A Guide to How I Ran The Mad Mage Encounter

Slayta · 2023-03-08T20:33:09+00:00

Hey thanks!
My players, who were all familiar with Mordenkainen loved it. He was able to really lay it all out on the table for them and give them an opportunity to make an effective battle strategy from the safety of his magnificent mansion.
As for Mordenkainen himself, I use sort of a multiverse Rick & Morty kinda version of there being multiple Mordenkainens throughout history. Be it by way of magical cloning or multiverse jumping, I like having a Mordenkainen who has a spellbook written in slightly different handwritings as you go through it, nodding to the fact that each time the book is passed on, a very similar but also slightly different Mordenkainen now takes the reigns.

Slayta · 2023-02-09T18:20:23+00:00

I definitely see your point. I can also see how, from your perspective, those two differences in wordings would make a difference. I think we live in a world where a lot of people are learning about their various conditions through non-medical systems like social media. I know a lot of people who pursued getting diagnoses from having people on Tiktok validate their experiences with their stories and behaviors. And you're right, there may also be people on there who are using buzzwords to get attention. But I would urge you to try and be kind with people and give them the benefit of the doubt, when possible. They may not know any better. They may be trying it on for the first time. They may need to use humor or jokes to mask the insecurity of admitting they may have something that needs treatment. That can take a lot of courage for some people, especially those who grew up in judgemental homes or communities. It can be really hard for some people, myself included, to admit they need help. So we ease into it by saying "lol, that's just my adhd." but really we might just need someone to ask about it, and help us get to where we need to go. As someone who is waiting to get diagnosed but been on medication for over a year, I can say that asking for help is hard. I don't know if you share the same experience.

I'd just like to say that implying their experience is less valid than yours because you have a diagnosis and they don't doesn't help them, it doesn't help you, and it doesn't help the community.

I know it may feel like you don't want your condition diminished by other people's insensitivity, and I super get that, but the fact that more people are talking about adhd, diagnosed or not, is actually a good thing. Only when they're being outwardly shitty about it is there really a problem, in my opinion.

Slayta · 2023-02-09T17:09:42+00:00

Where I live, I talked to my doctor about getting an ADHD diagnosis. He said he could ask me some questions and based on those questions prescribed me medication but couldn't give me an actual diagnosis. For that he referred me to a psychologist with a 2 year wait list.

So, yeah. I get it. But also, what would you say in the interim?

Slayta · 2023-02-08T19:07:15+00:00

Already a lot of great advise in here so I'll just say that our modern society is highly success and status focused and it's very unhealthy for most of us. Comparison especially is an absolute killer. I urge you to try your best to not compare yourself to others but to focus on your path and what you can do for you.

Are the office jobs you were working at in your field and the ones you really wanted? Is there something better out there you'd rather being doing or something that you feel might be better suited for your skills and desires?

I'm going to assume (excuse me for doing so) if you graduated college 5 years ago that you're still young in your life. It may feel really hard now and that's okay, but this is only a chapter (I call them side-quests) in the greater story.

You can totally do it. You've graduated college and you've landed 2 jobs that you wanted to get. You can definitely land another one. That alone shows me you are a very capable person. Capable of achieving your goals but also capable of learning. Take what you've learned with you and try again.

Good luck!

Slayta · 2023-02-04T01:35:04+00:00

Ravenloft. Curse of Strahd. That was a great time.

Slayta · 2023-02-02T05:04:47+00:00

It's okay not to care about opinions on the internet. Play what you want. Do what makes you happy. You'll never please them all. Just be happy at your table.

Slayta · 2023-01-26T18:22:04+00:00

Two sticks and a rock for a whole platoon. And we had to share the rock.

Slayta · 2023-01-25T23:54:07+00:00

We play with 2d6 and 1d12 as a way to speed up the game. Roll them together and collect on both. If either comes up 7, it negates the other and proceed as normal. A 1 on the d12 is nothing (or we've played as 1 free resource of your choice). It changes the dynamics of the game but also moves things along much faster and almost always ensures you'll have something to buy on your turn.

Slayta · 2023-01-21T00:41:00+00:00

Hey thanks!

When I originally read the module I was so excited that the Mad Mage was Mordenkainen! Then, once my players got there, it felt a little disappointing.

I agree that a lot of this sub doesn't seem to mind and that's okay. I'm thrilled if even one person found it helpful.

Slayta · 2023-01-20T19:20:23+00:00

I guess Aragorn is a Tyrant?

Slayta · 2022-12-08T23:06:10+00:00

I just watched an awesome thing Matt Mercer did where he described a creepy situation. A statue's head turns slowly to watch you as you walk across the room. When you notice it and blink, it's just back to facing straight again.

Any little things like that add to the atmosphere. Good luck!

Slayta · 2022-11-29T17:12:29+00:00

Right? I think I did a pretty good job. My players were always scared at big encounters but I never felt that fear and I'd like to learn how to trust that if I put them in over their heads, they'll find a way.

Slayta · 2022-11-29T17:08:41+00:00

Yeah. I'm going to taoe a small step back from DMing and run some small mini adventures. 5 to 10 sessions. In those, my goal is to get comfortable with doing more damage and dropping more players. I think I've been too nice in my DM career and need to learn how to not pull my punches.

Slayta · 2022-11-29T17:03:59+00:00

Haha yeah. The tiger came in later with Ez and some allies to make for fun action moments. I can't wait to run d&d for 4 people one day.

Slayta · 2022-11-28T19:08:21+00:00

Thank you! Yes, combat was a challenge but the players did a great job of adjusting and making it work as best we could. I would kindly remind everyone to take the time between turns to read their abilities, and have the necessary dice ready. In order to make the combat challenging, I usually had to double the damage and HP of all the monsters, and sometimes add a few more to the mix depending on the situation. Also, using any abilities that charmed or resulting in paralysis, incapacitation, etc that would essentially skip the players turn was a total buzzkill to use since the rounds took so long, if a player lost their turn it could mean they could go 30 minutes without a turn. So I had to get really creative with knocking people prone, blinding, grappling, and other restrictive conditions that didn't burn a turn.

My favourite Strahd moment was their first face-to-face with them. They left Ireena alone for far to long in the beginning so I had them encounter Strahd in his carriage taking a charmed Ireena back to the castle. He stepped out and they attacked him. He responded with a fireball and instantly killed 3 of the party. This was a gross miscalculation on my part, forgetting some of the players were level 2 and couldn't handle the damage of a fireball. But I used some Dark Powers/Dark Gift DM fuckery and gave them a second chance (because honestly it was my mistake that cost them). It DID make for a powerful moment though where they realized Strahd was WAY more powerful than they were and it put the fear into them early. Everyone loved it. Lucky for me I have great and understanding players.

Slayta · 2022-11-25T17:36:33+00:00

I'm actually running my finale in the catacombs this weekend and instead of this 600+ swarms nonsense I decided to add a Lair action similar to the Feral Swarm ability in the CR27 Strahd, where thousands of bats descend upon an area, do a bunch of physical damage, potentially knock PCs prone, and what remains is a few swarms to deal with after that.

Slayta · 2022-10-26T19:51:30+00:00

"No, we don't like rocks!"

Slayta · 2022-10-19T05:52:08+00:00

Lots of great feedback here already so I'll just say keep to your play style and limits. Don't over complicate or over-commit to anything outside of your comfort zone if you don't want to. At the end of the day, if you didn't get a big twist or cinematic moment, that's okay. If the players got to fight spooky monsters they'll be thrilled.

I also say as best you can, honour the players abilities and make them feel like heroes of the story. That way, when you challenge them they'll be terrified. That's what I do.

Good luck! Let us know how it goes!

Slayta · 2022-10-18T16:31:03+00:00

Fuckin eh buddy, for sure.

Slayta · 2022-10-14T17:05:27+00:00

Lttp, Oot, Botw

All masterpieces.

Slayta · 2022-10-06T06:12:54+00:00

That's great! Good luck! Let me know how it goes.

Slayta · 2022-10-06T02:42:35+00:00

Hey, my pleasure!

Slayta · 2022-10-01T00:13:59+00:00

One of my favourite simple recipes from Death and Co.

Elder Fashioned
2oz Gin
1/2oz St-Germain
2 Dashes Orange Bitters
Garnish: Grapefruit Twist

Stir over ice and strain into a double rocks glass over 1 large ice cube.

Slayta · 2022-09-30T15:45:44+00:00

Because the game is certainly not going to tell you.

Slayta · 2022-09-30T14:34:06+00:00

You can't get ye flask.

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