cleric... or even better, a druid. a sexy druid. have her heal him. i dont recall if the cure spells are touch spells... but if they are, he can always find a way to fall into her if he gets hurt.

they can figure it out by, say, having this guys former master who taught him, maybe an old downtrodden bard, have a drink with them and end up spilling the truth in a very drunken fashion. just dont make him a dwarf. not only for the hit to CHA, but also the fact that dwarves can hold their alcohol.

or possibly have a rogue overhear it in his manor laughing about it with his friends, or yelling at one of them about not doing the right spell.

another good spell idea i think would be have him pick the fight by doing mage hand and knocking over a beer... or find a way to mess with their chairs. possibly have him grease the other persons weapons and have him be forced into brawling the guy.

shadow_archmagi
2010-01-15, 10:24 PM
or possibly have a rogue overhear it in his manor laughing about it with his friends, or yelling at one of them about not doing the right spell.


I was actually kinda thinking that the fighter himself doesn't know about the arrangement. It's all his manager's doing; the fighter genuinely believes himself to be capable of running up walls and destroying buildings with a belch.

gallagher
2010-01-15, 10:34 PM
I was actually kinda thinking that the fighter himself doesn't know about the arrangement. It's all his manager's doing; the fighter genuinely believes himself to be capable of running up walls and destroying buildings with a belch.

i dont know about running up walls. but if he is half orc then he should be able to kill most things with a belch.

also, what else is in the party? maybe if the wizard or cleric does a spellcraft check of some sort he could notice where the spell itself is originating from.

also, if humiliation of this bad guy is in the picture (which would make him being a recurring villain or just a villain later would help make sense of it) maybe you could have the fighter steal his good luck charm or something important to him. maybe cut his hair or something and keep it as a trophy

shadow_archmagi
2010-01-16, 06:34 PM
I am sad to come back a day later and find only two replies, both of them by the same person.

I seem to be getting *worse* at the arcane art of thread creation.

Evard
2010-01-16, 07:26 PM
Make different cheer leaders take turn "cheering" that way certain things happen when certain ones cheer. Don't tell them which ones are doing what just say
"you hear a cheer coming from the group of girls as the guy yells "BLAHHHHHGAHHHH" and runs at you" (you don't say one is cheering or all is cheering just that they hear a cheer coming from the group of girls)

So unless they actually pay attention to the cheer leaders they wont know when certain ones move different abilities happen.

Also i love the idea where the fighter doesn't know about the spells.... after he kicks the party's bootah with the cheerleader's spells he finds out and challenges them where he wont get the help from the girls... so you can make it where they have a slight chance of winning and if they lose they get a second crack at him :) win win situation

Kylarra
2010-01-16, 07:42 PM
Other ideas for support: Bard/Marshal as well as deceptive spell for your guy who thinks he's a spellcaster.

Evard
2010-01-16, 08:56 PM
The cheerleaders are actually undead being controlled by a BBEG who wants some entertainment (hey they get bored too) and really has no desire to kill the party just mess with them a bit...

So the BBEG is using the undead disguised cheerleaders (bards, druids, clerics) to mess with this fighter... so that the fighter will fight random adventurers while he super scrys or something on them :p Maybe ultimate tivo or something... (think from OoTS how they watched V )

edit:

Maybe it aint a BBEG maybe it is... but whoever it is let the PC's find a way to link the BBEG or whoever to the undead cheerleaders