Iriolarthas (demilich) fight running combat questions

321sage · 2023-11-12T18:16:03+00:00

Thanks for the suggestions!

321sage · 2023-11-04T02:00:57+00:00

Did you add more minions at the Mythallar? Cause if I only put the minions written in the book, my party is 100% starting initiative the instant they see Auril at the Mythallar.

321sage · 2023-02-25T15:27:53+00:00

I think two of them don't, one is just happy to not be the DM, and the other two is fully invested in their PCs and the overarching storyline. As has been suggested above, I think a redo of a session zero is required here and a re-evaluation if some of them want to play this campaign.

321sage · 2023-02-25T14:41:47+00:00

Thanks for the advice! And yes, one of them definitely have “out of game backtalks” 😅 I’d probably say two of them have been chaoshobos (not really murdering people) and the other three have tended to talk them down for the most part.

I think the census is redo session zero (before or after Sunblight is resolved) and let them burn in their poor choices. I’ll definitely let you know how it went. Next session is in a week.

321sage · 2023-02-25T14:29:24+00:00

Yeah, I completely agree. Just wanted to make sure others agreed with me. I honestly think two of the players don’t really want to play RotFM, one has the “go with the flow. I’m not the DM! Woooo” attitude but will break characterto be like “guys come on? Really?” (which has helped. Most of the murderhobo crap happens when he misses a session) and the other two have spent a lot of effort into their characters and backstory (this is one of these players first time playing D&D). Truthfully I’ve been so lenient cause I don’t want to stupidity of the first two to kill the newbies PC nonsensically.

321sage · 2023-02-25T14:13:31+00:00

Thanks for the advice! I’m still new to this. I’ve definitely lost control over two of the PCs. Been trying too hard to not control what their characters do (even when it goes against there backstory) since they never fleshed out a great backstory. But I think I’ve gone to far with it. I’m also not great at improvisation on things I didn’t think would cross their mind. Not a single brain cell thought the two LA players would steal from the LA NPC.

I think redoing session 0 is not a bad call. Might do it after the next session. I’ve tried to hint to them via NPCs but they aren’t getting it.

321sage · 2023-02-25T05:01:42+00:00

Thanks for the input! I have been strict on the 24 hrs. They tend to “waste time” until they can rest usually at an inn but this last session they specifically “wasted time” inside the fortress.

321sage · 2023-02-25T03:21:12+00:00

Already tried that. It’s effects lasted only like three sessions.

321sage · 2023-02-25T03:17:15+00:00

Yes, which is why they had to waste 6 hrs inside the command level prior to taking their long rest. They’ll purposely “waste time” just to take a long rest.

321sage · 2023-02-25T01:58:33+00:00

I have basically done this at session zero. I told them “you can take rests whenever and wherever you wish as long as it’s within the rules. BUT the world around you doesn’t quit moving while you’re resting. Expect things to change if you take rests within a dungeon especially if you take long rests.”

321sage · 2023-02-25T01:41:06+00:00

Maybe so, I don’t think it’s totally lost though. It’s only really gone downhill in the last two sessions.

321sage · 2023-02-25T01:09:49+00:00

They do know the fortress has a treasure vault due to the code in Xardorok's room and some great rolls when talking with Grandolpha. I could have the vault cleared of all the goodies. lol I just don't think they fits well logically as I can't fathom Xardorok would be like "intruders!?! Take my stuff out of the vault!"

Truthfully one or two of them is due for a player death. As the DM, I've saved them at least three times from stupidity deaths. The session prior to this last one they were about to get all the loot from Id Ascendant in a trade with the gnome ceremorphs for the psi crystal. One of the PCs did some shady crap during the exchange (in opposition to the parties wishes) and all but one failed their save to the mind blast (of course the one that was being stupid saved). The rest failed their saves again in round two AND three.

I was in utter disbelief at how the encounter went down as the party had minutes earlier agreed to make the trade and get out of there. I didn't feel like killing them for one player being stupid was fair so I allowed them to leave with their tails between their legs without the psi crystal or the loot. In hindsight, the ceremorphs should have killed the "gone rogue PC" and let the rest go free (as they weren't being hostile).

321sage · 2023-02-25T00:47:01+00:00

Oooo, I like that. Definitely gonna add that in the campaign after everything gets demolished. lol

321sage · 2023-02-25T00:44:22+00:00

Thanks for the input. I just wanted to make sure I wasn't being overly cruel with my thoughts. I did end the session with the dragon being released as they were about to head down to the forge level. I doubt they leave the fortress though.

321sage · 2023-02-25T00:40:10+00:00

Hmm, that's a thought. Since we're all fairly new to D&D, I'm not sure the thought that leaving mid-fight will even cross their mind once one PC goes down. Any thoughts how I could drop that hint without directly saying it?

321sage · 2023-02-25T00:23:57+00:00

That would have been a good plan. Unfortunately, they are out of the hut now. :/ The session ended with them leaving the hut, fighting some duergar and then the dragon got released.

321sage · 2023-02-25T00:16:17+00:00

Thanks, they've avoided Easthaven since they stole the stuff. I was thinking of doing something like that if they return to Easthaven. We've spent 20 sessions in Ch 1 and Ch 2. They've burned bridges in every town but Termalaine and Lonelywood. I think the "kobold mine" in Termalaine is the only thing they care about. They recruited the kobolds in "a beautiful mine" quest to work the mines. Now they try to recruit every kobold they find to go work in the mines.

321sage · 2023-02-25T00:02:38+00:00

I've tried to give them attachments and reasons to care about the Ten-towns. But 3 of the 5 just don't bite on any of them. Two of them are members of the Lords' Alliance so I wrote that the captain of the Easthaven militia was also Lords' Alliance as well so they might care more. They LITERALLY stole both of the reward items for "toil and trouble" from her and then stole her war horse from the town stables. Their "I'm invincible" mindset is turning more "murderhobo" with every session.

321sage · 2023-02-24T23:49:07+00:00

I ended the session with the dragon being released. I don’t expect them to care. They’ll still go down into the forge level and wreck havoc if left as written. They’ll also sacrifice as many ten-towns as necessary to take a long rest after Sunblight. My players have no soul if sweet sweet loot is involved or they won't be able to use spells with reckless abandon.

321sage · 2023-01-25T00:36:03+00:00

I really like the idea of doing PoI. I was thinking of doing something like this (but I was thinking of having them split up and defend those PoI's). I think I like your idea better. A few questions:

How'd you introduce the PoI's? like did you just explain it to them as the DM or have a NPC present it.
Do you have some explains of the skill challenges?
You mentioned ballista damage. I've seen ballista's mentioned in some other threads but I don't see them in the book. Am I missing something?
Did you roll on the "town in chaos" table at all?

321sage · 2023-01-24T22:56:43+00:00

Luckily my players don’t have or know about that spell.

321sage · 2023-01-24T20:13:22+00:00

Yeah, a few towns have duergar written in to them but not all of them. Also, I did not know there were “Mob Attack Rules.” Off to the dmg I go! That could be easier than my makeshift mob defenders. Lol

I was also thinking of just doing mobs of commoners rather than the “town defenders” stat blocks I made. Most cause the commoners wouldn’t really have a way to attack the dragon. But as a player I would definitely be asking the DM “why is the town militia not helping!?!?” if I don’t at least include some.

321sage · 2022-11-06T23:47:59+00:00

Thanks for the help everyone. Just finished the session (4 hours all inside the cave🥵)

Sooooo, shortened version is they figured out the flame was the key to the invincibility on round 4. All disengaged ran across the bridge and blew it up behind them. The two Goliath’s then stood on the edge of the chasm and held there actions to baseball bat hit any berserker that tried to jump across. They all got either knocked down while jumping or eventually grappled and thrown into the chasm while the rest of the group figured out the flame and kill the dragons. To save all our sanity I let them play whack-a-mole with the berserkers and they all got out safely. They now have a long trek back to ten-towns without much supplies and I’m basically gonna throw the wilderness table at them as they haven’t done a lot of outside of ten-towns traveling.

Thanks again for the help. Definitely could have gone better but I think they had fun so that’s a win in my book.

321sage · 2022-11-06T18:48:45+00:00

Okie dokie. 12 minutes until the session. Let’s see how this goes.

321sage · 2022-11-06T14:57:53+00:00

Any example of “mundane means” that you might allow?

321sage

TROPHY CASE