HEADLINE: PC steals DMs THUNDER!

[McClintock]

If a similar thread to this exists then I apologize, but I just had to tell someone, and the playground is always the best choice:

So, last night we were in the 2nd night of the final fight of RHoD (or at least I think its the final fight). We've been in constant combat now for 15+ rounds, and at round 12 the big boss guys appears. He's had 12 rounds to prepare himself for this battle, and after 3 rounds we can't even touch him (literally) until I get the chance to do 1 thing. (As a background when players cannot be there they are to leave the character with the group. That way there's no where'd he go/how'd you get here moment in the game. The missing player was our arcane/divine caster and had left an old un-updated sheet. He called after 2 rounds of the BBEG appearing and let me know what I was missing.)

So after 12 rounds of prep (2 hours real-time on the DM's side to prep the chars new stat block), I hit him with a targeted dispel magic (hehehehe) here's what happened:
1 30 dispel check (GONE)
2 28 dispel check (GONE)
3 26 dispel check (GONE)
4 15 dispel check
5 27 dispel check (GONE)
6 26 dispel check (GONE)
7 25 dispel check (GONE)
8 16 dispel check
9 27 dispel check (GONE)
10 25 dispel check (GONE)
11 28 dispel check (GONE)
12 25 dispel check (GONE)
13 (Potion) 13 dispel check

Without that Dispel, we all would have taken serious damage, and possibly died, now we have a fighting chance.

DM had to spend about 20 minutes re-doing the character and reformulating the battle. We loved it, he was very annoyed.

any one else have a PC side of that story like this?

[Xtomjames]

I love these sorts of stories. I was playing in a low level campaign as a Dragon Rider, who had a dragon mount I think it was a silver dragon (or one of them with Electricity as the breath weapon). The DM had planned on bombarding the group with a hail of arrows from the battlements of this one tower. The tower had arrow slits.

When I asked him to describe the slits, he said they had iron reinforcement. Then I asked him what type of arrows the goblin archers were using. Low and behold they were iron tipped. So being the annoying munchkin that I am, I had my dragon land on top of the tower and electrify the iron reinforcements. Here's where it gets hilarious. My character, with a crossbow and standard bolts (that's sharpened wood bolts, no heads) swung down from his saddle with a rope and started shooting the goblins through the slit. The goblins, firing back had a 75% miss chance because of the now magnetic battlements. I killed every goblin in there with just a light crossbow.

In another part of the same castle during the same campaign, we came to a door way that was filled with a wall of force. He had meant for us to go through this crazy long maze of a castle to get to the main room. My dragon and I had other ideas. We destroyed the normal wall next to the door and bypassed the wall of force. The joys of having a young adult dragon cohort/mount.

[Fouredged Sword]

I was DMing a werewolf the forsaken game and setting up the players to be faceing the big bad of the game for the first time.

He was a massively powerful level 5 spirit of violence (the drawing of blood specificly). He had been stuck in a box for the last few decades.

Well he gets out due to the conditions keeping the box together being broken and goes on a little rampage (killing some meddeling mages) but the players manage to pin him down with a binding circle carved into the cement of the parkingdeck they where in.

So I was about to force them to go on a long quest for the Fetish maker of the group to get other spirits and werewolves powerful enough to help him force the spirit into a new box to keep the world safe.

Well I decides to tempt the part to evil before they got going and had the spirit tell them that it would serve them in return for werewolf blood every week, basicly forceing them to hunt other werewolves.

So I expected the group to tell it no and to run for help bindeing it. Well one of the players stood up and said OK.

They didn't tell it thier idea, but they forged it into a gauntlet and literaly locked it around her arm (awsome chains and padlocks) with spikes turned inward into her arm.

She turned to me and gave this inprouptu speach.

"You want blood, take mine. Drink me and serve me. You will be my hand of violence and destroy when I say. By blood you live, and by blood I bind you. You will never leave my side until I breathe my last breathe and then I must free you, but that day is not this day, and for now you will OBEY!"

And that is how my party started the game with a level 5 fetish and derailed my plot. Worked out awsome though as the game became about controling the gauntlet as it tried to influence everyone into more and more violent encoutners.

[Silus]

So, first campaign I ever ran, I decided to throw a "midboss" at the players. Up until recently, there hadn't been any combat, just the location they were in "waking up" (Genius Loci house). So they walk into the room (huge stone dome with just a floating book in the middle and oppressive darkness all around them.

So I throw this guy at them:

Evolved Shadow Nether Hound Wight, Rogue 4 (Advanced Hit Dice) CR 12
Always Chaotic Evil Medium Undead (Magical Beast)
Init +7

AC 21 FF 16 Touch 12
(+2 Dex, +6 natural)
DR: 5/+1
Resistances: Acid, Electric 10, Fire 5, Sonic 10
HD: 12
HP: 70
Fort +3 Ref +2 Will +8

Speed 55 ft. (9 squares), Climb 20
Base Atk +7 Grp +8
Attack: Slam +12 1d4+5, +4 Profane Necrotic Focus Sickle +16 1d6+9
Full Attack: Slam +12 1d4+5
Space 5 ft. (1 squares) Reach 5 ft. (1 squares)
Abilities Str 20(+5) Dex 15(+2) Con -- Int 10(0) Wis 12(+1) Cha 18(+4)
Stat Points Gained From Advancement: 2

Total Feats: 5
Feats: Alertness, Blind-Fight, Improved Initiative, Run Track

Skill Points: 91
Skills: Appraise +3, Balance +5, Bluff +4, Climb +11, Craft (Trapmaking) +3, Decipher Script +3, Diplomacy +4, Disable Device +3, Disguise +4, Escape Artist +5, Forgery +3, Gather Information +4, Hide +5, Intimidate +4, Jump +3, Knowledge (Local) +3, Listen +8, Move Silently +11, Open Lock +5, Perform (Percussion instruments) +4, Search +9, Sense Motive +2, Sleight of Hand +5, Spot +8, Survival +6, Swim +3, Tumble +5, Use Magic Device +4, Use Rope +5

Create spawn(Su): Any humanoid slain by a wight becomes a wight in 1d4 rounds. Spawn are under the command of the wight that created them and remain enslaved until its death. They do not possess any of the abilities they had in life.
Energy drain(Su): Fortitude save DC 22(+4 HD, +0 Racial, +4 Cha, +0 Feat)
Living creatures hit by a wight's slam attack gain one negative level. The DC is 14 for the Fortitude save to remove a negative level. The save DC is Charisma-based. For each such negative level bestowed, the wight gains 5 temporary hit points.
Attacks = Magic
Scent
Disease: Demon Fever
Darkvision(Ex): 60 ft.
Low-Light Vision
Cold Immunity
Shadow Blend: In any conditions other than full Daylight, a shadow creature can disappear into the shadows, giving it 9/10 concealment. Artificial illumination, even a Light or Continual Flame spell, does not negate this ability. A Daylight spell, however, will.
Undead traits(Ex):
Sneak Attack(Ex): +((HD+1)/2)d6 damage while sneak attacking. If a rogue can catch an opponent when he is unable to defend himself effectively from her attack, she can strike a vital spot for extra damage. The rogue's attack deals extra damage any time her target would be denied a Dexterity bonus to AC (whether the target actually has a Dexterity bonus or not), or when the rogue flanks her target. This extra damage is 1d6 at 1st level, and it increases by 1d6 every two rogue levels thereafter. Should the rogue score a critical hit with a sneak attack, this extra damage is not multiplied. Ranged attacks can count as sneak attacks only if the target is within 30 feet. With a sap (blackjack) or an unarmed strike, a rogue can make a sneak attack that deals nonlethal damage instead of lethal damage. She cannot use a weapon that deals lethal damage to deal nonlethal damage in a sneak attack, not even with the usual -4 penalty. A rogue can sneak attack only living creatures with discernible anatomies-undead, constructs, oozes, plants, and incorporeal creatures lack vital areas to attack. Any creature that is immune to critical hits is not vulnerable to sneak attacks. The rogue must be able to see the target well enough to pick out a vital spot and must be able to reach such a spot. A rogue cannot sneak attack while striking a creature with concealment or striking the limbs of a creature whose vitals are beyond reach.
Evasion(Ex): At 2nd level and higher, a rogue can avoid even magical and unusual attacks with great agility. If she makes a successful Reflex saving throw against an attack that normally deals half damage on a successful save, she instead takes no damage. Evasion can be used only if the rogue is wearing light armor or no armor. A helpless rogue does not gain the benefit of evasion.
Uncanny Dodge(Ex): Starting at 4th level, a rogue can react to danger before her senses would normally allow her to do so. She retains her Dexterity bonus to AC (if any) even if she is caught flat-footed or struck by an invisible attacker. However, she still loses her Dexterity bonus to AC if immobilized.
Cause Fear 1/Day
Spell Like Ability: Haste 1/Day, Greater Invisibility 1/Day
Fast healing 3
Regeneration 2
Yowling: Each round as a Free Action, the Nether Hound may
Yowl. All creatures (except for Undead & Evil Outsiders) within 100’ are Shaken (WillNeg, DC is Charisma-based) for as long as they are within 100’ for the Nether Hound. On a successful save, the creature is immune to that Nether Hound’s Yowling for 24 hours. This is a Sonic, Mind-Affecting, Fear effect.


Advancement [5-8(Medium)]

Yeah, this thing was NASTY. Combine that with a group of 9 Evolved Shadows with Creeping Doom in a dark room and the players were, in theory, in trouble.

Well I didn't count on two things.

1. The rogue (An Owlbear Rogue of all things) breaking the Hide in Plain Sight rules (not natural settings and I didn't properly read the ability beforehand) and GRAPPLING the Evolved Shadow Nether Hound Wight Rogue (IMO, the Touch Attack should have gone off for each turn he was grappled...)

2. There was an Aasimar Paladin (some funky variant that could summon Elementals) that dropped a Daylight spell after like 5 rounds (he was stunned for ~4 of those rounds).

Yeah, they mulched the guy....*Weeps* Though the Shadows managed to drain like 22 Strength off the Owlbear.

Learned to pay attention to the player's abilities in the future.

[Ksheep]

A while back, during a dungeon crawl, the rogue completely fails a search check to find a pit trap and subsequently falls in. At the bottom were two dire tigers. Two tigers vs. one slightly battered trap-finding rogue with almost no way to defend himself. Everyone else is at the top of this 40' pit.

Everyone rolls for initiative, with one of the few ranged characters going first, my character second. The ranged character hits one of the tigers for a little bit of damage, not enough to do much.

Then it's my turn.

I run forward, pulling a flask that has some sort of inhaled poison in it (I found it a couple sessions prior after killing an assassin of a rival team). I didn't know what sort of poison it was, since I didn't want to risk poisoning myself while testing it.

As I get to the edge of the pit, I blindly throw it down and yell at the rogue to hold his breath. DM asks for a reflex save to close his mouth, which the rogue easily makes. The tigers on the other hand aren't smart enough to do so... and the breath deeply of the poison, which instantly paralyses them. The rogue then has no problem CDG them, then climbs out.

[Telonius]

any one else have a PC side of that story like this?

Oh, so yesterday was National Cast Greater Dispel Magic on the DM's beautifully-crafted, fully-buffed-up BBEG day. That explains a few things. :smallyuk:

(Least I was able to hit one of those dratted PCs with a Reciporcal Gyre...)

[Biffoniacus_Furiou]

A friend of mine wanted to DM a game a while back, me and one of our friends end up being the only two playing, so we each make two characters: him playing an OA Samurai 2/ Paladin+ with Leap Attack, Charging Smite, and Wild Cohort, and a Cleric of Mystra going full-on Dweomercheater, and me with a Druid and a Sorcadin gish, and he let us use Magebred for the animals. After a few sessions two other friends of ours decide they'll go ahead and join in after all, they bring another Druid and a DFI Savage Bard with Wild Cohort....

Both Paladins had Harmonious Knight and a Badge of Valor, my Sorcadin had DFI and Draconic Heritage: Battle Dragon (houseruled bonus at Sorcerer 1), so between them and the DFI Bard we're getting +2 attack and damage, +2d6 Sonic, and +4d6 Fire. We have four Magebred Warbeast Wolves with companion bonuses. The DM has thrown alignment mechanics out the window, so the Cleric is using Summon Undead for Olwbear Skeletons, which are benefiting from Inspire Courage out of ignorance. The Druids are using Enrage Animal but substituting its effect for Whirling Frenzy. The Bard stays at the back with a bow, and the two Paladins wreck faces.

Needless to say, the DM is having a difficult time challenging our party because he's only ever played big dumb fighters and none of the monsters are using anything but basic melee attacks. The characters using Inspire Courage are playing whistles, and they never stop doing it. He decides he's going to throw a difficult encounter at us, so we walk into a big open room and halfway across an adult black dragon (CR 11) lands in front of our 5th level party, it has Shield and Mage Armor already cast. Our wolves all beat the dragon's initiative, and they all charge in and line up nicely across the front of its space. The DM sees this as an opportunity to finally get rid of those pesky OP pets, and the dragon steps to one side and hits all four with a maximized clinging acid breath. They all make the save, and they all have Evasion, and the DM just couldn't believe that nothing happened.

The Bard casts Glitterdust, the dragon rolls a 1 for the save. The Druids cast Enrage Animal, the Paladins charge, the Cleric summons Owlbear Skeletons in a flanking position. The wolves get their turn, after six bites one of them gets a successful trip and everyone shuffles around for flanking bonuses. The dragon is now blind and prone, and the DM is completely at a loss for what to do so it's just full attacking from prone and not hitting anything. It died without even dealing a single point of damage to anyone, that was the last session of that game that he ran, and he hasn't sat in the DM's chair ever since (a little over a year ago).

[Blisstake]

I have a very similar story, except replace "Dispel Magic" with "Disjunction"

Heh, and my fellow players told me that spell was useless before.