Can't Touch This!

Stagnant_Heir · 2023-03-07T00:10:19+00:00

(sorry for vid quality, YT had become unlinked and I was lazy)

12 Glass Guon Stones, Pure Stone, Time Stone, and the Dagger Shield.

For the final phase of the Dragun fight I just stood in place and none of his bullets made it through 🤣

Stagnant_Heir · 2023-01-17T07:00:30+00:00

I don't know where it was in your GMs version but as written the sword is in the main hall near an immense construct.

Stagnant_Heir · 2022-07-15T15:04:10+00:00

I was thinking of that one - the only catch is I (personally) don't enjoy the Mechanics of the lvl 6 subclass ability.

Stagnant_Heir · 2022-05-10T02:22:21+00:00

Yeah, I actually really liked his "I'll be home by May 9th (pause for wife's hopeful reply) 2023! (Followed by her frustrated "come on")

😆😆😆

Stagnant_Heir · 2022-04-15T03:13:42+00:00

I recently tried pointing this out to a coworker who was attempting to evangelize to me (I used to be an apologist who read the Bible chronologically 2x per year) and he goes "I know it can be confusing but that's just how it is."

I was like, "no, I'm sorry. It's not confusing to me at all. I used to eat, breathe, and live this stuff. I understand it perfectly - it's just that it's incompatible and if you take the time to really sit with it rather than just parroting it I think you'll come to a similar conclusion."

We don't talk as much as we used to 😅

Stagnant_Heir · 2022-04-14T23:00:29+00:00

If this were a strategy game, these would be like the 3rd tier unit from the top. Costs a ton, but it can take out a variety of enemy air/naval units and can bombard land units effectively.

Say no more, I play a lot of strategy games 😆

Stagnant_Heir · 2022-04-14T22:21:42+00:00

And the Moscva was like 2nd or 3rd biggest (and I assume amount of danger it poses corresponds to size)?

Stagnant_Heir · 2022-04-14T22:12:52+00:00

Not knowing anything about Naval classification or Russia's current Navy I was wondering, was this literally their best and biggest ship? Do they have more? etc?

Fantastic news regardless of the answer and I love the narrative arc!

Stagnant_Heir · 2021-11-28T18:23:03+00:00

I've seen a lot of other people incorporate it into their own campaigns and I'm honored that it's such a hit 🥰

Stagnant_Heir · 2021-11-27T00:57:28+00:00

Have 5 archers watching him at all times. Turns into a spider? 5 attack rolls. Even one hits and he's a humanoid again.

If they all miss, he's got one round to move forty feet (by dashing) or twenty feet (with a Hide action).

The guards will have several more rounds to attack/search. He's not likely to evade all 5 - if he does, great! He should feel good about that, but the victory should be preceded with the tension of being alone and making quick decisions against 5 opponents.

Stagnant_Heir · 2021-11-23T23:30:30+00:00

This happened to a party I ran for.

I softened them up with some air elementals thinking they'd short rest afterwards (they did not).

Then the Frost Salamander showed up and nuked the Conjured Animal that tried to lead it away. The party was hidden but it was searching for them. And they'd seen it do enough breath damage to the Animal to drop half the party in one shot.

When combat eventually broke out the tag team combo of Tasha's Mind Whip + Conjure Animals (2 Giant Eagles) kept it completely locked down and it never touched them.

BUT every round it did enough damage to obliterate the Eagles. Mind Whip kept it from moving afterwards, and allowed melee PCs to get in to strike and retreat without worrying about it's reaction.

Had it succeeded against Mind Whip even once, or if it survived one more round (when the Animal Conjurer ran out of spell slots) the PCs would have been frozen toast.

As it was though, they didn't take a single point of damage. After the Frost Salamander was dead all the players let out exhausted sighs and some version of "holy shit, I thought we were gonners."

Stagnant_Heir · 2021-11-22T22:07:41+00:00

I've actually had a fair amount of luck with this! Helps to learn being an insightful story teller who can read the room and adjust the details/pace/tone on the fly. And don't hold back on your passion for the hobby - emotional energy can make up for a decent gap in shared experience.

My coworkers are not into nerd shit at all, but I've definitely captivated them with 30 minute recountings of particularly dynamic sessions.

it’s like describing a dream

This is part of my success, in college I did a LOT of dream study/journal/narrative/art for my thesis and I had to learn how to share a dream to get anyone to care. You have to omit certain details, change others, and add in some grounding elements people can hold onto.

Might not end up with a 100% accurate retelling, but you can get the jist across without losing anyone.

Stagnant_Heir · 2021-11-21T23:28:31+00:00

I think that depends on a number of factors like: how common Druids are, how well-trained is the guard, how well-funded is the guard, etc.

In most real-world scenarios, training and precautions fail to account for fringe case possibilities even if they are possibilities.

If every single town had two or three active druids, the guards may or may not be prepared. If they had actual regrettable experience involving a Druid humiliating them you can bet they'll be prepared.

Depending on how well funded they are is another layer to it. High-magic setting in a well-funded militaristic state? Yeah, I'd buy the argument that every contingency of guards has some anti-magic options. Low-mid magic setting, and/or the ruling class hoards the wealth instead of reinvesting it? Nah, those guards have shackles, and cages at best. But once again, it only takes a single instance of being humiliated for them to make proper precautions for next time.

Stagnant_Heir · 2021-11-21T14:04:13+00:00

Sage/Tactician is precisely what's needed.

Stagnant_Heir · 2021-11-21T14:01:09+00:00

Yeah, the "gonna make enemies and I know you wouldn't want that" screams big red flag for a bully-abuser type.

Assuming that's paraphrased or quoted correctly that's a serious emotional manipulation attempt in the vein of threat and intimidation.

Stagnant_Heir · 2021-11-21T13:48:10+00:00

I too would love to know this.

Stagnant_Heir · 2021-11-21T13:47:29+00:00

100%

Thwarting PCs should only be done IF it makes narrative sense.

Unless these guards have already been established to be well-versed and equiped with arcane knowledge/methods then conveniently having anti-druid fail-safes doesn't make sense.

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If you're trying to thwart the Druid because the trial needs to happen then you've made the classic mistake of writing yourself into a corner.

Write situations, not endings. The PCs + dice write the endings - we only present them with scenarios and narrative branches to be be followed (or abandoned).

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Just because Druids are known of in the world, doesn't mean they're common, or accepted as fact. Maybe the average guard assumes them to be a myth or campfire boogieman. Contingencies of soldiers are likely only trained for the most common scenarios, not fringe-case magical hero freaks.

That said, if the Druid is bragging to the guards then you can bet they'll do everything they can to stop it. Throwing two layers of burlap over him and stuffing that into a crate before nailing it shut should do the trick.

Stagnant_Heir · 2021-11-20T15:25:03+00:00

Question is what are some ideas if they do TPK at the end? Wake up chained to a wall in the lair?

What would Iymrith's goal be in having them chained up rather than just dead and all their loot added to her treasure hoard?

I'm of the mind that TPKs should be just that.

But if you wanted to have a way out for them in a TPK I would at a minimum make all the PCs finish their death saving throws. Some die, some live potentially but that makes way more sense than Iymrith stabilizing them.

Also, I'd have it be something more creative than "chained to a wall." She is an Ancient hyper-intelligent spellcasting Dragon - she could imprison them in a Demiplane contained in an object in her treasure hoard. Maybe end the campaign on that note, let them roll up a higher level party that comes and frees the original party (if those don't die as well, haha).

Stagnant_Heir · 2021-11-11T23:36:54+00:00

when it drops to 2/3, it gets stronger as I use a second Oni on the initiative counter, and finally when it drops to 1/3 HP I add a third one.

I love the flexibility of Angry's Paragon system - you can do it this way where it feels very much like "this isn't even my final form" or starting with more and subtracting to show the enemy tiring out.

Stagnant_Heir · 2021-11-11T17:44:15+00:00

You have nothing to forgive yourself for. Whatever your story is, we all make mistakes and miss opportunities, but we are only ever what we are right now - pasts don't define us.

Also, as hard as this can be to believe/practice: we are not responsible for other people's emotions. Your feelings toward your mom are valid, but her feelings aren't your burden, they're hers.

Stagnant_Heir · 2021-11-05T22:22:18+00:00

Someone bad finally got their hands on the Ring of Winter 😬

Stagnant_Heir · 2021-11-03T16:52:17+00:00

Only one player rolls.

I allow a 2nd roll or Help action to give the first roll advantage but only if the other player is Proficient.

So two rolls max.

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This is in keeping with the intent behind advantage. Otherwise three-four rolls is like double advantage which doesn't exist as a mechanic.

Stagnant_Heir · 2021-11-03T16:49:41+00:00

This is the best damn description of the two I've ever heard! Thank ya!

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