A Harpy Question

[HidesHisEyes]

I'm considering making an encounter for the next session I run where the PCs will meet a group of harpies, hopefully hearing their song before seeing them. The harpy' stat block lists the song as simply an ability against which each person hearing it must save or be charmed and walk towards the harpy.

My question is: if you had a group of three or four harpies, all singing together as per the legends, how would you handle this? Would you actually make each player roll three or four Wisdom saves to avoid being charmed as the Monster Manual implies? If you did, would you then worry about keeping track of which harpy had charmed which PCs in the likely ensuing battle? Or would you abstract things a bit and just do one instance of the song for the whole group, and consider any PCs failing their saves to be charmed by the group as a whole? If so would you raise the DC (listed as 11) to keep it balanced?

[Erys]

I'm considering making an encounter for the next session I run where the PCs will meet a group of harpies, hopefully hearing their song before seeing them. The harpy' stat block lists the song as simply an ability against which each person hearing it must save or be charmed and walk towards the harpy.

My question is: if you had a group of three or four harpies, all singing together as per the legends, how would you handle this? Would you actually make each player roll three or four Wisdom saves to avoid being charmed as the Monster Manual implies? If you did, would you then worry about keeping track of which harpy had charmed which PCs in the likely ensuing battle? Or would you abstract things a bit and just do one instance of the song for the whole group, and consider any PCs failing their saves to be charmed by the group as a whole? If so would you raise the DC (listed as 11) to keep it balanced?

Everyone makes one save a round, if they make it they are fine for that round. Repeat saves each round. After a player makes the number of harpies worth of saves they are immune to the effect for the rest of the encounter.

[HidesHisEyes]

Everyone makes one save a round, if they make it they are fine for that round. After a player makes the number of harpies worth of saves they are immune to the effect for the rest of the encounter.

Thanks, that's an elegant solution!

[Tawmis]

It depends. If the harpies are singing together, it's one save.

It's like if you had a band, and there were three singers (one main, and two back up singers). They're singing one song.

If it's harpies that they encounter more than one contact; then it's multiple. So for example, the party is strolling along, hears a Harpy song; two fail, one saves. He guesses what's happening and engages the Harpy. The combat attracts the other two harpies that were sleeping near by. They begin to sing when they join combat. Now it's a new save roll for the one who initially wasn't charmed.

That's how I'd handle it.

[Erys]

Thanks, that's an elegant solution!

Glad to help. :smallsmile: