How can I convince a party with two rangers that it's safer to stay inside?

[Ralanr]

So I have a party with two rangers on their way to a mine to gain the silver they need to kill werewolves. The problem is that I want to stop them along the way because I'm trying to get them more experience to level faster. As such, I was planning to cause a storm to take place along their travels, forcing them to take shelter at a nearby cabin through the offer of a stranger and his family.

Who turn out to be cannibals.

But since there are two rangers in the party, I believe their base features can allow them to bypass the storm easily. Any tips?

[Smitthy]

Howling werewolves? Hit one someone in the party with lightning?

[Seclora]

Have you considered lighting it on fire?
The Forest I mean, although hitting one of the rangers[the louder one] with lightning would also be an effective if heavy-handed solution. Setting the forest on fire, however, would force them to cross the river, bringing them to where the cabin is, allowing you to let them use their abilities to lead them where you wanted them to go anyways. Also, the forest is on fire, and who, druids aside, doesn't enjoy that development? Heck, it's not even the party's fault, for once.

I mean, it'd be rude of them to refuse shelter, free food, and the eagerness to hear of the outside world, right?

[nickl_2000]

No one ever said that it had to be a normal storm? They are Rangers, they can tell the difference between a normal storm and a magical one summoned by a druid. Make them feel you their nature mod and roll it behind a screen, then they automatically succeed.

You can even make that druid who summoned the storm become an NPC there to help them against the cannibals, and a recurring character.

[beargryllz]

You can bypass a storm, sure

If you *choose* to go right into the storm regardless, that's pretty dangerous. That's how people die...

We have weather forecasts in the real world with 2018 technology and people still ignore the warnings and end up dead...

[Telwar]

...I guess you could hope they take the hint and don't decide to sit out in the storm.

But they're PCs, so they'll do things that normal, sane folks won't. Including the players who wouldn't do that.

[ImproperJustice]

Borrow a page from Rifts and make it a Ley Line Storm?

[Honest Tiefling]

The cannibals steal something from the party. The rangers then track the thief. They'll do it, trust me.

Else, have hints or rumors that there is some loot in there. Strange lights, powerful and rare magical herbs, or even just have the weather not effect the cabin. Something is amiss and that something might have something to steal...

[bid]

There's a continuous drizzle, too cold to pass the night.
There are patches of evergreen across the river, maybe you can hide under their branches.
There's a hidden path reaching a ford, continuing to a shack.

[Kane0]

The cannibals steal something from the party. The rangers then track the thief. They'll do it, trust me.


Start with their boots :smallamused:

[Seclora]

Start with their boots :smallamused:

Oh you people do me a bother. Man's boots are a sacred thing.
:smalltongue:

[Contrast]

So I have a party with two rangers on their way to a mine to gain the silver they need to kill werewolves. The problem is that I want to stop them along the way because I'm trying to get them more experience to level faster. As such, I was planning to cause a storm to take place along their travels, forcing them to take shelter at a nearby cabin through the offer of a stranger and his family.

Who turn out to be cannibals.

But since there are two rangers in the party, I believe their base features can allow them to bypass the storm easily. Any tips?

Just because you can do something doesn't mean it'll be pleasant. Really emphasise how unpleasant being in the storm is.

Also while I don't really object to the plan to have encounters while travelling... You're the DM. If you want them to level faster, just give them more XP? You could simply award XP for defeating the 'encounter' of the nasty storm. Or just increase whatever amount of XP you're giving them for other things. It's your game.

[Asmotherion]

Make the Cannibals Reeeealy friendly? Like able to cast Friends/Charm Person/Silent Image kind of Friendly, and you get to RP the results.

You can make them pose as Rangers from the same order, and "appearing" to give the right information (due to the friends spell). If they ask for a Badge, they give a Minor Illusion one.

Works Perfectly as a Familly that dubs in Necomancy, Illusions and an Enchantments. All of them need only the Magic Intiate Feat for diferent degrees of mastery of magic.

One can use Chill Touch as an Attack, Friends to control the enemies, and have Silent Image the decorations of the house so that they won't figure what's going on.

An other may have Ray of Frost (to preserve the food), Minor Illusion for... well more minor illusions, and Charm Person for a more lasting effect.

Finally, your Boss can have Firebolt, and Control Flames, as the Cook, and perhaps the Sleep Spell?

[hymer]

How about something like this:
"It looks like there's a storm brewing. You two [indicating he ranger players] know from experience that this is going to be a bad one, and you really need to get a decent roof over your heads. We're talking multiple levels of exhaustion if you try to go it out in the wild, and if you're unlucky you could die."

[Lord Vukodlak]

But since there are two rangers in the party, I believe their base features can allow them to bypass the storm easily.

How? Nothing in natural explorer lets you deal with horrid weather aside from ignoring difficult terrain. So what ranger ability is going to let them bypass, high winds and heavy rain? Or conjure up shelter like a wizard casting Tiny Hut. Predicting the weather isn't changing it, nor does it let them go around the storm like its a plot of quicksand.

You could go full force and have the storm have the same effects as a sleet storm spell that's sure to drive them to shelter. I think its fair that natural explorer would only apply to a terrains normal weather.
But even that seems unnecessary make a point that the storm is very bad present a cabin and they'll think either shelter or adventure hook.

But to cover your bets have the storm start small just some light rain then gradually get heavier. Then they meet one of the Cannibals his cart is stranded in the mud and he asks for some help getting it unstuck.
He then offers to let them ride out the storm in his home just up the trail.
They decline, he asks whats their hurry. They tell the story of the mine and the werewolves and he says.
"My Grandfather used to hunt werewolves, think I have his old sword tucked away somewhere, Its for sale if you want it."

[Sigreid]

The easiest way is to say that because of their survival skills they know it's no day to be outside of you can avoid it. I mean even animals figure that one out.

[MrStabby]

My advice is to not try and force the players into your encounter.

Put the cannibals on their path but let them bypass them if the party makes the choice to do so. Then have back-up mini-adventure hooks along the way. They miss one but have others and this way the players get to chose what to do.

[Sigreid]

My advice is to not try and force the players into your encounter.

Put the cannibals on their path but let them bypass them if the party makes the choice to do so. Then have back-up mini-adventure hooks along the way. They miss one but have others and this way the players get to chose what to do.

This too. But there's nothing wrong with saying it sucks to be outside for a few hours.

[AHF]

How?

But to cover your bets have the storm start small just some light rain then gradually get heavier. Then they meet one of the Cannibals his cart is stranded in the mud and he asks for some help getting it unstuck.
He then offers to let them ride out the storm in his home just up the trail.
They decline, he asks whats their hurry. They tell the story of the mine and the werewolves and he says.
"My Grandfather used to hunt werewolves, think I have his old sword tucked away somewhere, Its for sale if you want it."

Like this approach a lot.

[Beelzebubba]

So I have a party with two rangers on their way to a mine to gain the silver they need to kill werewolves. The problem is that I want to stop them along the way because I'm trying to get them more experience to level faster. As such, I was planning to cause a storm to take place along their travels, forcing them to take shelter at a nearby cabin through the offer of a stranger and his family.

Who turn out to be cannibals.

But since there are two rangers in the party, I believe their base features can allow them to bypass the storm easily. Any tips?

Try designing a variety of encounters that may or may not work, and letting them bypass some, instead of wanting to railroad them into one you want?

[Temperjoke]

You know, the cannibals could be twisted druids in league with the werewolves. The arrangement is that the druids use their powers to keep people away from the mine on behalf of the werewolves and because they didn't like the mining work that was happening before. The werewolves leave them alone because it's pure benefit to them.

When the druids find out that a group is heading to the mine for whatever reason (they do this in general, not specifically targeting the players), they conjure up a really nasty storm to catch the party in. They then have one of their members act as if they're a local caught up in it too, who was on the way back to their shelter, either with a ruse that the party "saved" them, or some other appropriate method. The shelter appears safe, with it being a small and cozy enclave that the druids live in (no extra guest rooms, for example, which would be suspicious). The druids invite them for a vegetarian meal (to help allay suspicions), that is laced with sedatives of some sort. As further enticement, the druids offer to share what they know about the area, and even what they know about the mine/werewolves. Then, if put to sleep by the food, or after they've settled in, the druids strike quickly!

The players will probably know something is up, but might see it as the DM giving them a chance to find out about traps and dangers in the mine itself.

[GlenSmash!]

As far as I can tell, leading the party to a Cabin in the middle of a storm is exactly what I would expect Natural Explorer to do.