Varil
2011-09-23, 01:12 AM
So, last weekend I DM'd a game, with a party consisting of a LG Crusader, a LN Cleric(new guy), and a...something Gnome. Neutral or CN. A Ninja, but buffed up a little to compete.
It's pretty late in the campaign, and they've pretty much been building towards trying to stop/defeat this ancient world-destroying force. Nevermind the details, but "for the greater good" is basically how they ended up battling past a group of city guards and through the defenses of an artifact vault, trying to acquire one of the objects they need for dealing with previously mentioned world destroyer.
There were a couple nice things in there, aside from the item they needed, but the real star of the show was a floating black orb.
Some of you probably see where this is going.
As soon as I describe "floating black orb" the Crusader comments "Don't touch that." I don't think he actually realized what it was. Just...you know, floating black orb. Bad mojo.
So the Crusader collects the item they need, while the Gnome, who, admittedly, has an in-character fascination with darkness and all things both powerful and evil goes to examine the orb. The Cleric opted to hang out by the door and watch their back.
The Gnome is a little short for the pedestals....so he makes a jumping grab. The player even gave me a visual for the little two-handed swipe he was doing.
"You grab it?" I ask, the 'that's really not a good idea' tone creeping into my voice, and I know my poker face was ruined.
"Yeah!"
"...give me a second I need to decide how this works out." I respond through growing laughter.
The Crusader was talking to the Cleric, so he perks up at this and says "Wait, what happened?"
"He grabbed it!"
The Gnome's player has an expression between worried and amused at this point.
I decide that the Gnome, being a stupidly dexterous little guy, would get a pair of reflex saves...one for each hand. DC 15. With his reflex, he needs something like a 3 or so to make it.
He rolls...and fails the first save.
"Well, that's one hand down."
"Wait, what?"
"Now save for the other hand."
He rolls...and makes it! Barely. This guy has ludicrously bad luck with rolls.
Then I remember something. A previous encounter had hit him with a -4 to his saves...and that hadn't gone away yet.
"Wait, did you take into account your -4?"
Silence.
So the Gnome lost two hands, and the Cleric wasn't quite high enough level to cast regenerate.
I narrate the event, doling out some damage. Pretty severe damage, but I figure losing two hands to a Sphere of Annihilation counts for something.
I'm laughing so hard it's difficult to even describe the degree of "screwed" the Gnome has going for him here. The Cleric and Crusader are also laughing, though mostly the Crusader. After a moment he has to get up and rush to the bathroom down the hall, still cackling. The Gnome's laughing too, though he's a bit at a loss of how to compensate for not being either stabby or lockpicky for awhile.
The Gnome mentions that he's at exactly 0, and the Cleric is trying to patch him up, what with those open wounds and all. This only prompts a distant "Bwahaha!" from the still-in-the-bathroom Crusader.
The Gnome did spend awhile basically useless, but fortunately a later scenario gave me a good excuse to drop a regenerate scroll on them. Still, I don't think he'll ever live it down.
It's pretty late in the campaign, and they've pretty much been building towards trying to stop/defeat this ancient world-destroying force. Nevermind the details, but "for the greater good" is basically how they ended up battling past a group of city guards and through the defenses of an artifact vault, trying to acquire one of the objects they need for dealing with previously mentioned world destroyer.
There were a couple nice things in there, aside from the item they needed, but the real star of the show was a floating black orb.
Some of you probably see where this is going.
As soon as I describe "floating black orb" the Crusader comments "Don't touch that." I don't think he actually realized what it was. Just...you know, floating black orb. Bad mojo.
So the Crusader collects the item they need, while the Gnome, who, admittedly, has an in-character fascination with darkness and all things both powerful and evil goes to examine the orb. The Cleric opted to hang out by the door and watch their back.
The Gnome is a little short for the pedestals....so he makes a jumping grab. The player even gave me a visual for the little two-handed swipe he was doing.
"You grab it?" I ask, the 'that's really not a good idea' tone creeping into my voice, and I know my poker face was ruined.
"Yeah!"
"...give me a second I need to decide how this works out." I respond through growing laughter.
The Crusader was talking to the Cleric, so he perks up at this and says "Wait, what happened?"
"He grabbed it!"
The Gnome's player has an expression between worried and amused at this point.
I decide that the Gnome, being a stupidly dexterous little guy, would get a pair of reflex saves...one for each hand. DC 15. With his reflex, he needs something like a 3 or so to make it.
He rolls...and fails the first save.
"Well, that's one hand down."
"Wait, what?"
"Now save for the other hand."
He rolls...and makes it! Barely. This guy has ludicrously bad luck with rolls.
Then I remember something. A previous encounter had hit him with a -4 to his saves...and that hadn't gone away yet.
"Wait, did you take into account your -4?"
Silence.
So the Gnome lost two hands, and the Cleric wasn't quite high enough level to cast regenerate.
I narrate the event, doling out some damage. Pretty severe damage, but I figure losing two hands to a Sphere of Annihilation counts for something.
I'm laughing so hard it's difficult to even describe the degree of "screwed" the Gnome has going for him here. The Cleric and Crusader are also laughing, though mostly the Crusader. After a moment he has to get up and rush to the bathroom down the hall, still cackling. The Gnome's laughing too, though he's a bit at a loss of how to compensate for not being either stabby or lockpicky for awhile.
The Gnome mentions that he's at exactly 0, and the Cleric is trying to patch him up, what with those open wounds and all. This only prompts a distant "Bwahaha!" from the still-in-the-bathroom Crusader.
The Gnome did spend awhile basically useless, but fortunately a later scenario gave me a good excuse to drop a regenerate scroll on them. Still, I don't think he'll ever live it down.