Oops, my bad guys petrified two party members

[MarkVIIIMarc]

Tonight was set up to be a pretty transitional night for a party I DM for. One of my semi random encounters ended up leaving two of them turned to stone.

What happened is they encountered two Gorgons who rolled great on breath weapon recharges.

The weapon reads: Petrifying Breath (Recharge 5-6). The gorgon exhales petrifying gas in a 30-foot cone. Each creature in that area must succeed on a DC 13 Constitution saving throw. On a failed save, a target begins to turn to stone and is restrained. The restrained target must repeat the saving throw at the end of its next turn. On a success, the effect ends on the target. On a failure, the target is petrified until freed by the greater restoration spell or other magic.

Their only tactical mistakes might have been bunching and the Bard giving out Combat Inspiration instead of regular Bardic Inspiration so it didn't seem fair.

What are the reasonable ways of undoing this in game with a side quest? They are largely level 6 party. One who wasn't petrified has a ring which grants immunity to petrification.

Besides giving them access to Greater Restoration through a NPC or scroll, what are their or my common choices?

[Xenothelm]

Perhaps an npc that can cast Stone to Flesh? "for a price...huehuehuehue"

[hymer]

How about a ritual, using the slain gorgons' tongues mixed with water from a particular holy spring to wash over the petrified victims to bring them back?

[Lord Vukodlak]

Their only tactical mistakes might have been bunching and the Bard giving out Combat Inspiration instead of regular Bardic Inspiration so it didn't seem fair.

Valor bards don't give out two kinds of Bardic Inspiration they give out ONE. Combat Inspiration makes bardic inspiration better its not an alternative version. So the tactical mistake was the PC's not knowing they COULD use valor bard inspiration for saving throws.



What are the reasonable ways of undoing this in game with a side quest? They are largely level 6 party. One who wasn't petrified has a ring which grants immunity to petrification.


The MM mentions under basilisks that some alchemists know a process to take fluid from a basilisk's gullet and make an oil that can return a petrified creatures to life. He could find an alchemist that can do something similar with the lungs of a gorgon.
And while petrification isn't listed on the things a Unicorn could heal with its touch could add that.


Perhaps an npc that can cast Stone to Flesh? "for a price...huehuehuehue"
There is no such spell in 5e.

[Rixitichil]

"Stone Salve" was a potion like substance in 3.5. It should translate to 5th fine. It acted like Stone to Flesh or Stoneskin depending if the oiled target was Petrified or not. Travelling to the lost laboratory of the alchemist known to have invented the substance is a possible adventure hook. Can they find any surviving stocks or find the sage's notes as to the recipe?
What defences still protect the place?
Has something else moved in, and is it using what stocks of Stone Salve are left to better protect it's new lair?
Do you want the party pouring over old half burnt notes and dusty glass vials, raiding ingredient cupboards as they try and formulate magical elixirs?

[Unoriginal]

"Roll new characters" is the traditional answer, I believe.

Gorgons are dangerous. It sucks to lose a PC, if if they had been killed by something that left their bodies unrecoverable, would you ask "how to easily give them True Resurrection?"


If you still want to give them the opportunity to save them on the cheap, something that could be fun would be to given them NPC statblocks and have them play a pair of alchemist who know how to craft a potion to de-petrify people.

Alternatively, some powerful Devils are capable of powerful transmutation of matter.

Or you could just say there is a mage who is workshopping a "Flesh to Stone, Stone to Flesh" spell, and if the PCs help them they might succeed (and become incredibly rich and famous).

[Asmotherion]

-Side Quest to Rescue.
-Cleric Casts a Greater Restoration on the Party Members, but, as a Trade, first gets one Party Member to agree to get a Geas cast on him, to ensure a specific quest will be fulfilled by the party. (You get to give them a side quest as a Penalty).

[iTreeby]

Have everyone else roll new characters and have the two stoned ones get revived im the far future. Or the rest of the group finds an alchemist that wants them to replace the rare reagents he used to cure them. Hopefully the don't get stoned by the basalisk fight.

[xroads]

There is no such [Flesh to stone] spell in 5e.

No. But if memory serves, either Greater Restoration or Dispel Magic can be used. I got that from the Tomb of Annihilation. In it, there is an opportunity to revive a petrified person and I believe those were the spells the book suggests.

[Demonslayer666]

Tonight was set up to be a pretty transitional night for a party I DM for. One of my semi random encounters ended up leaving two of them turned to stone.

What happened is they encountered two Gorgons who rolled great on breath weapon recharges.

The weapon reads: Petrifying Breath (Recharge 5-6). The gorgon exhales petrifying gas in a 30-foot cone. Each creature in that area must succeed on a DC 13 Constitution saving throw. On a failed save, a target begins to turn to stone and is restrained. The restrained target must repeat the saving throw at the end of its next turn. On a success, the effect ends on the target. On a failure, the target is petrified until freed by the greater restoration spell or other magic.

Their only tactical mistakes might have been bunching and the Bard giving out Combat Inspiration instead of regular Bardic Inspiration so it didn't seem fair.

What are the reasonable ways of undoing this in game with a side quest? They are largely level 6 party. One who wasn't petrified has a ring which grants immunity to petrification.

Besides giving them access to Greater Restoration through a NPC or scroll, what are their or my common choices?

You mentioned the best two options IMO. I'd probably make them donate to a temple, or be quested by the temple, or both. At 6th level, they should have a good amount of gold.

They should have used Inspiration if anyone in the party had it (real inspiration that is).

[Lord Vukodlak]

No. But if memory serves, either Greater Restoration or Dispel Magic can be used. I got that from the Tomb of Annihilation. In it, there is an opportunity to revive a petrified person and I believe those were the spells the book suggests.
The OP already mention Greater Restoration and was looking for other options. Somone mentioned a spell that didn’t exist as an option.
Dispel Magic can only dispel the spell flesh to stone.