Splat!

[TheThan]

William spellfire, human duskblade of awesomeness (level 2) and his allies decided to go and hunt down an evil elf sorcerer that has recently turned into a lich. After buying provision him and his party ventured into the wild with the intent of laying the smack down on said lich.
We wonder into this forest looking for some sign on where the lich’s henchman has gone (which we had run into earlier). We travel until nightfall, and set camp. We set watch, but in the middle of the night a large monster stumbled upon our camp.

Fortunately it made enough noise that we were alerted, so we got up and prepared for the fight. I thought it was going to be an ogre myself. Unfortunately I was wrong... It was a troll. Yes a CR 5 troll, against a 2nd level adventuring party with no real arcane or divine support.
This troll was hungry, and decided that my party would make a good late night snack. So it preceded to attack us.

The rogue, winning initiative, disappears into the dense undergrowth. The party’s pack mule (which we had just bought by the way) ran away in fear, breaking its’ tether. The party paladin and the warlock go after it in hopes of catching it before we lost it. Meanwhile myself, the fighter (decked out for range with a heavy crossbow) and the rogue prepare to try to take down this troll.

The fighter dinks at it with his crossbow, while I cast true strike and go defensive, ready to charge it my next turn. At the top of the initiative, the rogue sneak attacks it and gains it’s attention, while the paladin and warlock are still trying to stop the mule and the fighter dinks at it again with his crossbow.

Now it’s my turn. Now remember I had true strike cast. I’m wielding a greatsword, with a +5 total strength bonus (3x1.5=4.5 rounded up to five). With the +2 I get from charging I have a +27 to hit. I roll a natural 20… critical hit. Everyone at the table cheers, I roll for a confirmation, the dice come up 19. Everyone cheers again. Clearly I’m on a roll. So now I pick up the damage dice, hopping for double sixes… I get 10 (two 5s), good but not as good as I wanted, with my str it pumps it up to 15. So I roll damage again getting a 7, plus five puts my total damage up at 27. Pretty good, considering I totally forgot to power attack, which would have put it at 31.
Considering the damage dished out by the rogue and fighter thusfar, we’re doing pretty good. But then the troll’s turn comes up. Since I just thrashed this thing, I gained it attention. My duskblade only has about 18 life at this level. The troll attacks with his first hand, knocking me to 0 (ouch), then with his next attack hits me again for 15, then he precedes to rend me and I basically pop like a balloon. Ouch, now I know what our party has, and I know I’m the only one with either fire or acid damage. So I’m the only chance we have of permanently killing this thing. (Burning hands and acid splash as spells). So we’re pretty screwed, but maybe the warlock has some fire damage, since I’m not sure what evocations he took, maybe we still stand a chance. Unfortunately we didn’t get to find out.
This troll, then turns and kills the rogue on its next turn. By now the paladin realizes we’re in serious trouble. And he charges in trying to drop it, he hits it but not that hard. Now the troll has someone else to sink his claws into, the heavily armored paladin. The troll attacks, drops him to 0 in the first shot, then proceeds to claw him again and rend him. He’s as dead as I am. The remaining fighter and warlock (with the mule) decide to get the hell out of there and run away.

Thus ends the glorious and all too short adventuring career of William Spellfire, and two of his companions.

So now my new character, a dwarf cleric, is on a quest to hunt down a troll that’s been rampaging the country side, on and maybe kill a litch (side quest, heh).
just thought I'd share, that's all.

[Sstoopidtallkid]

You're level 2. And going after a lich. I'd say the troll saved you from a lot of pain and suffering.

[TheThan]

You're level 2. And going after a lich. I'd say the troll saved you from a lot of pain and suffering.

I figured we'd get strong enough to take her on before we actually find her.

[Ascension]

Wow. Horrifically unbalanced encounter, TPK, 2nd levels going after a lich... as a side quest...

If your DM wants to kill you that badly, why not the Tomb of Horrors?

[Crow]

You're level 2. And going after a lich. I'd say the troll saved you from a lot of pain and suffering.

Or an eternity of mindless servitude...

[Chronos]

The real question is, why didn't you try to run, too? The warlock had the right idea, here. And the rogue started off with the right idea, but then ruined it by attacking.

[Nebo_]

+5 total strength bonus (3x1.5=4.5 rounded up to five).

You round down.

[TheThan]

Well we got the thing down to less than half-life. So we did pretty well against it, and I gave as good as I got, so I had fun with it (its not like we have had a tremendous amount of RP here anyway). Besides the rogue wanted to roll up a new character anyway.

The Dm rolled really well against us (rolling so we could see it), but I think he didn’t realize that the CR system isn’t as forgiving as he thinks it is.

If I had survived to round two, I would have drilled it with burning hand or acid splash.

I asked the DM and he said round up so i did.

[Kizara]

Personally, I would never adventure with anyone that ran from a hard encounter after a bloody animal.

Totally unacceptable. And a PALADIN? You leave your companions to fight a horrible monster to go after your stuff? Wow...

[tyckspoon]

The Dm rolled really well against us (rolling so we could see it), but I think he didn’t realize that the CR system isn’t as forgiving as he thinks it is.

It does get a little more relaxed later on; very low level characters are just really easy to kill, so it doesn't take a much higher CR to get a very good chance of killing at least one PC and potentially causing a TPK. Even just one more level among the party could have let you take the troll, and two certainly would do it.. especially if half of your strength didn't go haring off after a mule.

[Tempest Fennac]

I honestly can;t blame the Paladin and Warlock (it would have been a better idea then risking death by fighting it considering how much you had to lose).


EDIT: Ignore the "furious" symbol. I have no idea how I put it there, and I don't know how to get rid of it.

[kieza]

huh. When I read the thread title, I thought it was going to be something like what a sorcerer did once in an arena I ran once: free fall from 1500 feet with a swarm of fiendish direbats, aiming at a druid sitting on the ground. Half of the bats pulled out in time; the others went splat in a circle around the druid.

In regard to the troll problem: I've seen more deaths result from the party panicking than anything else. If you'd stuck together, used terrain to your advantage, and left the mule, you probably could have beaten it.

[TheThan]

I meant not as forgiving at these levels.

The advantage is we ended up with a bit more balanced party.
We’ve got half-orc barbarian, my dwarf cleric, the fighter (human), the warlock (also human) and an elf druid/ranger (or is it ranger/druid). Oh we have a druid he was a no-show, so that would have made a big difference although there’s a rumor that he’s going to get switched over to the DM’s other game. The problem is we don’t have any real arcane support, and no real trap finding unless you count the barbarian.


I think if we were third level we would have been able to take the troll. But oh well, you get killed and learn. The DM let us roll for character level (roll 1D3), the new barbarian and elf got 3s, I got a 2. So our party is slightly more powerful.

[holywhippet]

Isn't an elven lich called a baelnorn?

You would have had better odds of success if your party had loaded up on alchemists fire and lantern oil. The troll would likely have failed it's reflex saving throw vs. catching on fire - and it can't regenerate from fire damage. 1d6 damage on two consecutive rounds from a ranged touch attack = bad news for a troll.

Given the CR of the thing though, the mule was probably the smartest member of your party. It's fair to say you could have beaten it, but the odds were never on your side. The two party members running off after the mule need a smack to the head though. Are they aware that if you'd managed to kill it, they wouldn't be getting any XP as they didn't participate in the fight?

Either your DM overestimated your abilities, is a sadist, or was trying to warn you away from roaming around in the wilderness given your low level.

[TheThan]

Either your DM overestimated your abilities, is a sadist.

Probably a little of both.

[Ascension]

Isn't an elven lich called a baelnorn?

Balenorns are a particular variety of lich. Elves can be straight up liches or they can be baelnorns. They have choices!

[Crow]

The two party members running off after the mule need a smack to the head though. Are they aware that if you'd managed to kill it, they wouldn't be getting any XP as they didn't participate in the fight?

Dude, if the mule ran away, how would they carry home all the loot? DUH!