zagan
2011-07-28, 02:03 PM
(Unosarata, Beschoren, Crafty cultist stay out of this thread)
(Warning: long post)
Not long ago I put one of my pbp campaign on this site on hold. (This one) (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=167782&page=17)
This was for two reason, one only two players were left of the original four and two because at some point in the last encounter thing took a weird turn and I'm sure if I handled it right.
I'll describe the situation as best as I can and I'll let you be the judge.
Originally we had four party member:
A human spirit shaman 5/ stormcaster 2
A grey elf rogue 5 / assasin 2 (non evil by houserule)
A halfling rogue 3/swashbuckler 1/fighter 1/whisperknife 1/master Thrower 1 (the player quit the game, I was controlling it until I could find a way to kill it in a "realistic" way)
and a human Barbarian 7 (homebrew variant) (Just before I put the campaign on hold this player temporarly left giving control of another character)
They are facing an Imp beguiller 6 but they don't know it. And the room is full of trap.
They are currently exploring a dungeon controled by devil so far that day they had only one encounter.
After finding a little loot and ignoring some obvious(?) clue (but unrelated to the encounter) they come to an open door that reveal an empty room, no even any furniture. The spirit shaman send in a summoned celestial monkey to scout for trap and as soon as it reach the middle of a fireball kill it. They hesitate a little but finally choose to enter with the rogue slowly checking for trap. As soon as they are all inside the door close behind them and a voice coming from nowhere great them.
At this point we roll for initiative. The assasin is first in line and cast obsuring mist. It's the foe turn but it does nothing this round (well nothing to the player it was just casting hold portal to prevent them from fleeing)
The spirit shaman use thunderclap at a random point in the room but it doesn't do anything and the other just ready action.
It's the monster turn again and it's a this point that the problems begin. My strategy was to have the imp spider-clibing on the celling just above the entrance door all the while invisible and use illusion to lure the player in the trap. So I look at the list of spell available to a beguiller and realise that they'll either need to target something (but wait the mist block line of sight) or make illusion (but wait the character can't see anything through the fog).
After much debate I decid to go with dispel magic to remove it, but I failled.
Next round the player don't do anything revelant and the imp try dispel magic again and fail again, a DC 13. :smallmad:
And it's at this point that I think I made my biggest error, I said that the enemy just wait until the fog dissipate. (18 rounds !)
During this time the player don't do much apart from acticating another trap.
(at this point the second player left)
We skip to the moment the fog dissipate and the player act but they don't do anything effective just more readied action.
Seeing that we seem to have lost momentum and because I'm having trouble controlling two character in addition to the monster I put the campaign on hold.
So yeah I don't know if I handled that right, the player that are left don't know what to do against an invisible foe, I'm struggling with the beguiller list of spell to find a spell that won't revele the imp position bu also put the player into the trap and I don't like playing the two missing player's character.
My goal was to create an original encounter, not just a hack and slash like the last few. So at first glance trap and illusion seem like a good idea but I just find myself with undecided/powerless player and I admit undecided DM.
I'm no really sure on what I'm asking really. Any though ?
(Warning: long post)
Not long ago I put one of my pbp campaign on this site on hold. (This one) (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=167782&page=17)
This was for two reason, one only two players were left of the original four and two because at some point in the last encounter thing took a weird turn and I'm sure if I handled it right.
I'll describe the situation as best as I can and I'll let you be the judge.
Originally we had four party member:
A human spirit shaman 5/ stormcaster 2
A grey elf rogue 5 / assasin 2 (non evil by houserule)
A halfling rogue 3/swashbuckler 1/fighter 1/whisperknife 1/master Thrower 1 (the player quit the game, I was controlling it until I could find a way to kill it in a "realistic" way)
and a human Barbarian 7 (homebrew variant) (Just before I put the campaign on hold this player temporarly left giving control of another character)
They are facing an Imp beguiller 6 but they don't know it. And the room is full of trap.
They are currently exploring a dungeon controled by devil so far that day they had only one encounter.
After finding a little loot and ignoring some obvious(?) clue (but unrelated to the encounter) they come to an open door that reveal an empty room, no even any furniture. The spirit shaman send in a summoned celestial monkey to scout for trap and as soon as it reach the middle of a fireball kill it. They hesitate a little but finally choose to enter with the rogue slowly checking for trap. As soon as they are all inside the door close behind them and a voice coming from nowhere great them.
At this point we roll for initiative. The assasin is first in line and cast obsuring mist. It's the foe turn but it does nothing this round (well nothing to the player it was just casting hold portal to prevent them from fleeing)
The spirit shaman use thunderclap at a random point in the room but it doesn't do anything and the other just ready action.
It's the monster turn again and it's a this point that the problems begin. My strategy was to have the imp spider-clibing on the celling just above the entrance door all the while invisible and use illusion to lure the player in the trap. So I look at the list of spell available to a beguiller and realise that they'll either need to target something (but wait the mist block line of sight) or make illusion (but wait the character can't see anything through the fog).
After much debate I decid to go with dispel magic to remove it, but I failled.
Next round the player don't do anything revelant and the imp try dispel magic again and fail again, a DC 13. :smallmad:
And it's at this point that I think I made my biggest error, I said that the enemy just wait until the fog dissipate. (18 rounds !)
During this time the player don't do much apart from acticating another trap.
(at this point the second player left)
We skip to the moment the fog dissipate and the player act but they don't do anything effective just more readied action.
Seeing that we seem to have lost momentum and because I'm having trouble controlling two character in addition to the monster I put the campaign on hold.
So yeah I don't know if I handled that right, the player that are left don't know what to do against an invisible foe, I'm struggling with the beguiller list of spell to find a spell that won't revele the imp position bu also put the player into the trap and I don't like playing the two missing player's character.
My goal was to create an original encounter, not just a hack and slash like the last few. So at first glance trap and illusion seem like a good idea but I just find myself with undecided/powerless player and I admit undecided DM.
I'm no really sure on what I'm asking really. Any though ?